Which model should you buy if you want the price to increase later?

Which model should you buy to minimize your loss? Which model has the potential to increase in value in the future? Everyone thinks about these things when buying a watch. There are many ways to approach this but there is one rule you must always remember.

‘Buy a discontinued model’
When a new model is released the previous model is discontinued and the price of the discontinued model tends to rise. This has been a common phenomenon especially among professional models. Sometimes if you are lucky a model purchased at a lower price than the new product may even be re-evaluated and bring you a significant profit.

The principle behind the price increase of discontinued models is simple. As the supply gradually disappears from the market scarcity increases and demand does not easily decrease. In this article I will introduce models that have been discontinued for less than five years and are worth paying attention to if you find them in the market. The opportunity for a big jump in value may be found in these watches.

Submariner Date Black
Ref. 116610LN

ⓒ BOBSWATCHES

This is the Submariner Black 116610LN that sparked the Rolex craze in Korea. As many people consider it an entry-level Rolex it is a basic steady seller that matches well with both business and casual looks. When Ref. 116610 was released it was significantly upgraded with a Cerachrom bezel and Glide Lock and it is equipped with the Cal. 3135 movement which has been steadily improved over 30 years. Since there is no significant difference in appearance from its successor 126610LN the love for 116610LN among users remains strong.

VIVER Index

It was distributed for 10 years from its initial release until production ended and since it has only been two years since production stopped in 2020 now may be the best time to find a product in good condition at a reasonable price if you look carefully.

Submariner Date 116610LN

40mm, Black, Oyster

Explorer 1
Ref.214270

ⓒ BOBSWATCHES

This is the Explorer 1 214270 frequently introduced by VIVER. If you had to pick a product that best fits the word “reasonable” in the entire Rolex collection it would undoubtedly be the Explorer. Among them Ref.214270 received much love for 10 years as the only Explorer with a 39mm size.

VIVER Index

In addition as the size of the subsequent Ref.124270 returned to 36mm the value of 214270 is expected to increase further. Although they share the same reference number there are differences before and after 2016. The pre-2016 version has a white gold index and short hands while the post-2016 version has luminous indexes and slightly longer hands. Please keep this in mind when purchasing.

Explorer 1 214270

39mm, Black, Oyster

Explorer 1 214270

39mm, Black, Oyster

GMT-Master 2
Ref. 116710LN

ⓒ BOBSWATCHES

Although the GMT-Master 2 line is famous for its ‘two-tone bezel’ I believe the unique black single-color bezel also has potential for price increases. Even though five years have passed since the movement changed to Ref. 126XXX a single-color bezel has not been released. As a result since its discontinuation in 2019 the price has been steadily rising.

VIVER Index

Although it is made of steel the many polished parts on the exterior add a sense of luxury. There is still much interest in whether the next GMT-Master 2 will be a Coke or a new black bezel. Until then the value of 116710LN remains outstanding.

GMT-Master 2 116710LN

40mm, Black, Oyster

If you look at the price trends of the models introduced this time you can see that prices have risen sharply after discontinuation. Fortunately since it has not been long since production ended it is still relatively easy to find good products in the market so please keep an eye out. In the next article I will introduce models that have been discontinued for more than 10 years. See you again.