How to find luxury watches that look like they cost twice as much

A watch can cost thousands without screaming about it, while another can have you doing a double take from the other side of the room. 

And that’s one of the most enjoyable things about luxury watches. You don’t need to spend six figures to get a watch that looks like it should have a much larger price tag attached to it.

Whether it’s a splash of gold, an eye-catching dial, an impressive bracelet or simply the right combination of proportions and finishing, some watches punch well above their price bracket.

So, if you’re looking for maximum wrist presence without necessarily heading into ‘probably shouldn’t be wearing this to the pub’ territory, where should you look?

Around £5,000-£6000

Rolex isn’t exactly a brand associated with understatement when it comes to price, but the pre-owned market means you don’t necessarily need to spend tens of thousands to get something that instantly looks like a luxury watch.

Take the Rolex Datejust. It’s got the fluted bezel, Jubilee bracelet, precious metal and that unmistakable dial.

Coming in at the £5,000-£6,000 mark, we’ve got a 26mm two-tone 69173 with a champagne dial and diamond-dot markers at £5,745.

Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 is another fantastic example of a watch that looks considerably more expensive than its price suggests.

It’s big, complicated and unmistakably a serious piece of mechanical engineering. The busy dial, slide-rule bezel and 46mm case give it plenty of visual impact and it’s definitely not trying to disappear under your cuff.

Around £7,000

Bump up the £7,000 mark and things start getting even more interesting.

Take our Rolex Datejust 41, reference 126300. We’ve got it listed at £6,900. It’s a stainless-steel watch, but the 41mm case gives it plenty of presence without relying on diamonds or gold to make an impression.

And this is where Rolex does something clever. The design is instantly recognisable without being complicated. There’s no ginormous bezel, no skeletonised movement and no rainbow gems… it’s just a very well-proportioned luxury watch.

Around £15,000

We now take a leap to £15,000 and once we’re talking five figures, the question changes slightly.

You’re now looking at a watch that looks very expensive. Take the Rolex Datejust 36 in stainless steel and 18ct Everose gold, reference 126231.

This is where the combination of colour and materials really comes into its own. The chocolate dial gives it warmth, while the Everose gold adds plenty of visual weight. It’s recognisably a luxury watch before you even get close enough to read the name on the dial.

And then there’s the Rolex GMT-Master II. The black-and-blue Cerachrom bezel on a Batman is one of those designs that simply looks cool.

Around £20,000

Now you can start moving away from the traditional Rolex altogether.

Cartier’s Santos is a perfect example. You can get a preowned Santos de Cartier Skeletonised “Blue”, reference WHSA0026, for around this amount. It combines a stainless-steel case and bracelet with a skeletonised navy-blue dial.

It looks more expensive. The exposed movement immediately gives it a sense of complexity, while the blue detailing adds something a little different from the usual black or silver luxury watch.

£30,000+ 

Cartier is good at creating watches that look considerably more expensive than their specifications initially suggest.

Take the Cartier Baignoire Allongée… an 18ct rose-gold watch with an unusual 22mm oval case, an ivory dial and a manual wind movement on an alligator strap.

It’s not huge or speckled in diamonds. And it doesn’t have the wrist presence of a 46mm Breitling. But put it on someone’s wrist and it immediately looks like something special.

What makes a watch look expensive?

It would be easy to say the answer is simply gold and diamonds, but it’s not that straightforward.

Sometimes it’s the bracelet, sometimes it’s the dial, and sometimes it’s the size, finishing, a lovely fluted bezel or a wild combo of all those little details that just work brilliantly together.

A watch doesn’t have to be the most expensive one in the room to look like it is.

We can help you find a beautiful luxury watch at a fair market price. Speak to our team today.