The Replica Omega Speedmaster – a good investment? And if so, which one should you choose? That’s what this article will be about. – Whether and which watches are a stable value or a good investment can be debated for a long time. And that’s exactly what happens in various forums. Opinions vary widely: some don’t think much of it. Others rely entirely on vintage watches. Still others mothball discontinued Rolex models that they buy new for a few years in order to eventually sell them at a profit as a no longer produced “rarity” in new condition.
All I can say about my vintage watches is that each one has increased in value so far. Omega watches in particular have proven to be a good investment for me. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a fairly cheap Omega Seamaster Quartz, a Speedmaster Mark II (see ebay – partner link/advertising) or Speedmaster Mark 4.5 (see ebay – partner link/advertising). They all fetch higher prices today than they did a few years ago. (More on this here Investment: Vintage watches – better than any savings account or stocks?).
THE MOON IS THE LIMIT? – PRICE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OMEGA SPEEDMASTER MOONWATCH
I have only bought one new Omega so far. A classic: the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional. The watch that was on the moon – hand-wound (like the original Moonwatch), hesalite crystal, steel back and stainless steel bracelet (Ref. 3570.50.00, caliber 1861). The watch simply had to be.
And after I was able to purchase it from a jeweler at a good price about 15 years ago, I was able to witness how the price of this Omega legend rose regularly. I kept stopping at shop windows to see how the prices had increased again. And plenty of it.
So that the vague statement “The prices for the Omega Speedmaster have risen considerably,” I set out to research the recommended retail prices of the past few years in 2016 (when this article was first published).
To do this, I browsed the Internet, old catalogs and magazines as best I could. Unfortunately, my research was not complete. I was still missing a year or two. In the first two versions of this article, I called on you readers to fill in these gaps if necessary or to expand my research.
And lo and behold, at the end of March 2019 I received an email from a reader, more precisely from Günter Kurt Eckert, who simply provided me with his own research for the years 1995 to 2019 in the form of an Excel table. Brilliant. Big thanks again at this point!
Günter has carefully documented his data and sources. There were only two gaps (1999 and 2000). Which is manageable given the size. His sources were primarily the relevant specialist magazines.
THE MOONWATCH – PRICES FROM 1995 TO PRESENT
Here is the newly created graphic – including annual updates. All without guarantee, of course. But you get a pretty good impression of how the price of the Moonwatch has developed in recent years:
To make a long story short: The RRP has increased from the equivalent of around 1,400 euros (1995) to 7,600 euros (2024) today. So it has increased fivefold. Quite an increase, right?
To explain: You can see in the graphic that there was a significant price jump in 2021. Reason: In January 2021, Omega announced that there would be a new version priced at 6,100 euros (2021), which will probably replace the old and cheaper one. You can find more about this below.
And of course Omega didn’t miss the opportunity to increase the price two more times in 2022. Once by 500 euros (February 2022) and 400 euros (September 2022) – a total of 900 euros in one year. In February 2023 for another 400 euros. And so forth…
In short: The current price of the Moonwatch Speedmaster is now 7,600 euros (as of January 2024).
At least until the next price increase 😉
OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL MOONWATCH: WHERE WILL THE PRICES GO?
Of course, you now ask yourself, how high can the price of these watches rise? What are buyers willing to pay? Well, in addition to the Moonwatch, there are a few other Speedmaster models in the Omega range. And the prices of these models, e.g. the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon or Gray Side of the Moon, start (!) at around 11,000 euros.
And these watches are obviously being bought. In comparison, the classic Moonwatch with its 4,300, 4,600, 4,780, 6,100, 6,600, 7,000 euros and 7,600 euros (January 2024) has become a kind of entry-level model into the Speedmaster world…
So the moon actually seems to be the limit.
OMEGA SPEEDMASTER AS AN INVESTMENT – FORBIDDEN TO WEAR?
So is it worth buying a Speedmaster today in order to sell it for a decent profit in ten or more years? Personally, I don’t like this idea. On the one hand, it means that you cannot wear the watch – because ideally it should remain in new condition. On the other hand, 7,600 euros (January 2024) is quite a lot of money for a “physical investment” that you can’t really enjoy.
My tip is still to go for vintage or used Speedmasters. You can wear them without any problem and they are definitely a good investment. You can get the Moonwatch used – as a very rough rule of thumb – for half the new price. On eBay there are currently prices of 2,200 to 2,500 (2016), 2,500 to 3,000 euros (2019), 3,000 to 4,000 euros (2020/21) 4,000 to 5,000 euros (see ebay – partner link/advertising* | status: 2024) for the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch quite realistic.
But that can change at any time, as prices for used watches are also rising. And of course it always depends on the vintage and many other factors: A vintage Speedmaster from the year of the moon landing (1969) and before costs significantly more than one from the 2000s. It also makes a difference in price, what condition the “Speedy” is in, which movement (caliber 321, 861 or 1861) is beating inside, whether there is an original steel bracelet, the papers and the box, etc.
