One of the most high-end reselling industries is the world of watches, where the average Rolex is easily worth five figures, and some other pieces are worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. However, despite a high price entry in the upper realms of watch reselling, you can still enter the market with a more modest budget, particularly with well-known brands that have consistent demand such as Seiko.
Let’s go over why you should resell watches if you aren’t already before jumping into a list of 10 watches that you can resell in 2024. We’ll conclude with how you can use the power of a dedicated group to find success in all reselling areas, including watches.
Why Resell Watches?
It’s often those that are earliest to a trend who profit the most, and with watches, there are still not many resellers. You can perhaps compare watches to the early days of sneakers. The sneaker market used to be unsaturated, but now that the marketplace is established and thriving, it has become a crowded space with a higher difficulty of securing large profits consistently.
Since fewer people are selling watches, most people are totally clueless as to which models to invest in for the best resale potential.
Plus, if you have the budget for it, higher-end watches have a larger price variation on the aftermarket and thus an even greater profit potential.
We’ve decided to take some of the guesswork out of reselling watches - here is a list of the best 10 watches to target as a reseller, starting with some budget-friendly options that have an active aftermarket.
Top 10 Watches to Resell in 2024
1. Timex Expedition
One of the most classic and reliable watch brands is Timex, and one of its staple models is the Expedition.
Although there aren’t big profits to be had with this watch, it’s a good entry piece and has an active market, so if you list one at a fair price on a platform like eBay, it will sell quickly.
You can find these for $50 or less and can potentially sell for a modest profit. Be sure to keep an eye out for these if you’re at a thrift store or garage sale, as it might be possible to find one for $20 or even cheaper. There are a few variations of the Expedition, but the basic model pictured above is the most popular.
2. Seiko 5 Automatic SNK Military Watch
When it comes to entry-level luxury watches, the king is arguably Seiko. The Japanese manufacturer is known for creating watches that punch far above their weight in terms of value and build quality.
Just about every high-end watch, including Rolex, is powered by automatic movement, meaning that there is no battery. Instead, the watch uses an intricate arrangement of gears, springs, and crystals that only require the movement of the wearer to power it.
One of the most budget-friendly yet high-quality and in-demand automatic watches is the Seiko 5. The 21 Jewel movement rivals that of more expensive pieces, and at $150 or less, it is a fraction of the price of some alternatives.
As with many other watches, the money isn’t made on buying them brand new and sold out, but in arbitraging the aftermarket by finding a below-market deal and selling at market or slightly higher.
3. Omega Moonswatch
One of the watches that might be setting a brand new trend for watch flipping is the Swatch x Omega “Moonswatch”, which mirrored hyped sneaker drops with fast sell-out and aftermarket markup.
This model closely resembles the Omega Speedmaster but retailed at a fraction of the price–$260 compared to $5000+, causing consumers to scramble for them on the aftermarket, where some colors fetched as much as double the retail price or more during the peak.
During the first collection, 10 watches were released, each representing one of the eight planets, the sun, or the moon.
4. Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
Continuing the Swatch collaboration trend is the Blancpain “Fifty Fathoms” x Swatch collaboration.
Just like with the Moonswatch, the Fifty Fathoms was made with a more budget-friendly Bioceramic while keeping the design and visual appeal of the main brand’s more expensive counterpart. Pricing was set at $400 compared to the $10,000+ cost of an original Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.
Five different models were released, each referring to one of the major oceans in the world: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic. Some colors commanded higher prices than others, but all of them are still consistently selling above retail by at least 10%.
Keep an eye out to see if Swatch continues to release collaborations with higher-end brands–they actually own many, including Glashütte, Longines, and Hamilton.
5. G-Shock John Mayer x Hodinkee
While it’s not quite common knowledge, many watch buffs know that chart-topping artist John Mayer is an avid watch collector, known for his love for Rolex. One of the company’s most sought-after models, the yellow-gold Daytona with a green face, is now colloquially known as the John Mayer Rolex.
While this is no Rolex, Casio decided to pay homage to John Mayer and his love of watches with this G-Shock model. Casio’s G-Shock brand in collaboration with the highly reputable watch editorial website Hodinkee released a John Mayer model in 2022, and years later, it still sells for above its retail price.
The model came out in off-white, powder blue, and dark grey colors, the latter being the most valuable.
6. Seiko SKX Dive Watch
A dive watch is a staple in the collection of most fans of horology, and one of the best is the Seiko SKX model. The SKX007 in particular, which is pictured above, has an incredibly active market and enough price variation to take advantage of any potential arbitrage.
Retail price was originally around $275, but with certain models, such as the Japan-made SKX007J, prices can be found at $500 or even higher. The SKX line has been discontinued and still has a strong loyal audience, so the price may continue to appreciate in the future.
7. Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB
Another Seiko that has gained a strong fanbase is the Alpinist model. It was introduced in the 60’s as the brand’s original outdoor sports watch and quickly became a cult classic. Modern updates to the model still maintain the major aspects of the original design such as the bold hands and markers around the bezel. It can be found on the aftermarket around $500-$800 on average.
The SARB017 and SPB121 pictured above are particularly valuable, recognizable by its green dial with gold hands and accents, was recently discontinued and has appreciated significantly in price, sometimes selling for close to $1000.
8. Tissot PRX Powermatic
As we move up the price brackets, we enter the territory of Swiss watches, a realm in which Rolex is the most well known.
One of the most popular entry-level Swiss brands is Tissot. Many watch aficionados prefer or exclusively collect timepieces with automatic movements, and in the world of Swiss watches, this can get very expensive.
The Tissot PRX Powermatic 80, with its robust yet thin automatic movement, has gained the reputation of having quality far beyond its price tag of $725.
Multiple colors of the dial were released, including Ice Blue, Green, White and Black. Some of these models sold out and commanded an aftermarket value higher than the retail price.
9. Tudor Black Bay
For those with a higher budget, we have a fairly low-key brand here. Tudor is known to have comparable quality to Rolex at a fraction of the cost, with some speculating that the brands even share manufacturing facilities.
One of the staple models with an extremely active market is the Tudor Black Bay, which comes in sizes ranging from a 36mm dial to 41mm. Retail prices start in the $2500 range. Used models can be found for less, and have the potential to appreciate in value over time or can potentially be sold for more immediately if bought at a below-market price.
10. Rolex Perpetual Datejust (Vintage)
If you want to enter the world of Rolex but you don’t want to break the bank, you should start with a vintage Rolex Datejust. While a new Datejust will run you around $8000, it is possible to find a used model for $2000 or even less. Keep in mind while looking to double-check with the seller and with a watch specialist to ask about any repair or potential part replacement history, as this can greatly affect the value, especially if the original movement has been compromised.
Having one of these is known to be as good as having cash basically anywhere in the world, so if anything, you can consider it a wearable savings account that has the potential to appreciate.
The Day date variation shows the day of the week in addition to the monthly date and has a slightly stronger demand.
Find Reselling Success with Whop
Now that you’re empowered with a list of exact watches that you can keep an eye out for, you’re one step closer to becoming a watch flipper. If you want to join a private group dedicated to all things watches, including how to buy and sell them, check out Luxuria Timepieces right here on Whop.
Reselling success requires having a specialty, and beyond the world of watches, there are many other categories such as sneakers, tickets, electronics, vintage items, and more.
You can check out all of the other top reselling communities that Whop has to offer. Happy reselling!
Watch reselling FAQs
How much budget do I need to resell watches?
If you want to resell watches, your budget can be as high or as low as you would like–-as discussed in this article, there are watches with an active market for as low as $50 and there are also watches with an active market in the $50,000+ range. However, if you want to make anything more than just a side hustle selling watches, you will likely be targeting models in the $400-$2,000 range, so you’ll need enough budget to cover those purchases.
Which are the best watches to resell?
Some of the best-known watch brands that have an active aftermarket include Seiko, G Shock, Rolex, Omega, Timex, and Patek Philippe. Keep in mind that the price range for each of these watches varies wildly, and get ready to pay up.
How much money do watch resellers make?
The income potential of a watch reseller depends on how expensive the timepieces they are selling are. Those that sell high-end pieces can make as much as five figures or more per sale, while side hustlers might be making a few hundred dollars per month selling watches.
Do I need any permits or certificates to resell watches?
When it comes to selling high-end watches, you will be amongst professional dealers, so it’s highly encouraged that you set up a proper business and associated reseller certificates and any licensing that might be required or preferred before you start selling them. If you are starting with a smaller budget and simply selling somewhere like eBay, you may not need anything, but just be sure to double-check with your regional requirements.
