The chronograph sector of the watch industry is perhaps one of the most competitive because frankly the vast majority of brands produce one. However, there are only a handful of chronographs in history that made major breakthroughs, whether that be technological, cultural or aesthetic. Speedys, El Primeros Daytonas, Carreras and Navtimers making up the big five. Of course, originals popping up for sale are few and far between and carry a hefty price tag. Fear not, their modern successors are far easier to come upon.
When deciding which of these big five you may want, investment potential might not be the first criteria, however it’s good to know that when spending a fair wedge that the money will be readily available if you have a need to sell. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at five of the most popular chronographs and their performance over the past three years in order to discern which chronograph watch investment you should make.
Rolex Daytona 116500LN
The Rolex Daytona Ref. 116500LN demonstrates the symptoms that a lot of the most popular and hype watches are displaying at the moment. If you look at its stats from 2020 to 2023 it’s performing really strongly and it continues to sit at well over double its original retail price and offering the best chronograph watch investment. However, in the past year there has been a notable drop, now sitting at a fairly stable plateau since December.
Retail price: £10,500
Date
Opening Price (£)
Closing Price (£)
Price Change (£)
Price Change (%)
1 Year (Sept 2022 – Sept 2023)
£32,154
£26,788
– £5,366
– 16.69%
3 Years (Sept 2020 – Sept 2023)
£20,817
£26,788
+ £5,971
+ 28.68%
Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch 311.30.42.30.01.006
Omega’s Speedmaster is one of the quintessential racing chronographs, originally marketed to drivers. The Ref. 311.30.42.30.01.006 is a pretty typical example with 42mm case and manual chronograph calibre. While it follows the price trends seen across the industry, the overall peaks and troughs are less severe than other models.
Retail price: £5,000
Date
Opening Price (£)
Closing Price (£)
Price Change (£)
Price Change (%)
1 Year (Sept 2022 – Sept 2023)
£5,520
£4,945
– £575
– 10.42%
3 Years (Sept 2020 – Sept 2023)
£4,015
£4,945
+ £930
+ 23.16%
Tag Heuer Carrera CBN2A1A.BA0643
Bizarrely, the Tag Heuer Carrera CBN2A1A. BA0643 has almost exactly the inverse price performance to watches like the Daytona and Speedmaster. It slumped from 2020 to 2022 but has since been on a steady incline back up, recovering and then some. It makes a lot of sense based on a number of factors such as the Carrera’s 60th anniversary bringing a lot of attention to the collection.
Retail price: £5,600
Date
Opening Price (£)
Closing Price (£)
Price Change (£)
Price Change (%)
1 Year (Sept 2022 – Sept 2023)
£3,822
£4,086
+ £264
+ 6.91%
3 Years (Sept 2020 – Sept 2023)
£3,708
£4,086
+ £378
+ 10.19%
Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Chronometer 03.A384.400/21.M384
The El Primero is a legendary calibre. It’s the first automatic chronograph announced on the market and launched in the eponymous El Primero wristwatch. The Zenith El Primero A384 Revival is an accurate recreation of that watch. Following its 2019 launch interest in the model was initially slow but has now picked up. It defies the wider chronograph price performance trend and continues rise.
Retail price: £7,900
Date
Opening Price (£)
Closing Price (£)
Price Change (£)
Price Change (%)
1 Year (Sept 2022 – Sept 2023)
£5,714
£6,040
+ £326
+ 5.71%
3 Years (Sept 2020 – Sept 2023)
£5,723
£6,040
+ £767
+ 14.55%
Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 AB0127211B1A1
Breitling have always been at the forefront of chronograph development. They’ve used their experience across their collections with the Navitimer, Superocean, Chronomat and Top Time all sporting chronograph models. In terms of price, the Navitimer 1 B01 has had a turbulent time with inconsistent ups and downs that, oddly, mean the price hasn’t changed all that much in three years despite big swings.
Retail price: £7,000
Date
Opening Price (£)
Closing Price (£)
Price Change (£)
Price Change (%)
1 Year (Sept 2022 – Sept 2023)
£5,726
£4,859
– £867
– 15.14%
3 Years (Sept 2020 – Sept 2023)
£5,193
£4,859
– £334
– 6.43%
*Statistics accurate at time of writing article using WatchAnalytics.
Oracle Time