I agree with 62caster and had noticed this myself. I tend to buy most of my watches very gently used, so I focus a lot on used prices. There are quite a few respected watch brands that suffer steep price declines in the secondary market - like Ball, Mido, Baume & Mercier, etc. - which is great if you're a buyer, less thrilling if you're a seller. But Breitling stands out to me for being uniquely desirable as a new watch yet relatively reasonable to buy on the secondary market.

Or is it just the case that most watches not named Rolex or Patek drop significantly?

 

No.

 

I wouldn't say so. As per chrono24, US prices for Superocean heritage starts on $2k+ and there are very few proposal while most of items are $3k and over, while new items starts at $3700 with lot of proposals below $4500. 3 hands, steel version.

 

It's well known enough that I would judge the "bargain" quotient by noting how much other watches from similar brands depreciate, from new to a week later you flip it because it is not all that, and hate yourself, again, for tossing money down the drain.

Before I knew watches, I put Breitling in the same category as Tag Heuer and Luminox. Heard of them, but clueless.

Ultimately: used Breitling is a bargain if you think it is.

 

Ultimately: used Breitling is a bargain if you think it is.

This is how I feel, too - if you just want a watch with a certain spec, then there are often cheaper alternatives to Breitling. But if you appreciate the brand and the heritage, as pointed out by @62caster, they're hard to beat. I'm biased here, Breitling is "my brand", they have (or rather used to have, before Kern) the largest percentage of watches that I like from a big brand (i.e. excluding Damasko, Sinn, etc., which are specialist brands). I liked them when they were cool and I never stopped liking them, even when they fell completely out of favour. So the combination of their specs, their quality, and their je ne sais quoi makes many Breitlings a bargain for me.

 

No, Omega is bargain brand on the secondary/grey market. Breightling on average is more costly.

 

Not their current line-up but the older stuff, yes!

 

Pre-owned may be bargains, but I would not consider Breitling a bargain brand. Some brands are not great at holding value, Breitling may be one of them.

 

I do think that you can find old Breitlings for a decent bargain. Not long ago, I was seriously considering an older Aerospace. But I think there are a lot of brands that depreciate similarly for a number of reasons and fall into the potential pre-owned "bargain" category.

 

Bargain? No. Cheap pre-owned? Yes.

The way I see it, simply because the used prices are relatively soft doesn't make them a "bargain". Sure, if you're only looking for relatively low priced, pre-owned, brand-name watches, Breitling may fit the bill... depending on your definition of a bargain.

But seriously, US$1,700 for a 21 year old SuperOcean with a caliber 17 (ETA 2824-2) is not a bargain, IMHO.

Breitling Superocean (Submodel)

Breitling Superocean for $1,711 for sale from a Private Seller on Chrono24

Breitling Superocean Listing: $1,711 Breitling Superocean, Reference number A17360; Steel; Automatic; Condition Good; Year 2003; Watch with original box;

chrono24.app

 

Bargain? No. Cheap pre-owned? Yes.

The way I see it, simply because the used prices are relatively soft doesn't make them a "bargain". Sure, if you're only looking for relatively low priced, pre-owned, brand-name watches, Breitling may fit the bill... depending on your definition of a bargain.

 

No, Breitling has never been a anywhere near being considered a "bargain" brand.

 

yeah, its a great bargain used. Just doesn't have the name cache to hold its value like 👑 or Omega. But the build quality (and even the heritage) is quite nice!

 

I guess it depends what you compare it to. I think the newer models are nicer than IWC, Tudor and nicer or on par with basic Omega equivalents. So far me, secondary pricing makes them a bargain compared to the competition.

 

i think you mean, they depreciate more than other luxury brands. full stop...

Similar to Heuer and Panerai, today's Breitling is not what it used to be hence the depreciation. There's no connection to the past like Rolex or PP, for the most part is just an ETA movement with a Breitling case.

 

“Bargain” is a term everyone interprets differently when it comes to a watch brand, IMHO.

What I might think is a bargain, others might think not so much……

 

I realize they are not very popular among the watch nerds here (watch nerd is a compliment, and it takes one to know one). It might have to do with the retail price of new models, the style, the seemingly excessive advertising, or the pedestrian movements in some models. But I have always considered some styles attractive, and I’m convinced they are good quality watches with good finish. Standout? Hardly, but not bad if you get into a gently loved one for a fraction of retail.

I wouldn’t be ashamed to wear one! A few different chronographs have turned my head more than once.

 

One person’s bargain is another’s luxury.

 

Not a bargain at retail. Maybe a bargain grey if you are really lucky. Maybe a bargain used, if you are lucky. Last year when I was looking for a discontinued model, there were no real bargains there, used or grey - ended up with a NOS grey that was just about at the watch trends price.

I have quite a few Breiltings. I have never considered them to be bargains - at least not the Navis or Chronomats. Even the HAQs I own were not "bargains". I got some OK'ish deals grey, but even then, they weren't amazing, just OK deals. Only "bargain" deals I've gotten that seemed really good - not Breitling - was an Amazon deal on a Black Lunar Pilot and a grey deal on an Omega '57 (also not cheap, but a relatively great bargain considering how excellent the watch has been).

That said, I like my Breitlings. I love the HAQS and divers with magnetic pushers. The Navi and Chronomat are classics.

 

Personally, I am a fan of Breitling. If you like them, the pre-owned market can definitely be attractive. In addition, if you are like I am, you may find that some of their now-discontinued models are more desirable than the models which replaced them in the newer catalogues.

 

I prefer the older version of the Superocean with the Arabic numerals to the current one.

 

Bargain definition:

 

Bargain…might be pushing it a bit.

Great value used…due to the massive depreciation from new.

As An example I bought a LNIB gold Navitimer with a gold deployant clasp (In itself a lot of money) for exactly half what the first owner paid, at less than a year old.

To me that was a deal on a great watch.

 

Define bargain.

 

Why would $2k for a watch with an Eta 2824 (or Breitling's version thereof) be considered a bargain? It could still be a decent watch, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't call that a bargain.

 

because an Omega ETA based watch is $3k+?

 

OP to me everything is relative. Breitling makes some fine time pieces that age quite well. While my Breitling Colt a17035 looks a little dated compared to my a17350 Colt I still wear them both in rotation with other watches and each is 20+ years old. I like them and I could probably get what I paid for them since I bought them previously owned.

 

I would not call Breitling a bargain brand but I would say they are a better value than Rolex or Omega. Better fit and finish too.

That being said, I don't like the new square pusher Breitlings.

 

If you want a proper Navitimer buy the Sinn version as it's made from original Breitling machinery, unlike the current Breitling model they offer. Do your own research..