Tavio_George
272
This is not shocking nor is it unusual.
"Worth" is often times (mistakenly) viewed as the sum of the component parts of a particular item (raw materials, labor, overhead costs, marketing, etc.). And while it definitely plays a role, the reality is that the biggest component of value (in collectibles) is nothing you can easily calculate. And I may add, this is a good thing, otherwise, this would be a very boring hobby 
This is beyond crazy!! :-)
While confined to the home, like many of you, I have decided to browse the various online watch auctions currently in progress and was especially bemused to see the famous cork box offered with early Nautilus models currently at HKD 95,000 whereas a beaut...
This is a good lesson
that we should always keep our boxes and papers in good order because hey, one day they could be worth more than the actual watch!
Nope, I think it is just that the Nautilus Pandemic is getting worse! :-)
Both items are in very good condition but one has a higher demand
Logic has prevailed, thank goodness!! :-)
The above mentioned auction just ended a few hours ago and the cork box did not sell. Its reserve of HKD100,00 was not achieved and bidding stopped at 95,000. The pocket watch minute repeater with its HKD48,000 to HKD 75,000 estimate achieved a commendabl...
You see Patrick
this should not really be a surprise except while the Nautilus Pandemic continues, a bid of ONLY HKD 95,000 seems disappointing. It is still a box afterall
Well done sham ! Now let’s see if the auction houses will...
ban you going forward. LOL !! 😂
Gordon, you are such a darling!
You know my main intention is to drive the prices of cork boxes down, buy them all, and then sell them at a profit so that I can buy one of your enamel pieces!! :
I would love to take credit for this (a sign of a sad life!)
but I doubt anything I say will influence anyone who has set his mind on a cork box. Also, it would mean that the bidders are all members of our forum in which I would say well done gentlemen for bidding for the minute repeater instead!!
And I think
you also like the creativity of the independents and how they think outside the box! And as a bonus, you get to meet and get to know the watchmakers!
It just shows how fashion is the biggest driver of prices
Quality and content are way behind the crazy demand for anything sports watch related Ours not to question why- good if you are not collecting nautilus or aquanaut But I believe this craziness will end in tears- I said the same about Paul Newman daytonas ...
Time will tell Julian
It is sad and absolutely mind boggling when people start thinking that Nautilus is actually a brand and they have never heard of Patek Philippe!
Everything you have displayed
is worth a lot of money compared to boxes from most other brands but it is unlikely they will be worth more than a minute repeater. I expect to see counterfeit cork boxes to hit the market soon! Apart from face masks and ventilators, this is the next big ...
🙃🙃🙃 This is absolutely crazy!
Where will it go from here? I suggest that Mr Stern will be not too happy with this market trend...
Not sure if he can do much about it
unless he decides to flood the market with Nautiluses. But this craze on sports watches is only good for his business as the demand surges for steel sports watches. The fact that production in Geneva stopped for over a month will result in a further fall ...
That sounds rational
except more and more people seem interested in sports watches and supply remains limited. Time will tell when a correction will occur.
Agree this is nuts, but hardly new or a surprise...as I was googling this to see which auction it was...
...here’s the first two entries that came out for Nautilus cork boxes at auction: USD16k and , both from last year!😇 This seems to explain why the box you saw is still *below* the estimates my friend..😉 ...
Thanks for the information!
I am quite lost for words. I love my watch boxes and keep every single one but I would not pay for a replacement due to the opportunity cost invoived ie what else I could get for that same amount of money!
Same here, but I understand that these are now seen by some as "collectibles", probably even unrelated to the watch itself...the buyer of these boxes doesn't necessarily own the corresponding Nautilus.
I do love Patek gadget and collectibles, even though I would hardly spend ANY amount of money on them, let alone thousands of dollars...But to each his own! ;-)
Exactly!!
Each to his own. I know some people collecting the Patek limoges plates and I too find them very attractive but would not really pay much for them. But surely collecting Patek minute repeater pocket watches would be more fun than cork boxes or am I missin...
This is not shocking nor is it unusual.
"Worth" is often times (mistakenly) viewed as the sum of the component parts of a particular item (raw materials, labor, overhead costs, marketing, etc.). And while it definitely plays a role, the reality is that the biggest component of value (in collect...
You have a point!
But I would like to think that even if there was no Nautilus Pandemic, our hobby would be anything but boring especially as there has never been a greater selection of watches available to the end customer.
I may have been a little too "cute" with my wording...
I meant that "value" is something that is often times not easy to quantify. And our hobby is a bunch of enthusiasts freely assessing their own value to these objects. That is the beauty of it. I wouldn't want to be in a hobby that strictly determined valu...
Agreed!
But I would say that we all value watches differently according to our own individual preferences. However, here we are comparing a box against a minute repeater, two quite opposite ends of the scale in my opinion. There is of course nothing that stops an...
You don't mince your words Jeff :-)
I guess everyone has a right to spend what they feel like spending their money on but I just felt it was totally illogical to spend more on a box (that is made of cork!) than it is on a gold minute repeater. Let's put it this way, a box costing more than ...
Totally agree with you.
People think I’m crazy for spending what I spend on some watches but a box more than a repeater. Crazy. But it’s all relative. Obviously it was worth it to that individual.
Apparently this is not a one off
and the price for a cork box at auction is normally double that!!
I guess this is
all about supply and demand in economics. I remember the boy (medium) size Rolex watches frenatic phenomenon in the 1990s. Will the present Nautilus (with its cork box) phenomenon repeats the same path?
Absolutely!
Limited supply and an overwhelming demand for anything related to a Nautilus. And a lower demand for a Patek minute repeater. The irony of it all is that price of a used cork box may only be marginally lower than a new Nautilus 5711!!
For me
I'd prefer the minute repeater. But obviously those bidders for the cork case think differently from mine.
Those bidders for the cork boxes
think differently from everyone else but they must know what they are doing to expend so much on a box!
Have relief in knowing you're not alone Sham.
I have very little interest in the Nautilus or the associated cork box. The pocket watch however, that's a treasure!
Thank you for your feedback!!
The minute repeater for me is a steal even if it might require a service!
I've been surprised with how low pocket watches usually go for at auctions
Take a look at this for example: What do you think the platinum content is worth between the case and the chain? Makes me wonder if it's worth trying to pick up one just to see if recycling the metal is profitable.
Good lord 😳. I would buy that Cartier PW in a heart beat for 2k and I would rock it as intended...
It is a great looking PW so I would have nice intention to melt it down for scrap value 🤷♂️
Especially among Cartier collectors! :-)
But a man's got to do what a man's got to do to afford the next watch!!
Definitely worth looking into
but I doubt if it will be much more than USD2k, the price it sold for. Nevertheless, worth looking into especially on some of the cheaper gold watches. You could actually start a pocket watch Pandemic for anything costing USD1k or less! :
Looking this up online...
It seems that roughly 30 grams of gold from a standard pocket watch can be expected. At $40 per gram for 18k gold, that would give a value of $1.2k. Platinum is supposedly 34% heavier than 18k gold, but it's worth only $27.4 per gram, so it actually comes...
All is not lost!!
Well done on your thoroughness of obtaining the information. So all you need to do is to buy gold watches costing USD1k or less and you will be on your way to a VIngt 8!! It just shows actually the amount of money being made by watch companies selling wat...
I was quite surprised that platinum actually comes out to being worth less even after taking weight into account (assuming my math was right)
It definitely makes me rethink the idea of ever paying a premium for a platinum watch!
Historically,
platinum has always been more expensive than gold and had been priced accordingly by watch companies. Gold however has witnessed a steep rise in its prices over the last few years but watch companies have not passed on the cheaper watches made in platinum...