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The short answer, before the sales pitch
Almost everyone who walks into our shop asks some version of the same question: is it worth paying new prices, or should I buy pre-owned and keep the difference? The honest answer is that it depends on the reference, the condition, and how long you plan to keep the watch. Not on a slogan.
So instead of an opinion, here is a cost breakdown built entirely from watches sitting on our floor right now. Two of them are the same model, one brand new and one pre-owned. That comparison is the clearest thing we can show you.
Case one: the same Submariner, two prices
The Rolex Submariner 124060 No Date is a good test case because it is a current reference, still produced, still in demand, and we happen to have both a new and a pre-owned example in stock.
- Brand new 124060: RM55,500
- Pre-owned 124060: RM49,800
That is RM5,700 apart, roughly ten percent. For that saving you give up the factory stickers, the fresh-card feeling, and the certainty that nobody else has worn it. You keep the same case, the same 3230 movement, the same bracelet, and the same ability to wear it every day.
Ten percent is small enough that many buyers choose new. Ten percent is also real money — enough for a second, cheaper watch, or a proper service fund. Neither choice is wrong. What matters is knowing the number instead of guessing it.
Case two: where pre-owned saves you much more
Look at a Tudor 1926 28mm. We currently list a brand new one at RM7,300 and a pre-owned one at RM5,800.
Same model, same size, same basic proposition. The gap is RM1,500, about twenty percent — double the percentage saving of the Submariner example. That pattern repeats across dressier and less hyped models: the softer the demand for a reference, the harder the new price falls the moment it leaves the shop.
This is the part the industry usually hides behind vague talk of "investment". Entry-level and mid-tier pieces do not hold value the way a steel sports Rolex does. If you buy a RM7,300 Tudor new and sell it back a year later, do not expect RM7,300 back. If you buy the pre-owned one at RM5,800, the fall has largely already happened, and someone else absorbed it.
Case three: condition inside pre-owned is its own market
Pre-owned is not one price tier. We currently hold two pre-owned GMT-Master II 126710BLRO pieces, one at RM75,800 and one at RM89,800. Same reference number. RM14,000 apart.
What separates them is age, condition, completeness, and how the bracelet has stretched or been polished. This is why "pre-owned GMT, cheapest in Malaysia" tells you almost nothing on its own. The cheap one may be a fine watch with a polished case and no papers. The expensive one may be an unpolished full set. Both can be honest listings. They are not the same product.
If you want to understand how much the box and papers actually move that number, we wrote a whole breakdown on what box and papers add to a watch's value. Short version: on a full-set-sensitive reference it can be several thousand ringgit, and it always makes the watch easier to sell later.
What depreciation really looks like, brand by brand
We will not pretend to have a formula, because there isn't one. What we can tell you is what we see when watches come back to us:
- Steel Rolex sports models — Submariner, GMT-Master II, Daytona — hold value best. The gap between new and pre-owned is usually the narrowest, which is exactly what the RM5,700 Submariner example shows.
- Rolex Datejust and Oyster Perpetual sit in the middle. Configurations matter more than the model name: dial colour, fluted versus smooth bezel, jubilee versus oyster bracelet. Our Datejust 36mm versus 41mm guide covers why two Datejusts of the same size can be RM20,000 apart.
- Tudor, Cartier, IWC, Breitling, and most independents fall further and faster. Good watches, honest value, weaker resale.
The rule of thumb we give customers: buy the watch you actually want to wear, and treat resale as a bonus rather than a plan. Anyone selling you a luxury watch primarily as an investment is selling you a story.
The hidden costs of each route
New watches come with a manufacturer warranty and no immediate service risk. That is worth something, and it is not free — you paid full price for it.
Pre-owned watches come with a service question. A watch that has not been serviced in eight years will eventually need one, and on a Rolex that is a real bill. We factor service history into what we buy and what we quote, and we tell you when a piece is due. If a dealer cannot tell you the service history of a pre-owned watch, that is information in itself.
The other cost is time. New means waiting, sometimes months, sometimes for a watch that never arrives. Pre-owned means you can see it, try it on, and walk out with it today. For a lot of buyers that availability is worth more than the warranty.
How to decide in five minutes
- If the new-versus-pre-owned gap is under about ten percent, and you plan to keep the watch, new is often the cleaner decision.
- If the gap is twenty percent or more, pre-owned is usually the better value — provided the condition and history check out.
- If you might sell within two years, buy the reference that holds value, not the one you got the biggest discount on.
Then do the boring part properly. Verify the serial, check the movement, ask for service history, and match the price against real listings rather than screenshots. Our seven-check authentication list is a reasonable starting point for any brand.
Come and compare in person
The whole Prestige Watch collection is listed with condition and price, so you can see both sides of the comparison yourself rather than taking our word for it. Prices change with the market — WhatsApp us for current numbers before you travel.
If you already own a watch and are weighing up whether to trade sideways into something else, our trade-in page explains how we value a piece against another. And if you would rather just talk it through, message us at +60 11-7183 3557. We will tell you when new makes sense and when it does not, including when the answer is to keep what you already have.