Fratello’s Top 5 Pre-Owned Versions Of Watches Introduced At Watches And Wonders — Featuring Tudor, Rolex, Cartier, And More
Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we selected more pre-owned gems that deserve our attention. But it’s not just a random selection of five watches. After a jam-packed week of releases at Watches and Wonders, we have seen many new iterations of existing models. That’s why we wanted to check the older generations of those models and see what they go for. As you will see, some are still hugely popular, while others can be yours for a nice price secondhand. Without further ado, it’s time to find out more about five amazing watches that were brought back to life this past week.
Image: Bulang & Sons
Tudor Heritage Black Bay ref. 79220N
Let’s begin with the first-generation Tudor Black Bay, which debuted in 2012 as the Heritage Black Bay. This week, we saw the introduction of the new black-bezel variant of the 41mm METAS-certified Black Bay. I think it’s Tudor’s best release of this year as it eliminates the vintage vibes. Going back to the first model, we get a mix of both. The first-generation Black Bay has a 41mm stainless steel case that is 12.7mm thick and 50mm long with a 22mm lug spacing.
Image: Bulang & Sons
The case is combined with a stainless steel bezel with a black bezel insert with silver-colored numerals and a hint of color thanks to the red triangle behind the lume pip. The black dial is where the vintage vibes come in. It features a gold-colored minute track, indices, hands, and text. As a result, the gilt-style dial adds a lot of charm.
Image: Bulang & Sons
However, some details make this first-generation version stand out from its current-day counterparts. As you can see, the dial features the Tudor rose at 12 o’clock. Second, the vintage-inspired “Self-Winding” text at 6 o’clock is curved, giving the watch its “Smiley Face” nickname. Inside the case, Tudor used the trusted automatic ETA 2824-2 that operates at 28,800vph and has 38 hours of power reserve.
Image: Bulang & Sons
If you can find this Heritage Black Bay on a bracelet, you will also see that the bracelet does not have faux rivets. It’s a detail that many Black Bay fans love. The fans also know that this black-bezel version with reference 79220N was only in production for five months. As a result, it is a rare and sought-after variant. Asking prices start at just under €4K and increase to roughly €5.5K for this first-generation Black Bay.
Image: The Watch Club
Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN
Our second pre-owned pick is the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN. It was the first stainless steel GMT-Master II equipped with a ceramic bezel insert, and it inspired this year’s stainless steel ref. 126710GRNR with the black and gray bezel. The Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN came out in 2007 and stayed in production until 2019.
Image: The Watch Club
This GMT-Master II was the last model to feature a single-colored bezel, and despite rumors of a “Blueberry” GMT-Master II, it still is. The watch was also the first stainless steel GMT-Master II to feature the 40mm “Super Case,” which is 12mm thick, 48mm from tip to tip, and 20mm between the lugs.
Image: The Watch Club
The glossy black Maxi dial with its large hour markers is matched with a black Cerachrom bezel insert with large numerals for the 24-hour scale. The watch features two simple but defining hints of green — the “GMT-Master II” name on the lower half of the dial and the 24-hour hand. These two elements contrast nicely with the black dial and bezel insert. Inside the case, Rolex equipped the watch with its in-house caliber 3186. The automatic movement operates at 28,800vph and has 50 hours of power reserve. This GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN still looks great, and prices start at just under €10K and move up to €15K.
Image: The Watch Club
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164A-001
Roughly two months ago, the list of Patek Philippe watches that would be discontinued in 2024 made the rounds. The Aquanaut Travel Time ref 5164A was among the references to go on the chopping block. The stainless steel Aquanaut Travel Time had been in production since 2011, and the news left fans wondering what would come next.
Image: The Watch Club
In return, the Genevan brand introduced a new white gold version (ref. 5164G) at Watches and Wonders with a light blue dial and matching rubber strap. The blue color aligns with the much-debated denim straps used for the new Nautilus Chronograph ref. 5980G and World Time Date ref. 5330G.
Image: The Watch Club
The discontinued ref. 5164A has a 40.8mm stainless steel case that is 10.8mm thick and 46.6mm long with a 21mm lug spacing. It has a different presence than other Aquanaut cases thanks to the two pushers on the left side to correct the local time. The pushers counterbalance the crown guards on the right side quite nicely. The black-to-gray gradient dial and the black rubber strap feature the graphic pattern that characterizes the Aquanaut so nicely.
Image: The Watch Club
Inside the case, Patek used the caliber 324 S C FUS, which also powers the currently available models. This automatic caliber operates at 28,800vph and has 45 hours of power reserve. It features the easy-to-use travel-time function and a subsidiary pointer date at 6 o’clock. Expect prices for pre-owned examples to start at roughly €65K and move up to roughly €90K. In comparison, the new white gold model has a list price of a little over €60K, but we all know that availability is a challenge.
Image: The Watch Club
Cartier Tortue LM “Collection Privée” ref. 2498E
Between 1998 and 2008, Cartier revived a string of historical models from its archives as part of the Collection Privée. One of them was the Cartier Tortue LM ref. 2498E, which was available in the early 2000s. As Thomas explained, Cartier brought back the same aesthetic this year with the new Tortue Hours/Minutes models at Watches and Wonders. The early 2000s version features an 18K pink gold tonneau-shaped case that is 43mm long, 34mm wide, and 10mm thick. It features a pink gold crown set with a blue sapphire.
Image: The Watch Club
It is combined with a beautiful silvered hand-finished guilloché dial. It features the classic “Cartier Paris” logo and a set of black Roman numerals placed outside the tonneau-shaped railroad track. The hand-decorated dial features a central rose motif. Completing the majestic look is the beautiful set of blued hands.
Image: The Watch Club
Cartier fitted the watch with the manual-winding caliber 437 MC based on the Piaget 430P ébauche. The beautifully decorated movement is visible through the sapphire display case back and features the brand’s “double C” decoration. Additionally, traditional techniques like beveling and perlage were used to decorate the spectacular-looking movement.
Image: The Watch Club
The pink gold case was matched with a dark brown leather strap featuring a pink gold deployant clasp. As the watches in the Collection Privée were produced in small numbers, they are rare on the pre-owned market. Although it’s not impossible to find one, prices are substantial. At the time of publishing, there is one for sale on Chrono24 with a €16K price tag. But what you get in return is among Cartier’s best.
Image: A Collected Man
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down Lumen ref. 405.034
We close this week’s pre-owned list with the spectacular A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down Lumen ref. 405.034, which was introduced in 2018. The watch combines the best of the two new 25th-anniversary Datograph limited editions that I enjoyed covering. This Datograph Up/Down Lumen is the same “base model” as the blue-dial 25th-anniversary model.
Image: A Collected Man
But it adds the “Lumen” execution that makes the Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” such a stunning timepiece. First, the watch utilizes a 41mm platinum case that is 13.4mm thick, 48.3mm long, and 20mm between the lugs. That makes this watch 0.3mm thicker than the regular Datograph Up/Down in platinum. As you would expect, though, that hardly significant difference is due to the “Lumen” execution.
Image: A Collected Man
A smoked sapphire dial allows you to view the inner workings of the movement. Additionally, the brand used luminous coatings for the time indication, the outsize date, the chronograph functions, and the power reserve indicator. As a result, all the functions are perfectly visible during the day and at night. Despite the view of the movement on the front side of the watch, the display case back allows for a much better one.
Image: A Collected Man
Powering this watch is Lange’s manual-winding caliber L951.7. The movement consists of 454 parts, operates at 18,000vph, and has a 60-hour power reserve. Above all, the flyback chronograph caliber is a work of horological art. Besides the chronograph function, it also features Lange’s characteristic outsize date at 12 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock. As we know from the German brand, the finishing is meticulous and stunning.
Image: A Collected Man
Current pre-owned prices are impressive
A. Lange & Söhne produced 200 pieces of this special Datograph Up/Down “Lumen” that sold for a list price of €95,000. But a glance at the current asking prices reveals that you need to bring about double that amount to buy one today. Today’s asking prices are between roughly €185K and €215K. Undeniably, that is a crazy amount of money. But knowing that there are only 200 pieces of this creation, we all know that collectors with deep pockets will gladly pay big money for a special timepiece like this one.
Image: The Watch Club
Final thoughts on this week’s list of pre-owned watches
There you have it — five pre-owned examples from previous generations of watches we have seen this week at Watches and Wonders. It’s great to see these different discontinued pieces. Some might even be more attractive to some watch fans than the current versions. Let us know in the comments section which of these is your favorite, and we will see you next week for another installment in this series!
Featured image: The Watch Club
