Quite a bit of watch enthusiasts spring for pre-owned watches, just as quite a bit of car enthusiasts spring for pre-owned cars. It actually makes quite a bit of sense for many watch enthusiasts, as it allows them to put something quite nice on their wrist without emptying their wallet quite as much. This is especially true with certain watches that have quite a bit of pedigree and therefor are more expensive than your average luxurious watch. The only problem with buying pre-owned watches is that they can be difficult to find and authenticate. There are many fakes and poor quality pre-owned watches that it’s damn near impossible to 100 percent insure that the watch your buying is perfectly authentic and functions without issue.
Well a company that specializes in pre-owned watches, Govberg, has worked with us to select the best pre-owned and excellent watches for any car enthusiast.
The Monaco is a watch that has been cemented in motoring history. This Caliber 12 versions is a modern interpretation of the very watch that the immortal Steve McQueen wore in the film, Le Mans. The Monaco is also named after the famed racing circuit in…Monaco. So there’s real motorsport pedigree to this watch and that’s on top of the fact that it’s beautiful and extremely well made. Its square face is also quite different from what you’d typically get from most luxury watch makers. It sports a self-winding automatic movement with a transparent caseback in which to look upon it. The Monaco is a fantastic watch for any enthusiast and at a price of $3,850, you’re saving roughly $1,500.
The Omega Speedmaster is pretty much the watch to have for any horologic enthusiasts. For relatively little money, one can wear a watch on their wrist that has one of the greatest histories in the history of the wristwatch. The Speedmaster was worn to the moon during Apollo 11, and further missions following, as it was the only mechanical wristwatch that could stand the brutal requirements needed for space exploration. Its hand-wound movement is something of a rarity these days, as most people find actually winding a watch everyday to be tedious. However, most people find rowing their own gears to be tedious today as well, but us enthusiasts prefer it. The same goes for manual-winding movements. This particular model has an Apollo 11 emblem in place of one of the dials, which looks a touch too gaudy for my tastes, but it doesn’t take away from the quality of the watch. Plus this versions is a limited edition of which Omega only made 7969 pieces, so it’s great value at just $4,200.
Nomos is a plucky little brand that not many average watch enthusiasts know of. It’s from Glashutte, Germany, much like the incredible A. Lange & Sohne, and is an small independent watchmaker. Nomos makes all of its movements in house and specializes in simple, Bauhaus designed watches. All of its timepieces are incredibly well made (would you expect anything less from Zee Germans?) and are gorgeous pieces of simplistic design. This Ahoi 550 is a stunning example of bang for your buck, as with it you’re getting an in-house made automatic movement on a 40mm watch from an independent German watchmaker for $2,950. Buying any quality timepiece for under $3k is difficult to do, especially one with the sort of quality and attention to detail as Nomos, whose quality could be mistaken for costing three or four times its price. This plucky little watch would work excellently along side a BMW, as both companies take a simplistic, yet beautiful, design approach.
The IWC Pilot is one of the most famous pilot’s watches of all time. With an old-school style, that dates back to WWII, the IWC Pilot looks absolutely fantastic. The thing I love most about the Pilot is that it looks utilitarian, because it is. This is a watch that, despite its throwback style, could still be used by pilots today. Especially this one, as it’s a Worldtimer. The world time function allows pilots to easily view other time zones, and make adjustments on their watch, by looking at the corresponding time zones around the outside of the face. On its unique-looking black alligator leather strap, the IWC Pilot Worldtimer looks like the real deal and has a tough, yet elegant look to it, much like many performance BMWs. This would be an excellent everyday watch for the aspiring enthusiast. The great thing about this one in particular is the price. IWC Pilots cost around $10,000 brand new, and the Worldtimer is even more expensive, but this one costs just $5,950, or about half of a new one. That makes this an absolute steal.
It’s hard to ignore the Rolex Daytona when comparing watches to cars. It’s the iconic motorsport chronograph and was one of the first watches to come with a functional tachymeter on the bezel for measuring lap times. Its classic looks haven’t changes much since its inception in the early ’60s and that’s a good thing. The automatic chronograph is also one of the more accurate movements of its kind on the market, making it the perfect watch for someone who likes to track their BMW. This particular model has the stainless steel case and black face, the classic color scheme, and looks absolutely fantastic on the classic Rolex Oyster bracelet. This model is the most expensive of the bunch, however, costing $10,750. However, it’s one of the most iconic Rolex’s of all time and is worth having for any capable watch enthusiast.
