RSP represents the retail sales price as recommended by the manufacturer in the given year. Normally, there would be some kind of discount coming with the actual purchase of the watch. We do not take any discounts into account here.
Resale value is an average, rounded price as to be found on online trading platforms for second-hand luxury watches. The average second-hand price relates to watches with original papers and from certified shops only. Sometimes only few offers can be found for watches that date back to a specific year. Therefore, these resale values might volatile in the short-term.
Tips for an investment in second-hand watches:
Precious Materials might make the watch more interesting in its value development. For example, price increases are usually higher for watches made of gold or platinum as those made of stainless steel. There are exceptions like the Rolex Daytona, since the market value is determined by a watch's supply and demand on the market for which materials is only one factor among many.
The brand plays an inevitable role in the value development of second-hand luxury watches. In auctions Swiss brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe are highly popular. Limited editions come with very limited supply of a watch edition and therefore, might gain higher in value given sufficient demand. However, they are more difficult to assess upfront, since a historical development is usually missing.
Scratches in an acceptable degree are no problem for the resale of a second-hand watch. In fact, they are expected for vintage watches and seen to give the watch a certain character. The watch should be maintained from a watchmaker every five to seven years depending on the movement.
Heritage and watch complications play a role in the value development of used watches. Therefore, it makes sense to keep the original papers with the place of purchase. Watch complications are additional functions of the watch. They might increase the manual effort for producing the watch's movement substantially.