THE CURIOUS CASE STEEL SPORTS WATCH
It’s no secret that the demand for luxury sports watches in steel have hit an all-time high. How did we come to this, and for those who can’t get their hands on the grail pieces, we offer up some interesting alternatives
JUST BY LOOKING AT SOME OF THE WATCHES LAUNCHED THIS YEAR, it’s obvious that there is still an overwhelming demand for the steel luxury sports watch. People are willing to pay above retail for certain models on the secondary market and even buy a few other pieces from the same brand, hoping to get put on the waiting list. So how did the humble steel sports watch reach such heights? How did it go from a daily beater to something worth even more (in terms of bragging rights, not value) than its counterpart in gold or platinum? The answer starts with one man ‒ Gerald Genta ‒ and ends with a simple word ‒ Scarcity.
If you try to trace the origins of the steel luxury sports watch, your search will probably lead you to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. It was the legendary watch designer, Gerald Genta, that came up with the design of this now iconic piece and in 1972 it was the very first steel watch to be marketed at a luxury price point. Audemars Piguet was bold enough to state that the Royal Oak in steel was more expensive than some of Patek Philippe’s watches in gold and even 10 times more expensive than a Rolex Submariner. The idea was to show that they could create a prestigious timepiece without relying on precious metals.
Then in 1976, following the success of the Royal Oak, Patek Philippe also called upon Gerald Genta to create a steel watch for the younger generation of business managers and thus began the legend of the Nautilus. These days, the standard version of the Nautilus Ref. 5711 has gained recognition amongst collectors not just for its beautiful design but more for its rarity. There’s a famous video from CNBC where the millionaire entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary tears up when picking up his 5711 after chasing it for about 10 years. And this brings us to the reason for the success of the steel luxury sports watch ‒ scarcity.
Even if you had all the money in the world, the waiting list for a Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711 is still reportedly eight years long. Even with cash in hand, try walking into a Rolex boutique looking to buy a Cosmograph Daytona or even a GMT-Master II. Chances are, they’d be out of stock. Both Rolex and Patek Philippe have the manufacturing capabilities to solve this issue. But they won’t, and its simply because scarcity, in this case, is good for driving up the value of the brand. In an interview that Thierry Stern the president of Patek Philippe gave Hodinkee, he very clearly states that Patek has the capacity to end this Nautilus draught, but they choose to limit the production so that their steel watches won’t overshadow their staples like the Calatrava in precious metals.
Thus, with a few of these grail models being so hard to find, many other luxury watch manufactures are taking the opportunity to jump onto the steel luxury sports watch bandwagon as well. Maybe while waiting for that Nautilus, another watch in the same category might catch your eye, and guess what, these are all in-stock, just waiting for you to plonk down a stack of your hard-earned cash. So without further ado, here are some pretty cool steel luxury sports watches that are readily available.
The Rolex Submariner is still one of the best examples of a steel luxury sports watch that has been made legendary due to its scarcity. However, because the Submariner collection has been around since 1953, you should be able to find this watch in some shape or form in the secondary market. The fact that Rolex has just launched a new update to the Submariner collection, now with a 41mm case, may also help you find a secondhand piece.
However, if you have some seriously good relationships with your local Rolex boutique operators, you may even consider getting this newly updated Sub. It has been given a slightly larger case at 41mm but other than that, it is still a Submariner through and through. You will still get the Oystersteel case, a ceramic bezel insert, 300m of water resistance and the iconic cyclops if you get the version with a date window.
Another big change to the new Submariner collection comes in the form of a new Calibre 3230 or 3235 (with date wheel) movement. This new mechanism that powers the watch will offer the Rolex Chronergy escapement that has higher energy efficiency and thus allowing the watch to have a longer power reserve of 70 hours.
You know the trend of the luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet is here to stay when a brand like Hublot, famed for combining a gold case with a rubber strap finally launches a watch that has an integrated bracelet of the same material. The Hublot Big Bang Integral is the first Big Bang in its 15 years of existence to get an integrated bracelet.
Okay, to be fair this is not a stainless steel model but rather the three materials used for the collection are titanium, ceramic and Hublot’s proprietary King Gold. The point is, no matter the material, each of the watch will come with a corresponding integrated bracelet. Moreover, the Big Bang case has also been redesigned to accommodate the bracelet returning to the original model from 2005 for the pushers. The bracelet and the case offers a mesmerising interplay of angles and chamfers and alternating polished and satin finishes to catch the light in every imaginable way.
The watch is powered by the HUB1280 V2 movement that has a horizontal double clutch chronograph mechanism and has four patents for the oscillating seconds clutch, chronograph friction system with ball bearing adjustment, ratchet retaining system with unidirectional gears and index-assembly fine adjustment system.