In the end, one really has to look at this watch as a tech investment, and not a luxury watch investment. I’ve never gone into an Hermès watch purchase looking at it to retain its value. I go into it asking if I will get my value out of it in the time I retain ownership. These watches are not like my collection of Hermès Constance Belts, or H Belts, or bags, or, well, you get the idea, where those can go up in value over time, as many of them are hard to obtain. The Constance Belt is described as one of the most difficult belts in the world to find, and then trying to find it in certain leathers just makes it even rarer. The same cannot be said for the Hermès Apple Watch, where many thousands of them are mass produced. The special Hermès watch bands, such as the more limited edition Rallye Indigo/Rouge retain their value more, due to their rarity. This is not to discount the more widely available Hermès Apple Watch varieties. Each of those still contains hand cut, hand stitched, high quality bands, but they do not possess the special rarity most Hermès products have inherent. For example, additional straps for the Constance Belt are hand made, and the multiple varieties of colors, leathers, and sizes are produced at random, and for only a limited time. So, if one wants a certain color, in a certain leather, in a certain size, it’s like hitting the lottery should one locate that combination. The same is not for the Apple Watch. There are set leathers, colors, sizes for each season, and they are significantly easier to locate.
The point of my post is to highlight that one should buy the Hermès watch because one believes they will get their value out of it in their time of ownership, not because they believe it will sell for a certain price when they wish to divest themselves of it.
That said, I have typically, each year, been able to sell my Hermès Apple Watch for around $500. I’m ok with that, because I feel I have gotten enough enjoyment out of the product to feel my purchase of the depreciation was worth it. I hope this helps others trying to justify purchasing one of these watches. They are definitely worth the money, and they are special to own. I have never regretted the purchase of a single one, and I have owned every series.
