Top Five Vintage Watches Under $50,000

Whenever you purchase a timepiece, you want each & every single dollar of your investment to carry the weight of both innovation & tradition while also being a subject of pride on your wrist. But when you enter the $50,000 range, you also become an investor. That supplements a lot of extra pressure to ensure that you are not spending dollars on a flash into the wrong pan.

With this article's help, we will help you get a timepiece that you would love to carry for at least 20 years because that's the shortest time frame bar for a vintage timepiece to enhance your wrist that costs more than some people's annual salary.

Below discussed are our top 5 picks for your wrist under $50,000.

1. AUDEMARS PIGUET VINTAGE ROYAL OAK DAY-DATE MOON PHASE 18K YELLOW GOLD & STAINLESS STEEL

Gérald Genta designed the Royal Oak in 1972. It signified the beginning of a new genre in luxury vintage watchmaking. Today, it is regarded as one of the most desirable watches, whether vintage or modern. This Royal Oak features the original Royal Oak's classic elements, including the tapisserie dial, the integrated bracelet & the iconic octagonal case design. 

Still, it features the addition of day & date subdials & a moon phase display at six o'clock. The different gold textures on the dial, from the tapisserie pattern to the smooth day & date registers, offer nice physical contrast. AUDEMARS PIGUET VINTAGE ROYAL OAK DAY-DATE MOON PHASE offered this model in stainless steel, in two-tone steel & gold, & in all gold, just like the watch we have here.

2. ROLEX VINTAGE RED SUBMARINER STAINLESS STEEL "MK V"

Launched in the year 1967, the reference 1680 was the very first Submariner design fitted with a date function. The model was generally cased in stainless steel. Early models presented a 'meters first' depth rating. The 'Submariner' script was printed in red, hence got the iconic name "Red Submariner." These uncommon & colorful details make these ‘Red Subs’ beloved among collectors. The four-line black (matte) dial highlights painted tritium hour markers that have aged to a superb light creamy color. The very same warm hue can be seen on the tritium-filled hands.

The original aluminum bezel inlay has faded from its initial black color to a mellow grey tint. The timepiece ROLEX VINTAGE RED SUBMARINER STAINLESS STEEL "MK V" is in excellent condition with a really thick stainless steel case, symbolizing sparse polishing in the past, as well as a solid-link Oyster bracelet with a flip-lock clasp.

3. PATEK PHILIPPE PERPETUAL CALENDAR MOON PHASE 18K ROSE GOLD

The Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Moonphase 18K Rose Gold is one of the most popular watches to feature a perpetual calendar. Coupled with very precious materials, high precision in-house calibers & elegant & detailed finishes, these Patek timepieces are a worthy investment. There is no other producer as well known & appreciated for precise complications as this Swiss family business. 

Production of the reference 3940 started in 1985 & stopped in April 2007. It replaced references 3848 & 3850 & was considerably slimmer than its predecessors.

The Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Moon phase 18K Rose Gold Reference 3940, in production from 1985 until the year 2006, was available in several case materials & platinum being the rarest.

4. ROLEX VINTAGE GMT-MASTER 1675 ROOT BEER NIPPLE DIAL 18K YELLOW GOLD 1970’S

The Rolex GMT-Master is an icon in the division of vintage watches. It has been reliably displaying two time zones to pilots & globetrotters for over 60 years. Collectors & fans cannot get enough of this watch, making it a safe investment for years to come. 

The timepiece ROLEX VINTAGE GMT-MASTER 1675 ROOT BEER NIPPLE DIAL 18K YELLOW GOLD 1970’S holds an officially certified chronometer that features automatic self-winding movement & also has an 18K yellow gold case 40 mm in diameter. The Rolex logo on the crown makes it look really premium. The timepiece is dressed with so many unique specialties, one of which is its 18k yellow gold bidirectional rotating bezel with a special 24-hour champagne & brown bezel insert. 

Acrylic crystal with a cyclops magnifier, brown Havana nipple dial, date window at 3 o'clock aperture & custom brown leather strap with tang buckle are some other specs of this beautiful timepiece that make it different from others.
 

5. ROLEX VINTAGE MILGAUSS STAINLESS STEEL REF. 1019 CIRCA 1969

As with most of the tools timepieces Rolex created, ref 1019 was presented by Rolex to satisfy the scientific community's needs. Ref 1019, launched in 1960, could withstand magnetic fields of up to 1'000 gauss. 

In production from the year 1966 to 1990, the ref 1019 was only available for sale in the single variant, i.e., stainless steel. Its name is derived from the Greek "Mil" for thousand & "Gauss" (named in honor of the German mathematician & physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss), the unit to measure magnetism.

A typical watch movement can withstand 70-90 Gauss. In contrast, the ROLEX VINTAGE MILGAUSS STAINLESS STEEL REF. 1019 CIRCA 1969 keeps its incredible precision in a magnetic field of up to 1000 Gauss.