Why Luxury Watches Hold Unique Appeal for Banking Professionals
For many financial professionals, a luxury watch is more than just a way to tell time. It is a symbol of precision, legacy, and value creation, qualities that resonate with leaders who make decisions measured in basis points and decades. In an industry where reputation and taste matter nearly as much as performance, the mechanical timepiece has become a cultural touchstone among bankers of every gender and background.
Upscale watches, especially rare and historically significant pieces, have also carved out a place as alternative assets, as noted by London’s World of Auctions. Well-chosen timepieces can appreciate meaningfully over time, much like fine art or classic automobiles, and their markets have become increasingly visible in conversations about diversification and legacy planning among both male and female executives.
Henry Graves Jr. and the Watch That Redefined Collecting
One of the most compelling stories linking high finance and high horology (the study of mechanical time-keeping devices) comes from Henry Graves Jr., a New York banker whose passion for watches helped define the modern collector market.
In 1925, Graves commissioned Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe to build what would become the “Henry Graves Supercomplication,” a pocket watch designed to incorporate nearly every known mechanical function, as reported by Forbes. That commission helped ignite an arms race of innovation in complicated timepieces, cementing Graves’ reputation as one of the most important collectors of the 20th century.
Delivered in 1933 after years of meticulous design and manufacture, the Supercomplication included 24 features. According to Christie’s, these went far beyond simple timekeeping to include a perpetual calendar, moon phases, sunrise and sunset times, and even a night sky chart calibrated to Graves’ Manhattan residence.
Over time, the watch itself became legendary and immensely valuable. Christie’s further noted that it shattered auction records with an $11 million hammer price in 1999 and later sold in Geneva for roughly $24 million, holding the title of the most expensive timepiece ever sold for many years.
The tale of the Supercomplication is about more than price. It is a narrative about prioritizing innovation, historic significance, and craftsmanship, qualities that resonate with any executive who builds a career and institution over decades, not just market cycles.
How Watches Signal Status, Strategy, and Professional Identity
In high-end circles, watch brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe have become shorthand for success. As reported by Bloomberg coverage of the Subdial Watch Index, certain Rolex Daytona models have recently outperformed the broader secondary market basket, particularly when high-profile references are discontinued and replaced with new versions. Even as overall preowned prices have cooled from their pandemic-era peaks, Bloomberg and other market trackers indicate that Daytonas and select steel sports models continue to command meaningful premiums over retail, underscoring their status as financial assets as well as status symbols.
Crucially, this is no longer a story about men alone. Coverage from business and lifestyle outlets notes that more women in finance, law, and entrepreneurship are buying these same “icon” models for themselves, choosing pieces that communicate authority and taste in the boardroom as clearly as they do at a client dinner. Rather than defaulting to jewelry style designs, many female executives gravitate toward classic steel sports watches, integrated bracelet designs, and complicated pieces that read as professional tools and personal statements.
Similarly, the Royal Oak line of manufacturer Audemars Piguet illustrates how scarcity and brand strategy create durable demand. According to watch industry analyses from Hodinkee and Monochrome, Royal Oak production remains tightly controlled, with only a fraction of the brand’s roughly 50,000 annual pieces allocated to the most coveted references, helping ensure that demand continues to outstrip supply and supporting elevated resale values.
For male and female bankers alike, that combination of constrained supply, transparent pricing data, and robust secondary markets makes certain watches feel less like discretionary accessories and more like thoughtfully selected assets.
How Scarcity, Auctions, and New Buyers Shape Watch Values
As reported by Time and Watches, a blog dedicated to the history and engineering of fine timepieces, auction houses such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips have played a pivotal role in elevating the market for collectible watches, treating them with the same seriousness once reserved for fine art. Extraordinary results at auction do more than generate headlines; they reset price expectations and reinforce the idea that certain references belong in the conversation alongside other alternative asset classes.
Concurrently, the collector base itself is changing. Wristcheck and other specialists note a visible rise in women bidding at major auctions, consigning important pieces, and driving demand for both vintage and modern references. The Financial Times has likewise reported that female collectors are carving out their own space in what was once a male-dominated corner of the market, often bringing a long-term, research-driven approach that aligns closely with how senior bankers think about capital allocation.
The market has also evolved in terms of pricing. Data from platforms such as Chrono24 and WatchCharts show that secondary market prices for many luxury watches have softened from their 2021–2022 highs, with broad indices declining before stabilizing in 2024.
The core narrative, however, has endured. Scarcity and heritage continue to drive value, and the most coveted pieces remain those with storied pasts, limited production, and clear provenance, characteristics that appeal equally to women and men who manage risk for a living.
Why Luxury Watches Resonate With the Banking Mindset
What makes this convergence particularly compelling to a financial audience is not simply the price tags, but the mindset behind the collecting:
- Long-term perspective: As with successful investing, acquiring the right timepiece rewards research, patience, and disciplined timing. Auctionhouse reports and secondary market indices document how the right references can compound value over many years.
- Craftsmanship as a metaphor: Mechanical complexity mirrors the diligence and precision bankers apply to portfolios; Phillips’ New York watch auctions, for example, emphasize finishing, movement architecture, and condition in much the same way investment professionals stress underlying fundamentals.
- Status and narrative: Christie’s observes that watches carry stories — of their owners, designers, and eras — that buyers are eager to share, much like corporate leaders highlight their institutions’ histories when speaking with investors or employees. For many women in senior roles, a well-chosen watch becomes part of that leadership narrative, signaling continuity and confidence without saying a word.
- Alternative value: In a world of volatile markets, carefully selected watches offer a tangible, emotionally rich asset class that can outperform expectations over decades, particularly when backed by strong brands, documented provenance, and transparent trading venues.
Where Banking Values and Watch Collecting Converge
The marriage between banking and luxury watches makes intuitive sense. Both worlds value precision, heritage, and enduring worth, and both reward those who take the long view. As more women move into senior roles across corporate, commercial, and investment banking, they are making this space their own, choosing pieces that reflect their strategies, careers, and personal definitions of success.
Whether enjoyed purely for beauty or scrutinized as high-end assets, luxury watches offer a window into the values that many financial professionals hold dear: discipline, refinement, and a profound respect for time itself.
