For this month’s ‘Top 10’, we asked Tirath Kamdar, General Manager of Luxury at eBay, to select his current favorite timepieces.
Unsurprisingly, there are fewer vintage pieces in the selection than when we asked Paul Boutros of Phillips in September, although there are still some hard-to-find, sold-out models that Tirath would love to add to his collection.
- Omega Seamaster 300M Co-Axial Chronometer 41mm ‘Spectre’ Limited Edition
This is one of two pieces worn by 007 in Spectre (2015). I love this watch because it reminds me of my childhood and links to so many memories. I grew up watching Bond movies with my father – we would revisit them over and over again. When I first saw this watch, everything about it appealed to me – it is not just a great-looking timepiece, it’s also inspired by a 1950s Seamaster, so it has this vintage look to it. It is classy and incorporates the whole history of Bond movies – and it has a NATO strap, which for me was just perfect.
It was a limited edition, so I was lucky to get my hands on one. This was one of the only Bond watches which a) sold-out and b) started trading. When it came out, it was immediately selling above retail, which not too many brands were doing six or seven years ago. Most other Omega/Bond watches you could just walk into a store and buy, but this one was trading at $5-6,000 above retail. It is just so cool and lets you feel a little bit ‘Bond’ when you wear it.
Putting a great watch on gives you a little dopamine hit. I don’t buy watches just because of a brand name or because they are going to fly above retail. It’s the stories and the connection to the brand that attract me – it’s a fun passion.
- Rolex GMT Master II ‘Pepsi’
You will see from some of my other choices that I am a fan of red and blue watches. With the Pepsi, I get both of these colours in one watch. I got the watch eight months ago after sitting on the usual wait list. This was my first Rolex and the pull towards it was strong. I love this model – my first Rolex always had to be this one.
As with everyone involved in the watch industry, it would be great to have a time machine and go back ten years. I would buy up every Rolex going and then fast forward and happily retire. Currently, the Pepsi sells for close to $10,000 retail and sells for over $20,000 on the pre-owned market.
- Cartier Tank Française
Cartier is just pure class and is always a favourite piece in any collection. I have always been drawn to the Tank and I bought my wife the Française in the bi-metal version – it’s her everyday watch. I’ve always been a fan of Cartier as a jewellery brand, and I think the Tank, especially this model, is so elegant and clean in design. The two-tone pieces really talk to me because they have a very cool vintage look. The Tank Louis is a beautiful design, too, but something about the two-tone Française resonates deeply with me. Everybody has their particular taste, right?
We see a lot of Cartiers coming through eBay and the classic Tanks are such great starter watches – after all, you get to wear a Cartier for about $2,000. That’s what I mean about there being something for everyone. What’s genuine or not is a different matter and that’s where eBay’s authentication service really comes into play [as of 2020, all watches costing over $2,000 are authenticated by eBay’s partner Stoll & Co.]. Watches over $2,000 were up strong double-digits in the US between 2016 and 2021 as the introduction of Authenticity Guarantee dramatically improved the customer experience.
- Movado Museum Classic Watch
This was the first proper watch I owned. I was a 22-year-old investment banker and I bought it because I loved the sleek look of the steel case and the simple black face, blank except for the one dot at 12 o’clock. It is part of horological design history and a pretty cool entry level watch. The watch goes back to American industrial designer Nathan George Horwitt and was adopted by Movado in the mid-20th century, finding a place in MoMA’s permanent collection in 1959.
If we class watches over $500 as luxury watches, then this was my first luxury watch purchase, costing about $750. Luxury is a subjective term that has to be defined by the consumer. So if a buyer perceives it to be luxury, then it is luxury. For me, at the time – and I imagine for most people in their 20s to buy something $700+ − this watch was special. I still have it somewhere among my belongings in my home city of Chicago.
- Audemars Piguet 39mm Selfwinding Royal Oak
I have always been a fan of the 39mm, blue-dial Selfwinding Royal Oak, and I became even more excited about it after I met AP’s CEO François-Henry Bennahmias at the manufacturer in Switzerland.
I would say that this is my grail watch. When I get this piece I am done with buying watches – at least in the short term. There is nothing that I currently want above this. Whenever I see Mr Bennahmias at events, I jokingly ask for his help in allocation.
Retail does feel like the only way to go − the watch is about $30,000 new and the list is definitely a long one, but they trade at $90,000-plus on the secondary market. It’s crazy.
- Zenith DEFY Blue Skeleton
I love how Zenith has made strides over the past five years and given us so many exciting launches. When I first saw this skeleton I really fell for it – it’s blue, of course, and is just a stylish looking watch. It really is awesome, the rubber strap feels really good and it is well-priced for such a technical piece. I am a big fan.
I always wanted a skeleton in my collection – just one. I don’t know why I didn’t buy this one when it first launched but I knew I would get it one day. I started looking at them again recently and saw that there were a couple on eBay listed at really good prices. So, I bought one and it is currently going through eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee process.
I met Zenith’s CEO Julien Tornare at a show in Switzerland and we really hit it off. Julien is so nice and humble and made the time to spend with me, and that resonates. When you feel like you have a bond it connects you to a brand.
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 Coral
Back to my love of red with this one – and you don’t see too many modern Rolex watches with a red dial. It is just very cool! I bought the Coral OP recently, it was barely worn and it’s currently being serviced at Rolex.
This is one Rolex that I felt connected to, it’s colourful and just a fun watch to wear. It was launched in 2020 and discontinued this year and I couldn’t resist it. I feel lucky that I was able to track one down. With this and the Pepsi, I think I may have completed the Rolex section of my collection for now.
- IWC Big Pilot, blue dial
With the large face of the IWC Big Pilot, people tend to think of it as a ‘man’s’ watch but I’m grateful that has changed in today’s marketplace. The clean, open look and blue face of this piece have always appealed to me.
It is the ultimate aviator’s watch – a pure, functional tool and an iconic horological symbol. Plus the quick-change strap system lets you change the look easily.
We were at a show a few years ago and the watch was there. I loved it and bought it on the spot.
- MB&F M.A.D. 1 RED
Max Büsser is a wonderful watchmaker, designer and, from my experience, just an all-round nice person. I love that he has launched a well-priced MB&F, creating opportunity for a larger audience. And the fact that the watches are allocated by ‘raffle’ is a gorgeous and democratic way to share them out. And, of course, the red is just cool!
Again, personalities come into play. When I was working with my start-up [watch and jewellery marketplace True Facet], he would sit down with me in La Reserve in Geneva and give me advice on how to keep making the business better. He didn’t have to do that and it made me respect him even more and want to buy one of his watches.
The M.A.D. 1’s sold for around $3,000 and I was hoping to find one on the secondary market that was maybe $1,000 above retail. But they are all selling at 3x or more above. To get an MB&F you are looking at spending $40-50,000 − that’s the starting price and they can fetch triple that, right? So for Max to build something for $3,000, it really is accessible by comparison. And it is such a beauty. I know that there is another raffle coming next year so I will hope to be successful in that.
- Swatch x Omega, MoonSwatch
This is one of the very best examples of a highly anticipated collaboration and ‘drop’ in the watch industry. The ‘MoonSwatch effect’ was behind a massive increase in interest on eBay. As of July 2022, four months after the MoonSwatch launched, shoppers on eBay were still searching for the MoonSwatch five times per minute. As with the M.A.D. 1, it is a well-priced watch that gives an opportunity for more people to buy into a brand, in this case Omega, through its connection with the Swatch brand.
In the first week following the launch we sold over 1,000, by July that number was at 8,000. The first MoonSwatch to be sold on eBay globally following the launch – a MoonSwatch Mission to Earth – sold for $1,089 on 26 March. It was more than hype, interest has been sustained and brand awareness raised. At eBay, we are a barometer for the rest of the industry, so these figures are particularly interesting.
My plan is to eventually get all of them − one of each. The idea of the MoonSwatch Universe is really fun and to have them all presented together will actually look really nice. Among the most popular styles based on demand on eBay was the Mission to the Moon – no surprise I suppose due to Omega’s history with NASA and the 1969 Moon landings. But I’ll collect them in any order, whichever is available first.