My Top 3 Luxury Watches Right Now 2023

Recently I had the pleasure of teaming up again with H&T Pawnbrokers to model some luxury watches. But what is a luxury watch Carl? I hear you ask through your electronic device? Price alone does not signify a luxury watch. After all there are people that are so minted that wouldn't think twice about wearing their vintage Rolex Submariner to work. Yet conversely some people are so hard up for cash that they would consider the Casio Illuminator a bit too rich for their blood. 

In short and to quote an article from Millinery Watches, 

“A luxury watch is a watch that uses high-quality, premium materials, are powered by advanced and complex movements, and are often (at least partially) hand-made.”

Who knew, I literally thought the only prerequisite for a watch to be coined luxury, is if it graced the wrist of George Clooney and/or had a two page advertorial in Chap Magazine. But let’s take a look at some of the watches on my wish list and all available at the links I've provided. 

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116519 40mm White Gold Mens Watch - £29,500

A stunning timepiece, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Finished with a white dial inside a 40mm white gold case. This one has the Daytona lettering above the 6 dial, no all Cosmographs had the lettering at the time of release. In 1965 the Daytona name finally appeared also on the dial.

Daytona is a city in Florida, and went relatively undiscovered for centuries until Tom Cruise filmed Days of Thunder on location there in 1990. For more history on the Rolex X Daytona relationship see this article on Times and Watches. 

Rolex Yacht Master 16623 40mm Bi-Colour Mens Watch - £12,895

Staying with the Rolex, this time I'm looking at the Rolex Yacht Master, a watch first launched by Rolex in 1992. This makes it one of the younger Rolex collections despite Rolex having prototypes in nautical yacht watches that date back to the 1960s. 

The Yacht-Master 16623 was the first two-tone version in the men’s 40mm size. The two-tone Oyster bracelet of the Yacht-Master 16623 is simply gorgeous and features yellow gold centre links flanked by two rows of stainless steel. 

As my Granddad always used to tell me, you don't need to own a yacht to own a Rolex. For info on the history of the Yacht Master you can also check out this article on Gray and Sons. 

Omega Planet Ocean 215.20.46.51.03.001 46mm Bi-Colour Mens Watch - £11,995

Switching channels from Rolex to Omega. Much like Bond did in Casino Royale. Perfectly delineated in the article from A Blog to Watch,

“Introduced in 2005, it seems like the Planet Ocean has been around for as long as many of us have been watch lovers and enthusiasts, as a staple in the brand catalogue that fits in as comfortably as the Speedmaster.”

The bi-colour case material beautifully frames the blue dial. If you're a fan of Pierce Brosnan's Bond then the Seamaster will be your go-to. However, if you're more a running, jumping, can 'shoulder roll over a wall from a golf cart into a Liberian Embassy' kinda Bond, ala Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, then the Planet Ocean will be just the ticket.