10 Watches that Cost More than a Honda

Instead of converting to doughnuts or clams, let's convert to Hondas. It is just more fun. To establish a real quantity, a Honda must be selected. The Honda I chose is one I would like to drive myself:

For comparison, the 2011 Honda Accord 2.4 liter, 16-valve LX is used. On car.com, it is priced at $21,380. It weighs 3,279 pounds, seats 6 and gets 33 mpg on the highway. How many of these Hondas must someone forgo to purchase one of the most expensive watches on the market?

Now, let's look at some watches and see the opportunity cost in equivalent number of Hondas:

This timepiece lists on Overstock.com for $87,009.94. The box is included. One of the key components of this watch is a tourbillon. A tourbillon is a very intricate device first invented in 1801 by Abraham Louis Breguet of Switzerland. A tourbillon is a kind of "clock within a clock" which corrects deviations caused by extended periods in unfavorable inclinations. These deviations can be as much as 4 seconds per day. Tourbillons remain hand crafted today in Switzerland. The tourbillon is more than the turbo of watches. It is the gas engine of watches.

Equivalent in Hondas: 4.07

IWC Men’s Portuguese Minute Repeater. Crafted in 18 karat white gold, the International Watch Company of Schaffhausen, Switzerland emplaced a sapphire crystal into this watch. IWC produced a line called the Portuguese Collection (1939 - 2008). This particular piece is part of a limited production of just 500 pieces, and so promises to keep a high resale value. The selling price for this time teller is $73,459.95 on Overstock.com.

Equivalent in Hondas: 3.44

Omega Men’s Museum Collection Marine 1932 Watch. Omega produced the first line of watches for service in the diving industry. The special enclosure was designed to protect the timepiece against fluctuations in pressure and temperature which are common with diving. Price: $25,860 U.S. dollars.

Equivalent in Hondas: 1.21

Another from Zenith, the men’s Chronomaster Open Grande Moonphase Watch sells for $24,009.94. As with all Zenith watches, intricate attention to detail has produced a beautiful watch. The Chronomaster Moon Phase utilizes the El Primero movement, claimed by some to be the best movement in watch making. The El Primero has 10 tics per second, or 36,000 beats per hour.

Equivalent in Hondas: 1.12

Cartier’s list of watches over $25,000 continues listing the asking price for each watch in increasing order. Prices cease to appear above $64,000. The Ballon Bleu shown is the highest list price on the Cartier site. This piece is available from watchsonnet.com for $57,597.

Cartier’s list of watches over $25,000 continues listing the asking price for each watch in increasing order. Prices cease to appear above $64,000. Here is the highest list price on the site. Described as “watch, large model”, it is also detailed as “automatic, white gold, diamonds, sapphire.” The watch face and band are made of 18k white gold. It can be found on www.watchesonnet.com for $57,597.

Equivalent in Hondas: 2.69

The Graves “Supercomplication” watch. This watch was designed and built in Geneva, Switzerland by Patek Philippe for Henry Graves, Jr. Mr. Graves was a banker, and that enabled him to pay for such a magnificent watch. The Supercomplication required 5 years to build and was completed in 1933. After 66 years, it sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $11,002,500 dollars US.

The Sotheby's sale of the Supercomplication broke the threshold on watch auctions. After this, several other watches have sold for millions of dollars.

Honda equivalent: 514.62

Patek Philippe Celestial Men’s Wristwatch Model 5102G. The famous watchmaker of Switzerland consistently sees antiques bearing the Patek Philippe name auctioning for millions. This watch sells new at gemnation.com for $295,000.

Patek Philippe watches carry a premium in brand name as well as a premium in quality. These watches preserve their value and have high resale. Rare timepieces and limited editions also sell, after a few decades, for more than they cost. A Honda won't do that!

The starscape shown is as viewed from Geneva, Switzerland.

Equivalent Hondas: 13.8

Not every Patek Philippe wristwatch sells for a quarter-million dollars. Some real deals can be found on eBay, Overstock.com, gemnation.com, and other Internet watch sellers. The Patek Philippe Golden Elipse Mens Wristwatch (Model 3738-100R) carries a retail price of $27,100 but sells for just $24,390 on gemnation. That is a full 10% discount

Equivalent in Hondas: 1.14

Rolex Women’s Datejust wristwatch. With automatic timer and 6.49 karats of diamonds and a bracelet made of 18k white gold and oyster, this ladies watch sells for $63,870. The original list price was $106,450. This price was located using Nextag, an online comparison shopping engine.

Equivalent in Hondas: 2.99 (was 4.98).

The Calatrava series of Patek Philippe ranges from a few hundred dollars (under $500) to tens of thousands of dollars. This 5120-1J Calatrava model sells online for $45,000 on at least two sites. Nextag, a comparison shopping engine, lists this price with two dealers: worldofwatches.com and ewatches.com.

Equivalent in Hondas: 2.1

In the market for a quality watch? See this article on How to Choose a Watch.