Investors make up lost time

TICKTOCK: LUXURY WATCHES ARE A MOBILE, APPRECIATING ASSET WITH HIGH LIQUIDITY

- Citizen reporter

Before so much as accepting the trophy at the end of a grand slam, tennis stars like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Calcaraz snap on a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona - a watch that has become synonymous with tennis.

Formula 1, on the other hand, is a little more diverse with current world champion Max Verstappen sporting a collection of TAG Heuer and Lewis Hamilton wearing Richard Mille. Out on the greens, golfing legend Rory McIlroy tees off with an Omega on his wrist.

From sporting legends to Rolex ambassadors, luxury watches come with a unique narrative and legacy as well as a timeless value that is seeing high net worth individuals dig deep to invest.

Collecting watches can be anything from a hobby to an investment strategy with international crypto purchases from as far afield as North Africa becoming increasingly common, according to Johan Dreyer, founder and CEO of Top Watch.

Dreyer will be curating the watch collection coming under the High Street Auction Company hammer on October 22. Many of the once off, rare and "ultra cool" pieces come from Japan.

There are also highly collectible iconic vintage watches which are a growing trend among investment savvy collectors as well as some high-end watches worth millions of rands that are being sold off a single lot as part of the Edcon restructuring.

All are top of the range and authentic - and come with a stamp of approval, he says.