I just heard about double-signed watches recently with all of the hype and buzz around them, but I had no idea what they were. Because of this, I decided to do some of my own research and learn more about what double-signed watches are, I finally figured out what they are and why they are heavily valued by luxury watch collectors.
A double-signed watch is a timepiece with the name of the manufacturer and retailer on the dial. The retailer’s name on the dial adds exclusivity and rarity, which makes them highly valuable to watch enthusiasts and significantly increases their price on the second-hand watch market.
In the rest of this post, I am going to go more into detail about the history behind double-signed watches, some of the most iconic double-signed watches, double-signed watch prices, and my thoughts about them.
How Did Double-Signed Watches Come To Be And Why Are They So Rare?
The double-signed signature on a watch dial began when famous watch manufacturers were seeking the best retailers to sell their watches. Once the manufacturer and retailer made a deal, the manufacturer would stamp the name of the retailer on the dial of the watch during production to signify their cooperation.
The production of double-signed watches started appearing as early as the 1930s (per Dr. Helmut Crott), but the forming and design behind them started earlier than that.
In the mid-1800s, Antonio Patek, one of the founders of Patek Philippe, was in New York looking for retailers to sell his watches, and he met up with Tiffany from “Tiffany & Co.”. Once they met each other, they became friends, grew fond of each other, and made a deal for Tiffany & Co. to sell Patek Phillipe luxury watches.
Once they made the deal, Patek Philippe stamped the “Tiffany & Co.” name on the dial of their watches to emphasize their teamwork, which created the double-signed watch.
Once Patek Philippe started to create double-signed watches with Tiffany and Co. and saw success in sales and design, they made more double-stamped watches with other retailers like “Beyer” and “Gubelin” to name a few. After Patek Philippe started making double-signed watches, other big-name watch manufacturers like Rolex, IWC, Audemars Piguet, and more began to follow.
Back then, retailers played a massive role in the selling of watches. If watch enthusiasts and those of high class wanted to buy a luxury watch that they really loved, they would have to visit their local retailer to make that big purchase.
However, because of the rise of the internet and online watch selling on massive sites like eBay and Chrono24, retailers became less important and prevalent, which caused a decrease in the production of double-signed watches and boosted the rarity of double-signed watches substantially.
To understand how rare a double-signed watch is, they are a limited edition of a limited edition watch. The base model of any popular watch brand like Rolex and Patek Philippe is already rare, expensive, and difficult to attain, but once you add the stamp of the retailer on the dial, it becomes even more rare and collectible, which is why they’re so desired to this day.
What Are Some Of The Most Iconic Double-Signed Watches?
Patek Philippe Nautilus with Tiffany & Co. Signature
The Patek Philippe Nautilus (reference number 5711) is one of the hottest and most desired watches in the world. This really isn’t my own opinion, it’s a fact at this point. The Nautilus is a stunning timepiece that’s elegant, extremely well-crafted with careful attention to design, and highly versatile, which makes it adored by luxury watch enthusiasts and collectors around the globe.
The Nautilus by itself is already an extremely rare watch and buying it on the second-hand market is an ordeal because of its high price. However, for the models that have the Tiffany and Co. signature, it is even harder to get a hold of and even more expensive since Patek Philippe has discontinued the production of the double-signed Tiffany & Co. Nautilus (at the moment).
The price of a Tiffany & Co. stamped Patek Philippe Nautilus is generally just under $50K at retail price, but on the second-hand market, the watch can sell over 4x its retail price.
Rolex Daytona with Tiffany & Co. Signature
Ah yes, the Rolex Daytona. It’s such an iconic timepiece by Rolex and in my opinion, it is one of the best all-around watches you can ever own. Its classic design, high-quality chronograph, popularity, and overall feel on your wrist are second to none. A Rolex Daytona is eye-catching, works well with plenty of outfits, and will never go out of style. Because of this, the Rolex Daytona is a timepiece that will be desired for years.
The Rolex Daytona is a high-end and well-known Rolex watch model, making it highly sought after to watch collectors and significantly more expensive than other Rolex models. However, the Tiffany and Co. stamped Daytona is a very rare timepiece that is difficult to acquire.
After looking through several of Daytona’s, the Rolex Daytona is usually priced over the $20K price point for retail, but with models with the Tiffany & Co. signature on the dial, the price can sky-rocket 4-5x its retail price on the second-hand watch market.
However, there are even more special cases with the Rolex Daytona double signature watch. Around 1969, Rolex manufactured a dozen Tiffany & Co. double-signed Rolex Daytona watches in black and gold with a special John Player Paul Newman dial that is estimated to be worth around $500,000 for each one(per Forbes). This just shows how exclusive and rare double-signed watches can be.
Audemars Piguet Chronograph with Gobbi Milan Signature
The 1939 Audemars Piguet Chronograph with the Gobbi Milan Signature is an absolute timepiece “class”. The Italian According to Forbes, only a little over 300 of the Audemars Piguet Chronographs were made and only 19 of them had the Gobbi Milan signature.
You may be thinking, “Oh the watch is from 1939, I’m sure it’s rusted and has tons of scratches.” I assure you that it’s definitely not the case. After looking at dozens of pictures of this watch, I realized that it looks just as if it made it this year. With a watch this rare, influential, and popular, they had to store this as well as they could to keep it in the best condition possible.
This Audemars Piguet Chronograph has a similar design to the Patek Philippe Chronograph but adds its own touch of style with its unique sub-dials and numbering. The Gobbi Milan signature adds extreme rarity, and one of these double-signed watches sold at an auction for just over $150,000.
Patek Philippe Calatrava Chronograph with Serpico Y Laino Signature
The Patek Philippe Calatrava Chronograph (reference number 1463) with the Serpico Y Laino Signature is one of the rarest luxury watches on the planet. As the Serpico Y Laino brand found success in their trip to Switzerland, they landed deals with Rolex and Patek Philippe, and the Calatrava is one of the Patek Philippe watch models they got a stamp on.
The Calatrava Chronograph model is a vintage classic that is fashionable, designed, and crafted with incomparable design, and is highly valued to the massive majority of watch enthusiasts. The Calatrava model also has double-signed watches with Tiffany & Co., but the Serpico Y Laino signature is even more rare, exclusive, and sought after.
As I looked at the inner workings of this Patek Philippe Chronograph, I was amazed at how complex and intricate the inner moving parts were. To be honest, it is unlike any other watch I’ve seen.
A Calatrava chronograph model with the Serpico Y Laino signature is estimated to start around $220K and up with most of them selling over $1 million.
What Are The Prices Of Double-Signed Watches Now?
On average, the price for a rare and popular double-signed luxury watch is 5x its original retail price on the second-hand market. Since double-signed luxury watches are so rare and desired, second-hand watch sellers mark up double-signed watches substantially.
When I was learning about double-signed watches, I wanted to educate myself on just how rare they are and what their price point is, and what I found was absolutely shocking.
I searched on eBay for an authentic Patek Philippe Nautilus with a Tiffany & Co. signature. I searched for several minutes, but could not find one that I was looking for. But then, I came across something crazy. I saw a listing of a gorgeous blue-dial Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 with the Tiffany & Co. signature selling for over $200,000. My jaw dropped.
The original retail price for a double-signed watch Tiffany & Co. 5711 is just under $50,000, but the double-signature 4x’d its original price on the second-hand market because of how rare it is. I wanted to dive deeper and research the other iconic double-signed watches.
Next, I wanted to find out the price and rarity of a Rolex Daytona with a Tiffany & Co. signature since it’s such an iconic and popular timepiece. Once I somehow ended up on philips.com, I found a “Big Red’ Rolex Daytona with the Tiffany & Co. signature that was sold for around $178,000 (per Phillips). This goes to show how popular and awesome the Daytona watch model is, and how much people are willing to spend for a double-signed timepiece.
After I looked at the Rolex Daytona double-signed watch, I wanted to know more about the 1939 Audemars Piguet double-signed chronograph watch since it’s so rare and classic. I went on Phillips.com and searched for this AP double-signature chronograph watch, and I found the Gobbi Milan double-stamped that sold at an auction for around $151,000.
Lastly, I wanted to look deeper into the Patek Philippe Calatrava Chronograph with the Serpico Y Laino signature. This Patek Philippe watch is so rare that I could not find one on sale on the internet with this specific double signature. Because of this, I decided to look on philipps.com and Forbes to see if any auctions sold this extremely rare watch.
I found that this vintage double-signed Patek Philippe is estimated to be worth around $200,000, but sold for over $1 million at an auction, which is absolutely crazy.
Double-Signed Watches: My Thoughts and Opinions About Them
Personally, I am starting to understand the hype, buzz, and importance behind double-signed luxury watches. At first, when I started learning about them, I was just confused as to why they are so rare and highly valued. But once I learned more about the history and significance behind them, I started to realize why they’re so sought after, expensive, and relevant.
The cooperation between the manufacturer and retailer boosted the popularity and desirability of luxury watches, and the double-stamp on a watch signifies how important retailers are to the luxury watch industry.
I never knew why double-signed watches became so rare, but it made more sense when I realized that the rise of the internet and online watch trading/selling made retailers less important. The more I look into the history of double-signed watches and appreciate how rare they are, the more I grow a liking for them.
If I were to choose a double-signed luxury watch out of the four I mentioned in this post, I would have to take either the Patek Philippe Nautilus with the Tiffany & Co. signature or the Patek Philippe Calatrava Chronograph with the Serpico Y Laino signature.
You may be wondering why I didn’t choose the Rolex Daytona or the AP Chronograph. While those are absolutely amazing timepieces that I would obviously want in my collection, the two Patel Philippes are just impeccable, priceless, and timeless: the Nautilus and Calatrava Chronograph are such beautiful and classic timepieces that I think will stand the test of time.
At the end of the day, double-signature watches will only increase in value and desirability because they’re so uncommon and elusive. If you ever have a double-stamped watch in your collection, cherish it and keep it in the best condition possible because they are the rarest of the rare.