It's a given that the monetary value of any collectable object is based on quality, rarity, provenance, originality and condition. But there's a sixth major driver, too – and that's hype.

Hype can be slow to build, but it is all but unstoppable once a head of steam has been reached. Hype has been the driving force behind the soaring values of classic cars such as the Ferrari 250GTO and the Lamborghini Miura, the motorcycles built by Vincent and Brough Superior, the prints and paintings of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, the handbags of Hermès and Chanel and the furniture of Charles Eames and Gio Ponti. 

Vacheron Constantin 222 original family including all three sizes and two tone models for A Collected Man London

There might not be hype but the other five factors of collectability are certainly there.


There are numerous alternatives in the fields of all of the above that are just as good, just as functional, just as well executed and just as attractive, maybe even all-round better - but if they haven't been boosted by 'hype', collectors often aren't interested. Or, if they are, they're too put-off by the often-undeserved B-list reputation of such objects to risk paying really good money to own them. 

The effect of hype has certainly done its stuff in the world of collectable watches, hence the fame and desirability of models such as the Heuer Monaco, the Omega Speedmaster, the Rolex Cosmograph. Oh, and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. In the context of this article, the latter two are the ones that matter – because they represent the two suc