Appreciating Luxury Watches as an Alternative Asset Class with Paul Boutros

Today, I am pleased to welcome Paul Boutros, Deputy Chairman and Head of Watches, Americas for Phillip, the leading auction house dedicated to collector's watches. Based in New York City, he helped establish and build the watch department since its launch in 2014. In October 2017, he led Phillips's inaugural New York watch auction, Winning Icons, where Paul Newman's legendary Rolex "Paul Newman" Daytona sold for $17.8 million - the highest result ever for a vintage wristwatch sold at auction. Under his leadership, the Phillips New York team as sold many legendary pieces, including a Heuer Monaco wristwatch gifted by Steve McQueen, Marlon Brando's Rolex GMT-Master worn in "Apocalypse Now", Jack Nicklaus' Rolex Day-Date, and Paul Newman's Rolex "Big Red" Daytona, to mention just a few. In December 2021, his team's fifth annual flagship watch auction achieved $35.9 million, breaking the record for the highest watch auction total in U.S. history.

A collector of wristwatches since childhood, Paul is a specialist in their authentication and valuation. Frequently appearing on television programs sharing tips on watch collecting, he has hosted talks for investment banks, luxury brands, and magazines. As the former watch columnist for Barron's PENTA, Paul has been published or cited in numerous publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes, and Robb Report. Paul serves as a Trustee for the Horological Society of New York, an Honorary Committee Member of the Gerald Genta Heritage Association, and as an Academy Member of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). Paul also serves as a strategy consultant to luxury brands through his firm, Boutros Group.

To start off, Paul tells us about the exotic world of luxury time pieces. He tells the story of how the luxury watch landscape has evolved and how UHNW individuals and families are viewing watches today as a component of their portfolio's alternative assets allocation.

We then talk about what sets unique time pieces apart from the "mere mortal" expensive watches. Paul helps us understand and define what makes a luxury watch a collectible piece.>/p>

Paul offers some tips for families and family offices on how to get started, especially if they are new to luxury watch investing and collecting. He goes into detail on how one can find the right watch for their needs and goals.

An important consideration in this specialized segment of alternative investments is protecting against fraud and other unique threats. Paul provides invaluable pointers into what UHNW families need to know about how to avoid the risks inherent in the world of luxury watches and how to protect against being taken advantage of. Finally, he describes the important role the family office can and should play in this process.

Do not miss this fascinating and deeply insightful conversation with one of the world's leading experts on luxury time pieces and collectible watches.