Last week, Mike presented his top 7 moments of 2020 for Market Wrap’s last episode of the year. And today, we’re looking forward with anticipation, as Mike explores predictions for 2021 in our first episode of this long-awaited new year.

The conversation kicks off with three pieces that just landed in our inventory, each of which can easily fit the bill for a daily driver. First up is a Cartier Santos on a stainless steel bracelet. This piece is particularly versatile as its bracelet can be swapped for an accompanying strap without any tools involved. The next watch is a Rolex Submariner “Hulk,” which was our top-selling model of 2020, and the segment rounds out with a vintage Rolex Double Red Sea-Dweller, aptly described as “an old friend.”

Mike dives right into his predictions for the months ahead, anticipating a continued rise in independent watchmaking, less hype around the stainless steel sport category, and a renewed emphasis on intrinsic value and high-quality watchmaking. Will Vacheron Constantin mount a comeback in the secondary market? What’s next for the Patek Philippe Calatrava? Watch the episode for Mike’s outlook for the year ahead and sound off in the comments with YOUR predictions for 2021.

Our global WatchBox family wishes you and yours a happy and healthy new year - we're looking forward to sharing it with you!

Mike Manjos 0:07
Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's market wrap. So we are back in Philly. Giants lost ugly, ugly, ugly, but somehow still not out of the playoffs. It would be perfect, an end to a perfectly ugly 2020 to get one more game just so I can stream it to TV, have my boys around. It's so nice to have everybody home even if it's only for just a few more weeks.

Mike Manjos 0:36
So this week, I got three great watches that came across my desk. And each one I found a little different in a certain way. So the first one is the Cartier Santos. Santos came out a couple years ago, but in 2020, it really exploded onto the scene. Prices went way up. It's a beautiful large size, all steel, comes with the bracelet, convertible strap, just a great watch that got a lot more attention in 2020.

Mike Manjos 0:55
Now the second piece that I brought out, is actually probably what I think of is the watch of 2020, its a Rolex Hulk. It was our number one selling watch of the year. It got a ton of interest early on. Threats of discontinuing, then it did get discontinued. Prices went crazy. Then it kind of came back, just had a lot of activity in 2020. Something I'll always remember is the Hulk going away in 2020.

Mike Manjos 1:20
And the last piece is a Rolex. It's a double red Sea-Dweller. It's a 1665. It's one of the beautiful examples. The reason I really love this one is it's what I call an old friend. So I had sold this watch, gotta be seven or eight years ago, to a great client of mine. He enjoyed it for a number of years, just traded it in. It's really nice. I love to see those old watches come back, brings back memories. Hopefully I'll find it another great home.

Mike Manjos 1:46
So last week, we spoke about my favorite things on 2020. And this week, I thought we should look forward to 2021 and maybe have some wishes for what we'd love to see 2021 become. I had an amazing Christmas. My wife gave me these fancy new glasses. I got a great new passport holder. Now I'm not really sure if she knows me, or is it just a subtle hint that maybe it's time for me to get back on the road. Either way, I loved it. Here's to praying that we will be doing some market wraps in 2021. Not back in Philly, but maybe Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland. Can't wait to get back on the road in 2021.

Mike Manjos 2:21
So I think 2021 will be another year of more independence getting market attention. And hopefully the market starts paying more attention to interesting shapes and interesting movements. Hopefully we'll see less hype on stainless steel sport watches. I'm really just had enough of stainless steel watches with crazy numbers. Hopefully we'll focus more on intrinsic value, quality, rarity, not just over retail production watches.

Mike Manjos 2:48
Now I think 2021 will also be a great year for my favorite brand A. Lange. We saw it explode onto the scene in 2020, really got a lot more attention. We're seeing great momentum for the brand. I'm seeing other people, besides myself, talk about the brand. And I think once people appreciate the quality, the finish, I think it's poised to explode. So I would keep an eye on the limited editions, especially some of the special pieces, the lumens, the Hondas works, all those kinds of great pieces. I think you'll see them explode in 2021.

Mike Manjos 3:21
The other thing I think we might see in 2021 is kind of an overlooked brand, Vacheron. It's kind of that was originally part of that Holy Trinity over the last five or 10 years has really fallen off the radar for a lot of people. But the prices are such a value. The quality is still great. There's so many interesting references. I think Vacheron will be a brand we're going to keep a really close eye on for 2021. The other thing I think we may see happen is Patek might rediscover the Calatrava. So now Calatrava has always been the mainstream Patek. One of the most iconic watches ever made, always was a big collection. Now as of today, there are literally only two references for men in the Calatrava collection, a 5196 and a 5227. Neither one is terribly inspiring. I look forward to Patek relaunching the Calatrava's. I think it'll be great to see something with colored dials, I would love to see them do something of a remake of the 2526. So much history, so many classics, I think they could take a page out of Rolexes book and bring out an introductory price point. Really cool watch could make the whole brand explode in 2021.

Mike Manjos 4:32
Now speaking of Rolex, I think Rolex was definitely King of the Hill in 2020. No signs of that wavering for 2021. We're really looking forward to what they're going to get rid of already. Explorer II have come up as conversations. Platinum Daytonas might go away. I think it would be great to see a new Milgauss, a new Explorer II, maybe a different color on the Platinum Daytona. But no matter what it is, their production level, their quality, the rarity of the special pieces. I think Rolex will remain to be king of the hill for 2021.

Mike Manjos 5:04
To all my friends and followers, a very Happy New Year. Hopefully 2021 is a much better year than 2020. Though I gotta say I really appreciated the way it turned out. We got to do a lot of things together. Hopefully next year we'll be doing a lot of these things together in person.