Tangible assets
Cars, watches, art: an allocation approach
A collector car, a watch or a work of art is not only a matter of taste. Well chosen, they are positions in an estate — with a liquidity, a market depth and a horizon of their own.
What we do
- Advice before acquisitionBefore looking for an object, we establish the real use, the holding horizon and the budget. Those three parameters — not the initial desire — determine which segment to look at.
- Off-market sourcingOur network is private. A significant share of the pieces we reach never passes through public auction or the visible market. For the buyer, that means less competition and a real negotiation; for the seller, a discreet sale to an identified purchaser.
- NegotiationWe take part in the transaction itself, on price as well as on terms.
- Tracking and timingThe value of a tangible asset moves. We track it over time and flag the moments when a sale deserves consideration.
Segments covered
Collector cars
A well-chosen car stops being a cost. Closed series, rare configurations and documented service histories behave like scarce goods rather than everyday vehicles. The aim is the pleasure of ownership without paying for it in depreciation.
Watches
A deep, liquid, international market, where the gap between a good and a poor acquisition comes down to the exact reference, the year and the papers. Discreet, portable, easy to pass on: often the most accessible entry point into tangible assets, and the one where expertise changes the outcome most.
Art
The visible market is only a fraction of the real one. Off-market access avoids the bidding-up of public sales and the buyer's premium that eats into the return from the first second. We favour works whose standing rests on an established body of work and a documented provenance, rather than on a trend.
Property
The most familiar asset, and the one most often mishandled. We approach it through real net yield, tax treatment and resale value at the chosen horizon — not through attachment. Including when the right decision is not to buy at all.
How we reason
IllustrationHypothetical case, given for illustrative purposes.A client wishes to acquire a vehicle he will use for two to three years. Defined budget, genuine use, resale envisaged in due course.
We do not steer towards the most desirable model, but towards the one whose market structure is most favourable over the chosen horizon: a closed series or discontinued production, a limited number in circulation, a documented service history, a sought-after rather than common specification. A model still in production and widely distributed depreciates; one whose supply is closed behaves differently.
We then check off-market availability, where negotiation takes place away from the visible market, and track the valuation in order to time the sale.
No outcome is guaranteed. The aim is to treat the acquisition as an allocation decision rather than a purchase.
Fees
Novaelar is paid a commission on the transactions it handles, on the buying or the selling side depending on the nature of the operation and the amount involved. Terms are disclosed before any commitment.