Journal · Reference
What are passion assets?
Passion Asset Advisory's active work focuses on collector watches, including private brokerage and valuation. The other asset types below are guide topics, not active service offers. Any wider enquiry needs our acceptance and a written scope. Your financial, legal and tax advisers keep their roles.
What are passion assets, exactly?
A passion asset is a valuable physical item bought for enjoyment and the value it may retain. Examples include collector watches, art and rare cars. Value can fall, and selling takes time and money. The table compares these asset types. The linked guides explain what to check; they are not service offers.
| Category | Ownership question | Sale constraint | Evidence to review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine art | Display, storage and conservation | Work-specific buyer demand | Attribution, title, provenance and condition |
| Collector cars | Use, maintenance and storage | Model, location and condition | Chassis, originality and history file |
| Watches | Wear, service and insurance | Reference and condition | Case, movement, originality and papers |
| Handbags | Use, storage and care | Exact size, leather and wear | Authenticity, hardware, repairs and completeness |
| Superyachts | Crew, berthing and maintenance | Survey, refit needs and buyer finance | Title, class, condition and operating budget |
| Private aircraft | Mission, crew and maintenance | Records, inspection and delivery terms | Hours, maintenance programmes, configuration and history |
Source: Passion Asset Advisory practical classification. This is neither an investment ranking nor a market entry-price table. Jewellery, fine wine and other collectibles can also be passion assets. A yacht or aircraft can provide valuable use while losing resale value.
How do passion assets perform as investments?
Performance depends on the asset and period. Knight Frank's April 2026 report puts its Luxury Investment Index at −0.4% for 2025 and +38.6% over the preceding decade. That index is not every owner's net return and does not represent aircraft or yacht ownership costs. The office keeps dated indicators separate from sale records in the Passion Asset Index 2026.
How big is the passion-asset market, and who buys?
Deloitte's Art & Finance Report 2025 estimates $2.56 trillion of art and collectible wealth among its identified ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) art-collecting population in 2024. Its $3.47 trillion figure for 2030 is a projection. These are estimated asset holdings, not annual sales or a valuation of every passion asset. See the dated market indicators and sources for the scope of each measure.
What is passion investing?
Passion investing means putting money into passion assets for use and enjoyment, while accepting that they can be hard to sell. As with any purchase, set your goal, check the asset before committing and pay a price supported by evidence. Unlike a security, the asset can be worn, driven, flown or displayed while you own it.
What is luxury asset management?
Luxury asset management means professional oversight of a passion-asset collection. It can include checking the inventory, records and insurance, plus a written plan for buying and selling. The agreement should name the providers, define their work and responsibilities, and state the fees. The term alone does not mean regulated investment advice or an ability to handle every asset category. See our luxury asset management advisory and family-office advisory services.
Which passion assets hold their value best?
No category guarantees value retention. Relevant completed sales, condition, originality, records and the number of realistic buyers help assess an individual asset. Scarcity or a recognised name alone is not enough. Compare purchase and sale costs as well as ownership expenses; a category index cannot price your object.
FAQ
Quick answers about passion assets
What counts as a passion asset?
Passion Asset Advisory uses the term for physical objects held for enjoyment, collecting or personal use that may also retain value. They include fine art, classic and collector cars, watches, jewellery, designer and Hermès handbags, fine wine and spirits, superyachts, and private aircraft. Rare books and guitars can also qualify. The common feature is tangible scarcity outside a conventional securities portfolio.
Are passion assets a good investment in 2026?
Some passion assets can hold or gain value over many years, but a gain is not assured. Indices such as Knight Frank's track market performance, not each owner's net return. Assets can be hard to sell and cost money to keep. Buy for use and enjoyment first. Treat any gain as a bonus, and check quality and provenance before judging the price.
Why are they called investments of passion?
Because enjoyment is part of the return from ownership. Unlike a stock, a passion asset can be worn, driven, flown or hung on a wall. Wealth reports helped popularise the term. It describes objects bought partly for enjoyment and partly for the value they may hold or gain.
Do passion assets belong in a portfolio?
That is a financial-planning decision for the owner and their qualified advisers. Under an agreed scope, the office can review collector-watch records and relevant sale evidence. It does not recommend how to allocate a financial portfolio. Work on other categories needs separate acceptance. Do not rely on collectibles for money needed by a fixed date or assume they provide reliable inflation protection.
The linked Knight Frank and Deloitte reports measure different things: price-index movements and estimated holdings. Neither gives the net return an individual owner will receive. Check an object's condition, provenance and sale costs separately.
Passion Asset Advisory
One office for the assets that make up a life.
Collector-watch brokerage and valuation have published terms. For another category, first confirm whether the enquiry can be accepted and what specialist work is needed. No general guide confirms a buyer, value or execution capacity.