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Old 26 March 2010, 12:29 PM   #151
timeisfathaoftruth
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Here's how I see it: We all spend a variable amount of money for pleasure. We have a choice on where we can spend our money for pleasure. There are not too many places that I can spend my money on pleasure and get as decent a return (in $$) down the road as I might on a like new pre-owned Rolex. For me, at this point in time, buying and wearing a like new rolex is extremely enjoyable and the $$ that I might get back in the future if I ever needed to sell it makes it a pretty good investment for me (an investment in both pleasure and returnable value).
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Old 26 March 2010, 01:56 PM   #152
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I get enjoyment and pleasure everytime I wear or look at my watches. I have weaned my collection down to primarily Rolex because I appreciate the history, quality and classic good looks that don't change every year. I would never consider my watches as an investment, maybe something to pass on to the next generation. Although it is nice to know that a watch purchased 12 years ago could be sold for more than I paid.
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Old 27 August 2011, 10:40 AM   #153
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So my bank if offering 45 month CD “SPECIAL” yielding 1.15% APY with a minimum deposit of $5,000 required.

Pre-Owned ROLEX TIME!
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Old 27 August 2011, 10:54 AM   #154
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Originally Posted by timeisfathaoftruth View Post
Here's how I see it: We all spend a variable amount of money for pleasure. We have a choice on where we can spend our money for pleasure. There are not too many places that I can spend my money on pleasure and get as decent a return (in $$) down the road as I might on a like new pre-owned Rolex. For me, at this point in time, buying and wearing a like new rolex is extremely enjoyable and the $$ that I might get back in the future if I ever needed to sell it makes it a pretty good investment for me (an investment in both pleasure and returnable value).
What he said.
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Old 29 August 2011, 05:35 PM   #155
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My experience

I bought at '79 1680 ten years ago, it 's now worth 300% of what I paid. My mutual funds...forget about it!
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Old 7 September 2011, 05:37 AM   #156
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The post about investing in one's own happiness is a really good way of putting things. There hasn't been a time when I've looked at any of my watches and felt anything else other than admiration for the workmanship and beauty of their appearance.

The fact that I'm unlikely to lose money on my outlay is a comfort......the possibility of an increase in value is simply a nice background thought.

I'm going for a GMT II next........ I just like 'em :-) Choice is....SS or SS/YG...mmmm
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Old 9 October 2011, 09:06 PM   #157
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There are various ways of thinking of investment. It may be true that a typical Rolex bought 25 years ago has only appreciated in value by a few percent a year, and therefore underperformed (say) the US stock market. But this is a rather narrow perspective to take on "investment".

First, remember that these stock market returns were made in a time of (by historical standards) relative peace and stability, at least in the US and Europe. In less stable times a fine watch (like any jewellery) can represent an excellent store of value. Watches can be used in barter: they are portable and fairly easily hidden: if they are properly made (like a Rolex) they can take quite a bit of punishment and in extremis even be buried or inserted in more intimate "safe places" (anyone remember Pulp Fiction?). When the Soviet stormtroopers are raising the hammer and sickle over your town hall, which are you going to grab: your share certificates or your Rolex?

What is more, a Rolex (unlike a share or bond, but like a bar of gold, for example) does not represent anyone's liability. So you are not exposed to the risk of someone going bust and making your investment worthless, or to your country being brought to its knees by political corruption & incompetence, or inflation. Nor do you have to worry about the company you invested in going bust or being appropriated by the state. Again, watches do well in times of crisis simply because people trust them when they do not trust managers and politicians (explaining why those Soviet troops took millions of watches from the wrists of dead Nazis). Were you better off with share in Enron, or a Yachtmaster? 2006-vintage 'AAA'-rated sub-prime mortgage bonds, or a Milgauss? 1920s German government bonds, or a tasty Oyster Unicorn Viceroy? For that matter, in 1971 when Nixon took the US off gold, would you have been better off with US dollars in the bank, or a well-looked after 1968 Submariner?

When you want to buy or sell a Rolex, you do not need to wait for the exchange to open. Hardly a single stock market anywhere in the world avoided being closed down completely for at least some of the 20th Century. Nor do you need to worry about the exchange never opening again. There are some delightful share certificates still in existence which were issued by Russian companies before 1917. They make excellent wall decorations.

Some charming items hold their value for a while, but can be overtaken by events. I have a lovely Leica camera which I adore, and which takes very nice pictures: but one day the last piece of film will be exposed, and everyone will finally have a digital camera (which they will throw away six months later when a better one comes out). Some put their money into vintage cars, but one day the oil will run out. In a hundred years, my camera will be a curiosity, and a Ferrari a laughable anachronism, but people will still want to know the time (and will still have wrists). And having survived the onslaught of quartz, a Rolex is already obsolete technology, yet has kept its value - quite an impressive stress test.

Being a bit more technical, you can think of your Rolex as an "alternative asset", in the sense that its value performance over time is unlikely to be correlated with the performance of any financial asset. This simply means that when the value of financial assets is falling, the value of "alternatives" need not. In recent years sophisticated investors, including hedge funds, have increasingly sought investments of this kind to try and diversify their risk - which is why they have ended up buying things like wine, stamps, farmland, works of art and musical instruments. The trouble is that as more and more investment money goes into these things, the more correlated their performance inevitably becomes with that of the stock market. Also, there is a limited supply of top quality art, violins and wine, and as the saying goes, they ain't making any more land. So even a small amount of new investment can distort the market, i.e., starts to push the price up very rapidly - and creates the risk that the price will fall rapidly when things start to go wrong. Plus many of these investments are not liquid, i.e., cannot easily be sold when you need cash quick. Some of them, like wine, stamps and musical instruments, but unlike the relatively robust Rolex, need specialist storage which is expensive and inconvenient (and trying doing a "Pulp Fiction" with your Stradivarius), and willing buyers can typically only be found by using brokers (who are expensive and usually a bit creepy). Finally, buying a quality violin, never mind a Picasso or a cattle ranch, is a major commitment, requiring you to tie up millions in capital, and meaning that when capital is tight buyers may be few and far between. And if you own a farm, one stroke of the bureaucrat's pen can replace your name on the land register with another. By contrast, there is a large existing supply of Rolexes (and Rolex turns over SFr3bn a year, suggesting that supply is unlikely to dry up), meaning that new money is unlikely to cause major distortions, the market is deep and strong, no brokers are required, possession is ten tenths of ownership, and your investment can be broken up into bite-size chunks of a few thousand dollars at a time so you don't flood the market when you need to liquidate.

In sum: a Rolex is extremely liquid, universally accepted as a form of payment, robust (if not quite indestructible like a gold bar), portable, inflation-proof, needs no special storage, can be sold in small chunks without the involvement (or knowledge) of regulators, governments, stock exchanges or brokers, and is immune from risk of bankruptcy, obsolescence and market disruptions. And when Ivan comes you can stick it up your butt and still run in relative comfort for the border. When you arrive in Geneva you can wear it to the bank (a dousing in Dettol may be recommended) and probably even offer it as collateral, when you need a loan.

When you take this wider perspective, it is hard to think of another investment which can compete.
OK. I'm sold. Where do I sign.
(Grabs car keys and Credit Card...sound of front door slamming)
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Old 4 February 2012, 03:06 PM   #158
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i think if you buy used here and hold it for a few years you might make about a few hundred on what you paid. it depends on the yearly price increase.
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Old 18 January 2023, 07:11 AM   #159
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Old 18 January 2023, 07:29 AM   #160
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Every Daytona I have ever bought is worth more than I paid!!!! Great investments for me!
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Old 18 January 2023, 07:49 AM   #161
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I enjoyed my first Rolex for 20 years and then sold it for 40% more than I paid for it.

Not a bad return if you ask me.
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Old 18 January 2023, 12:54 PM   #162
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Interesting question. As a normal course of events watches represent a less than ideal investment IMO.
Having said that, there are those viewing a select portfolio of vintage pieces as investment grade timepieces. It's hard to argue with the run up in certain vintage Rolex pieces (as well as certain other makes). 20, 30 50%and more per year ain't to shabby no matter what the commodity.

Having said that one wonders what the investor/speculator does to the hobby in the long run. Many collectors have all but been closed out of many references that only a few years ago were easily within reach.
Some have speculated about a "bubble", but as yet pricing remains rather strong with the move now seemingly toward "complete sets".
As with anything geared toward financial gain, knowing when/what to buy and when to sit as well as having a well grounded knowledge of the subject is critical.
This!, well stated Mike.
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Old 18 January 2023, 01:07 PM   #163
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So what I hear you saying is that they are like savings accounts on your wrist?? Pretty liquid too
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Old 18 January 2023, 06:55 PM   #164
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If you buy from an ivestment point of view, then you are an idiot... Also ROLEX is not all that magical when it comes to resale value either. Just like anything, people will try to buy it for pennies ..... many people offered me $2500 or less for my D series BRAND NEW SD ,,,,,so I responded back with "how about a night with your sister for $2K?"...

so you will take a big hit on it once you buy it...so don't expect it to be like gold, where you get current market value no matter what ..... Once you buy it, you are stuck with it .... so buy carefully....very carefully......Buying is very very easy .... Selling is a million times harder ........
A bit blunt on the sister thing, but funny nonetheless

But indeed, I have very few people around me wearing Rolex, and all they talk about when it comes to Rolex is the money you can make.

I allways say the same: buying is easy, but selling...

If you buy a watch for 10 K from a gray dealer. And the next day you regret it, and you go back to sell it, if he likes you, be glad that you get 7-8K for it.

So you lose immediatly when you buy it, to make up for that, you have to wait years and years. And then you even might get unlucky for some watch trends go out of fashion.
-like plexi, younger people tend to go to saphire glass only because of the problems with water resistant for the older watches.
-Bigger watches, maybe in 20 years or so, the SD 43 will be a bargain, because it's way too big then
-...
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Old 18 January 2023, 07:28 PM   #165
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There's not a lot of stuff you can wear every day for ten years and get your money back on.
If you paid retail price for a Rolex and dont want to sell it within a couple of years, you'll probably get what you paid or some more.
If it was a professional model, then you'll have very little to worry about and will probably double your money
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Old 18 January 2023, 08:02 PM   #166
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Breaking news: This is a 15 y/o thread. The subject has been beat to death on this forum as this exemplifies.
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Old 18 January 2023, 08:14 PM   #167
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Breaking news: This is a 15 y/o thread. The subject has been beat to death on this forum as this exemplifies.
Judging from the number of your posts, we are not the only ones who have beaten this subject to death
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Old 18 January 2023, 08:16 PM   #168
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Judging from the number of your posts, we are not the only ones who have beaten this subject to death
Glad you have taken the time to review all my posts; keep reading , grasshopper.
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Old 18 January 2023, 08:18 PM   #169
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Glad you have taken the time to review all my posts; keep reading , grasshopper.
Induction, my friend, induction
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