Were Rolexes really more affordable in the good old days?

[AboutTime]

Originally Posted by roadster198

There was a man on Americas Antiques roadshow with a watch from this era. It’s not him was it?

https://youtu.be/li0mRLcGbU8

No, this is a different fortunate man.

[AboutTime]

Originally Posted by chieftd

I was contemplating buying a GMT Master Pepsi from the BX in Germany back in 1983. It was $650. At the time that was a months pay for me and I decided to not do it. If I had only known.

I doubt that I would have spent $200 on a watch in the mid 1960 time frame. I was wearing $8 watches in those days.

[AboutTime]

Originally Posted by mrarchiegoodwin

Thank you for your post. Don't you admire people who can buy one watch and live with it? Alas, if I were only so sensible.

He has had his Rolex serviced a few times over the years and now ... shudder ... he time-shares his Rolex with an Apple watch.

[Bigblu10]

I believe my first Rolex, a 16220 Datejust around 1990 was 1600-1800 if I recall.

[LoveTheCrown]

Originally Posted by mrarchiegoodwin

Thank you for that perspective. I never experienced such prices. Wish I had been buying watches in 1995. Back then I was wearing my one and only watch--an old Accutron.

Funny you should mention an Accutron. I’m very fortunate in that I’m 54 and still have both my parents. I was at dinner with my parents last weekend and my Dad and I were talking when I suddenly remembered a watch he had when I was a small boy. It was (as he told me) a Bulova Accutron. The one where you could see all the ‘guts’ when looking at it. As a boy it mesmerized me because (this was the time when the Bionic Man was the most popular tv show and I was a huge fan, running around the playground in slow motion and making that sound as I moved) it looked like a cyborg. I asked my Dad what happened to it and he told me the it was stolen by a workman one day who was at the house doing some repairs. We then began a trip down memory lane. My Dad is older and has been battling cancer for a few years and I could see a twinkle in his eye as he recalled those younger years. So after dinner I was on a mission. I located someone in Michigan with the same model (doing this from memory), purchased it and had it shipped to my father’s house. He received it this last Wednesday and was blown away. My Mom told me he was crying he was so happy. I cannot tell you how happy I was to be able to do this. Never take anyone for granted and never miss an opportunity to tell your parents you love them. Don’t assume they know; we don’t know how many days we all have left with them. And here’s a picture of the watch on dads wrist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kieselguhr]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well today IMHO Rolex are no longer watches to be bought and enjoyed now by many little more than £££££$$$$.But today most all could buy a Rolex watch if they wanted too.But back in my days, and my Fathers days it was a lot harder to do.

I have a very special Rolex now my Father was fascinated with watches and
I can thank him I suppose for the watch bug.Now I can always remember,when I was quite a young lad, my Dad saying one day he will have a Rolex.Now myself at the time, had no idea what a Rolex was,my Dad saved hard and had about 3 other jobs eventually in 1980 he bought a Daytona 6263 for around £750 but not 100% sure, he wanted a Sub but the Daytona was cheaper and they gave him a £25 discount.At the time this watch, was quite a bit cheaper, than the other sports range,but still a lot of money.He was very proud of this watch,and it was only worn on special occasions.Dad was always a hard worker but suffered with ill health for most of his short life.Dad had 14 brothers and two sisters,a very large and close nit family.Now this 6263 is not a watch to me, its part of my Dad,and coming close, to his passing anniversary, thought I would share a part of his life with you all.Now thats what should be owning a Rolex today its not all about £££$$$$.

My Father was a miner for almost 40 years,but alas he died at the age of nearly 56 years.He suffered with his heart and chest after WW11 he lied about his age he was just 16 not quite 17,and although a collier,in then a reserved occupation.He joined the navy and was on aircraft carriers HMS Furious and HMS Glorious.Now the Glorious was attacked by the German battle-cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and a direct hit in her magazine,caused her to sink.Out of a compliment of of around 1500 men there were only 39 recorded survivors.My Father was reported missing,presumed killed in action.But was picked up by a Norwegian fishing boat, after being in the sea for almost many hours.And with out a shadow of a doubt that experience, and 35 odd years in the mines after WW11 helped shorten his life.My Dad was a very strict, but fair, private man and did not complain about his illnesses.When he died, it was just like I lost my best friend,and now myself in the mid 70s, I still miss him.And in the 6263 a small part of him lives on,this watch is very special to me,and would never part with it.

Amazing story Peter! Thank you for sharing!


AOW

[Todd Turbo S]

Going from memory, I paid $2,100 for my Rolex Explore 11 in 1997 and $6,000 for my SS white Face Daytona in 1999.

[dnpina]

Originally Posted by LoveTheCrown

Funny you should mention an Accutron. I’m very fortunate in that I’m 54 and still have both my parents. I was at dinner with my parents last weekend and my Dad and I were talking when I suddenly remembered a watch he had when I was a small boy. It was (as he told me) a Bulova Accutron. The one where you could see all the ‘guts’ when looking at it. As a boy it mesmerized me because (this was the time when the Bionic Man was the most popular tv show and I was a huge fan, running around the playground in slow motion and making that sound as I moved) it looked like a cyborg. I asked my Dad what happened to it and he told me the it was stolen by a workman one day who was at the house doing some repairs. We then began a trip down memory lane. My Dad is older and has been battling cancer for a few years and I could see a twinkle in his eye as he recalled those younger years. So after dinner I was on a mission. I located someone in Michigan with the same model (doing this from memory), purchased it and had it shipped to my father’s house. He received it this last Wednesday and was blown away. My Mom told me he was crying he was so happy. I cannot tell you how happy I was to be able to do this. Never take anyone for granted and never miss an opportunity to tell your parents you love them. Don’t assume they know; we don’t know how many days we all have left with them. And here’s a picture of the watch on dads wrist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For me, this is what this forum is about. What a great story. DP


Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[miamiclay]

Great story, thanks.

And - Accutron Spaceview!

By chance, I’m wearing my asymmetric Spaceview right now ...
.

[mrarchiegoodwin]

Originally Posted by LoveTheCrown

Funny you should mention an Accutron. I’m very fortunate in that I’m 54 and still have both my parents. I was at dinner with my parents last weekend and my Dad and I were talking when I suddenly remembered a watch he had when I was a small boy. It was (as he told me) a Bulova Accutron. The one where you could see all the ‘guts’ when looking at it. As a boy it mesmerized me because (this was the time when the Bionic Man was the most popular tv show and I was a huge fan, running around the playground in slow motion and making that sound as I moved) it looked like a cyborg. I asked my Dad what happened to it and he told me the it was stolen by a workman one day who was at the house doing some repairs. We then began a trip down memory lane. My Dad is older and has been battling cancer for a few years and I could see a twinkle in his eye as he recalled those younger years. So after dinner I was on a mission. I located someone in Michigan with the same model (doing this from memory), purchased it and had it shipped to my father’s house. He received it this last Wednesday and was blown away. My Mom told me he was crying he was so happy. I cannot tell you how happy I was to be able to do this. Never take anyone for granted and never miss an opportunity to tell your parents you love them. Don’t assume they know; we don’t know how many days we all have left with them. And here’s a picture of the watch on dads wrist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That was a very thoughtful gift. Thank you for sharing.

[mrarchiegoodwin]

Originally Posted by miamiclay

Great story, thanks.

And - Accutron Spaceview!

By chance, I’m wearing my asymmetric Spaceview right now ...
.

Post a few more pictures and you might inspire an Accutron buying frenzy.

[TempoKing]

Such a big difference with prices now and in the past

In 1969 after my military service I went to work for an authorised Rolex dealer
for $150 a week ..with less than 3 weeks pay you could have bought any sport watch
1675, 1680, 5513, 1665, 6239, 1655 were all readily available ...and NOT selling.
I bought with my employee discount (then half price) plus another 25% discount
from Rolex USA because I would be wearing what I sold !!...try and get this today...lol
Anyway I bought with my managers suggestion a most beautiful
Daytona 6239 with exotic dial ...which later became
Known as a Newman and Panda...for a total of approximately $175..paying 20 per week
...yeap those were the days

Today there is a supply problem and you need 20 plus weeks of a current weekly base pay

[Frank McKay]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well today IMHO Rolex are no longer watches to be bought and enjoyed now by many little more than £££££$$$$.But today most all could buy a Rolex watch if they wanted too.But back in my days, and my Fathers days it was a lot harder to do.

I have a very special Rolex now my Father was fascinated with watches and
I can thank him I suppose for the watch bug.Now I can always remember,when I was quite a young lad, my Dad saying one day he will have a Rolex.Now myself at the time, had no idea what a Rolex was,my Dad saved hard and had about 3 other jobs eventually in 1980 he bought a Daytona 6263 for around £750 but not 100% sure, he wanted a Sub but the Daytona was cheaper and they gave him a £25 discount.At the time this watch, was quite a bit cheaper, than the other sports range,but still a lot of money.He was very proud of this watch,and it was only worn on special occasions.Dad was always a hard worker but suffered with ill health for most of his short life.Dad had 14 brothers and two sisters,a very large and close nit family.Now this 6263 is not a watch to me, its part of my Dad,and coming close, to his passing anniversary, thought I would share a part of his life with you all.Now thats what should be owning a Rolex today its not all about £££$$$$.

My Father was a miner for almost 40 years,but alas he died at the age of nearly 56 years.He suffered with his heart and chest after WW11 he lied about his age he was just 16 not quite 17,and although a collier,in then a reserved occupation.He joined the navy and was on aircraft carriers HMS Furious and HMS Glorious.Now the Glorious was attacked by the German battle-cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and a direct hit in her magazine,caused her to sink.Out of a compliment of of around 1500 men there were only 39 recorded survivors.My Father was reported missing,presumed killed in action.But was picked up by a Norwegian fishing boat, after being in the sea for almost many hours.And with out a shadow of a doubt that experience, and 35 odd years in the mines after WW11 helped shorten his life.My Dad was a very strict, but fair, private man and did not complain about his illnesses.When he died, it was just like I lost my best friend,and now myself in the mid 70s, I still miss him.And in the 6263 a small part of him lives on,this watch is very special to me,and would never part with it.

Beautiful heartfelt story here. God bless. Would love to see a pic of the 6263.

[TswaneNguni]

Rolex has always been expensive for average folks.It still is .

However,at MRSP compared to other offerings in the market place, a ss sports rolex from an AD is a steal .(That's not even considering the hyped value )

[Kowaco]

Yes they were, you can go look at the advertised prices. I know a sub was less then a months pay when I was in the military in 1976, rough guess now a sub is twice that

[Chester01]

Simply put in the MSRP of a Rolex in the 60’s and 70’s and put that figure into a cost of living calculator. What you will find is that Rolex went from being a quality item priced highly but attainably with some saving. Cost of living calculator will show Rolex prices have far outstripped cost of living/inflation and moved into the luxury category sometime in the late 70’s to early 80’s.

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by Chester01

Simply put in the MSRP of a Rolex in the 60’s and 70’s and put that figure into a cost of living calculator. What you will find is that Rolex went from being a quality item priced highly but attainably with some saving. Cost of living calculator will show Rolex prices have far outstripped cost of living/inflation and moved into the luxury category sometime in the late 70’s to early 80’s.

Yet,there hasn't been a price increase for three years,where I live .

[321Forever]

If I remember correctly, in 1984... a Heuer 2000 Quartz Chrono in Switzerland cost ~$250. The cheapest Rolex, an Air King, was $100 more.

Smart me: I went for the Heuer. LOL.

$2300 for a GMT-II 16710 Coke from Singapore in 1997 was pricey but not outrageous.

[Mystro]

A SS no date Sub was a $3k watch when I was first in the market. I could also buy SS Daytona below msrp as no one wanted one compared to the TT and 18k models.

[MCO1]

I believe they were. My father paid $1200 for a Sub in 1979(80) on a modest salary but it was a stretch. I bought the modern version of that watch new in 1992 for $2000. If I increase $800 every 10 years that would increase the cost to $4400. There is no way inflation should have increased that watch to double the $4400. As a senior in high school nearly 30 years ago coming up with 2K was a stretch but not an impossibility. Buying one even for retail today as a senior in high school would be nearly impossible unless mommy and daddy were buying it. Things have most certainly changed with Rolex even before the craziness of today.

[MCO1]

Originally Posted by LoveTheCrown

Funny you should mention an Accutron. I’m very fortunate in that I’m 54 and still have both my parents. I was at dinner with my parents last weekend and my Dad and I were talking when I suddenly remembered a watch he had when I was a small boy. It was (as he told me) a Bulova Accutron. The one where you could see all the ‘guts’ when looking at it. As a boy it mesmerized me because (this was the time when the Bionic Man was the most popular tv show and I was a huge fan, running around the playground in slow motion and making that sound as I moved) it looked like a cyborg. I asked my Dad what happened to it and he told me the it was stolen by a workman one day who was at the house doing some repairs. We then began a trip down memory lane. My Dad is older and has been battling cancer for a few years and I could see a twinkle in his eye as he recalled those younger years. So after dinner I was on a mission. I located someone in Michigan with the same model (doing this from memory), purchased it and had it shipped to my father’s house. He received it this last Wednesday and was blown away. My Mom told me he was crying he was so happy. I cannot tell you how happy I was to be able to do this. Never take anyone for granted and never miss an opportunity to tell your parents you love them. Don’t assume they know; we don’t know how many days we all have left with them. And here’s a picture of the watch on dads wrist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is awesome and so true. My dad has one of these they are getting a bit tricky to own now due to different kind of batteries.

I would love to find a mint vintage Bulova Astronaut of that era.

[HogwldFLTR]

Originally Posted by mrarchiegoodwin

Kinda long post here. Sorry about that.

I have tried to look this up and hope it exists, but don't know enough about the WIS world to figure out where to look. Can TRF participants point me in the direction of a history of prices for Rolex watches? I would like to plot a graph of Rolex prices compared to other indices such as the price of a dozen eggs or Ford sedan in the US.

I bring this up because I have been reading comments on TRF about how Rolexes are expensive now. I have been away from watches for 6 or 7 years so I did not know prices had climbed much more than usual. But they do seem a bit high even to someone who has not been following closely.

When I was a child my father told me his insurance policy paid him more for his burgled watches than he had paid for them new. He was incredulous that used watches would fetch so much. One was a gold Rolex President for which he was paid $1800, but he bought it new for only $800. One was a Patek World Traveler for which he was paid $2000, but he bought it new for only $1200.

When he bought the watches a public school teacher's salary where we lived in California was under $2500 per year. When the watches were stolen a public school teacher's salary was around $4000 per year. An aunt was a public school teacher so I knew about that salary in particular over that time period.

Now the public school teacher's salary is $72,000 per year. I am guessing that a gold Rolex Date Just (if that is the current equivalent of the President) costs almost as much as a full year's salary. That would make it almost 3 times as expensive (relative to a teacher's salary) as when my father bought his.

$72K would be the price of a Pt Daytona about twice as much as a gold Rolex.

Originally Posted by mrarchiegoodwin

On the other hand I recall he bought a new Ferrari 250GT convertible for $12,000 then. I do not know the equivalent model now, but guess that it could cost around the same 4.5x a teacher's salary. Does that mean Rolex prices have increased a lot more than Ferrari prices?

Sure wish I could chart the history of prices to share with everybody.

As indicated above, Gold Rolexes can be purchased much cheaper than you assumed above. For older watches they are far cheaper.

Originally Posted by padi56

Well today IMHO Rolex are no longer watches to be bought and enjoyed now by many little more than £££££$$$$.But today most all could buy a Rolex watch if they wanted too.But back in my days, and my Fathers days it was a lot harder to do.

I have a very special Rolex now my Father was fascinated with watches and
I can thank him I suppose for the watch bug.Now I can always remember,when I was quite a young lad, my Dad saying one day he will have a Rolex.Now myself at the time, had no idea what a Rolex was,my Dad saved hard and had about 3 other jobs eventually in 1980 he bought a Daytona 6263 for around £750 but not 100% sure, he wanted a Sub but the Daytona was cheaper and they gave him a £25 discount.At the time this watch, was quite a bit cheaper, than the other sports range,but still a lot of money.He was very proud of this watch,and it was only worn on special occasions.Dad was always a hard worker but suffered with ill health for most of his short life.Dad had 14 brothers and two sisters,a very large and close nit family.Now this 6263 is not a watch to me, its part of my Dad,and coming close, to his passing anniversary, thought I would share a part of his life with you all.Now thats what should be owning a Rolex today its not all about £££$$$$.

My Father was a miner for almost 40 years,but alas he died at the age of nearly 56 years.He suffered with his heart and chest after WW11 he lied about his age he was just 16 not quite 17,and although a collier,in then a reserved occupation.He joined the navy and was on aircraft carriers HMS Furious and HMS Glorious.Now the Glorious was attacked by the German battle-cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and a direct hit in her magazine,caused her to sink.Out of a compliment of of around 1500 men there were only 39 recorded survivors.My Father was reported missing,presumed killed in action.But was picked up by a Norwegian fishing boat, after being in the sea for almost many hours.And with out a shadow of a doubt that experience, and 35 odd years in the mines after WW11 helped shorten his life.My Dad was a very strict, but fair, private man and did not complain about his illnesses.When he died, it was just like I lost my best friend,and now myself in the mid 70s, I still miss him.And in the 6263 a small part of him lives on,this watch is very special to me,and would never part with it.

Peter,

Your knowledge regarding Rolex is amazing. Your contributions are always wonderful!!! Blessings be on you!!!

[bazin]

*****
I was 35 years old when I could afford my 1st Rolex......
In 1978 I purchased a new 1675 GMT Master.....with 40% discount..... at a Dutch AD for nett $ 520,-; wearing it for 41 years and purchasing 4 more Rolexes.
That time I could chose between a manual wind Daytona 6263 with Valjoux caliber, an Explorer II 1655 and the 1675 GMT all for the same (nett) price and all with 3 weeks delivery time.
That time the Daytona was my last choice because it was a hand wind watch and not automatic...

I still have the 100% complete package (incl. purchase invoice) of my unpolished, fully original 1978 Rolex 1675 GMT Master.....plastic glass and inlay of course never replaced......it is for my son.

[mrarchiegoodwin]

Okami:

To me this is rare and commendable. Just be careful about igniting the Cohiba around all that precious paperwork.

Best.

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by mrarchiegoodwin

Kinda long post here. Sorry about that.

I have tried to look this up and hope it exists, but don't know enough about the WIS world to figure out where to look. Can TRF participants point me in the direction of a history of prices for Rolex watches? I would like to plot a graph of Rolex prices compared to other indices such as the price of a dozen eggs or Ford sedan in the US.

I bring this up because I have been reading comments on TRF about how Rolexes are expensive now. I have been away from watches for 6 or 7 years so I did not know prices had climbed much more than usual. But they do seem a bit high even to someone who has not been following closely.

When I was a child my father told me his insurance policy paid him more for his burgled watches than he had paid for them new. He was incredulous that used watches would fetch so much. One was a gold Rolex President for which he was paid $1800, but he bought it new for only $800. One was a Patek World Traveler for which he was paid $2000, but he bought it new for only $1200.

When he bought the watches a public school teacher's salary where we lived in California was under $2500 per year. When the watches were stolen a public school teacher's salary was around $4000 per year. An aunt was a public school teacher so I knew about that salary in particular over that time period.

Now the public school teacher's salary is $72,000 per year. I am guessing that a gold Rolex Date Just (if that is the current equivalent of the President) costs almost as much as a full year's salary. That would make it almost 3 times as expensive (relative to a teacher's salary) as when my father bought his.

On the other hand I recall he bought a new Ferrari 250GT convertible for $12,000 then. I do not know the equivalent model now, but guess that it could cost around the same 4.5x a teacher's salary. Does that mean Rolex prices have increased a lot more than Ferrari prices?

Sure wish I could chart the history of prices to share with everybody.

No. Pre gold standard prices arent even comparable to post. A 16618 in the 1980s was equivalent to 34k today.

[Txtortoise]

Just another data point... YG/SS GMT Rootbeer, 1675. $450 new in August 1972.

SS DateJust was $295 I believe.

[r_afficionado]

That is why I buy Gold bullion and silver modern numismatic every month. Great hedge, easy to travel with and convert into cash if need arose or depression hits. If you put 1200 bucks in a bank today and leave it there for 20 years the intrest does not keep in line with the acquisition power it had 20 years ago. Gold and silver surpass it be leaps an bounds every time.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[grimps]

These comparisons will own work if people are buying exactly the same watch made from the same materials and design and research costs .

I'd guess that a modern Rolex has a lot more relatively mainly due to these factors due to these factors

[r_afficionado]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well today IMHO Rolex are no longer watches to be bought and enjoyed now by many little more than £££££$$$$.But today most all could buy a Rolex watch if they wanted too.But back in my days, and my Fathers days it was a lot harder to do.

I have a very special Rolex now my Father was fascinated with watches and
I can thank him I suppose for the watch bug.Now I can always remember,when I was quite a young lad, my Dad saying one day he will have a Rolex.Now myself at the time, had no idea what a Rolex was,my Dad saved hard and had about 3 other jobs eventually in 1980 he bought a Daytona 6263 for around £750 but not 100% sure, he wanted a Sub but the Daytona was cheaper and they gave him a £25 discount.At the time this watch, was quite a bit cheaper, than the other sports range,but still a lot of money.He was very proud of this watch,and it was only worn on special occasions.Dad was always a hard worker but suffered with ill health for most of his short life.Dad had 14 brothers and two sisters,a very large and close nit family.Now this 6263 is not a watch to me, its part of my Dad,and coming close, to his passing anniversary, thought I would share a part of his life with you all.Now thats what should be owning a Rolex today its not all about £££$$$$.

My Father was a miner for almost 40 years,but alas he died at the age of nearly 56 years.He suffered with his heart and chest after WW11 he lied about his age he was just 16 not quite 17,and although a collier,in then a reserved occupation.He joined the navy and was on aircraft carriers HMS Furious and HMS Glorious.Now the Glorious was attacked by the German battle-cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and a direct hit in her magazine,caused her to sink.Out of a compliment of of around 1500 men there were only 39 recorded survivors.My Father was reported missing,presumed killed in action.But was picked up by a Norwegian fishing boat, after being in the sea for almost many hours.And with out a shadow of a doubt that experience, and 35 odd years in the mines after WW11 helped shorten his life.My Dad was a very strict, but fair, private man and did not complain about his illnesses.When he died, it was just like I lost my best friend,and now myself in the mid 70s, I still miss him.And in the 6263 a small part of him lives on,this watch is very special to me,and would never part with it.

Padi, thank you for sharing. I loved reading about your father and his watch. I am sorry you lost him at such a young age. Broke my heart that you lost your dad and best friend so early in his age. I totally agree with you and is why my safe has NO queens nor do I collect for future value. My watches are worn and shared with my brother and my kids. I am also a bit jealous of your relationship with your dad as my dad is an absent selfish man. Yet, I try to do the opposite of what he would do in any situation where it comes to family. With 3 kids of my own I think I am doing ok. My children and I share a beautiful bond and love discussing the collection and it's future, I have yet to sell any of my timepieces and God willing I will never have to. I invest in real estate, gold bullion and modern silver numismatic. I do not use watches as investments as to me and mine they are memory capsules. May God have your father in his glory and may you be truly blessed. What a beautiful story. Thank you.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Simon_jrees]

Looking at back in the day prices, they did seem more affordable. Another difference money wise is that if you earn for example £/$10 an hour now, back then it might have only been 3.50 so basically they might have been cheaper but people earned less (basically some people may have still found it expensive back then)