Trading up to Lange

[JDixon]

Given the ongoing hype around steel sport watches, I find that I actually feel a bit awkward wearing my Rolex’s about London now (where I live and work)

As such I find I’m wearing my dress watches more frequently as they are a lot more under the radar. This in turn has planted the seed to trade in on the hype to move up to a better watch, horologically speaking.

I have settled on getting a Lange Saxonia, time only, and have got an offer to trade my Rolex GMT II 116710LN for a full set Saxonia manual wind (the model I want) plus £1k

This seems like a decent trade in my view (I got the gmt at rrp 7 years ago), but the only hesitation I have is will the price of the gmt potentially rocket after the April announcement of the new Rolex models….so should I wait and see, or just take the deal? There aren’t many Lange about so if I don’t take the deal I don’t know how long until I find another.

Any thoughts, opinions, advice etc. Would be greatly welcomed!


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[ChetBaker]

Which specific Lange ref is that?

[JDixon]

It’s the 219.032, pink gold with silver dial


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[youthagainsttt]

I would consider keeping the Rollie and even if you get rid of it, I would wait another 6 months or so as it seems certain steel models still haven't hit their ceiling price yet

I'm not a big Lange fan but even so I'm not a fan of the Saxonia, to me there are plenty more dress watches out there which are more impressive / iconic (JLC Duometre, some older Pateks at that price pt). Plus if you get the Saxonia it would lose or keep its value at best, if you keep the Rollie it may rise steadily

[Slow Lane]

Rolex prices are insane, cash out and get what you want - I love Rolex too but the hype has become insufferable and its almost to the point where I'm conflicted about wearing my Sub. I fear it would be even worse with a GMT, if I owned a Pepsi now worth $30K I couldn't wear it except in certain conditions depending on the people I would be around and the crime propensity.

Lots of other cool brands out there without the "me too" "look at me" factor.

[ChetBaker]

So if I understand you correctly you will get the Lange +1k? I would make that trade no doubt. Get rid of the GMT and get yourself something special.

[Jay (Eire)]

I’m 100% behind using this crazy market to do what you are proposing to do. I’ve done it myself and even though the watch traded/sold has increased further I didn’t regret it.

To answer your question though, I don’t think anything happening at the trade shows can move the needle too much on your specific GMT.

Do it.

[_speedmaster_]

Originally Posted by Jay (Eire)

I’m 100% behind using this crazy market to do what you are proposing to do. I’ve done it myself and even though the watch traded/sold has increased further I didn’t regret it.

To answer your question though, I don’t think anything happening at the trade shows can move the needle too much on your specific GMT.

Do it.

+1. Well said.

[Cayenne06]

I understand your position completely. I have made the same move, although it was earlier in the Rolex hype. Yes, I missed some of the upside, but to me it made no sense to own a watch you no longer enjoyed wearing. Since I have also moved on from Lange. Had the Goldilocks syndrome, could never find a Lange piece that was “just right”. I now have a Patek I’ve always wanted and a Czapek (hopefully) on the way.

[Longhorn]

If it isn't your first Rolex that you're trading away then, I would do it. Profit is profit, I wouldn't lose sleep on losing out potential increase in an unpredictable market.

[charger_vital]

Sell the Rolex if you must. Get something else if you must. But I don't think this particular trade is a good one.

[EEpro]

Keep the Rolex and buy the Lange from jomashop. The trade back to the same Rolex would cost you your original investment in your GMT.

Manual wind becomes annoying. Strap watches can't get wet. Lange trade in is closer to 50% MSRP if you get bored of circle on strap watches and you probably will.

Take a look at this. It sells grey for $10,995 so a dealer will offer you 25-30% below this someday to trade toward a Rolex. You're throwing money away.

It would cost you less to just put this on a credit card and pay it off with interest than to throw away a steel Rolex as fodder in the deal.

[themast]

Originally Posted by EEpro

Keep the Rolex and buy the Lange from jomashop. The trade back to the same Rolex would cost you your original investment in your GMT.

Manual wind becomes annoying. Strap watches can't get wet. Lange trade in is closer to 50% MSRP if you get bored of circle on strap watches and you probably will.

Take a look at this. It sells grey for $10,995 so a dealer will offer you 25-30% below this someday to trade toward a Rolex. You're throwing money away.

It would cost you less to just put this on a credit card and pay it off with interest than to throw away a steel Rolex as fodder in the deal.

If the Lange can be had for 11k, then this does not look like a good trade OP.

On a side note, why are people saying that the hype is impacting their ability to e enjoy wearing their watches?
I understanding the buying side (myself I am not interested in playing games) but I don’t have an issue wearing my watch.

[thekman]

I traded a hyped Rolex for a Lange 1 earlier this month. No regrets.

[DoraTheExplorerII]

Yes but I bet you could wait a little more and get money on top to you instead

[JDixon]

Thanks for all the responses so far, just to clarify it would be me giving the GMT plus £1k in exchange for the Lange. Also, this isn't my only Rolex as have a Hulk, DJ and about to get an OP36 (I do appreciate the irony of not wearing the rollies whilst I am waiting to get another one, but thats a whole other story)

Also to clarify the point about the hype impacting my ability to enjoy wearing the watches...I buy my watches to wear and not as "investments", therefore when models get discontinued and the grey market price gets driven up, the general population becomes more aware of what certain watches are and they become more attractive to criminals. All of a sudden I am walking around London in a watch that can be spotted a mile away and gets a lot of "looks" on the tube, in the pub etc. hence why I am thinking of trading the inflated Rolex prices for a piece which (I think) will fly under the radar a lot more and also is a higher quality of watch in its truest sense

Hopefully this makes sense?

[Slow Lane]

OP - makes sense and I have same view. In any event we are supposed to buy low and sell high - this is certainly a time to sell high at least with reference to MSRP.

Where it goes from here and what future gains you may achieve who knows, I don't try to predict these things...

[Nav01L]

I’d do that if you have no emotional attachment to the GMT, but not for that particular model. It’s just too bland, and I say that as someone who loves Lange. The 20something thousand you should be getting for your Rolex should go towards something a bit more interesting, like a Lange 1 for instance. South of the Journe CS, there are relatively few of these super simple dress pieces that are truly up there in “worth doing something irreversible for” land. To me, only the VC Traditionelle small seconds and the Patek 6119 come to mind, but with these I wouldn’t think twice before I traded my GMT for either of them.

[themast]

Originally Posted by JDixon

Thanks for all the responses so far, just to clarify it would be me giving the GMT plus £1k in exchange for the Lange. Also, this isn't my only Rolex as have a Hulk, DJ and about to get an OP36 (I do appreciate the irony of not wearing the rollies whilst I am waiting to get another one, but thats a whole other story)

Also to clarify the point about the hype impacting my ability to enjoy wearing the watches...I buy my watches to wear and not as "investments", therefore when models get discontinued and the grey market price gets driven up, the general population becomes more aware of what certain watches are and they become more attractive to criminals. All of a sudden I am walking around London in a watch that can be spotted a mile away and gets a lot of "looks" on the tube, in the pub etc. hence why I am thinking of trading the inflated Rolex prices for a piece which (I think) will fly under the radar a lot more and also is a higher quality of watch in its truest sense

Hopefully this makes sense?

I think that on the trade you are still not doing well. Essentially you are getting $10k for your GMT. Sure is more than you paid for but way less than the hyped up price.

As for the enjoyment, I would look at hard data if available. Are thefts up? If you live in an area where you have to worry for your GMT I guess you will have to worry for a lot of other brands. Thieves can spot a real Rolex from a fake one (well at least they try) I am sure many of them will know what a Lange is as well (sure harder to turn around but still valuable).

Anyway, all what matters is if you love and want the Lange and, very importantly, you don’t care too much about the GMT (this will be harder to replace).

[PBJ1925]

I did a similar trade except toward a Lange 1. Haven’t lost any sleep over the Rolex, as I would’ve never otherwise been in a position to get the Lange without this hype market.


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[RoscoPico]

Originally Posted by JDixon

Given the ongoing hype around steel sport watches, I find that I actually feel a bit awkward wearing my Rolex’s about London now (where I live and work)

Title 100% appropriate and I think it's a very good deal imho. Don't get me wrong I will always own a Rolex so long as I collect watches, but not in place of an ALS

[JR16]

A quick chrono24 search limited to UK shows the cheapest LN selling for just under $2k (Us dollars) less than that Saxonia reference…. So seems like a fair trade to me.


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[solaire]

Originally Posted by JDixon

Given the ongoing hype around steel sport watches, I find that I actually feel a bit awkward wearing my Rolex’s about London now (where I live and work)

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Why? What hype? Seriously London likely has high 000,000 with steal sports watches on. Very high amount of rolex's.

Keeping holy of a rolex just because of the annual changes when you could trade up IMO is just stupid and sums up the rolex market. Yh they drop a model but then re-release it with the new movement yet everyone's going crazy.

Trade up to the Lange, it will get noticed more often in the right way.


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[nickorette]

Originally Posted by themast

If the Lange can be had for 11k, then this does not look like a good trade OP.

On a side note, why are people saying that the hype is impacting their ability to e enjoy wearing their watches?
I understanding the buying side (myself I am not interested in playing games) but I don’t have an issue wearing my watch.

Joma doesn't have most Langes in stock they lost their supplier. Lange supply is getting bought up and becoming harder to find. Last few pieces I pretty much got the last ones I could fine. Now I have an 1815 on order because there isn't any stock left on the reference I want (new anyways).

With production of 5k per year it doesn't take much before Lange will become hard to get. Some reference starting to trend upwards on price charts.

[JDixon]

I appreciate all the various comments. I knew that a post like this was going to split opinions, but I think I wanted really to check that was the case and there wasn't going to be a wave of unanimous no's.

In reality I don't have any emotional connection to my GMT and making the trade will still leave me with Rollies in the collection, but will add a higher level and new brand in to the collection...plus although some people are saying it doesn't do much for them, to me the watch is just astounding and I love the simplicity. The entry level Pateks really just don't do it for me in the flesh but the Lange really does.

As an aside, I've never heard of Jomashop before...everything on there looks very heavily discounted...how is this possible? Do many of you have experience of using this site? I would personally feel a bit uneasy spending so much money on something without seeing it in person first but maybe that's just me!

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by JDixon

I appreciate all the various comments. I knew that a post like this was going to split opinions, but I think I wanted really to check that was the case and there wasn't going to be a wave of unanimous no's.

In reality I don't have any emotional connection to my GMT and making the trade will still leave me with Rollies in the collection, but will add a higher level and new brand in to the collection...plus although some people are saying it doesn't do much for them, to me the watch is just astounding and I love the simplicity. The entry level Pateks really just don't do it for me in the flesh but the Lange really does.

As an aside, I've never heard of Jomashop before...everything on there looks very heavily discounted...how is this possible? Do many of you have experience of using this site? I would personally feel a bit uneasy spending so much money on something without seeing it in person first but maybe that's just me!

Yes. Joma is legit and have been around a long time. They will source the watch and keep the warranty card and provide their own warranty. In the case of Lange's weak factory 2 year warranty it is a good deal. You'll get a brand new watch still in plastics.

I also have experience using their warranty service 2 times in 20 years and they have came through just fine.

[Longhorn]

To be fair, I've called Jomashop about several Lange's that seemed significantly discounted and they did not have it in stock, nor seemed interested in sourcing it. They are a legitimate vendor, however.

[fwhawk]

I'm with all contributors who espouse using this crazy market to your advantage right now. If that means trading up, that's great. If it means trading down to something you like and pocketing some cash, that's great too. If you just want to take the cash, that works as well.

Thinking about picking the absolute top of the market is a dangerous game. If we are in a bubble (and I believe we are), an end to the bubble could come at any time. If and when it does, your chances of selling for anywhere near peak value are almost certainly off the table.

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by JDixon

I appreciate all the various comments. I knew that a post like this was going to split opinions, but I think I wanted really to check that was the case and there wasn't going to be a wave of unanimous no's.

In reality I don't have any emotional connection to my GMT and making the trade will still leave me with Rollies in the collection, but will add a higher level and new brand in to the collection...plus although some people are saying it doesn't do much for them, to me the watch is just astounding and I love the simplicity. The entry level Pateks really just don't do it for me in the flesh but the Lange really does.

As an aside, I've never heard of Jomashop before...everything on there looks very heavily discounted...how is this possible? Do many of you have experience of using this site? I would personally feel a bit uneasy spending so much money on something without seeing it in person first but maybe that's just me!

Jomashop have long been a grey outlet for stuff that sits unsold at dealers for the longest time, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to source watches in a climate where less and less stuff sits at dealers. Often enough you get the feedback from people that they inquired about a watch and got no response or were told that it cannot be sourced. So Jomashop listing your Saxonia at 10k doesn’t mean it’s really available for that price. Would still look at the VC traditionelle small seconds rather than that Saxonia though. It’s just more of a watch for the money. The Saxonia is very restrained, as a dress watch of this type should be, but then has a movement that, while well executed, doesn’t boast enough of the hallmarks of fine watchmaking to be visually interesting. So it won’t blow anyone away with its caseback either. If you really want a Lange with that look, try to find an older Saxonia automatic with the Sax-o-mat movement, that has so much more visual interest.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by ChetBaker

So if I understand you correctly you will get the Lange +1k? I would make that trade no doubt. Get rid of the GMT and get yourself something special.