Complete Newcomer needs Help with Rolex Cosmograph Value

[Poorwill]

Kind community: I beg for your assistance in giving me some idea of the value of my Rolex. I inherited it from my father who bought it new from a jeweler in a suburb of Boston in the early 1960s - probably 1963 or 1964. As far as I know he was not good about servicing it and wore it quite a bit - you can see the wear on the crystal. He put it away in the 1980s and I got it around 1994. It has been sitting in a safety deposit box unwound and unworn ever since. I may have the box and the warranty card from Rolex, but I'd really have to dig to find them. I have absolutely no interest in selling. I am interested in the value for insurance purposes - if it is indeed worth insuring. I would also appreciate some advice about my next steps if I choose to wear it: where should I get it serviced and how much will it cost? A appreciate any help I can get with an initial idea of whether this watch is worth putting money into or if it would be a good idea to wear it daily. I would like to honor my dad by wearing it - if it can take the abuse (I'm pretty active and my Casio Pathfinder shows it!). Note: I am not wealthy. I inherited my dad's love of watches but not his generous income. My meager collection of timepieces are all by Swatch, Suunto and Casio.

[roh123]

It is a very valuable watch as it is an early Daytona in very good condition. With papers it is for sure above 50k usd. As I am not really into these early pump pusher chronos I can't say if it is 50 or 100 or even more but I can tell you it is a lot. I would suggest that you contact ie Phillips Watches (watches@phillips.com) or a couple of high end dealers for a proper valuation.

Great watch by the way. Rare to see them with a nice dial with all lume intact, with correct hands and with the original steel bezel. Just a lovely watch.

If you decide to service and wear it.. Make sure you use a good watch maker which will respect the original parts during service. If handed to a Rolex Service Center you risk them to change the rare valuable parts and then we will all cry together with you as the watch will lose much of its charm and value.

[exador]

Originally Posted by Poorwill

I would like to honor my dad by wearing it - if it can take the abuse (I'm pretty active and my Casio Pathfinder shows it!). Note: I am not wealthy. I inherited my dad's love of watches but not his generous income.

While your sentiments are admirable, in the real world are you prepared to insure and wear a $50-100K watch?
I imagine that there are many things that that money could be better used for.
I say sell the watch through a top auction house (Christies, Sotheby's etc) and remember your Dad another way

[watch-guy.com]

The watch is a ref 6239( maybe 6262)
Early model with early bezel
I do not think it is worth 50K unless it a double swiss underline which it is not
The dial MAY be a replacement as it is a TswissT rather than swiss but I am not sure with out further research
Have it serviced by a reputable watch maker and wear it and enjoy it as a memory of your dad
Great piece
Julian

[roh123]

Julian is right. :)

I thought this was one of the rare mk1's. It's not. It is however still early and if it is not 50k retail it is not far behind with box and papers.

Read more of the mk1's here. Perhaps it will give some more info on your watch.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/th...enjamin-clymer

[wjviper]

Unreal gorgeous! Wear it and pass it off to your kids! Gorgeous!

[Tools]

for a proper estimate you would need to go to a known vintage watch estimator that an insurance company would accept. Very few will take your word for it because you read it on the Internet.

Same for having it properly serviced. You want an expert and not the corner watchmaker; there are too many things that can be done to devalue your heirloom by half or more.

[jban5]

Research (on here) for the best choices of watchmakers to do a full service but not restoration. Wearing it with that service history is a disservice and could be detrimental. Even the most expensive service is a small fraction of the watches worth.

Dig long and hard for any and all paperwork, tags, packaging etc. Every day you don't have them located is a day further away from finding them and a day closer to them being lost forever. You probably wouldn't believe what they are worth as part of the package or even as stand alone items.

Unfortunately, when all is said and done you may find that keeping it is an expensive endeavor. Even at the very low end you might find insuring it to be a hard thing to justify, esp if you have significant others expenses.

It is a beautiful watch and if you have it serviced correctly ^^^ perhaps you could establish a 1 year wear it timeframe to decide if you should keep it.

good luck, green with envy.

[scooba]

If you have no intention of selling it . I would suggest having it checked and a service then insure it for $50k , put it away knowing its in its best condition and just wear it on them special days ,

[Verdi]

The watch is worth some good money. More important is not to decrease that value by treating it the wrong way.

First, don't get it running. The movement is in desperate need of a service if it's been sitting for so long.
Do some reading about servicing the watch. Any alteration would make it loose value.
Don't ley anyone replace the dial, the hands, the bezel, the crown.....and DO NOT POLISH it. (Watch or bracelet).
The glass can be polished or replaced, not a problem with that.

If you decide to service it, look around for specialized service center that deals with vintage and handles them the way should be. You can find some references on the forum.
Avoid RSC (Rolex Service Centers).

I would service it and wear it on occasion. Once serviced, it's good to wind it at least once a month.

PS: look for the box and any papers regarding the watch. That makes a huge difference in value. Turn the house upside down if you have to.

[strafer_kid]

Looks like a very nice piece! A service perhaps by one of the reputable specialists would probably be the way to go and would be money well spent given the potential value of the watch. Insurance might be expensive as others have said but only an expert evaluation will tell. If high value is confirmed, it will then be something of a judgement call regarding regular wear v storage etc. Good luck in any event....beautiful watch!

[mluther]

Beautiful piece to inherit.

It's a second generation 6239 introduced in 1964. The first gen 6239 introduced the year before had the words SWISS written at the base of dial. The "-T SWISS T-" was added to the bottom of the dial to signify the change to Tritium. In 65, the word DAYTONA was added to the dial, so this dial was only produced for a year or even less. Very rare dial. Correct pushers and correct insert. Difficult to value as not as strong as some of the other vintage Daytonas, but for insurance purposes 35-40 watch only. I would contact LA Watch Works for further advice re servicing. It will cost you, but will be worth it long term IMHO...