Devaluation?

[RPJ]

I am looking to buy my first Rolex! My question on this occasion is...... to buy new or used? If I buy new..... is it like a car and loses value immediately you drive it from the garage? If a watch is in excellent condition and say between 3 and 6 months old what devaluation would have taken place if any? How much less would I expect to pay for a watch that was 4 years old? All advice would be gratefully accepted......... exciting times..... but unsettling however!!

[TimeToGo]

Welcome to the Forum!

That is a loaded question. You can get discounts at ADs as well as purchasing from this site, still new in box.

People are always saying that current prices are too high but do a search for a thread initiated right at or after the last price increase. Folks were running to buy "blindly" at the old prices.

Good luck!

[77T]

Welcome!

Residual value on pre-love Rolex is better than new cars - but still it's worth skipping the instant "devaluation" IMHO. If you don't mind passing up the "AD Experience", then good savings are out there.

[kilyung]

Welcome! Buy it because you like it. As for devaluation, it's not that bad but is a little model dependent.

[crew]

Originally Posted by kilyung

Welcome! Buy it because you like it. As for devaluation, it's not that bad but is a little model dependent.

This.
If you buy new you will certainly see some/considerable depreciation that first year (or more). The depreciation is likely to vary by model with SS models perhaps returning the highest percentage of price paid. Precious metal models may depreciate more, but then again it depends on how well you negotiated the initial purchase.
If you're buying it to keep, who cares?

[69mach351]

Originally Posted by 77T

Welcome!

Residual value on pre-love Rolex is better than new cars - but still it's worth skipping the instant "devaluation" IMHO. If you don't mind passing up the "AD Experience", then good savings are out there.

Agree 100%

[TempoKing]

Originally Posted by RPJ

I am looking to buy my first Rolex! My question on this occasion is...... to buy new or used? If I buy new..... is it like a car and loses value immediately you drive it from the garage? If a watch is in excellent condition and say between 3 and 6 months old what devaluation would have taken place if any? How much less would I expect to pay for a watch that was 4 years old? All advice would be gratefully accepted......... exciting times..... but unsettling however!!

If you know what you are doing buy gently used
If not.. then you must buy new - not like a car if you buy a Steel Submariner
but definately like a car or worst if you buy a two tone no date model
with a smooth bezel and a jubilee bracelet - for which ...once you leave the
"dealership" (?)...I can only offer 60% less...than you just paid.

So the model you are looking to buy.. is a must have for me.. this way
I can tell you with precision the % of value lost or gained
or what to pay for a specific Rolex - new or used.
Size, metal, bracelet, dial, bezel, functions etc. etc. are important factors
for buying either... a star or... a jalopy*.

*JALOPY
The truth is, dictionary makers have not the slightest idea where jalopy comes from. It was spelled all sorts of ways when it first appeared, a sure sign that oral transmission came first. So, in lieu of facts, here are some of the stories that others have recounted in worthy attempts to make some sense of the matter.
Yiddish is a candidate with shlappe, a term for an old horse that actually derives from Polish. A French origin has also been asserted, from chaloupe, a kind of skiff, though why the name should have come ashore in the process of changing languages is not explained. A lovely theory has it that the word comes from an Italian-American pronunciation of jelly apple. The story goes that a jell oppy was one of the decrepit old carts from which Italian immigrants sold this delicacy during the early part of the twentieth century. Others argue that it has a link with the Mexican town of Jalapa, where old vehicles were sent to rest and recuperate. Actually, a Spanish origin seems likely, but galapago, a tortoise, may be a more plausible suggestion, as a description of the slowness of beat-up old bangers.
I give no guarantees about any of this. We have to leave it as one of lifes mysteries.

[Gaijin]

If you keep it long enough with constant Rolex price increases you should get close to if not all if not more than you payed for it. Depending of the model and how long you keep it.

[mannyv11]

Originally Posted by Gaijin

If you keep it long enough with constant Rolex price increases you should get close to if not all if not more than you payed for it. Depending of the model and how long you keep it.

x2

[RPJ]

Thanks people for your help and advice....... sound words!!

[samuel019]

Originally Posted by Gaijin

If you keep it long enough with constant Rolex price increases you should get close to if not all if not more than you payed for it. Depending of the model and how long you keep it.

That was perfect. Couldnt been said any better. I totally agree. If you look at the evolution of Rolex prices you will be amazed. Minus4plus6.com has a chart. My 214270 has changed 825.00 is just 2 years. Not to mention all the other models. So if you can buy it right and hold on to it for a little while and take care of it at worst you might break even but again there are many different variables in this hypothesis. Good luck and buy what you want and all will work out.