Birth Year or Brand New?

[r32nissan]

hi all,

I've been on the hunt to celebrate/commemorate a significant promotion and am trying to decide between going brand new or vintage and looking for a birth year piece.

Has anyone recently gone through this conundrum and have any views?

For reference, I'm looking at a yellow gold day date with either a champagne or black dial and recently came across this one on Bobs (thoughts on price/condition based on these pics?)

https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-pr...ate-18038.html

Thanks in advance

[Benzsiam]

For me I preferred brand new from the Boutique/AD.

[Ferrari308]

One of my current instructors has that watch - it looks better in person.

Personally, I like the idea of a birth year watch. I would absolutely LOVE to find one myself.

So, I would say go for it!!!



PDG

[HiBoost]

If the birth year concept appeals to you, AND your particular year lines up with a model that you really like, then go for it. I was born in 1974. A Datejust from that time period doesn't do much for me. A Sub and Pepsi are too expensive. But a nipple dial root beer was the perfect pick-up to check all my boxes. So I had to go in being flexible on the model itself. If you are determined to get a gold DayDate either way, then that limits the options and may sway your decision.

Also, don't get too hung up on it being your "exact" year. You'll find half a dozen online references showing different years mapping to the same serial number. You'll drive yourself crazy with this stuff and nobody can say for sure when it was made (even papers could be off by years if the watch sat at a dealer prior to selling). So my "1974" may be a 1975 or 1976, who knows. But I can still think of it as roughly being as old as me. For all the years I've been alive, this thing has been ticking away doing its one job. That has some fun philosophical value to me, but others may not care at all.

[Stan Cooper]

I've purchased all four of my Rolexes pre-owned from trusted sellers and they've all been great watches. I would have no qualms about buying a used 1980s birth year piece, but my birth year is 1942 and aside from finding replacement parts, there were so many technical advances in the forty years between 1942 and 1982 I don't think I'd be interested in a birth year Rolex for myself.

[7enderbender]

The birth year thing only makes sense for stuff that you actually like. I like Sea Dwellers so my son’s birth year coincided with the specific model I like anyway.
I know the thing from guitars also. Given that I was born in 1970 there are basically no decent instruments from that era. So might as well buy new or really vintage. Same with watches. A 1970 Speedmaster could be interesting. I wouldn’t say no to a no date Sub either. But only because the features on those work out.
For your gold day date I’d go new if that’s your cup of tea. There is always the rose gold 40mm version still. Just sayin’

[lmcgbaj]

Brand new and date it on the promotion date. Win win.

[padi56]

Almost impossible to get a exact birth year Rolex as no internet chart can give to a exact date when any modern day Rolex was made. Only approx year when the case was stamped between X&Y years this is not always when the watch was made. So best bet is when the watch was sold indicated by the paperwork. And all the changes made over the past 20 plus years were mainly cosmetic, so buying new or used not a lot of difference except for the price.

[cts]

Both

[edslee327]

Originally Posted by lmcgbaj

Brand new and date it on the promotion date. Win win.

agreed, tried the birth year thing, didn't feel as satisfying for as long as i thought it would... if it's celebrating a milestone, treat yourself, go brand new

[swish77]

The birth year craze is way overrated. As stated above, very difficult to 100 percent confirm a watch is from an exact year, but more importantly, you greatly restrict the number of watches available if pinpointing to one year/serial number range. That means compromising on condition, and in vintage it's all about condition, of course.

Would you rather have a mediocre watch from, say, 1972, or a great condition watch from say, 1974? (Rhetorical question).

So, I'd probably go new if I had to choose, but that has its own challenges nowadays.

[Laostuh]

For Day Date, I would go modern. 36mm day dates wear small on the wrist.

[PBJ1925]

New camp here.

[bob sims]

Originally Posted by Stan Cooper

I've purchased all four of my Rolexes pre-owned from trusted sellers and they've all been great watches. I would have no qualms about buying a used 1980s birth year piece, but my birth year is 1942 and aside from finding replacement parts, there were so many technical advances in the forty years between 1942 and 1982 I don't think I'd be interested in a birth year Rolex for myself.

Yeah I won't be buying my father a birth year watch. Would have to dig up Al Capone's Rolex Prince from 1930!