Loaded Question - What do you think is a good buy?

[pierson]

So I am no Rolex watch expert. Let's just get that out there.

Ive bought several vintage Rolexes and Tudors only to find this tiny piece wasn't original or that end-link was wrong, this face was off, that bezel, etc..... basically every vintage watch Ive posted has something wrong with it and was thought by many as a bad buy.

From the Rolex experts, I'd really love to see some links to watches you think are well priced :)

I'm sure you're all online looking at watches, like me, that you never plan to purchase, so what sparks your interest?

[pierson]

FWIW - I'm not looking for future predictions or even which models are well priced, more what specific watches look well priced. I want to learn :)

[Dan S]

How much is our finder's fee?

[watchlovr]

Budget?

[Yachtbuoy]

Honestly there will almost always be invariably something slightly askew regarding vintage pieces, otherwise they won't be "well priced"

[Tom1675]

The dial is where most of the value is, if that's off you should move on. An incorrect bracelet or insert can be dealt with but if the dial is damaged or redone there is no going back.

[pierson]

Originally Posted by watchlovr

Budget?

No budget. I’m not looking to buy or sell. I mean, I’m always “looking”, but more curious what you all like. What is well priced and makes sense?

New watches are easy to value, it’s the vintage ones I’m having a hard time with.

[roh123]

Why is well priced the important thing? Isn’t it better to have people show you good examples if you are eager to learn? You normally get what you pay for.

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by roh123

Why is well priced the important thing? Isn’t it better to have people show you good examples if you are eager to learn? You normally get what you pay for.

Right. Price shouldn't be the main consideration with vintage Rolex. It's about condition.

The usual major dealers generally price fairly, including a little for their expertise. Just look at the big guys - Jacek, Shearer, Ku and the like.

[pierson]

Originally Posted by roh123

Why is well priced the important thing? Isn’t it better to have people show you good examples if you are eager to learn? You normally get what you pay for.

See, that’s just what I’m curious about. Making sure I get what I pay for. How do I know the price is fair? I guess I can trust a large dealer?

[Kingface66]

It sounds like you’re looking for shortcuts to unraveling all that comes with vintage watch buying. Why not try what many of us have done: take pleasure in the many years of unlocking this hobby. Learn about watches because you’re genuinely curious. Know why prices are what they are based on comparative judging.

[harry in montreal]

Best to pick a model you like
Review several dealer websites And study the descriptions
Follow some on eBay. Look at the descriptions.
Note the prices.
After a few weeks you could zero in on a good one for a fair price

[pierson]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

It sounds like you’re looking for shortcuts to unraveling all that comes with vintage watch buying. Why not try what many of us have done: take pleasure in the many years of unlocking this hobby. Learn about watches because you’re genuinely curious. Know why prices are what they are based on comparative judging.

I’m trying. I’m at the forum nearly every day.

[stmoore]

Our quality of response will likely equal your effort here.
You’ve shared zero about what you like or why you collect. As-is your request is bazaar.

[pierson]

Originally Posted by stmoore

Our quality of response will likely equal your effort here.
You’ve shared zero about what you like or why you collect. As-is your request is bazaar.

Fair enough!

I’m more just trying to learn. I am currently looking at 4 digit day dates , BUT do want to do the research and wasn’t really trying to ask you guys for help there. I was more just curious as to what you all like that’s available. Similar to walking through an art gallery with an expert. Heck if someone posted a link of a 1680 (not my thing) saying why they thought it was well priced and what they liked about it, that would fascinate me. Or an AirKing, or even quartz. I’m just really curious what watches that are available the experts think are well priced and why. Trying to learn.

So much of this world is subjective (I’m sure I overpaid for my fuschia gmt dial, but I love it, so I’m cool!) which makes me want to hear what you think even more.

“I love this 1968 Milgauss (not my thing) because of the sheen on the dial and the correct bezel and the rare bracelet.” - stuff like that was what I was really trying to ask about.

Guess I might be coming in from the wrong direction- was just curious what you all liked out there. Exact same question I ask my vintage car friends when watching car auctions.

Didn’t mean to disrupt.

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by stmoore

Our quality of response will likely equal your effort here.
You’ve shared zero about what you like or why you collect. As-is your request is bazaar.

Bit harsh. The guy's genuinely trying to learn, and has a nice positive attitude.

Pierson, nobody's going to point you to great deals, no more than a squirrel would reveal its stash of nuts. It's all about learning for yourself. You're right in suggesting that it's probably safer to stick with the more respected dealers. Their living depends on their reputation.

This hobby is a lot of fun. You're on the right road, and you're going to have a great time.

[carwashchris]

I think that you could help yourself by narrowing your search. I just started buying vintage about 3 years ago after buying brand new Rolex for years prior. For example I was interested in early date just four digit refs so I saved or subscribed to all the 1600 series that were for sale here on this site I also subscribed to all the conversations about those refs. I also went to eBay and a Chrono 24 and saved those searches to see what was selling and what was not it wasn't till almost 6 to 9 months later when I finally felt comfortable to purchase my first 1601. There's really no shortcut I had to read and read again until my eyes hurt or my wife was yelling at me wondering why I was still up at 2:00 a.m. on the Rolex site. If others tell you what to buy then you won't learn anything. And I think you want to educate yourself from what I'm reading. Hang in there and good luck feel free to ask questions.

[pierson]

Originally Posted by carwashchris

I think that you could help yourself by narrowing your search. I just started buying vintage about 3 years ago after buying brand new Rolex for years prior. For example I was interested in early date just four digit refs so I saved or subscribed to all the 1600 series that were for sale here on this site I also subscribed to all the conversations about those refs. I also went to eBay and a Chrono 24 and saved those searches to see what was selling and what was not it wasn't till almost 6 to 9 months later when I finally felt comfortable to purchase my first 1601. There's really no shortcut I had to read and read again until my eyes hurt or my wife was yelling at me wondering why I was still up at 2:00 a.m. on the Rolex site. If others tell you what to buy then you won't learn anything. And I think you want to educate yourself from what I'm reading. Hang in there and good luck feel free to ask questions.

Thank you! Great advice. Just knowing what others have gone through/done is helpful.

[Sub*Man]

I think with vintage, and most things not bought from an authorized dealer, you’re buying the seller more than the watch, or car, or firearm etc.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by Sub*Man

I think with vintage, and most things not bought from an authorized dealer, you’re buying the seller more than the watch, or car, or firearm etc.

Ultimately, you are buying the watch. You may want to read some of the recent threads on the forum about what can sometimes happen when you blindly trust sellers.

It's good to buy from a reputable and experienced seller, but it's not a substitute for doing your own research, and benefitting from the experience of knowledgeable friends on the forum and elsewhere.

[Mendota]

I highly recommend spending some quality time over at Rolex Passion Report and Hodinkee. There are countless articles featuring the most exquisite early subs, 6542 GMT Masters, and more 4 digit pieces than you could ever spend the time looking at. They deep dive into the nuances of the dials and hands, the movements, and you can literally drown in knowledge.

Another great site is drsd.com as it heavily focuses on the divers. Here's the area just devoted to red submariners: http://www.drsd.com/watch-info/red-sub/redsub.html

If you Google the vintage Rolex meetups that take place over in Europe, you'll see collectors who get together for an afternoon of sharing stories and looking at their collections over beer and wine. There are literally priceless pieces among the dozens if not hundreds of other pieces which collectively are probably worth a few million, all right there sitting out on picnic tables. I would love to be a guest at one of those someday.

My grail pieces are the 5510 and 6542, and I have spent hundreds of hours over my 12 years in this hobby looking at pics, reading articles, and I still am the equivalent of a child just learning how to read when compared to the vintage collectors here.

[Mendota]

This will get you started down the rabbit hole.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ro...ference-points

http://rolexpassionreport.com/316/th...ing-radiation/

http://rolexpassionreport.com/15606/...olex-luminous/

This next one is called Jake's Rolex World and there are hundreds of articles with amazing photos, deep diving into every Rolex subject you could ever imagine. There's an awesome page just devoted to the Gemini and Apollo astronauts and how many of them wore their personal Rolexes on their missions, even though NASA "technically" had selected Omega as the watch to be worn on the OUTSIDE of their suit for EVA. LOL, they wore their personal Rolexes for the missions and INSIDE the suit. That was the key technicality - NASA said nothing about what they could wear inside the suit. The Rolex just couldn't be strapped to the outside like the Omega was. You can see all of the pics of the astronauts getting suited up for their launch wearing their GMTs.

https://www.rolexmagazine.com/

Here's the page devoted to astronauts.

https://www.rolexmagazine.com/search...earing%20Rolex

[Mendota]

http://rolexpassionreport.com/14962/...philipp-stahl/

Read this outstanding article from Rolex Passion Report. It will be a good primer to get you started on your own journey.

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[pierson]

Thank you, all!