Questions about 18038 Rolex Tiffany Day-Date (1978)

[pacificsages]

Hey everyone,

Got a couple questions about a 18038 Rolex Tiffany Dial Day-Date (1978) I'm considering pulling the trigger on.

1. Any thoughts on the Tiffany stamp? I think it checks out, but I know there are so many variations in the production of Tiffany dials that it can be hard to pin down an authentic one. I think the C & the O in the Co. seem to be a little closer together than usual, but I'm not sure. Also, not sure if its due to age/patina, but I haven't seen the yellow-ish color of the wording anywhere. Any other thoughts would be very helpful.

2. Any thoughts on valuation? I know what the dealer is asking, but want to see if it aligns with what you guys here think it's worth.

Some facts: 36mm, 18k gold, sapphire crystal, 100m WR, single quickset (date), caliber 3055, fluted bezel, Tiffany dial, president bracelet, 1978.

3. Does the lume on the indices and the lume on the hands seem to match? Can't tell from the picture.

4. I plan on re-visiting the dealer soon and asking these questions & more. Any other questions you guys think I should ask apart from:

- How’d you guys get it?
- Running time? Timegrapher available to check?
- All original parts?
- Power reserve seem to hold well?
- Have the gaskets for water resistance been tested?
- Any service history?

Any other advice would be great!

Appreciate help in advance!

RolexResize1.jpegRolexResize2.jpeg

[miamiclay]

I am certainly no expert on these, but the consensus seems to be that perhaps >90% of Tiffany stamps are not legit. Many collectors insist on original Tiffany paperwork to authenticate any Tiffany stamped dial; otherwise they are often assumed not to be genuine - Guilty until proven innocent. Certainly ask if the seller has any Tiffany paperwork?

[offrdmania]

Without Tiffany paperwork, they are just considered an altered dial and dont add value IMO. Dealers will certainly add on significant value but its up to you if you want to pay it. It would just be a hard sale without paperwork if you ever tried to resell it.

Without Tiffany papers, it is just another no B&P 18038. I wouldnt pay anymore than $10-12K max for it.

I sold mine for $10K last year in equal, if not better condition.

[baumare]

As already been said without any paper from Tiffany you should consider it a regular 18038 without B&P, if they ask a premium for that, which I'm sure they will, then I'll suggest to save those money for a DayDate with all the correct paper work.
And I'm talking for direct experience, I own a 16600 with Tiffany dial w/o paper...

[1665fan]

Exactly what everybody said already about the Tiffany stamp...to me the one in the pic has the stamp in a more yellow in color...I’m no Tiffany pro but that one is not close to matching in color....

[joli160]

There used to be a whole industry of stamping fake Tiffany dials.
Comparing stamps is never conclusive, simply too many variations.

Without proper provenance (papers and or invoice) not worth it.
There are many on the market and almost none of those has papers, how convenient

A double quick set is much more convenient btw

[pacificsages]

Originally Posted by miamiclay

I am certainly no expert on these, but the consensus seems to be that perhaps >90% of Tiffany stamps are not legit. Many collectors insist on original Tiffany paperwork to authenticate any Tiffany stamped dial; otherwise they are often assumed not to be genuine - Guilty until proven innocent. Certainly ask if the seller has any Tiffany paperwork?

Interesting - I definitely didn't expect the figure for fakes to be >90%. Thats wild haha. They're asking 14.5k. I'll ask to see if they have ant paperwork regarding the stamp but I dont think so.

[zapokee]

Tiffany without the relevant paperwork is almost worth less than non-Tiffany for me.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by zapokee

Tiffany without the relevant paperwork is almost worth less than non-Tiffany for me.

This. That bracelet is also short one link (it should have 21) so make sure it fits if you do buy it.

[indianmachine]

I bought a Tiffany 5513 that I thought I loved at first, but soon came to realize that I couldn't stop thinking about whether the stamp was legit or not. Luckily I was able to return it back for my cost basis, but think really hard about buying one of these without B&P before you do.

[pacificsages]

Appreciate all the feedback. They're asking 14.5k - was going to offer 12k but seems I may want to steer clear without the accompanying paperwork. I'll update if I do end up grabbing it!

[rootbeer7]

That Tiffany printing doesn’t seem consistent with proven ones.

[Pocosso]

When you come to collect a Tiffany watch, the only thing it count is the paper stamped by them. Without the paper there is no evidence that the watch has been sold by Tiffany.