First vintage purchase

[Cross eyed fly]

Hello all.
After years of thinking about owning a vintage rolex I’m now in a position to go ahead and buy one. I’ve been reading bits on here for the last 12 months or so and feel I’m a little better informed but still nervous for obvious reasons. I’m posting to ask if there’s anything I need to be particularly wary of. I’ll list out what I think is sensible to consider and if anyone would like to add to the list it would be helpful and most appreciated. Thanks

1 Buy the seller
2 Read up as much as possible on specific model
3 Don’t necessarily buy the first one you try on

Am I also correct in thinking that a full set on a vintage watch is very difficult to find and not be too worried about watch only??

[1675-David]

Really good info here
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=353899

Make sure you get excellent images of any proposed watch and post them here. There are many expert eyes in the vintage section with a cumulative knowledge that runs into centuries!!!

[Cross eyed fly]

Thanks for this. Just what I was after

[Dan S]

I would take the "Buy the Seller" advice with a grain of salt. I find that doing my own research and asking opinions from unbiased knowledgeable people is more important. Sellers make mistakes and don't always have specialized expertise. They are also motivated by profit, and many of the most "reputable" and "trusted" sellers have been caught tampering with watches and/or making knowingly false claims. Trust your own knowledge and the expertise of people with no skin in the game. Doing research involves not only reading about a particular model, but literally looking at as many pictures of good and bad examples as you possibly can. Thousands if possible, but definitely hundreds. You will be surprised how your eye will become "trained" over time.

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by Dan S

I would take the "Buy the Seller" advice with a grain of salt. I find that doing my own research and asking opinions from unbiased knowledgeable people is more important. Sellers make mistakes and don't always have specialized expertise. They are also motivated by profit, and many of the most "reputable" and "trusted" sellers have been caught tampering with watches and/or making knowingly false claims. Trust your own knowledge and the expertise of people with no skin in the game. Doing research involves not only reading about a particular model, but literally looking at as many pictures of good and bad examples as you possibly can. Thousands if possible, but definitely hundreds. You will be surprised how your eye will become "trained" over time.

Yeh - good sellers and having unbiased eyes review, in combination, is far superior ~

[steversaurus]

Originally Posted by Dan S

I would take the "Buy the Seller" advice with a grain of salt. I find that doing my own research and asking opinions from unbiased knowledgeable people is more important. Sellers make mistakes and don't always have specialized expertise. They are also motivated by profit, and many of the most "reputable" and "trusted" sellers have been caught tampering with watches and/or making knowingly false claims. Trust your own knowledge and the expertise of people with no skin in the game. Doing research involves not only reading about a particular model, but literally looking at as many pictures of good and bad examples as you possibly can. Thousands if possible, but definitely hundreds. You will be surprised how your eye will become "trained" over time.

Just to add to this. The majority of sellers won't outright lie to you, but there are definitely some that won't exactly go out of their to point out things like non-period correct items or blemishes. I recall seeing a fs post one time where some minor spotting was only visible in one pic due to either the hands obscuring it or the light that was used in the other pics.

[zapokee]

Another consideration when buying vintage: make sure the bracelet has enough links to fit your wrist. Finding extra links that match the vintage character/wear/patina of an old bracelet is a pain in the t*ts.

If I'm playing the percentages game, which I should be, I'll always choose a trusted dealer over an Ebay random or an unknown seller. This applies particularly to you as a new entrant to the market, especially as many of them have a no-quibble returns policy.

Good luck with your journey!

[Filipão]

If you're a sucker for originality and like to get an even Tritium dial/hands combo, ask for UV pics.

After you've "bought the Seller" come to these bunch of experts, as others have advised you to.

Before paying, that is.

Good luck Cross Eyed Fly!

[Nova1]

With vintage you are buying the example. You need to be able to put it on and just know, this is the one. With that said, don’t make the same mistake I did buying site unseen. Especially if you are making a larger investment.

[Cross eyed fly]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. I’ll certainly take it all onboard

[MorningTundra]

You might get more specific advice if you say which model or the reference you have in mind.

[Lesnerelli23]

I’m on the low end of knowledge but I would also add, “recently serviced” may be used extremely loosely in some instances.


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