Taking the plunge on a 1680

[heathen07]

Hi fellow members,

i was hit with the vintage bug a few years back but the complexity involved made me kept my distance. But the increase in prices finally made me pull the trigger. I am close to sealing the deal on a white 1680 and all that awaits me is a visit to my friendly dealer to authenticate the watch. The wait is simply devastating.

I seek a favour from fellow members of the forum. Would you share your views on the watch i'm to purchase ?
There is just so much to vintage rolex that i dont know what i missed. Have attached a picture of the actual watch for your reference.

From what i have gathered,

- it is in the 5.8 million series (1979)
- it is a MK II dial
- comes with 580 endlinks and a 93150 bracelet
- bracelet serial is VD (1979)
- model and serial numbers are clear
- case looks sharp
- comes with a thin font insert
- matching patina from the hands and dial

- the pearl on the bezel looks white though :(
- there are slight blemish on some of the indicaters :(

Cheers

[alwayshere]

yeah looks like bezel insert is service insert but thats okay

[05carbondrz]

Case and dial look good,Those are the big ones for me.

[Ghost1665]

Looks like a beauty! Great case by that picture.

This thread was incredibly helpful to me if you haven’t already discovered it:

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=513941

[heathen07]

I just realised the case might be a service replacement or worst, non original.

reason being, at the 12 indicator, the case is reflecting "orig. rolex design". For a 5.8 mil series, it should be indicating "registered design" instead.

I'm so disappointed

[swish77]

Originally Posted by heathen07

I just realised the case might be a service replacement or worst, non original.

reason being, at the 12 indicator, the case is reflecting "orig. rolex design". For a 5.8 mil series, it should be indicating "registered design" instead.

I'm so disappointed

If it's a legit service case it would have a 4.4 mil. serial number, not a 5.8 mil. Can you post photos?

[heathen07]

will post the picture when I'm back home. but I can confirm the case is indicating "orig. rolex design" "1680"

am confused. could you enlighten me as to why it would be in the 4.4 mil range should it be a service case ?

Decided to back out of the deal and continue on with my search. am so disappointed

[swish77]

Originally Posted by heathen07

will post the picture when I'm back home. but I can confirm the case is indicating "orig. rolex design" "1680"

am confused. could you enlighten me as to why it would be in the 4.4 mil range should it be a service case ?

Decided to back out of the deal and continue on with my search. am so disappointed

That's the serial number range that Rolex assigned to replacement cases, although I've also read that 4.7 mil. was used.

I believe that way back, sometimes original serial numbers were re-engraved on the new case, but that it's fairly easy to tell because the style looks different. There's been discussion on this topic through the years here and over on VRF. I'd Google it.

[heathen07]

thanks for explaining. Have attached two pictures. One of the model number, the other, the serial number.

The case looked thick and new plus chamfers were sharp when i inspected the watch up close.

I just managed to obtain some info that replacement cases seems to be assigned with serial numbers between 4.4 to 4.7 mil.
Correct me if i'm wrong but does this mean rolex would assign a new 4.4 to 4.7 million serial number to a 5.8 mil watch should its case requires replacement ?

[johnlogan]

This is not a service case nor an original Rolex case. Its a replica case. The lack of wear between the lugs proves this is probably not more than 2-3 year sold ( if that )

[heathen07]

No wonder the case looked so good. It looked almost brand new. but then again, there might be a small possibility it is a service case since there isn't a firm source of rolex reference ?

My fear continues as i search for an authentic vintage sub / gmt.
Lesson learned for myself, don't buy when you have doubt.

Hope my near death situation would aid potential 1680 buyers. It is an endless learning loop regarding vintage rolex. Thank you all for your kind assistance

[zapokee]

Just buy from a globally trusted source like Jacek, Eric Ku or Shear. The premium you pay is worth their expertise - you know you're getting exactly what you think you're getting. Outsource your worries and enjoy.

[swish77]

As stated above ... fake, fake, fake. Just compare the "E's" on legit cases. Easy way to tell.

[heathen07]

Many thanks. Will re-examine the "Es" and see if i can spot the difference.

Just to share. i was in tokyo last month and prior to that, I had read many positive reviews on both 2 dealers, jackroad and quake which sell vintage rolex. both had some vintage rolex but jackroad was pretty packed with window shoppers and buyers. (Buyers were seated in a separate waiting room).

They are an option i would consider.