Taking The Plunge..."The Smurf"

[VILAS]

Dear friends,

first and foremost, I want to say thank YOU for years of rich content that I've thoroughly enjoyed, learned from and grown to appreciate what horology is truly about. This is my first post and primarily focused on a decision I’ve struggled to make…and of course, no better place then TRF to seek council on how to proceed. Here we go. I currently have two watches in my burgeoning collection, a Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver in Black (Daily Beater and my first watch) and a 116334, Azzurro Blue, Roman, Fluted Bezel, Date Just on an Oyster Bracelet, full set. (Dressy, procured last October from a local grey dealer who is a family friend). The period between both acquisitions spans 8 years and the Rolex re-ignited my passion with vigor…pandoras box has been opened. Both of the aforementioned pieces mark different life occasions and carry different meanings but I’m not truly satisfied. These coming months mark two big events…a business milestone of the Healthcare IT company I founded when I was 13 and my 30th birthday. I want to mark off the sacrifices, trials and tribulations and journey it took to get here, none of which was easy nor pleasant. Ever since last year, I’ve been on “the hunt” first with a BLRO, than a BLNR than a WG Daytona with a Meteorite Dial…I was all over the place. Being data driven, I dove deep into KPI and analytics surrounding the current state of affairs and began calculating and trending price analytics on pieces I was interested in to know where, how and when to pick up what I wanted. Then, a month ago, I visited my local AD (To start a new relationship) and saw something I knew nothing about, the 116619LB. I was immediately in awe of how stunning this piece was…its weight, how it wore, the proportions, it’s color, everything people on TRF describe this watch as being except one thing, its cost. A sub for $38.5K, the fact it can still be ordered via the AD and a grey market where pieces that are practically new are moving for $28K-$31K…it’s tough to swallow the retail ask. But if I learned one thing from TRF it’s that you have to buy what you love. In this last month I’ve fallen in love with this piece, it speaks to me and I’m constantly thinking about it, I don’t know why but it’s always top of mind. Traditionally, with all matters involving finances, I’m frugal and fiscally responsible, it’s the business owner mentality I guess, hence my hesitation. So, my question is this to all of you, is this piece worth it as compared to other things in the price range…even if I manage to get 10% off sticker? Is it worth going grey to save the cost delta or begin the relationship with the AD if I can get it discounted? The watch has been out since 2008, is there a future for it and will Rolex self-sabotage itself and release it in stainless albeit with maybe sunburst blue rather than lacquer. Who know’s, maybe. There are moments in my life where I don’t know what to do and it usually manifests with things that are for myself…which is a rare occurrence. It’s always for the business or others, 99.9% of the time. So, let me know your thoughts on what you would do and maybe some direction or advice I can use. The AD closest to me just sold theirs last week, “close to retail” but I tracked one down 30 min away at another AD. There’s also one at the family friend grey store nearby listed for $32.5K, pre-negotiation. I understand there are much more important things to worry about right now, and I do worry about it all but this is that rare moment when I want to do something for me. Thanks for taking the time to read my dissertation and look forward to your comments. I truly hope everyone is staying safe and pulling through this time along with the rest of us.

[David5807]

If this piece really speaks to you, and owning it will make you really happy then buy it if you can. I recently purchased this model in yellow gold and love it! Also, buy from an AD so that you can start a relationship and have some piece of mind once it comes to authenticity.

[joli160]

Maybe you are overthinking it. I liked it, bought it and wear it without regret.

[peterpl]

There is only two things to consider in all honesty

1) Do you LOVE it? I think you do
2) Can you afford it? I think you can

So stop procrastinating and just do it!!! :)

Life is too short and you sound like you have done well for yourself and its time for a little reward.

[Rohan1806]

Like peterpl said, you seem to love the watch and can afford it, so you should pull the trigger. There's nothing wrong with treating yourself.

It seems that going to the AD would mean that you would be shelling out 3-6k more. Since the goal of spending the extra cash is to "build a relationship", then you should capitalise on it right away and put in a request for a popular model (think SS Daytona) while you make this purchase.

Good luck OP!

[Henrimontgomery]

Wait the refresh in september.

[peterpl]

Originally Posted by Henrimontgomery

Wait the refresh in september.

Why? If he likes the current one just buy it. The current model probably will go UP in value if it was discontinued anyway plus if Rolex do some stupid things with a new case or something with the lugs to make it uncomfortable etc....he will regret it.

Just buy it now - any refresh would most likely be minimal and IF they discontinue the WG Blue dial well going by history its going to go up in value several grand at least and it will cost you more to buy it after Sept 1.