Vintage Watches

I have a version of the Men’s Stainless Steel Datejust that was just handed down to me from my dad. I’m not even sure if it has ever been serviced as I couldn’t even get the spring bars on the band to release. I was able to get one side undone and slide the band slightly enough to see a whole lot of funk accumulated under the wristband, but I was able to pull a serial number to find it was a 1968 Vintage Rolex. When my finances stabilize, I would love to get this watch serviced and the crystal replaced (from what I hear it may cost me around $250-400 for a certified replacement and service).

Tangent aside. Watches have been moved to heirloom pieces and fashion pieces. Fashion has changed a lot, but this style has been a pretty good workhorse that I believe no matter what the current trend is, this should still suffice as a stylish and recognizable watch.

I have the mariner since new so I guess showing my age a bit. If you are looking for one of these they are a great watch and pretty much a timeless style. OTOH the prices aren’t so good here. Go to Swiss Watch Expo. They have an online store and an actual store in Atlanta. Over a grand cheaper on the Mariner with date.

Pssht. Bunch of re-furbs.

I love my Rolax! And with the money I saved I spent 10 days on an island in the South Pacific!

If the crystal is all scratched up, you could get some cerium oxide and a dremel type tool and polish those bad boys out. My wife has a Swiss Army watch that had a crystal so scratched it was starting to look frosted. I just mixed some cerium oxide, which I got off of ebay for like $3, with water and made a paste and used a $7 dremel tool with the buffing wheel attachment to get all the scratches out and make it look all nice and new again. Took about an hour.

My father had his serviced for the first time a few years ago after owning the watch for around 40 yrs. All I can say is WOW. Rolex really “services” them. It’s worth every penny. They use all original parts (which is important since they have since changed some of the materials used and are now less desirable). Anyways, it looks brand new and is once again my fathers daily-wear watch.

Dude!! Where did you find a $7 Dremel tool?!?!

Some people would rather have something tangible than just 10 days on an island.

“Rolax”…purchased in a dark alley in Thailand I assume

Because of the timeless(and greatly copied) style along with the premium price one has to pay for a brand new Rolex, the used and refurbed market for Rolex watches is huge.

At the right price, one can own a classic Rolex at a fraction of the brand new price. The one thing that is most important is that all parts used be genuine parts for the watch. The horror stories are those that purchased what they felt was a true Rolex just to find out what that got was a true Rolex case and face with a very low cost movement inside.

Another plus for the “real deal” is once you wear your new Rolex out of the store it is now used. That means another used watch costing a fraction of the cost is now worth as much as what was the new purchase. The careful buyer can save a lump of cash and have not only the timepiece but an investment at the same time. I have been offered $500 over my original purchase price on my used Datejust.

The actual face is not so bad and is clear. It’s the chips on the side of the acrylic crystal. No way to really polish those out.

The acrylic crystal is easily and cheaply replaced. And while you’re having it done, see if they can put in a sapphire one instead. Current Rolexes have (lab-grown) sapphire crystals.

There are boatloads of fakes out there. How would one go about assuring that they got an actual Rolex product and not a forgery.

I’m not saying these are fakes, but how would one do it? I don’t want a Rulex. LOL :o)

I was able to purchase a Rolex Stainless during my one and only trip to the PX in Saigon, 1966. Gave it my son when he graduated from college 15 years ago. The watch still looks and runs great. Cost back then - $110.00. Well the price was OK but I had to spend a year in Vietnam to get the deal.

What? No stainless Daytonas?

Uhh, pretty sure that was a joke.

For those of you marginally curious…

I bought my Rolex Explorer II, black face, new, in December 1996 for the princely sum of $2,950.00.

I had it serviced and the stem/crown rebuilt in 2011 for $700.00, by a Rolex certified vendor. It has worked PERFECTLY ever since (worked well before, just couldn’t adjust it!). There was another $50 repair to get the pins replaced in the band.

This means I have spent $3,700.00 in total. And it’s used replacement value is $5,295.00… This means my watch, wholesale, has to be worth at least $4,000.00, and if I tried to sell it all out, it has to be worth $5,000.00… Not bad for an investment I have used every day for that last 18 years.

Not bad at all… and it also makes one helluva conversation piece.

As an aside, the new Explorer is nearly $7,500.00, IIRC, so these Explorer’s are really quite the value.

no different than a car, really.

So did anyone notice these have an Acrylic crystal?? These supposedly date from the 80’s but Rolex started using sapphire crystals in the 70’s. So these have apparently been refurb’d with sub-par parts.

Really want one but I just can’t get past the lack of information on Woot about these.

Who refurbished them?

Are they certified in any way by Rolex?

How do we know they’re even legitimate? Where is Woot getting them??

Too many questions for a $3800 purchase.