Whilst wandering around the Big Apple I have noticed plenty of high end hops with pre owned Rolex watches in their windows for sale...

Can anyone give me an idiots guide to what's what when it comes to these things? Not necessarily looking to purchase one right away but would appreciate knowledgable members input as to weather they go up in value over time? Or is it just a safe investment that simply holds it's value over time?

Are the gold or stainless watches more collectible? Face finishes? Etc etc etc

Thank you in advance chaps...

In a nutshell, avoid yellow gold, two tone bracelet, and fluted bezels (old looking, small "market" for them) => go for stainless (or white gold ) , with classic styles : lots of them around, yet easy to sell on when you become tired of them.

Go for Airking, Datejust, Submariner, GMT.

However, this is not something you buy out of the blue.

You must long for your first one, then appreciate them enough to make it all worth it, then enjoy it 110% ... (then want something else! )

As for value, I sold my first Airking after 9 years for 20% above what I paid for. It was still in mind condition after almost a decade of wearing thanks to yearly services and polishes, sold with all documents, but no box. l=Oo\________/oO=l l:OolΞΞΞΞΞΞΞloO:l

Current
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L SDV8 - 2013 - Indus Silver, on Almond.
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L V8 - 2002 - ex-2003 G4 Challenge Event Vehicle, Stage 3: Australia
RANGE ROVER HSE 4.4L V8 - 2004 - one-of-one Overfinch
RANGE ROVER P38a 4.0L V8 - 1999 - ex-2000 TReK Event Vehicle: South Africa

Previous:
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L TDV8 - 2012 - RANGE ROVER 3.6L TDV8 x3 - RANGE ROVER Td6 x1 - RANGE ROVER Classic 3.5L V8 x1

Most steel sports Rolexs will usually give the best return, but don't expect to make money. When the new ceramic bezel models came out with the maxi case, there were howls of derision from the more traditional Rolex owners, but they seem to have accepted that it's progress.
Don't be misled if anyone tells you a steel Daytona will return you a handsome profit if you flip it straight away, it's not the case any more.
There are a few new models that are attracting a lot of attention just now and those are the blue and black bezel GMT (116710 BLNR) and the newly released Sea Dweller (116600 4000), but if you're looking for something older, my money would be on a steel GMT, Submariner or Sea Dweller.

Just make sure anything you buy is genuine. There are a lot of good fakes out there!

As it happens, I like the 2 tone gold and steel, but as has been said, they aren't as popular as steel. Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Craig, if your looking for a mans watch then I agree with what verydisco posted, If your going for a woman's watch then gold and 2 tone are very popular.

I don't know the prices in New York but I would think carefully before an impulse holiday buy and think things over, There are plenty of pre owned watches in the UK and you will have the benefit of time to research etc. Maybe someone else can chime in if they think buying in New York is much cheaper.

As to value in terms of going up, the price of pre owned Rolex watches seems to be dictated by the increasing cost of the new watches going up each year. So its very difficult to say for sure what the value would be in years to come.

I bought a pre owned stainless and gold Datejust for my wife about 8 years ago and its now worth about 40-50% more than I paid for it. But most of this is due to the increase in price of the new watches having a direct affect on used prices. You also need to keep in mind that the cost of servicing if you are thinking of it as an investment will need to be factored in.

Couple of things to keep in mind are condition and originality, I would avoid anything that's been customised, and condition is a difficult one to judge as you need to not only judge the outside but if possible see the inside too. Last thing you want to do is buy a watch that has water damage to the internals or had bad servicing or non original parts used to repair it. Basically the inside should look spotless if its been looked after and little to no tarnishing although this can also be dependant on how old the watch is.

I am by no means an expert but did a fair bit of research 8 years ago before buying my wife's watch. If I was you I would sign up on a watch forum or 2 and do some research before you buy anything.

Here are a few links I kept for checking serial numbers to year of manufacture. and forums
http://www.qualitytyme.net/pages/numbers.html
http://www.rolexforums.com/
http://www.newturfers.com/vb/

There are plenty of other sites out there too.

I like the sports ones, a friend has a yachtmaster. Don't see many of them. Lots of submariners and sea dwellers around.

I often browse www.watches.co.uk for used Rolex
Gives an indication of prices.

Between the fakes, there are plenty on eBay , just look at sellers profile and feedback to see if it's an honest dealer.

One piece of advice I was given is to avoid a watch that has been refurbished to the extent that the original straight edges have been over polished/ rounded off.

As for value, my sea dweller has easily doubled , which is nice to know, but I could never sell it Alcohol and eBay is never a good mix

2006 4.2 Supercharged, Java Black

I personally wouldn't risk buying abroad - research what you want and go for a good reputable british dealer - the risk of fakes is just too great. Plus you would get the back up of the OFT / TS.

As has been said above Stainless Sub or similar are the most sought after and desirable so will be a better investment. There are also some good alternative makes such as Omega which are worth considering.

Some really good advice above, but there can be big differences in values between the US and here.

I have personally found that the slightly rarer variants such as Submariner non date, Submariner LV etc are the better investment long term.

As a comparison when you are there, www.watchfinder.co.uk is always a good barometer of retail used prices here. 4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE

Www.chrono24.com is also a place to look - global so can show you if they are cheaper abroad.

Remember also to budget for a service too - it's about 400 a time and takes 2-3 months through the official Rolex service center. Not sure what the recommended interval is but mine is about 8 years old and is currently in on its first one. 2021 P400 Silicon Silver AB
Gone 2011 Bournville TDV8 VSE
Gone 2008 Black Canadian HSE LUX

Wow that's a hefty price for a service. The last service I paid for on my wifes Rolex was half that cost and that included a new Rolex crystal face being fitted as she managed to put a tiny chip on the edge of the crystal. Watch was fully serviced and came back like it was brand new. Mind you that was not done by Rolex but a great independent I was recommended.

Turnaround was approx. 3 weeks and included time calibration. I guess the prices may vary for different models complexity like Daytona's etc. But 2-3 months also seems an awful long time to service a watch, surely they cant be working on it for that long?

Prop - would you mind PMing me who you use as I have 2 that need servicing badly now… 4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE

IF prop doesn't get back to you I can recommend

Steve Burrage Leicester 0116 267 7673

Keep in mind that if you use the Rolex Service Centre you'll get a further 2 year warranty from them, along with a new warranty card to provide further proof of authenticity should you decide to sell on. Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

has actually a stainless Submariner with the green lunette... bought new in 2009 for 3.950.-- Euros - have an offer now for it for 6.000.--

Wifey bought me an old stainless Submarine from the 70ties for 1.400.-- Euros - got an offer now for 10.000.-- Euros..


go for a stainless Submariner, Yachtmaster, GMT or Airking - wifey has the Airking and the Yachtmaster

 All my spelling errorz are belong to me!

2023 FFRR L460
2021 AM new Vantage

Chauch wrote:

Prop - would you mind PMing me who you use as I have 2 that need servicing badly now…