I'm not sure if I'm going nuts. Two months ago, I got myself my 1st Swiss made watch, a Tudor Black Bay Black from THG. Last month, I got another Tudor, the Heritage Chrono. And now, after joining this forum, I'm itching for more. I thot of getting my first Rolex, hopefully with a blue dial and bezel. It doesn't matter if it's used or brand new. Any suggestion which one I should get with an $8k budget? Thanks in advance.
Well the most important thing to look for is the watch itself! I mean, people get fussy about box and papers etc and sometimes they forget to look at the condition of the actual watch!
Important things that you should ask for/check:
1) Service history known? When was the last? Rolex watches "need" to be serviced once every 5 years, at a cost of around S$1000 for an overhaul. So a recently serviced watch has a lot of added value. Not serviced does not mean you have to service it, but it may not run according to specs.
2) Use the crown to set the time back and forth, the date, and to wind the watch; verify it pops out and sits in all 3 positions smoothly.
3) For the GMT, rotate the bezel in both directions and feel how solid the movement is (the gears/teeth wear out eventually making the bezel turn very easily and not holding its position very well).
4) Use your fingernail and run it around the edge of the crystal (360 degrees). A very common issue are chips around the crystal edge (from banging the watch here and there); some chips are so tiny that cannot be easily seen by the naked eye. However your nail will "catch" if it comes across a chip. Replacing the crystal will set you off S$350. But you don't have to change it if there are a few tiny chips. However knowing they are there is better than not-knowing!
5) Observe the case: check the sides, back, and the bracelet for marks or dings or deep scratches that cannot be rescued even by polishing.
6) Speaking of polishing, it depends on whether you like an unpolished watch (typically looks more rugged, and valued more by collectors) or a polished one (which looks more like new). Signs of polishing: coronet on the clasp is not so tall/prominent but appears smoother; bevels on lugs are not so sharp, less obvious or worse, absent (esp. in the "holes" case; they are less prominent in the "no holes" to begin with); the tiny rectangles (tiny, like 3mm by 0.5mm!) on the bottom of the lugs are not sharp and well-defined or absent (imagine them as the feet of the lugs); crown guards are not of equal size/thickness (when looking from the side).
7) Check the dial. It should be clean from dirt, dust, or whatever else suggesting the watch was opened in the past by amateurs.
8) Check the teeth of the case-back cover. Sharp teeth suggest the watch was never opened or at least opened with the correct tools.
9) Check the clasp code (a 2-3 digit code next to the 5-digit bracelet code on the back of the clasp) to see if the bracelet is the original one supplied with the watch or changed at some point during its lifetime. Typically the clasp code is from the same or the next year than the watch itself (e.g. if your watch has a 1998 serial, the original clasp would be 1998 or 1999). Again, it doesn't matter if the bracelet/clasp were changed at some point. But as always, it's good to know!
10) Original certificate is great to have (punched paper for the 16710); green tag with serial number as well. All the rest (box, booklets, calendar, holder, red tag, etc) are not specific to your watch but you can source them independently (and of the correct date) if you are peculiar about having a "full set."
Not sure what else...
But quite frankly, the most important thing is that you like the watch.
I'm not sure if I'm going nuts. Two months ago, I got myself my 1st Swiss made watch, a Tudor Black Bay Black from THG. Last month, I got another Tudor, the Heritage Chrono. And now, after joining this forum, I'm itching for more. I thot of getting my first Rolex, hopefully with a blue dial and bezel. It doesn't matter if it's used or brand new. Any suggestion which one I should get with an $8k budget? Thanks in advance.
Leave a comment: