Trading old sub for new sub ceramic - wise or bad call?

[cjy75]

Hi All

Appreciate all comments from as bros/sis here as I am considering the above.
How much of a buy back value for AD would be considered ok for my old Sub? Its a F series and condition I would have to say 8/10. No box n papers but with verification papers from RSC.

Thanks in adv!

[jieming]

Hi All

Appreciate all comments from as bros/sis here as I am considering the above.
How much of a buy back value for AD would be considered ok for my old Sub? Its a F series and condition I would have to say 8/10. No box n papers but with verification papers from RSC.

Thanks in adv!

Can you advise which AD allow you to trade in preowned watches. ? I am interested to know ?

[cjy75]

Oops. Thanks for the pointer. I meant local established and trust worthy resellers.

[jackjack]

Hi chy75

No AD would accept trade in for watches
You can sell your watch to 2nd hand dealer or end user in SRC.

2nd hand dealer will offer a lower price because of overhead but it is faster
Selling on your own will fetch a higher price. But u need to handle buyer
Best place to sell is here, research the price traded here. U will have a sense

[Ryuden]

Good or bad is really a personal preference.

Some can't get pass the thick lungs and the shining bezel of the ceramic models. While some are loyal to the previous classic stating that the aluminum bezel is cheaper to change if need to compare to the ceramic and there is more watch than lungs.

Some believes that the new "upgrades" are worth it. The ez glide and more solid clasps are a vast improvement over the old one. And the forever shining ceramic is a welcome as you don't have to worry about fading bezel.

I take it that you already made up your mind regarding replacing the old sub to the new one. Go for it. Wise or bad call, only you can answer it.


You meant pre owned dealers why you mentioned AD right? AD are authorized dealers i.e. Hour Glass , Sincere and Cortina...they don't take trade ins as far as I know.

Value wise, you can check the Rolex Garage here for indicative range BUT do note, pre owned shops take in much much lesser, less maybe 20% or more from market value depending on condition and completeness. Maybe you can go around and browse the shops to get a better idea of your Sub value.

Cheers.

[cjy75]

Thanks bros JJ and Ryuden for sharing your insight which shall take heed
on the cavassing work. Sorry on the mix-up on the ADs and resellers. Got that straightened out
now for sure : )

This portion has not crossed my mind >>> "..the aluminum bezel is cheaper to change if need to compare to the ceramic" Have to add this to the checklist and find out how much of a difference it is. Hope it is not too much of a difference..

[Ryuden]

This portion has not crossed my mind >>> "..the aluminum bezel is cheaper to change if need to compare to the ceramic" Have to add this to the checklist and find out how much of a difference it is. Hope it is not too much of a difference..

The difference is a lot. Really a lot.

For the aluminum insert, you can source out from pre owned dealers and third party watch technician or even in forums and its an easy 5 mins fix and some even DIY themselves as its that easy to pop the bezel and change the insert.

BUT for the ceramic insert , the cost is quite substantial to replaced and there is no other way other than to get it from RSC themselves. And there is this nylon ring which secure the bezel to the case. Some more brave and experience owners have opened it with no problems, but to the untrained ones, stay far away from trying to pry out the bezel.


Or this will happen...









But that should not shy you away from the newer ceramic models. Most of us including myself, we don't wear our Rolexes as the intended purpose thus chances of the need to change the ceramic bezel is as good as non unless you have a thought of testing your ceramic rolex durability by dropping it from 3 feet high. Unlikely. So don't worry too much. Its an awesome piece.

Cheers.

[jieming]

Hi All

Appreciate all comments from as bros/sis here as I am considering the above.
How much of a buy back value for AD would be considered ok for my old Sub? Its a F series and condition I would have to say 8/10. No box n papers but with verification papers from RSC.

Thanks in adv!

Well. Hard to advise if the dealer give you a good trade in price. One may buy In your sub at $6500 but selling the ceramic submarine at $9000, another may offer your sub at $5500 but selling the ceramic submarine at $8000. Which offer you a better deal ?

In summary, the new watch you buying from the dealer do play a part as well.

What you can do is check the price for both the ceramic submariner and your submariner at the forum as a gauge.

[taxico]

This portion has not crossed my mind >>> "..the aluminum bezel is cheaper to change if need to compare to the ceramic" Have to add this to the checklist and find out how much of a difference it is. Hope it is not too much of a difference..

ceramic bezel inserts pop up from time to time - if your budget allows for it, you can consider buying one (or two... or three???) for "insurance."

while subC inserts are easy to find, DSSD inserts are rarer - i have no reason to buy a DSSD insert as i do not own that watch. the cheapest i paid for a subC insert without lume pip is ~700 sgd (i have quite a few bought over the past few years). no matter how you buy it, you will not pay more than if you had to go to RSC for a replacement.

the prices of these things go up every year, so buying earlier is better than later.

when you have the insert, you can be as rough as you want on your watch because yhprum's law dictates that your insert will not break when you have a cheap spare one in the cupboard. worrying about whether you may or may not break a ceramic insert takes away the joy of enjoying your watch to the max.

as for people, like me, who do not enjoy maxi lugs (on oyster bracelet) as much... there's always the SD ceramic...

realistically speaking, the previous sub is not technically inferior to the new sub. the lack of a blue hairspring, if it doesn't matter/affect you (ie, your watch does not regularly get magnetized), will eventually be replaced in the future with a blue version anyway (once old stocks have completely run out).

you can buy a complete 97200 bracelet for ~1.5k USD. the cheapest i paid for one was USD 1050. buying the glidelock alone is not worth the price. the entire bracelet is interchangeable. your old one is also worth money.

so that leaves the only glaring, obvious, detail... the maxi dial and hands (in blue). do you need/want it? if you do, then you have to change your non-16610LV sub.

for me, i've gone full circle (going to the new sub, modifying parts of the old sub with new subC parts and wearing it, modifying 116610 into 116619, then going back to the old lug-hole sub in original/stock form) and realized the new bracelet is not superior to the old one in any significant way.

i only adjust the buckle when i am bored and when it was still a novelty. how many long-time subC owners will admit to just leaving their buckle to a default "setting" most of the time on land during their busy daily lives?

if i travel, i can adjust the old bracelet quite easily with an airplane or lounge toothpick. i also always have one in my wallet for this exact purpose.

the only thing the maxi lug rolex do better than the old is when paired with aftermarket straps - they look great with non-tapering straps.

BUT... you may not know what suits you WITHOUT paying for the experience. if you are someone like that... your mind may already be made up.

[Oceanklassik]

haha.. I often have this same dilemma with my GMTII, ie to trade-in/re-sell, and to buy a new GMTII model on ceramic bezel. But also as often, what puts me off this idea is the difficulty I will have to go thru' again, if I ever make a U-turn to want back the old GMTII model. I know it isn't that difficult to get a pre-owned pc but definitely not in the same condition and price as the current pc I am having now.

In your case, it may be a little different in the sense that, the Submariner (16610) is more common and you should be able to source for a good pre-owned pc if you ever change your mind to want it back. Price wise, I don't know how much it will appreciate but with many pcs around, it shouldn't go too far.

I can feel what you are going thru' .. but it depends on your situation. If the 16610 was bought brand new with my name on the warranty card and has been with me over the years, I will choose to keep it.

[cjy75]

Dear All
Really sincerely appreciate and grateful for your taking the time in sharing your insights.

Really stunned by many aspects to consider and really widens my horizon...Thanks!

[jackjack]

Dear All
Really sincerely appreciate and grateful for your taking the time in sharing your insights.

Really stunned by many aspects to consider and really widens my horizon...Thanks!

we are all here to learn.

[taxico]

i left something out... the current subs have a better fitting bracelet for small wrists. doesn't affect my 8" wrist so i forgot about it.

but i know a number of asians have smaller wrists that don't wear the older sub/bracelet properly/comfortably without a permanent link removed.