Vintage Rolex

[maxbliss888]

The Chinese is already the biggest watch manufacturers in the world..

[shou.biao.kuang]

The Chinese is already the biggest watch manufacturers in the world..

Not surprising but not in the luxe segments right?

[maxbliss888]

Not surprising but not in the luxe segments right?

The Seagull factory is one of the few who can manufacture complete movements including double tourbillon watches. There are many so called Swiss brands who actually out sourced their tourbillon watches. I am fortunate to be able to visit the Tianjin a seagull factory as well as many of the Swiss watch factories.. Haha

Give the Chinese a few more years and you will be surprised to see them competing in the luxury end segment of watches. Every year, they are buying machines to improve their watches. Even the watch brand Corum and Etena have been bought over by the Chinese..

[maxbliss888]

[maxbliss888]

[maxbliss888]

Thank goodness I have managed to get back all the photos from photobucket...

[nitroxgear]

Actually the China watches may soon be super collectable like the Soviet Red Army watches from the 80s. How I wish still kept my Soviet watch.

[minimerc]

Unbelievable!! Thanks FP. You are the living wiki and nice rare vintages watches museum.

[maxbliss888]

Rolex

Unbelievable!! Thanks FP. You are the living wiki and nice rare vintages watches museum.

Thanks!

I hope to encourage the hobby of vintage watch collection. Many of these vintage watches are under value and under appreciated. Comparing to the modern watches, vintage watches are relatively cheaper and unique and many of these vintage watches have their own manufacture movements.

Many of the new watches such as Omega, Rado, Tissot etc are all using standard ETA movements...

[Cuaba]

Gruens, you also have? Wah really champion

[ngokyc]

This is still my favorite... When I first bought a rolex .. I always wanted one of these vintage watches 1655 but it costs a bomb then. I recently acquired one that matched my birth year! Finally and shall be a keeper unless there is really an interesting watch I die for in the later part of my life.

[maxbliss888]

Soviet watches

Actually the China watches may soon be super collectable like the Soviet Red Army watches from the 80s. How I wish still kept my Soviet watch.

I came across some Soviet watches during the 1997-8, when I was posted to work in Vietnam. During the 1980- early 90s Soviet was one of the main trading countries with Vietnam, one can find many Soviet watches everywhere. I have managed to buy several boxes as gifts for my friends...they are quite nice, and even come with the Russian instructions sheets..

[maxbliss888]

This is still my favorite... When I first bought a rolex .. I always wanted one of these vintage watches 1655 but it costs a bomb then. I recently acquired one that matched my birth year! Finally and shall be a keeper unless there is really an interesting watch I die for in the later part of my life.

Congratulation! The 1655 is very unique and nice...

[maxbliss888]

I collect my first Explorer 2 ref 1655 during the late 1990s and during the early days, these watches are not so collectable as these are only 20+ years and not really vintage enough.

The popular watches then were the Rolex bubbleback, Prince, Speedking and Royals ( mainly the boy size watches) and other collectables such as the Moonphase watches and solid gold,watches. Very often, when dealing with the overseas dealers, we have to take one of two of these unpopular sports watches together with the "goodies" ( the classic watches). I remember my first few ref 1655 costs about US$800 to $1000 depending on conditions. Many dealers complained that the dial is too congested and busy and difficult to read. In the late 80s, vintage watch collection was made popular by Chow Yun Fatt. It was also the golden period of vintage watch collection where the Good Old days shop was the most luxurious in lucky plaza for vintage watches, and there were also Vintage watch corner by Tony, Eddie antique watch, and later Arrow Mark Hudson who is collector turned declares, Kinghouse, and later Monster time, Raymond, Han Ming and the Golden landmark, Chuan watch at Serangoon... In addition, The Kopi Tiam at the Sungei road every weekend was the hunters playground. Those were the fun days where we buy sell, buy again sell again and keep refining our collection...watches were abundant and cash was limited.

When I got posted to work in Taipei in 2002, I sent my Rolex Explorer 2 for a complete overall and basically kept the watch in the safe. When the popularity of these sports watches started in the 2007-8, i actually have to ask my wife to search for them as these were often neglected in a box somewhere. I finally bought 1655 bak to Taiwan Rolex center forms service and the receptionist can actually still remember me. I was so impressed.

Anyway, during the early period, no one care about mark 1,2 3,4 dials and collecting these watches are actually much more fun (and cheap). Now, people give these sports watches many fanciful name such as the plain white Explorer 2 ref 16570 "Polar", the damaged dial "brown"' Pepsi, tropical, and the damaged submariner dial spider dials so that they can comment higher prices..

I have known many top class collectors in Singapore, Taiwan and Hk, Japan and their criteria is always best conditions of the watch case, dial etc despite the age. A vintage watch did not be rotten,,,

Anyway, as long as one is happy with one's collection, I think the hobby should be fun. Enjoy..

[Cuaba]

I came across some Soviet watches during the 1997-8, when I was posted to work in Vietnam. During the 1980- early 90s Soviet was one of the main trading countries with Vietnam, one can find many Soviet watches everywhere. I have managed to buy several boxes as gifts for my friends...they are quite nice, and even come with the Russian instructions sheets..

Hey, i hv a couple of these myself, late 80s circa. But most broke down after a couple of years sadly