Is it costly to keep a vintage rolex?

[Watchingdaily88]

Wonder is it a expensive hobby to keep vintage rolex watches?

How long it takes for a 10 years old model to be service?

At what price would it be?

[taxico]

Wonder is it a expensive hobby to keep vintage rolex watches?

How long it takes for a 10 years old model to be service?

At what price would it be?

most are not expensive to keep, but some are expensive to buy. the more uncommon it is, the more expensive it is. and the more you buy, the more expensive the hobby becomes.

as for Q2 and Q3... depends on where you service it.

IMO, a 10-year old model is not considered "vintage" as the movements are basically the same as what rolex is using in current models.

if you start buying vintage models, you may spiral into a deep dark abyss known as the "vintage rolex pit" and know a lot of strange terms that don't make sense to a lay person. it is difficult to climb out of this pit and you'll spend a lot of money "learning" about vintage rolex (and guess what? the more you learn, the more you don't know) but life is a lot more fun staying in there and i can't imagine it any other way.

if you're sure, google "vintage rolex forum" and let the madness begin.

[Watchingdaily88]

Wah..thanks Taxico!

Truly appreciated your sharing...

[maxbliss888]

Vintage Rolex

Vintage Rolex collection is relatively straight forward as you will need to determine what type of watches you prefer, sports or dress? And What era of watches you like?

For vintage Rolex you can collect the early porcelain dial watches from 1900-1920s, the Rolex prince fom the 1930s, the bubbleback from 1930s to 50s, the precision models from the 50s-60, or focus on the 6694.

Ultimately, it's up to you and depend on what series you want..

Enjoy...

[triton]

expensive or not is relative. before one is considered about the cost of the servicing a vintage. one should ask this question - will there be parts available for my vintage rolex.

when rolex announces that a particular model is discontinued, according to grapevine is that RSC will carry parts for the next 10-15 years or till parts run out.

an example is 6694. it was discontinued some time towards end of 80s or early 90s. now, certain parts such as folded bracelet are already not available @ RSC.

so what happens when parts are not available @ RSC. will third party watch technicians still have them? some may have stock, some not. what happens when you need to service them? will these watch technician push up the price of parts due to scarcity?

one need to ask this question, where do these watch technician get rolex parts from?

some may argue that parts replacement is not necessary in most cases, but what happens by the time the watch you have on hand needs those parts and it is not available from RSC?

[jieming]

Wonder is it a expensive hobby to keep vintage rolex watches?
It depends on the model, the age and the condition of the watch you procure. Generally, keeping luxury watches(modern or vintage) is an expensive hobby.

How long it takes for a 10 years old model to be service?
Watch movement is like car. It need to be taken care of. Assuming $$ is not a factor, If you service regularly, it would last you longer.


At what price would it be?
I presume you mean the servicing. It depends on the model, parts availability and where you send for servicing. I would say ranging from $xxx to $xxxx (guide).

[maxbliss888]

To avoid high cost of maintaining the vintage watches, find one in prestine condition for a start and with careful use, you old use your watch for another 100 years...

Many vintage watches can be used for few hundred years ( example are the various vintage pocket watches). Avoid dropping the watches on concrete floor as once the parts are broken, problems will start.

If one wants to start vintage watch collections, always find one that is running well...

[EMboss]

how to address the water tighteness of the vintage watch?

Does changing gasket helps? Pressure test needs to be done?

[triton]

water can get into a watch case via 3 main places.

1. case back
2. sapphire/acrylic glass
3. crown

changing of gasket can assist in one of the ways. that is assuming that the case back has not been rusted that resulted in the thread groove being pitted. likewise for watch case thread groove.

if the edge sapphire/acrylic that sits on the case itself been damaged? if it has, water can potential seep in.

crown gasket? thread groove pitted, etc can also allow water to seep in. crown screwed in properly or not.

bearing these possible points in mind, a pressure test can let you know the water tightness of a vintage watch.

pressure test can come either in dry or wet.

dry pressure test is limited to certain depth (up to 3/5 atm {not sure which pressure}). it is good to use as no water is used but if the deflection of crystal is not recorded by the instrument, then it is not accurate. equipment used must be periodic check.

wet pressure test can go to much atm pressure, but setback is water is involved. so if there is a leak, water may get in.

ideally, my kiasu pressure testing is use wet but without movement to ensure it is water tightness integrity is not compromised. then assemble the watch and use dry testing.

however, this way of using 2 types of pressure test to ensure water tightness is costly.

how to address the water tighteness of the vintage watch?

Does changing gasket helps? Pressure test needs to be done?

[EMboss]

Thanks boss for the sharing. One of the main concern is to enjoy the watch like its good old day without worries of mositure getting in.

Cheers and happy holiday!

[r4gs]

Wonder is it a expensive hobby to keep vintage rolex watches?

Yes, it is comparatively more expensive than keeping and maintaining modern Rolex watches (i.e. modern fast beat movements). The older the watch the more expense for servicing and parts you should set aside. Understand that Rolex made very robust movements that can last a lifetime and still keep accurate time provided they are properly serviced and sealed (most important).

How long it takes for a 10 years old model to be service?

The actual servicing will take between 3-5 days (disassembly, clean, repair/replace if necessary, re-oil, re-assemble, test for water resistance and timing) but typically your waiting time (whether RSC or 3rd party) will be between 6-9 weeks.

At what price would it be?

RSC will charge you between $800 (simple 3135, 3185/86/87 movements) to $1200 (more complicated like 4030/4130). For vintage, RSC will still service old movements such as the 1570/1575, 3075 etc for $1300 and above. If you go third party, a regular service will be between $200 to $300 minimum for a proper, correct service (beware the oil used and the solutions used to clean every part).

If you are interested in Rolex vintage and have an eye for the sports range, it may go along the lines of - transitional (16800, 16750, 16550, 16660) to the 4-d matte models (5513, 1680, 1675, 1655, 1665) to the models with red (1680 red, 1665 double red, 6263 and 6265 big reds, 1019 red) to the gilt models (5512, 5513, 1675, 6538, 5508, 1016) to the tropical dials to the special issues (COMEX, mil subs, Omani/Qaboos, UAE) to the ultra high end (SRSD, PN Daytonas).

[rollingrevolver]

In general it's not a good idea to wear watches more than 30 years old and go diving, no matter the water resistance..unless it has been serviced and water tested by a trained watchmaker. And even then I probably wouldn't take the risk.. but it should be fine if worn for regular daily use.

[crazy_]

Rolex value will only go up. Servicing can be done at Png watch at a cheap rate. I have be their regular for the pass 14 years.

[LunetteVerde]

Parts are expensive so dont scrimp on service!