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Hi All,
Just want to share a pic of my recent acquisition below:
Took me about 3 weeks of deliberating whether to pull the trigger on this baby. Though I got it from a shop I know (I bought my wife her first Rolly there), I was a bit unsure about this piece. Firstly, I was actually looking out for a WG or RG Daytona. I never thought I'll be in the market for a DD til I was about 50. :-) Secondly, the dial. The blue jub pattern really attracted me, and the WG coupled with the arabic numbers made the watch look more contemporary. However, I couldn't find any picture of the dial online or any rolex catalog I browsed.
Anyway, after doing some research, and with the guarantee from the shop that I can get a full refund if the item proves bogus, I decided to finally pull the trigger last Sunday.
The other choices were: (i) a RG DD with roman numbers on white dial; and (ii) a SS Daytona (white or black face). In the end, I got this piece as I agreed with the shop owner that whilst the other 2 are good watches, this particular one is a rare find.
To satisfy my curiousity, the following day, I dropped by the local RSC during my lunchbreak to have it authenticated. The local RSC receptionist was kind enough to offer to have the technician have a once look over (without opening the case) FOC and confirm its authenticity. It took no less than 5 mins, and she came back with a smile to say that it's real. When I pressed her about the dial, she said the technician confirmed it's a rare and special dial, but Rolex did issue one before. The receptionist assured me that my watch is 90% authentic. So what about the balance 10%, I asked? Hmmm, that would be the machinery inside, which can only be verified upon opening the case -- which would then mean coughing up a bit of dough.
So after a few minutes of deliberating, I figured what the heck, cough up I did. It took about 45 mins -- and as I later found out, due mainly to the time it took to verify the dial. As I have experienced myself, the technician couldn't find it in their old brochures (circa 2001-2002, which is the watch's vintage year). Finally, they found it in Rolex International's database! It took a bit of time, but it's there.... This in a way validates the story of the shop owner who sold me the watch that it was a rarely used watch which was owned by a VVIP.
The technician eventually recommended an overhaul (as I complained about the day/date changing about 4.5 mins before midnight), but I noted it was mainly to clean the inner workings and add some oil -- no major part changes. I asked him if I delayed the overhaul, would there be an issue? He said no, but if I notice it no longer keeping proper time, then that's the sign for me to bring it back. Whew, that saved me some USD800 in overhaul charges.
Sorry for the long post, but just am still giddy about this recent DD adventure. In the end, after 3 weeks of hemming and hawing, a very brief yet tense waiting period at the RSC (I would say like waiting for your wife to give birth, but I wouldn't know anything about that!), ultimately there's a great feeling of satisfaction once you realise that you've made a wise purchase.
Just want to share a pic of my recent acquisition below:
Took me about 3 weeks of deliberating whether to pull the trigger on this baby. Though I got it from a shop I know (I bought my wife her first Rolly there), I was a bit unsure about this piece. Firstly, I was actually looking out for a WG or RG Daytona. I never thought I'll be in the market for a DD til I was about 50. :-) Secondly, the dial. The blue jub pattern really attracted me, and the WG coupled with the arabic numbers made the watch look more contemporary. However, I couldn't find any picture of the dial online or any rolex catalog I browsed.
Anyway, after doing some research, and with the guarantee from the shop that I can get a full refund if the item proves bogus, I decided to finally pull the trigger last Sunday.
The other choices were: (i) a RG DD with roman numbers on white dial; and (ii) a SS Daytona (white or black face). In the end, I got this piece as I agreed with the shop owner that whilst the other 2 are good watches, this particular one is a rare find.To satisfy my curiousity, the following day, I dropped by the local RSC during my lunchbreak to have it authenticated. The local RSC receptionist was kind enough to offer to have the technician have a once look over (without opening the case) FOC and confirm its authenticity. It took no less than 5 mins, and she came back with a smile to say that it's real. When I pressed her about the dial, she said the technician confirmed it's a rare and special dial, but Rolex did issue one before. The receptionist assured me that my watch is 90% authentic. So what about the balance 10%, I asked? Hmmm, that would be the machinery inside, which can only be verified upon opening the case -- which would then mean coughing up a bit of dough.
So after a few minutes of deliberating, I figured what the heck, cough up I did. It took about 45 mins -- and as I later found out, due mainly to the time it took to verify the dial. As I have experienced myself, the technician couldn't find it in their old brochures (circa 2001-2002, which is the watch's vintage year). Finally, they found it in Rolex International's database! It took a bit of time, but it's there.... This in a way validates the story of the shop owner who sold me the watch that it was a rarely used watch which was owned by a VVIP.
The technician eventually recommended an overhaul (as I complained about the day/date changing about 4.5 mins before midnight), but I noted it was mainly to clean the inner workings and add some oil -- no major part changes. I asked him if I delayed the overhaul, would there be an issue? He said no, but if I notice it no longer keeping proper time, then that's the sign for me to bring it back. Whew, that saved me some USD800 in overhaul charges.
Sorry for the long post, but just am still giddy about this recent DD adventure. In the end, after 3 weeks of hemming and hawing, a very brief yet tense waiting period at the RSC (I would say like waiting for your wife to give birth, but I wouldn't know anything about that!), ultimately there's a great feeling of satisfaction once you realise that you've made a wise purchase.
Anyway gorgeous watch you have there bro... Congrats and hope you keep the watch for a long long time cos such a rare piece is very very hard to come by... Care to share via pm how much u bought it...???
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