Investing in Rolex watches

[msomnipotent]

I love my watch collection, but the ladies watch market is nothing like the mens. You pretty much have to buy what you love and not expect to make anything when you sell, unless you happen to luck into a garage sale find. I have a 1937 Omega with 3 karats of diamonds and 18k gold, and I have had it for almost 10 years. I think I would be lucky to get $1,500 more than what I paid then, and I really didn't overpay at the time.

But on the flip side, I can buy what I like a lot cheaper. I paid $100 for a Doxa that I bought off ebay a long time ago, and it is probably the only nice looking Doxa watch ever made. Vintage/antique Doxa watches are just stone faced ugly.

[Singuy]

If you want to make your investment, then scout out 2nd hand and then keep it in a box. I'll be so nervous walking around with a 10k watch. A bump on something will cost me 500 bucks..I can't walk around all day feeling comfortable doing that.

I do like and appreciate these watches for what they are..but if I were to wear them..I'll only wear replicas(fake ones). The expensive fakes are almost as good and I don't have to worry about trashing them.

Also service fees for these watches are ridiculous..500-1k every few years. And just like high end cars..people want proof that it was done at an authorized dealer or Rolex themselves.

[disneysteve]

Also service fees for these watches are ridiculous..500-1k every few years.

What kind of service does a watch require? Other than changing the battery and replacing the band, I've never had any service done to my nicer watch.

[Singuy]

What kind of service does a watch require? Other than changing the battery and replacing the band, I've never had any service done to my nicer watch.

These nice watches usually have an in-house automatic movement inside (lots of gears, balance wheel, jewels, and tourbillon if you go super fancy). Kind of like the engine of a car with thousands of little pieces. A lot of the parts require new oil in order to keep accurate time or increase power reserve. Then the gaskets need to be re-greased and pressure tested for water-proofing.

Lastly they buff any scratches, swap the crystal if needed, and change out worn parts if needed. A typical service is 500 dollars. Changing out parts like the ones I mentioned above will end up costing 1k+. This is Rolex pricing.

If we are talking about AP or Patek, service prices will range between 3-8k depending on the complexity of the movements. Also will take a few months.

[disneysteve]

These nice watches usually have an in-house automatic movement inside. Kind of like the engine of a car with thousands of little pieces. A lot of the parts require new oil in order to keep accurate time or increase power reserve. Then the gaskets need to be re-greased and pressure tested for water-proofing.

Lastly they buff any scratches, swap the crystal if needed, and change out worn parts if needed. A typical service is 500 dollars. Changing out parts like the ones I mentioned above will end up costing 1k+. This is Rolex pricing.

If we are talking about AP or Patek, service prices will range between 3-8k depending on the complexity of the movements. Also will take a few months.

That's insane. I mean, I suppose it's not crazy to spend $500 every few years to maintain a $10,000 item, but it's just so far out of the realm of the world I inhabit that it sounds insane to me.

[corn18]

What kind of service does a watch require? Other than changing the battery and replacing the band, I've never had any service done to my nicer watch.

The mechanical watches need a service every 5 years. They tear it completely apart, clean all the bits, replace anything that is worn and then reassemble it with new lubricant. Is it required? I don't know. There are stories of Rolexes running great after 30 years with no service.

One nice thing about getting a high end watch serviced is it comes back looking like new.

None of it makes sense and owning one cannot possibly be justified. It's like expensive jewelry, I guess. I've enjoyed owning them but I find myself with my G-Shock on my wrist most of the time these days. It makes me happy and it's always right.

These are the two I own now.



The one on the left is up for sale. I should break even on that one. The one on the right I haven't made up my mind yet, but if I sell it, I will might lose a couple hundred on that one. I buy lightly used to try them out and hold out for a good price.

[Singuy]

That's insane. I mean, I suppose it's not crazy to spend $500 every few years to maintain a $10,000 item, but it's just so far out of the realm of the world I inhabit that it sounds insane to me.

Yeah, watches to some are considered works of art. They don't actually do anything better than any smart watch or quartz watches. In fact they are many ways inferior.

The art comes from the complexity of the movement and how it's decorated. The craftsmanship is in the tiny details, all hand made...like drill buffed swirls on the movement plate. A lot of details can only be discovered with a lope. These watches take hundreds of hours from their birth till full assembly by highly skilled watch techs which is a trade not everyone will qualify for.

Frankly I don't know why certain watches cost 500k+. Yes they are complicated, but so is a Rolls Royce..and that's also hand built.

[TexasHusker]

The mechanical watches need a service every 5 years. They tear it completely apart, clean all the bits, replace anything that is worn and then reassemble it with new lubricant. Is it required? I don't know. There are stories of Rolexes running great after 30 years with no service.

One nice thing about getting a high end watch serviced is it comes back looking like new.

None of it makes sense and owning one cannot possibly be justified. It's like expensive jewelry, I guess. I've enjoyed owning them but I find myself with my G-Shock on my wrist most of the time these days. It makes me happy and it's always right.

These are the two I own now.



The one on the left is up for sale. I should break even on that one. The one on the right I haven't made up my mind yet, but if I sell it, I will might lose a couple hundred on that one. I buy lightly used to try them out and hold out for a good price.

Some fine looking time pieces there.

Disney, timepieces are just like any other of the finer things in life - wines, automobiles, musical instruments, diamonds.

For me, wearing a vintage, mechanical time piece is very satisfying. I think of my dad every time I look at it. It is a thing of beauty.

On most things that I buy, I try to buy the highest quality available, but I tend to buy a lot less often:

- I tend to buy Ralph Lauren shirts and trousers as they last for decades. I am still wearing one shirt from 1996 that looks great.
- I spent another $30,000 to install a Vermont slate roof on my house 15 years ago. My neighbors said I was nuts. Since then, my neighbors have each replaced their roofs twice due to hail storms. I've never lost a shingle.
- I spent extra to install real wood floors throughout my home so that they could be refinished over and over.
- We spent twice as much of commercial kitchen appliances that may last 20 years or more.
- I never buy wing tips with rubber soles. Give me the leather ones, thank you.
- In my previous home, I spent triple for Andersen wood windows, but they very well could last a century.

I am lucky enough to be wearing my dad's 35 year old Rolex Submariner, and it still looks and works brand new.


"The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of the cheap price is forgotten."

[Gaston]

Watches is not something that I wear regularly or interested in collecting but I could see making off of them. But I guess it would make a lot more sense if I were into watches.

[Gailete]

Watches is not something that I wear regularly or interested in collecting but I could see making off of them. But I guess it would make a lot more sense if I were into watches.

hink if you are 'in to' something is a lot better reason to collect as you understand the value better, and you will know when to strike when the iton is hot so to speak. I is one of the reasons that I chose to sell sewing goods on line. I'm in to them in a big way and generally my eye knows when it has found a bargain that can make me money. Watches other than the one magazine called Watches that I found and resold for $10, I don't know much about them and have no interest heavily investing time and resources into finding out about them. Or about a lot of other things as well. As Sherlock Holmes suppoedly once said, his brain only has so much capacity and he chooses to use it judiciously.

I saw this in living color as well as my ex-husband had a motley collection of stuff, bought I'm sure because someone used the word 'collectible'. While some of the items by rights were probably collectible, they were a hodge podge of different things, jumbled into a box stored in a damp basement.

If you are going to collect something, collect something that has meaning to you for more than the possible financial rewards. Do it because you love it. Doing something you love almost guarantees that you will know when you have found a treasure.

[Mikehills101]

Why not! Feeding your wants with high quality item is an investment too. I also had a habit of buying cars then sold it and buy another brand new one.

[~bs]

If you are going to collect something, collect something that has meaning to you for more than the possible financial rewards. Do it because you love it. Doing something you love almost guarantees that you will know when you have found a treasure.

that's pretty much the bottom line. my brother recently made $2500 selling a collectible surfboard. For me personally, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 1 piece of junk surfboard and another that is truly collectible. But that is what he does and likes, so the interest and knowledge accumulation is there.

[Mandy63]

Watches are a niche market and knowing the market is the best way to be successful. My grandma collects first edition Zane Grey books and old 1930's-40's movie posters. I know there is a lot that has a lot of value but at this point she has no interest in selling any of it. Unfortunately it's not something that most of the family has any interest in so most of it will probably be sold once she is gone.