Dear all...
I'm interested in venturing into the world of rolexes. Being budget conscious, the pre-owned market would be a good place to start.
I'm interested in the following watches:
1) SeaDweller (or a no date sub)
2) GMT Master II (black bezel/dial)
3) GMT Explorer II (white dial)
I am aware of the usual recommended shops, esp those with an online presence such as passions and jw. However, as there are a whole lot of terminology, details associated with pre-owned watches that i do not quite understand, I dare not venture yet... Hope to be enlightened here.
"Series" alphabets
I note that the preowned shops usually feature the series alphabets in addition to the year of the watch. I have read the the series refer to the production date, isnt it a double count? I note that some buyers are looking for a particular series alphabet, is there a reason or difference between series?
Movement
In any one model of watches, are there different types of movement? What makes one movement better than another?
Condition
What does polished imply? I have heard that polishing will thin the watch down, is that true? What does the percentages in a watch imply, I note that some watches are 99%, whereas others are 98 or 95%, is there a real difference or an industry benchmark? Same for tightness of bracelets
Prices
Apart from rare models that command very high prices, what is the standard depreciated price of a pre-owned rolex in above average condition? Do they vary largely from shop to shop? are there such things are good deals or can i expect that these super cheap deals will hide some unknown horrible defect?
Common defects or stuff to look out for in pre-owned watches
Is there anything in particular to watch out for when purchasing a pre-owned rolex that a dealer would rather we not know? I note that in an original condition rolex, there is a serial no in each part to match each other part (bracelets, case, movement, etc), and in some examples of pre-owned rolexes, these parts may be switched about. Will that seriously affect the value of the watch?
Common practices of pre-owned dealers
I note that the same watches tend to show up on the pre-owned dealer's websites. This gives rise to the suspiscion that these dealers will buy back my watch for resale again. Does anyone know of such practices?
Green Sticker, tags and other bits
What is the significance of all these?
Where can I get a good deal, really...
I do hope that answers to the above will manifest in this thread, and provide both me and other newbies with more of an comprehensive guide to buying pre-owned rolexes
Cheers
Calv [WiSingapore]
I'm interested in venturing into the world of rolexes. Being budget conscious, the pre-owned market would be a good place to start.
I'm interested in the following watches:
1) SeaDweller (or a no date sub)
2) GMT Master II (black bezel/dial)
3) GMT Explorer II (white dial)
I am aware of the usual recommended shops, esp those with an online presence such as passions and jw. However, as there are a whole lot of terminology, details associated with pre-owned watches that i do not quite understand, I dare not venture yet... Hope to be enlightened here.
"Series" alphabets
I note that the preowned shops usually feature the series alphabets in addition to the year of the watch. I have read the the series refer to the production date, isnt it a double count? I note that some buyers are looking for a particular series alphabet, is there a reason or difference between series?
Movement
In any one model of watches, are there different types of movement? What makes one movement better than another?
Condition
What does polished imply? I have heard that polishing will thin the watch down, is that true? What does the percentages in a watch imply, I note that some watches are 99%, whereas others are 98 or 95%, is there a real difference or an industry benchmark? Same for tightness of bracelets
Prices
Apart from rare models that command very high prices, what is the standard depreciated price of a pre-owned rolex in above average condition? Do they vary largely from shop to shop? are there such things are good deals or can i expect that these super cheap deals will hide some unknown horrible defect?
Common defects or stuff to look out for in pre-owned watches
Is there anything in particular to watch out for when purchasing a pre-owned rolex that a dealer would rather we not know? I note that in an original condition rolex, there is a serial no in each part to match each other part (bracelets, case, movement, etc), and in some examples of pre-owned rolexes, these parts may be switched about. Will that seriously affect the value of the watch?
Common practices of pre-owned dealers
I note that the same watches tend to show up on the pre-owned dealer's websites. This gives rise to the suspiscion that these dealers will buy back my watch for resale again. Does anyone know of such practices?
Green Sticker, tags and other bits
What is the significance of all these?
Where can I get a good deal, really...
I do hope that answers to the above will manifest in this thread, and provide both me and other newbies with more of an comprehensive guide to buying pre-owned rolexes
Cheers
Calv [WiSingapore]
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