DD vs DJ, advice on purchasing

[ajnsaruman]

I have a friend who sometime during the 90s bought a datejust TT oyster with all brushed surface (maybe barked?) and bezel i'd never seen, as well as an 18k DD with all polished surfaces on the bracelet (no brushed)... I'd heard somewhere before that there was a particular shop in SG that is known for "customising" rolex like this. I don't like them personally but would be interested to know what the effect of this on resale is and what the shop(s) is in particular that does this.

I'd also be interested to know as to whether its advisable to buy from a pawn shop in SG ... worried about overall condition and "parts watches" or watches that have been through many, many hands..

I originally intended to buy an all steel jubilee/fluted mens DJ but after seeing a few second hand gold DDs (which i prefer) i thought that as i'd be buying second hand anyway, and considering the fact that the gold models depreciate so much more, that a second hand DD would be a better buy (i particularly like the president bracelet).

Since I assume many of you would have bought second hand, might I ask what is the cheapest method to purchase a rolex (eg. internet trading, pawn shops, second hand stores) and what would be a very good price that i could get for:
a) a "new series" (2005-later? super jubilee, larger lugs) all steel jubilee fluted men's datejust
b)same but TT
c)late 90s all steel, late 90s tt
d)90s YG DD
e)late 80s quickset YG DD
also interested in the effect on price of WG, as i like the subtlety. so also prices for a late 80s and a 90s WG DD

WG is certainly the preference but i understand it may be more expensive. keep in mind i mean a really good price and please include discounts in estimates... what have you seen them go for as a good deal?

(i do not want any diamonds on any watch, only stick markers or romans)

i would also like to know what you guys think of purchasing a DD over a DJ as a whole. if for example, as i suspect, a ~90s DD is not too much more expensive than a newer steel DJ, would it be worth it? i do like the exclusivity of a DD....

to complicate matters further, i am big (6'2) but with not a particularly big wrist, so i was wondering what people's general impression is on the DJ/DD II. DO you guys think its something thats saved the mens DD/DJ models and will slowly become the norm for mens dress rolexes, or that its just a trend, will not be timeless, will eventually die out and stop selling and be seen as a relic of a temporary big watch trend...

I wonder if, if I could find say an early 90s dd for 8000 or so, and the same price for a new DJ2 in steel with white bezel.... would it be worth that for the extra size?

so many things to consider... just looking for opinions/suggestions on these things as i just cant decide!

thanks very much.

On a less related note, I'm from Australia, not Singapore, and I understand that because of the face that singapore is a new money "nouveau riche" nation in comparisson to old money in australia, uk, usa, etc and that some of the less educated in singapore have ostentatious taste, rolex watches are more common over there, as are fine watches in general (i notice a very big market for 2nd hand rolex, similar to HK). Would be interested to know how often going out, in shopping centres etc, would one see a rolex in singapore... and what proportion of adults over there would have a higer end swiss watch... because im not keen on having something that is very common (anywhere) i would be interested to know how common the DDs are over there in comparisson to the DJs.... is it a rare thing to sight one?

thanks.

[ajnsaruman]

Oh further, i'd like to say quote prices in SGD because I can convert and I like the exchange rate from AUD to SGD very much at the moment, so because of that it'd be preferable for me to buy while transiting in the lion city.

[Ian Limm]

Hi First, A Big Welcome!

Personally for dress watches,I go for only DDs.

Can see you have posted many questions, can't answer all but will try to answer some of your questions.
If you buy 2nd hand, I suggest you buy from either our own Rolex garage here or the 2nd hand shops at Peoples Park ( AK watch, Koh watches) or Golden landmark (Chuan watches- also member here) or Fortune centre, these guys are generally ok based on my dealings with them.
Prices for 2nd hand watches vary according to the Condition of the watch, so I can only give you a range:-
90s WG DD-double quickset the last I saw early this year was asking $14500 (no diamonds).
90s YG DD-double quickset $11K+ to $12K+ (no diamonds)
80s single quickset YG DD $9K+$11K+ (no diamonds)
prices above based on my own observation,you may fine some lower or higher but like I say it all depends on the condition of the watch.



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[sbit_sg]

You seem to bother how people look at what watch you wear, correct me if im wrong. I find nothing wrong with that but would like to add that you can't change how people look at you.

Back to the topic, in singapore, most of the people who wear YG DDs are those of a elder age group where else WG dds are prefered by people between 20s - 40s. Pawnshop or 2rd hand shop, you wouldn't know how many hands it's been through. Some of us even think that buying from a pawn shop is bad luck as the previous owner might ran into a financial problem thus having to pawn his watch and you might inherit his bad luck? It all boils down to the condition of the watch itself. Generally, even if you buy from a pawn shop or second hand shop, many bros including myself will advise you to take it to RSC after your purchase for a verification check (SGD $75).

Bear in mind DJs/DD does not have a good resale value as it is a model of the past which used to be good at resale because of the amount of people who wears and trades them. If you're skeptical about the resale values like me, i suggest you get yourself a sports watch. It will have a lower depreciation then the DDs and DJs. I use to have a DJ as well, but when i sold it off, i was quite dissapointed at how much it could fetch no matter how much care i put in to maintain it's physical shine and looks. The shop owner that i sold to even commented how clean and well taken my DJ was. But bottom line is, i lost almost 10% - 15% within 1 year of wearing.

Personally if i have the money, i will definately go for a WG DD with diamond dial and bezel. But i will think hard before committing and make sure i will never need to sell it off for whatsoever reason. Take time to ask yourself why are you buying a particular model and you will have a ans. I love the DJs, DDs looks and i hope one day i can own a pair again with my lovely wife.

Good luck in your search mate!

No offence to the DD/DJ bros here. Just speaking my 2 worthless cents.

[Ian Limm]

10 to 15% depreciation is correct for DD.
when you sell back to dealers, expect them to take back less 10 to 15% cos that is their profit margin.

When I purchased my WG DD with diamonds watch 2 years back, the dealer actually issued a receipt with buy back at 15% less from my purchase price which I think is very fair.

[ajnsaruman]

thankyou for the thoughts. It's not that I care how people would view my watch, I am just not as keen on owning something that is worn by a significant portion of the population... Probably why I have a preference for DDs, and yes WG is my preference as I tend to think YG looks a bit tasteless/pretentious, diamonds I'd rather leave for a woman's watch though. I'm not so concerned about resale, in fact the reason I thought of a DD is to take advantage of the poor resale of the precious metal models to buy cheaper. I prefer the DD/DJs as I see them as being very timeless and elegant. Now my main concern is whether I should get a 36mm DD or a new 41mm DJ.... I wouldn't want to buy a 36mm and find its slowly becoming superceded, but i must say I'm suspicious that the big watch thing may be a trend and will die out and that the 41mm may just be a relic of this potentially short-lived trend .... a "pimped" version of a classic watch... wonder what other people think about the 41mm model.

[Ian Limm]

just my thoughts 41mm model is not suitable for some people, especially those with smaller wrist or smaller built.

so whether 41mm stays "in fashion" or not in future, Rolex will still be selling the 36mm for the rest who can't take or don't like the 41mm.

having said the above, my next to buy item is a DD II in rose gold because I like both the 41mm and the 36mm.

[sbit_sg]

A Bro is selling his DD in the garage section.. you might wanna check it out. Btw Happy New year !