quote:

You either have an appreciation for these type of luxury items or you don't.

excellent summary. I for one haven't worn wrist watch since 1958. Tried Grandpa's pocket watch a few times, but there's lots of other ways to know what time it is.

It's rather odd, feeling almost but not quite guilty for not actually desiring such a magnificent example of performance craftsmanship.

I haven't worn my Apple watch once since I got my Omega. And the Omega won't even warn me when I'm in Afib.

I don't know, I just have a weakness for 1911s, fine watches, and green-eyed women.

Not long ago, someone was making fun of me for buying a P220 Stainless Elite when I could have had 2 Glocks for the same money.
Rolexes are kinda like that.

What every one else has said and this.
To me it has nothing to do with telling time. To me it is about the mechanics that make it work.
The thought of all the tiny gears and springs moving to tell time amazes me.
I am not a Rolex person however my wife is. I am more of a Breitling/Omega/Tudor person.
I do not think most Rolex watches have as much caricature as my Breitling or my Omega. I like a watch that has some color to it.
There are two Rolex's I do think fit my liking, one is the Explorer II with the white dial and the other is the Deep Sea James Cameron because of how the dial fades from blue to black.

That particular one is not a Rolex -- It is a Vintage Rolex. So there is something of an element of collectibility in that price, I assume. I can't speak to the value of that particular one.

You're right though that nowadays many sources exist for portable and accurate time. This was not always the case, and so the mechanically minded folks who look back to this time nostalgically kind of dig having the "cool" watch of that era. I being one of them. I am not only a Rolex fan, but in general a watch nerd.

As to value? I paid $3,500 for a black 16710 GMT from our own David Truong in 2008. 12 years later, I'm confident it is worth nearly three times that (collectors like the older models).

BTW -- I'm pretty sure I've had six iPhones in that 12 year period. Probably $5k?.... Most of it in the landfill now.

Rolex...you pay for the name and claimed better quality material.

I'm a gear head, so I like to see the automatic movement in action and one reason why I own an Omega Seamaster co-axial and a Tag Carrera cal1887.

Of course they don't hold high value like a Rolex.

i bought this in 1974 for $250, sold for $13k without box/papers in 2014.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
You either have an appreciation for these type of luxury items or you don't. No one will be able to provide an explanation that helps you rationalize such a purchase.

Why buy a Krieghoff shotgun when a Remington will do the job?

Pretty much the example I used between a Glock and a high end 1911. Sometimes form>function, other times not so much.

For what it's worth:

From the outside looking in, there’s an “I get it level”, and then there’s a “why in the wide, wide, world of sports would anybody spend that kind of money on X?” level.

In a firearms forum, we can explain to others differences between a Glock and a custom 1911 or the $100.00 shotgun vs a Kreighoff.

Same thing with some of these hobbies as well:

Cars.
Cameras
Model trains
Sporting equipment
Any sort of watercraft.
Photography
Firearms
Bikes
Audio and Video equipment
Airplanes
Motorcycles
Pens

About every hobby there is.

Pick your hobby, pick your way of spending tons of money on it.

Best,

IMADAT

quote:

Originally posted by airbubba:
i bought this in 1974 for $250, sold for $13k without box/papers in 2014.

Ooh! I had the exact watch that I bought in 1979 for $600 in Switzerland. Gave it to my favorite nephew a few years ago.
Still have an original Explorer that I bought in Hong Kong in 1969.

About time some pics showed up!

current daily driver on the left, i bought the 16753 in 1983.

I had two of them wore it everyday, it's just a luxury item, I still had to wind mine, sold them both wont buy another.

My son recently bought a Rolex Yacht Master. It is a beautiful watch, just something out of my price range, way out of my price range.

If I had the disposable money, I would buy the same watch my Son bought. It seems they do appreciate over the long run.

This is a Panerai. A Pam 9A to be specific.




Bought one new in about 1999. It was only $2,400, from a very nice little shop in Carmel California. Never went there. Did it all via email.

About six years later, I sold it for $10,000, to put toward an engagement ring.

During that time, I was active in one of the Panerai forums. About five years later, i checked back to see if there were any out there for sale. They were now trading for $30,000.

Imagine what they are going for, now?

A fellow I know from a Land Rover forum has a good friend in the UK who sold one of his Rolex watches and then bought a new Porsche, the next day...


Never considered it as an investment, just was fortunate to have gotten something of very high quality and at the right time.

As mentioned, it's a very different feeling to wear a really nice watch

I've spent enough on training classes(shooting, jujitsu, combative in weapons based environments) over the past 20 years to likely buy a couple of Rolexes. I'm not a cop or a soldier and have no aspirations to ever be either. There are lots of people who wonder why I would spend 2 days traveling across the country to attend them. I work a bunch so I can do and have things that bring me enjoyment.

I like firearms, nice knives and watches. The most I've ever spent on a watch was about a grand. I've been chasing a particular Sinn model for a while now, so far with no luck, they retail in the range of a lower end, used Rolex. My grail watch is a two tone Rolex Submariner.

I live a very simple life, drive vehicles till they are used up. There is nothing about me that needs or wants a "status symbol".

Watches are very intricate machines. I appreciate what goes into them. It's just one more thing that brings joy to me.

What brings joy to your life?

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
You can buy a really nice Rolex for only $5000 or $6000...

This pretty much sums it up...

That being said, a nice higher end time piece is on my bucket list.... But I seem to getting by slumming with my Marathon TSAR, which is the most valuable timepiece I own (and I prefer a quartz as I rotate watches frequently).

Boss

quote:

Originally posted by airbubba:
i bought this in 1974 for $250, sold for $13k without box/papers in 2014.

Can't do that with an iphone!

quote:

Originally posted by George43:
I see in the classified section that there is a Rolex for sale for $12,000. It just had a $2,000 cleaning. I have an iPhone that costs less and keeps better time. A Ferrari costs more but really a watch?

"WTS Rolex Model 1675 "Complete" Box, manuals rare "Nipple Dial""

This one evidently has titties on the dial. I would pay more for that.

You guys do realize that the high end watch market is driven by Chinese status seekers?

Just like with LV bags, the most expensive is the best, and they love to show their conspicuous consumption off.