freddy333

Simple. A relatively small & finite supply vs a large (and ever-growing) demand. I just paid about $250 for a pair of NOS 580s 20 years ago, I would have thought I was insane to pay that much (even when adjusted for 1988 dollars). But experience has taught me that, when it comes to vintage Rolex, if you pass on a part like this due to its 'outrageous' price today, you will almost certainly kick yourself a year or 2 down the road when you end up having to pay 2 or 3 times as much for the same part (if you can find it). I think that because of the sharp rise in values for vintage Subs & Seadwellers over the past 5 years (many of which are now out of reach of all but the most affluent buyers), vintage Datejust models are becoming the next target for collectors & investors. So I would expect to see a doubling of pricing for 160x & 1601x models over the next few years, especially if the rumored 12% '08 Rolex price increase becomes a reality.

Welcome to the 'real' world of haute horology, where the price has no logical relation to what the eye sees & where Patek Philippe reigns supreme. Which of my reps is the most undervalued? Easy. My Patek Philippe 5107 Easily the stealthiest watch I have ever owned & the one most often mistaken for a cheap Timex or Seiko. At least, at first glance. Just this past Christmas, I was shopping in an upscale store with a woman I did not know very well & she asked for the time. I rolled up my sleeve so we could see the time & just as she began to thank me, she stopped in mid-sentence & did a double-take back at my watch. Then she grabbed my arm, turning it to bring the dial into better focus. She looked at me, then back at the watch, then back at me & then just looked a bit stunned, at a loss for words. We all know that look -- priceless.

Article was written in 2004.

No idea what the reasoning was behind the addition of the extra lume dot, but I saw a similar gen on TZ a few years back. I probably still have the picture of that watch in my hard drive archive, but I did not file pics by description back then, so it would take hours to locate it now. Nice looking Sub, Nanuq.

Yes & I believe other brands have as well.

1970 1601 (1570) at left, 1983 16014 (3035) at right (Second hands appear to bend because the picture was made with a slow scanner)

I hate to be a killjoy here, but I believe it is against RWG policies to be bringing our reps into an AD. The reasoning behind this is to keep RWG, our collectors/factories/distributors & our hobby under the radar of those who would like to do us harm--the ADs and the watch brands they represent. Obviously, the genie is out of the bottle in this case, but I would hope that you would think twice before doing it again. Regardless of whether everyone 'got a big kick out of it' or not, you are putting us all at risk by doing what you are doing.

Is there any possibility that you may have sent out a rep by mistake? After all, you are a member of a 'fake' watch website (this one), so you obviously own rep watches. If you can provide both the buyer & Paypal with a reliable bill of sale or store receipt that demonstrates unequivocally that you at least owned genuine watches of the same models that you sold, it will make your case a little stronger. On the other hand, if you do not have any way to prove that you ever owned the gens, it will make the woman's complaint (that she received a fake watch) alot more credible in Paypal's eyes. If you are sure you sent both buyers gen watches, you might offer to pay for an AD in the buyer's area to appraise the watch she received. I cannot see how Paypal could argue with that since you are covering the costs of the appraisal. It might also be a good idea for you to contact & set up the appraisal appointment with the AD yourself. That way the buyer cannot forge paperwork or have a friend pretend to be an AD or something like that.

Wearing this (the Rolex, not the Raybans) while polishing this (the Rick, not the Rolex)

Welcome, ecu. You are certainly off to a good start.

If you can locate a bit of the correct diameter, you could use a drill to easily remove the inner material. A file or grinding wheel is your best bet for (carefully) removing the material around the outer edge. You do not really have to worry about making it exactly round as long as you do not remove so much material that the missing portions become visible through the date window on your dial. Remember that the inside & outside edges of the DW are kept hidden behind the dial, so the edges do not have to look pretty. But I would remove a small amount of material & then do a test fit onto your movement with the dial installed to see how you are doing. It is very easy to remove too much material.

Ending the workweek with the usual beater May be seen in this tonight Tomorrow never knows. Enjoy your weekend.

R - Thanks for posting the pics. But I agree -- neither caseback matches the gen Daytona. In fact, the 1 on the right looks like the exact same caseback that comes fitted to every 1165xx Daytona rep & is the 1 that I am trying to locate a substitute for. Josh's 5512 caseback (pictured at the top of the thread) would do the trick (once the engraving has been removed) as long as the diameter matches the Daytona case. That is the big question. I am hoping some member owns 1 of these & can try it on a Daytona case. If not, I may have to buy 1 to find out.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with customs. I have noticed an increasing amount of scrutiny of imported packages, especially those that ship by way of the overnight shippers like Ups, Fedex or Dhl. Best to avoid them if possible. Let the seller know what happened.......if customs sent you any forms, scan & email copies to your seller as proof that your watches were confiscated. Most sellers will reship through a different shipper. I would recommend EMS since that does not seem to attract as much attention as the other shippers. But there is no guarantee considering the nature of our hobby. I hope your next order turns out better.

Actually, if anything, I think the subdial rings are a bit too thick, but I do not have a picture of a gen from the same perspective to compare them. I will see what I can come up with when I have more time.

For Rolex bracelet parts, I would start with Stan. He probably will not be the cheapest source, but he usually has or can get what you need. He also offers a bracelet reconditioning service if you find a marginal quality gen bracelet for a good price & do not want to perform the reconditioning yourself.

If it had a slightly lower profile bezel & the size/shape of the lume in the 3/6/9 index markers was more accurate (smaller & more rectangular), this rep would be nearly indistinguishable in appearance from the gen 116509

Mezz -- Have you ever seen the prices automotive salvage ('junk') yards get for the parts they take off & sell from 'junked' cars? If you think the oil companies are making windfall profits, you would not believe how much junk cars are worth as parts. It is similar with watches, especially those that have the Rolex brand on them.

Not sure about that? I bought a 93150 clasp for a friend last year for about $150 and the going price for gen 580s seems to be anywhere from $200 to as high as $650 (not sure if they actually sell for this much, but I have seen 2 auctions that were bid this high). The clasp was only in good condition (had some scuffs & scratches, but functioned perfectly), so that may not be a good comparison & I have not done any extensive searches for them recently. They may be selling for more now. But 1 man's trash is another man's treasure, so if the clasp ranks a higher priority for you than the links, it is a good deal.

Makes sense unless your date is wearing rep breasts. Then you have every right to. Some women see flashy watches as overt flamboyance & a sign of insecurity (unless you are picking her up in a Ferrari or Bentley, then anything less would be out of the question). In all seriousness, you might want to save the big guns (in watches) for a 3rd or 4th date. Or not...........

I agree, something smells a bit Cod-like (fishy) there. However, on the positive side, the early 116509s did come with silver numbers. Later, these were changed to gloss black. Someone told me the silver is still a special order option in the AD catalogs, but I cannot confirm this. Oddly, most of the reps of these early 116509s had correctly shaped/sized index markers at 3, 6 & 9 (unlike the current versions, which are all too large & squarish).

Sorry, but it looks freaking weird to me. Like a Canal Street special, it just screams 'FAKE'. I would never let my sister marry a guy who wore a watch that looked like that.

Just another typical beater day

You may have to pay the piper, but have you tried Andy or Stan?

I cannot tell you how many times I have had to (seriously) question my sanity over the amount of money I shelled out for used Rolex parts over the years (since Rolex cut off the public's ability to purchase new stock over-the-counter from ADs, as I used to do until around the mid-90s), only to end up patting myself on the back a year or two later because the price for the same part had doubled or tripled during that time. And this cycle has repeated itself numerous times. Rolex parts prices continue to amaze me with their constant upward climb. Even for parts that used to be considered 'incidentals', like end links (the 1st Rolex part I ever bought (from an AD, back in 1985) for a rep watch was a pair of twotone end links for a Datejust, and I left the AD cursing them under my breath for having the gall to charge me $39.99/pair for the 2, small folded bits of steel & dabs of gold). And with demand for vintage Rolex watches & parts increasing all the while the supply is diminishing, the part you let pass today (due to its high price) will likely be the part you regret not paying through the nose for yesterday. Same goes for Valjouxs.