lionsandtigers Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Met a man that worked at the bank this morning and caught a glimpse of a beautiful 1665 on his wrist so I sparked up a convo. Guy was super nice but didn't know [censored] about the incredible watch he had on. Said he just recently got it. Told him I'd buy it off him (yea right, thought maybe he didn't know what he had). Anyway I told him some tricks to getting some scratches out of the crystal and made sure he didn't let rolex swap out any parts on the next service. Really, I wanted to grab it and run Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 You are correct, most gen owners don't know a thing about their watches except what the sales person told them when they bought the watch. That's pretty evident by the number of almost new watches that are traded in for another model and the owner can't produce the box or papers. I bet lots of folks buy a 10k Rolex and throw away the box and papers as soon as they get home. Ususally the second time around, they learn, because someone at the AD told them that they would have gotten more for their trade in if they had all the "Stuff" that came with the watch. Your guy with the 1665 probably bought it because he saw one on someones arm at a cocktail party, or business meeting and was told that owning and old vintage Rolex was the "Thing". Obviously, the fellow didn't have a clue as to what he had or the history behind the watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjjoyce1 Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 There's two sides to this, too. First is the lughead who buys it solely because it says "Rolex" on it, it's substantial looking, and he thinks it will make others think he oozes money. The other is sort of what happened to me one day at Home Depot. One of the old guys working in there had on a gorgeous 1680 he bought off a strapped for cash buddy "years ago" for a couple hundred. The buddy bought the watch from the PX while serving in Nam. The guy had absolutely no idea what he had until I told him. He actually cried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 pearls before swine. I know a young guy who works in a city bank who bought a Porsche 911, I asked him if it was air cooled or water cooled and he looked at me blankly and said "I've no idea" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 ...Home Depot. One of the old guys working in there had on a gorgeous 1680 he bought off a strapped for cash buddy "years ago" for a couple hundred. I remember that story. That was very kind of you to tell him what he actually had there. Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray T Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 The thing is that with most gen owners, they are not WIS, they treat the watches as jewelery, so whatever happens to catch their eye, goes on their wrist. Members over here with reps, most the people on the forums, research the heck out of what they buy, before buying them, in the process getting educated about gens and reps alike. I started out with reps, and transitioned to gens because i realized how much i loved the watches and decided to splurge on the gens. chances are that most gen watch owners out there know little more then the name of who makes the watch, you won't find many people that go yea, i have a 1680 on or a 1665. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onscreen Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Its pretty obvious. People that buy gen rolex mostly buy them because they think they are nice looking and can affort them. They dont care about reps, or details. They just buy it because they like it and can buy it. No need to check the dials if you know its the real thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionsandtigers Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 I understand all the points, and I dont care why they buy them, but it does surprise me when its a piece like a 1665. I wouldnt even blink an eye when it comes to 16610 et al, since its so common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asciwhite Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 WE should have all the money not the ignorant..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Owners of new/current Rolex watches tend to know nothing (beyond the name on the dial), but owners of vintage Rolex watches, generally speaking, are almost always (reasonably knowledgeable) collectors. After all, why would a credit card plunker pay the high price & put up with the idiosyncrasies of a 1665 unless he had a good deal of knowledge about it? Therefore, my gut tells me that a guy like lionsandtigers described would probably be wearing a rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionsandtigers Posted January 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 def not a rep freddy. I took a real long good look and this thing was 100% gen, so unless he built it, which I doubt, because if he did build it, I would assume he would know more about the watch. Unless it was Ubi!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Gen owners don't need to know anything. They can either afford it or not. The people I know with the largest gen collections are focused on making money and the watches are just a trapping of a "luxurious" life. Everyone has a finite amount of time. You can either use it to make money or stretch what you got. In my case I had my most extensive collection when I knew the least (and was single with not so many fixed costs). Today I am a lot more knowledgeable. And to get back to your original question, people with reps are often more knowledgeable because they have to be not to look silly or even get ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 " Met a man that worked at the bank this morning and caught a glimpse of a beautiful 1665 on his wrist so I sparked up a convo. Guy was super nice but didn't know [censored] about the incredible watch he had on. Said he just recently got it. Told him I'd buy it off him (yea right, thought maybe he didn't know what he had). Anyway I told him some tricks to getting some scratches out of the crystal and made sure he didn't let rolex swap out any parts on the next service. Really, I wanted to grab it and run :)" This is a stickup keep the money hand over the Rolex. How an RWG member robs a bank! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 I was visiting my AD and having a nice chat with my watchmaker buddy. I had on my 6536 and he commented on a piece that came in recently. Some fisherman was down on the Kenai chasing sockeye salmon, and waded across the Russian river to reach a prime spot. Halfway across he looked down and saw something sparkly so he fetched it out from among the rocks. It was an old Rolex Big Crown, in pretty rough shape. The springbars had apparently failed and it lay among those rocks who knows how long. Amazingly it had not leaked and the movement was in good shape. It needed a lot of polishing up, a new crystal and gaskets, a service and I think an insert. The bill was going to be almost $1,000 and the guy that found it was really struggling with the expense of fixing that old watch. He even commented that it's not even a new model. Of course I volunteered to step in if the guy decided to abandon it but I never got a followup phone call. A genuine Big Crown for the price of a service and parts? I'll do that all day long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Another possibility that occured to me. the guy in the bank may well have inherited the watch. Who knows, possibly his dad was a collector, or just a wealthy guy who owned a few nice watches, or he at one time took up Scuba as a hobby and someone told him that the Sea Dweller was the most desirable divers watch around. Just speculating. I have to agree with Freddy, if the guy was wearing a new Ceramic GMT Master, or a 16610, I could write it off as ignorance, but you just don't normally see someone wearing a vintage Rolex, especially something like a 1665, Early Daytona, 6542, etc. that doesn't have at least a passing knowledge of vnitage pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 7, 2013 Report Share Posted January 7, 2013 Another possibility that occured to me. the guy in the bank may well have inherited the watch. Who knows, possibly his dad was a collector, or just a wealthy guy who owned a few nice watches, or he at one time took up Scuba as a hobby and someone told him that the Sea Dweller was the most desirable divers watch around. Just speculating. I have to agree with Freddy, if the guy was wearing a new Ceramic GMT Master, or a 16610, I could write it off as ignorance, but you just don't normally see someone wearing a vintage Rolex, especially something like a 1665, Early Daytona, 6542, etc. that doesn't have at least a passing knowledge of vnitage pieces. Well, I received a Red Sub at high school graduation and didn't have any idea of the significance until it was long gone. You just have to be old enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 7, 2013 Report Share Posted January 7, 2013 Well, I received a Red Sub at high school graduation and didn't have any idea of the significance until it was long gone. You just have to be old enough. I got a Timex. it broke before I could sell it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 12, 2013 Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 I got a Timex. it broke before I could sell it!! Somehow I don't see you wearing that broken Timex anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 12, 2013 Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 It was a pretty good watch for a few years, I put it through hell!. After it broke, I splurged and bought a Rolex Airking, back in around 1966. I believe it was less than 75.00 USD, but of course the Timex's were 9.98 !!! That was my first Rolex, and from then on out, it was off to the races. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 12, 2013 Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 It was a pretty good watch for a few years, I put it through hell!. After it broke, I splurged and bought a Rolex Airking, back in around 1966. I believe it was less than 75.00 USD, but of course the Timex's were 9.98 !!! That was my first Rolex, and from then on out, it was off to the races. Trivia question - how much was the Airking in '66? $500 or so? I can't remember how much but I remember coming upon the original receipt for a Red Sub dating to 1977 or 78 and it was something like $1,000 or less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 You don't EVEN want to know how cheap these were back then. Tears, I'm telling ya. Tears. Big ones. $275 brand new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 Trivia question - how much was the Airking in '66? $500 or so? I can't remember how much but I remember coming upon the original receipt for a Red Sub dating to 1977 or 78 and it was something like $1,000 or less. I do not have the exact retail price, but I think it was about $198 or thereabouts. Certainly, below $200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 I got a Timex. it broke before I could sell it!! Mine too. But I kept wearing it `cause it was right twice a day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 I do not have the exact retail price, but I think it was about $198 or thereabouts. Certainly, below $200. I wish I had known about Rolex when I first went in the service. I know that in 1964 for grade school graduation I got a Bulova 'Caravelle', their price line then, for just under $20. In 1970 cigarettes in the PX were $1.50/carton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 I'm sure the Air king was less than 200,00 it seems like it was more like around 150.00 in 1966. it's pretty amazing how cheap they were back then, but folks didn't make a lot of money either. A 200 dollar watch was probably half a months salary! I didn't keep the Airking too long, I wasn't satisfied with a no-date watch. I traded it for a datejust probably in 1967-68. I wore the datejust for a while, in 1970 of 71 I bought my first sub, a 1680 Red. i believe that this one cost me around 500.00 USD. I wore the hell out of this one, because unlike the datejust which i considered more of a watch to wear to church on Sunday or going out to dinner, the 1680 was a wear it every day, nothing too tough for it sort of watch. that's been a long time ago, probably before a lot of the guys here were born, back then, no one had a clue that those Rolex watches would be worth what they are today. If I had any idea that they would be as valuable as they turned out to be, and had ibeen able to keep every one, i would have a pretty nice collection of vintage Rolex sport models, but then again, hindsight is the only 20-20 vision I have ever had!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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