[Closed] Rolex milgauss or alternative?

How much do Rolex watches appreciate by?

you'll not lose money and will have a something that will last indefinitely if it's well looked after

Honest question for the watch aficionados: do you actually wear them? Or do they sit in a drawer or safe deposit box, only carefully worn for weddings?

Because I know what I'm like with watches - I'd scratch or break it in a month or two, then it's not an investment any more.

I wear mine everyday, I have been known to wear it mountain biking but stopped after I lost a watch at Cannock after a crash.

I wear my Zeniths less, purely as they're more of a dress watch.

Rolex are also as tough as watches come. I bought my wife's 17 years ago and it still looks nigh on perfect having been worn every day since. A quick Polish would see it look brand new.

I also wear my nice watches , a thunderbird oyster or a brietling, to work most daysand usually when on the road bike too.

Honest question for the watch aficionados: do you actually wear them? Or do they sit in a drawer or safe deposit box, only carefully worn for weddings?

Every day unless I'm doing something potentially hazardous or if I need a stopwatch / countdown / alarm function that's available on my £20 Casio.

It's no good telling the time to the inside of a drawer.

So do people who wear them every day have desk jobs?

So do people who wear them every day have desk jobs?

Yep, but my desk is often on a building site or in a derelict building that's undergoing refurbishment.

I wouldn't wear it at work if I was working with my hands for a living.

How much do Rolex watches appreciate by?

The model I bought new in 1988 was £712 at the time.
The model I bought used in 1999 was £1200

They seem to now be around £6000

Not just Rolex. I paid 1200 for My tag Monaco 14 years ago and it's worth around 3.5k now 2nd hand, or 5.5 to buy a new one.

I was tempted to buy a milgauss for my 40th but ended up with a near mint 1992 submariner 14060 as the milguass was a bit too big for my skinny wrist. and its a joy to behold. and in the two years I have had it its increased in value by £1200! If you've go the cash go for it, if you want to polish out the shiny links on the strap get a jeweler to do it, and if you need a service from Rolex send it to them on a leather nato strap! None of their business what you do with the original bracelet...

bencooper - Member

So do people who wear them every day have desk jobs?

Some days I do, but mostly I'm in the lab dealing with all sorts of shizzle.

I used to work with a guy who would wear his solid gold Daytona to work everyday and only take it off to wash his hands after he'd been elbow deep in a gear box. it wasn't in great condition when he got rid but still made over £10k when he sold it.

How much do Rolex watches appreciate by?

Not all Rolex's do, and many "modern" Rolex's won't at all. Watches, as a rule, aren't an investment.

The (vintage) watch collecting world is a bit of an oddity at times.

For example, the reason a lot of older Sub's fetch high prices is because their black dials have faded to a off-brown shade which is coined as a "tropical" look - modern watches have modern paints that don't fade, so therefore newer watches will never become "tropical", and will not appreciate in value in that regard.

There are many more oddities like this that may or may not make a vintage watch worth more/less.

The only solid bet for watch investment is buying a solid gold watch, then you always have the value of the gold to fall back on.

But sadly, modern watches only tend to appreciate in value if they are of limited edition these days.

That being said, Rolex hold their value more than any other brand - to the point they will appreciate with inflation.

I don't own a Rolex, I have a Speedmaster, and I wear it daily. The only times I don't wear it are at grimy nightclubs or riding/swimming/etc

Honest question for the watch aficionados: do you actually wear them? Or do they sit in a drawer or safe deposit box, only carefully worn for weddings?

I wear my seamaster everyday, unless I'm smashing stuff up with an axe, or mountain biking.
It's got a little graze on the case, but the glass is great.

I just thought, when I bought it, that it would be a shame not to be wearing it.
Of course I'm careful with it on (hence why i wear the pebble/casio on teh bike).
It's nice - I like it.
As others have said, a nie watch is like art, or a log burner.
Expensive, but nice.

DrP

I knocked a chunk out of the bezel at 12 o'clock on my Tudor Ranger. Not sure how I did it, but I think it adds to the character. Just like I'd rather look at bikes with a bit of patina vs garage queens.

modern watches have modern paints that don't fade, so therefore newer watches will never become "tropical", and will not appreciate in value.

Not true at all. Agree that watches in general are not an investment but you will make money on a Rolex if you keep it long enough.
Remember, my modern Rolex was £712 in 1988 but would now cost more than £6,000. If you can tell me where I can buy one for under £712 I will have 10 of them please.

Still not something I would put money into solely for investment but good to know the money you spent is going up while you get to wear a watch that you like.

How about a nice G-Shock....
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Runs Away 😉

I bought a Master G a few weeks ago, really nice watch. All St/St and resin, completely analogue no digital widgets I love it.

But I can't be bothered to change it back to the right time zone.

Remember, my modern Rolex was £712 in 1988 but would now cost more than £6,000. If you can tell me where I can buy one for under £712 I will have 10 of them please.

Right but many things we're different in 1988 both within the watch world and the world at large.

Rolex's in general are more expensive now. In the past 5 years or so Rolex have been very aggressive shutting down authorised dealers who were caught giving discounts, for example. So where as it was common to get 10-15-20% off a new Rolex 10 years or so ago, now you'll get 0%.

I'm not sure if you're saying your 1988 Rolex will cost £6,000 to buy, or if a new Sub would cost £6,000 to buy.

Don't forget watch technology has moved on quite a bit since 1988 also. It's kind of like saying a BMW 3 series in 1988 cost £15k (or whatever it cost) but now costs £30k - their is a lot more technology in the 2017 BMW! (And similarly a lot more technology in a 2017 Rolex)

To get a real gauge, you need to get your 1988 Rolex valued. You can't compare vintage watches to new prices.

The 1988 Sub's have the smaller hour dots, where as the newer ones have the Maxi dial style, which again, is why older sub's command a premium. But who knows if Rolex will make a design change again that is seen as desirable!

Don't forget also, Rolex sell [b]the most[/b] watches out of all luxury watch manufactures. There is no shortage of buyers out there!

Anyway, in my opinion - it is a bit miss-guided to say all Rolex's will appreciate in value in 2017. Rolex make/sell >1,000,000 watches a year. The landscape is different for modern watches.

Sorry this has gotten a bit full-on, i'm bored at the office.

I'm saddened this hasn't gone full ****ty.

In answer to your OP, if you've got an itch for a particular watch, then scratch it.

Anything less won't satisfy that itch. As others have hinted at, if it's not a decent brand, it's going to lose money. If you can afford it, do it.

<sups beer and checks time>

[IMG] [/IMG]

bencooper - Member
So do people who wear them every day have desk jobs

My Speedmaster was an engagement present from my wife [1], and is worn every day.

I don't wear it on the bike, as it's uncomfortable bouncing around on my wrist, and I don't wear it when I'm working on the car either. But apart from that it goes everywhere with me.

[1] She got a ring, I got a watch. Seemed quite fair.

I don't think the OP's choice looks like a classic Rolex, more of a modern statement 😕

I had my old 70's Omega seamaster in for service recently & they want over £700 to put it right so I have been looking into alternatives, came up with the Tudor north flag as I like the shoulder design, very similar to my Omega.

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Cheers.

Mmmmmmm, snowflake.

How much do Rolex watches appreciate by?

Those north flags are really nice, but go see one in the flesh; they are very angular.

Those north flags are really nice, but go see one in the flesh; they are very angular.

I have, put it on, played with it & looked at it for 10 minutes, the only thing I'm not convinced about is the black on the bezel, you can't see it from the picture but the whole outer bezel is black 😕

No to very prominent painful crowns from me. So most of Tudor ruled out. Tried on the lovely 36mm Heritage Black Bay - but honestly, that crown.
[url= https://www.omegawatches.com/watches/seamaster/aqua-terra-150m/master-co-axial-385-mm/23190392104001/ ]As stated earlier the Omega Aqua Terra 150m Good planet in 38mm is peachy.[/url]
[IMG] [/IMG]
[url= https://www.seiyajapan.com/products/ocw-s100-1ajf?variant=33895845383 ]However I wear mostly a Casio.[/url]
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This will definitely not rise in value!

My wife offered to get me a Rolex for an anniversary. I couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a watch. I love the milgauss, especially the one with the green glass, but I just couldn't do it. I tried a North Flag, but it was just too big and cumbersome.

At least Rolex make their own movements. The idea of paying a lot for a watch that has the same (or incredibly similar) movement to a cheaper one misses the point of having an expensive watch. For me, at least.

Aren't rolexes considered good investments because they have increases the prices of them so aggressively in the past decade or so and this has been reflected in the values in the second hand market?

I chuckled when the person above mentioned that he wore one on his road bike. It is possibly the single heaviest component on there. I feel the same about my wedding band. If I'd bought it to fit to my bike I'd have chosen something lighter, but it still comes with me on every ride.

[sneaky]If anyone is interested in my Damasko DA38, let me know![/sneaky]
Lovely "tooly" 40mm aviator on leather. I need a Pelagos!

The north flag has an in-house movement;
https://www.tudorwatch.com/watches/north-flag/m91210n-0001

Pelagos. The single most over hyped and disappointing watch ever created. ( or maybe second to the Apple Watch )

It's interesting as I didnt think of it as an investment and I don't like Rolexes as rule but I really like the look of the milgauss. Bizarrely I think it's because I'm an engineer by trade and like the engineering side it it - green crystal etc.... I dont know. And I like the idea of a treat to me and then my son. But in my head I can't rationalise that amount of money on a watch but perhaps I'm over thinking it!

(Ps I don't drive an Audi I have a Volvo and an old jazz for bike duties!)

I have a Sub 14060M (no date) which has shot up in value lately. It's smaller than the newer version and doesn't have the Cyclops lens which I dislike. It's pretty battered but still looks great.

I do have a recently serviced B&R 123GMT for sale if anyone fancies a very smart but subtle auto GMT.....

I think the Omega Aqua Terra is great and the strap on Rolex watches (certainly of the older ones) leaves a lot to be desired. The Omega straps are much better IMHO.

If you like it, pay the right price and it makes you smile you've bought the right watch, be it a Seiko or Sinn.

The single most over hyped and disappointing watch ever created.

Nice example, is it a maxi dial? Those are service hands though which drops the value a bit.
(Maybe pick an up,to date non tritium pic 🙂 )

The lightning second hand is naff beyond belief. I think current Rolex designs look like they are aimed at the nouveau riche/ tasteless market with the exception of the Sea Dweller/ Submariner. In my opinion of course.... but you did ask.

Having owned an expensive watch I have to say I would never buy another. G Shock/ Seiko all the way.

I sold my 1998 Submariner for around what I paid for it about 5 years ago. They appear to have doubled in price since then. I wish I'd kept it, but I was starting to feel self-conscious about it and didn't like people asking "Is it real?" all the time. I always said it was a fake.

Something's seriously amiss when a man thinks it's ok to spend six grand on a watch, whilst someone just down the road'll be going to a foodbank for their tea. What's wrong with us?! No wonder ISIS hates the West!

David makes an interesting point about Rolex owners supporting terrorism.

He also needs a new username if he wishes to maintain his admirable success rates.

I'm not trolling, I'm just making an interesting point like Jamie said!

Who said you were trolling? 😀

Well, someone's bound to 😀

I thought Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi preferred [url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/jamesbond/10951439/The-names-al-Baghdadi.-Abu-Bakr-al-Baghdadi.-Like-the-watch.html ]Omega[/url].

Something's seriously amiss when a man thinks it's ok to spend six grand on a watch, whilst someone just down the road'll be going to a foodbank for their tea. What's wrong with us?!

So you're suggesting a woman can't spend six grand on a watch?

Slight hijack, but do any of the Rolex wearers here know where to get a bezel or crown protector that can be occasionally removed? The internet has a few threads but enquiries to date indicate they are no longer made by/for Rolex.

I bought my first Rolex when I was 21 at a cost of several weeks wages. This was before digital and quartz so it was bought for robustness and accuracy. (Watches used to fall apart on my wrist from the vibration of my motorbikes).

One reason I bought it was one of mates had been given his father's for his 21st and I thought that was a nice tradition, and I would do the same with mine with any future son. But when I did part with it I missed it, so ended up buying a replacement.

I like as simple as possible, so no gold or flash or extra bits. I now have a stainless Explorer II with a nice white face so my fading eyes can read it.

The comments about some of them looking trashy are merited IMO - I think they are now built for a market where ostentation is king, but they are still a damn good watch.