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Advice Request for a Datejust Buckley Dial

  1. silverfighter Apr 2, 2022

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    Hey guys!

    Long time Omega fan, first time Rolex purchaser - and looking for some advice along the way.

    I've had my sights set on purchasing a vintage 36mm Datejust w/ a Buckley dial for a few months now, to celebrate a recent career move.

    I've found a decent item online (pictures pasted below) which looks to be exactly what I'm looking for. It's a Datejust 16000 with a 3035 movement. It features a white dial with what looks to be a very slight beige patina.

    Overall I think it looks to be in good condition for a vintage model - just a few points concern me which I'd be interested to get your advice on where possible:

    1. In the photo of the movement, you can see some pretty significant markings (scratches?) on the outer rim on the watchback - which I assume comes from removing and re-fitting the caseback quite often. However this damage seems a good bit worse than a lot of the comparable items I've seen for sale online. Just wondering how much of a worry this would be and whether it would detract from the value at all in the future?

    2. There's also a very slight mark on the caseback - doesn't look too significant aesthetically but again would appreciate your views on how much of an issue this might be from a value perspective.

    3. The asking price is ~$5,600 - the comparable listings I've seen for this type of watch seem to err a bit higher than this so it feels like a competitive price point to me, but interested to get your views.

    Any insights you guys could provide would be super valuable and highly appreciated - thanks for reading!

    Dial.jpg Dial2.jpg Movement.jpg Caseback.jpg
     
  2. Dan S Apr 2, 2022

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    Looks ok to me, and visual appeal is the most important thing for a vintage DJ, I don't really treat them as major collectibles. The dial and hands are nice, with intact lume. Lugs a bit thin. Damage on the case-back is a pretty minor thing, an amateur got involved at some point. Appears to be some pitting on the back of the case under the seal, so it may or may not pass a pressure test. And you will want to check the flange of the case-back and between the lugs for the condition, since those are other common spots for pitting. I don't know what you have been told about the bracelet, but if you are paying money for it, you'll want to verify that it's legit, since that's a substantial part of the price.

    Overall, I suggest remembering that in the end it's just a DJ. Yes, someone put a name on this type of dial to hype it up, but it just doesn't make sense to treat DJs like collectible sport models. Millions and millions of these were made, and people swapped out dials and bezels, and wore them daily for decades. They are fun watches, and I have a couple, but I don't think of them as collectibles or pick them apart for condition/originality.
     
  3. vibe Apr 2, 2022

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    I think the gunk under the case seal may be part of a disintegrated gasket and not corrosion. There might be corrosion as well, but you need to clean that out of there first. But what the gunk tells me is that it probably hasn’t seen a service in a long time.

    also, while there are many DJs out there, they are still great and fun to collect. the smooth bezel versions are way less common and more sporty. In the world of vintage they are a great choice as well because the oyster case does such a great job of keeping out moisture.
     
    silverfighter, Davidt and Dan S like this.
  4. Jayrock26v2 Apr 4, 2022

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    looks honest, a good service and TLC should fix it up quite nicely
     
  5. watch3s Apr 8, 2022

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    John Buckley does have a shop in manhattan btw, and hes on ig. you can probably do better just talking to him directly