Okay..I'm on this forum for a reason. I love Omega, but the datejust 16030 has drawn me recently! Any thoughts appreciated on this example from 1982? Serviced and directly from the original owner. Unfurtunaly no papers. My biggest concern is the light polish and if I have missed anything red flags? Thanks in advance,
Looks like a really nice example to me. Dial is flawless. Depends on price. What is the seller asking? Around $3k USD?
the case is in pretty good shape to me, this looks like a very well kept piece, some one who either had a rotation of watches, or wore it carefully. Most of the original lines appear very sharp, there isnt much pitting in the case with the back open. You dont really have shots of the lug holes, so I cant comment on the shape of those, but for the most part its in pretty good shape. There isnt much in terms of wear in the band areas with the model number/sn. The only thing I find suspect is the graininess of the rim of where the caseback seals. There is some wear on the bottom of the lug seen in picture 10/11. Bracelet appears in great shape as well, based on the jubilee stretch scale. Are they firm on $3700? Who did the service? No rolex service paper? No box?
Cool! Thanks for your detailed review The dealer bought it directly from the first owner. Serviced the watch and did a light polish. Nothing els was done according to the dealer. No box or papers, but 1 year of warranty.
I’d see if they can work on the price a bit. I could see $3700 as a full set box/papers but seems a little high watch only.
yikes, well its their watch I suppose, so they can polish if they wanted to. Id have left that part to the buyer. That being said, I agree with the other commenter, $3700 is too high for a piece thats sans box/papers.
That bracelet could be an aftermarket replacement with the original clasp attached. Usually these have a lot of stretch but in the pic the bracelet looks brand new with zero stretch. There is no pic of the side of the clasp (I need to see the micro adjustments to tell if the clasp is fake, but likely it’s a real clasp with an aftermarket bracelet). Clasp has correct stamp for year. It’s pretty common for pawn shops or small independent jewelry shops to swap these out, but you should at least be made aware that the bracelet itself isn’t original so it’s worth asking them if the bracelet is aftermarket.
This watch has been worn so seldom that the case back sticker is still there. Yet you say the bracelet isn’t original? I’d like to know how you came to that conclusion.
I said he should ask the seller if the bracelet has been swapped. It is a common practice to replace them with new aftermarket bracelets and swap over the clasp, or to use replica bracelets with counterfeit markings (which can easily be identified by a clasp with micro adjustments that are evenly spaced when they shouldn’t be, but we can’t see the side of the clasp). I see it a lot in person at small jewelry stores, and on eBay and it is a constant thing where even high volume used Rolex sellers will put that fact buried in the details. I’m just saying to be careful if it seems too good to be true. Used Rolex sales are a hotbed of scammy activity, and he asked for a red flag. A 37 year old watch with a bracelet that has zero stretch when most of them look like a wizards sleeve is out of the ordinary is all I'm saying. I Googled for some other DJ with stickers of this age and found descriptions like “bracelet has some stretch” so I don’t agree that the presence of the sticker is necessarily evidence that the bracelet should be straighter than someone who doesn’t use his hands to pee because “it’s gay.” Also a reasonable offering price would be $3,300 (I’d be inclined to buy it at $2,800). It’s a buyer’s market for vintage DJ, despite what sellers who think matte dial mania carries over to the DJ think.
Here's pictures of the side of the claps. I haven't specific asked if the bracelet is an aftermarket. I'm informed they only did a service and changed the crystal and gaskets. Nothing els. How do you tell it's an aftermarket? Also, how do you feel about the hour hand? I don't why but in my eyes it looks wider than what I usually sees. Could it be service hands or just a production variation?
I think the hour hand looks OK in your first photos. The angle on the last one is skewing things I think. This is my 1983 version.
Nice looking watch but I think if your after a DJ they can be had for a lot less I paid £2175 for this 1993 16200 with its boxes and booklets Still undecided as to change the dial
I’ll add my voice to the chorus that feels the bracelet is original. All in all, it looks like prime goods in my opinion. If this was a Submariner or a GMT II, or one of the other tool watches which are in great demand, the price is likely firm. But Date-Justs don’t enjoy quite the same demand. it would be worth your while to ask them for their best price. If you buy it, you’ll enjoy it. By the way, the crystal is acrylic. In the late 1980s, Rolex replaced the acrylic crystal with sapphire. Mine is 30 years old, and has the sapphire crystal. (Gratuitous picture of mine.)
Thanks to this great forum I ended up buying a 16030 but not the one discussed here. After all I didn't like the recent polish. I will never understand why dealers insist to polish good examples. I found another one from 1984
