JayBe
·I am literally about to take the plunge and seriously consider buying a 16600 from 2008. It is a bit that the watch has found me, more than that I was looking for it, as it has mostly been recently. Vintage Rolex' have been a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine that you look at, when nobody's watching, but I have not been attracted to the more modern models, except for the Sea Dweller. It has this vintage Submariner vibe to me (60s to 80s), in a modern package.
The only problem is, that the price has always been too unreasonable for me to justify, modern and vintage. The whole hype about Rolex, waiting lines, arrogance of sales personnel and volatility of the market was just too much for me to gamble at that level, especially given that I do not have the knowledge to navigate through the minefield that is vintage Rolex.
That being said, I feel that the entire market has come down, but I am in no way part of it, so this is just an observation in my peripheral vision. And that is, why I would like to ask the fellow members, who are more involved in this for their kind help.
The story goes again, that I visited my watchmaker to drop a Speedmaster off for service and made the mistake to have a look into the safe. Rolex? Yes, I'll have a look out of curiosity...but it really struck me.
So here it goes, this is a 2008 Rolex Sea Dweller 16600. As far as I can tell, there are no signs of improper maintenance (read: polish) and it has been worn, properly, but not in an insensible way. Personally, I do not mind the look of a worn tool-watch, if it doesn't have deep groves and retains its pride. Like the difference between patina and damage, which will be personal. Also, this gives me a chance on the price. Which is, where we get to the poodle's core: What is a fair price for the particular example. The ten thousand dollar question, kind of.
To close the loop, this is where i feel confused, as i have always felt that there was a larger than normal gap between the transaction price and asking prices for Rolex, which intensified recently. There are still a ton of people, having bought them two years ago, now hoping to recover the loses. This guy is the first owner and it comes as a full set.
His expectations is in my opinion on the high side and I feel like the bottom would be 8.5k
I have done some research and feel that this might be a fair deal, should we come close to the price. I also appreciate that it is local and my watchmaker can check it for service requirements, which I would make part of the deal. My expectations is not to have it as an investment, but to wear it, not care too much and have a fair deal on both sides.
I very much appreciate any input (can be PM), as this is kind of out of my usual scope and obviously a lot of money for a mass produced, time only, stainless steel time piece. But it has obviously some fairy dust that is hard to deny.
![2023-11-07 15.43.30.jpg 2023-11-07 15.43.30.jpg](https://omegaforums.net/data/attachments/1690/1690221-7026a9977589edc077fb88709064427d.jpg?hash=cCapl3WJ7c)
The only problem is, that the price has always been too unreasonable for me to justify, modern and vintage. The whole hype about Rolex, waiting lines, arrogance of sales personnel and volatility of the market was just too much for me to gamble at that level, especially given that I do not have the knowledge to navigate through the minefield that is vintage Rolex.
That being said, I feel that the entire market has come down, but I am in no way part of it, so this is just an observation in my peripheral vision. And that is, why I would like to ask the fellow members, who are more involved in this for their kind help.
The story goes again, that I visited my watchmaker to drop a Speedmaster off for service and made the mistake to have a look into the safe. Rolex? Yes, I'll have a look out of curiosity...but it really struck me.
So here it goes, this is a 2008 Rolex Sea Dweller 16600. As far as I can tell, there are no signs of improper maintenance (read: polish) and it has been worn, properly, but not in an insensible way. Personally, I do not mind the look of a worn tool-watch, if it doesn't have deep groves and retains its pride. Like the difference between patina and damage, which will be personal. Also, this gives me a chance on the price. Which is, where we get to the poodle's core: What is a fair price for the particular example. The ten thousand dollar question, kind of.
To close the loop, this is where i feel confused, as i have always felt that there was a larger than normal gap between the transaction price and asking prices for Rolex, which intensified recently. There are still a ton of people, having bought them two years ago, now hoping to recover the loses. This guy is the first owner and it comes as a full set.
His expectations is in my opinion on the high side and I feel like the bottom would be 8.5k
I have done some research and feel that this might be a fair deal, should we come close to the price. I also appreciate that it is local and my watchmaker can check it for service requirements, which I would make part of the deal. My expectations is not to have it as an investment, but to wear it, not care too much and have a fair deal on both sides.
I very much appreciate any input (can be PM), as this is kind of out of my usual scope and obviously a lot of money for a mass produced, time only, stainless steel time piece. But it has obviously some fairy dust that is hard to deny.
![2023-11-07 15.43.04.jpg 2023-11-07 15.43.04.jpg](https://omegaforums.net/data/attachments/1690/1690218-7f5b00298040f7162243e75ccad5476b.jpg?hash=f1sAKYBA9x)
![2023-11-07 15.43.18.jpg 2023-11-07 15.43.18.jpg](https://omegaforums.net/data/attachments/1690/1690219-5f00b7a751a4226d9be7376e2d8c7b7e.jpg?hash=XwC3p1GkIm)
![2023-11-07 15.43.26.jpg 2023-11-07 15.43.26.jpg](https://omegaforums.net/data/attachments/1690/1690220-7199e332c244a5069b8160d10c871a01.jpg?hash=cZnjMsJEpQ)
![2023-11-07 15.43.30.jpg 2023-11-07 15.43.30.jpg](https://omegaforums.net/data/attachments/1690/1690221-7026a9977589edc077fb88709064427d.jpg?hash=cCapl3WJ7c)