Hello, Recently I picked up a Sub 16610. The case is incredible. I'm really excited and hope everything goes well with the shipping (seller sending / the watching being okay on arrival.) So I owned a SubC for a while and a GMT Pepsi. All were sold and I've moved on. With the 16610 I can see this model going up in value. I never plan on selling my watches but I could see a trade in the future if it's really a good deal. All that being said maybe this will be the Rolex I keep forever. Should I remove the sticker. How much of a sin is it? The Face
I will remove the sticker if I were to wear it. I see little value in a worn or aged sticker on case back.
I have only purchased one old NOS wrist watch, 30+ years old and it still had the stock label on the protective sticker on the back, that came off as soon as it got home. But then... I throw out boxes or, if they're really nice, gut them for parts/straps bins!
Leave it on, what harm is it causing you? I find this to be a very silly question to be honest, if it were to detract from the watch’s functionality that’s one thing, you can’t even see it when it’s being worn.
I've seen some collectors buy a sticker protector for the back. It's like a circular piece of vinyl that won't have any glue on either side. It'll at least help keep the sticker lasting a bit longer than intended. But, as others have said, it may be more hassle than it's worth. I've also gotten some pretty amazing condition watches and ended up just selling them later on because I felt I could never wear them. It wasn't even the idea of losing value/depreciation. It was the idea that the watch was in pristine example and, as a collector, I wanted to be a good steward and continue to keep it in that state. However, then I never wore the damn thing. And so, I ended up always selling. Keep that in mind as you consider what you want out of owning this watch.
Take the sticker of, put it on a piece of waxed paper and keep it with the rest of the set (boxes, warranty, etc.). You can always put it back on when deciding to sell. I don't like the way these stickers turn so grubby looking after a longer period of wear, really turns me of seeing all that DNA.
I'd keep the sticker. It's a bit of a charm to the classic green Rolex sticker no longer used, on your watch.
+1 this was going to be my suggestion as well. You get the best of both worlds, keep the sticker so you can have a full set. You can even use a very light coating of rubber cement to reapply it later if you decide to resell.
It will come off after you wear it for a while, especially in summer. So just take it off now and keep it somewhere or throw it away, then enjoy the watch
This is not a vintage Sub, so the sticker has minimal value, if any. However, it's a cool little keepsake and the watch will be vintage one day, technically anyway. I'd carefully peel it off and keep it in a little plastic bag. I did that with my Japanese-market Rolex GMT 16700, but mainly because it had cool Japanese writing on it. Also, you don't say whether your new Sub is a full set. If you have the boxes, papers, and manuals, that would be even more incentive to keep the sticker safe.
It's a sticker, who cares? And, silly on those that put stock on a sticker. Peel it and wear it. You bought and love the watch, not the sticker. Of course, a mint vintage set that has never been worn at all is another story.
If you are planning on keeping it NOS and leaving it in the box in a safe, then leave it on, otherwise off it goes!
If it doesn’t bother you leave it on. Either way the watch case looks very sharp sticker on or off doesn’t matter.