Unlikely that the inside of the lug was polished, but yes the case shows some signs of moderate polishing. For pricing, eBay sales (not asking prices) and forum sales are good references for research. These gold-capped examples aren't so common, but with some effort you can find some comps. Unfortunate about the bracelet, they're not so easy to find.
The hands aren’t lighting up because they are tritium and the tritium is dead. The lume plots, if they are still tritium, have a little life in them and won’t glow for long after UV exposure is removed.
The hands aren’t lighting up because they are tritium and the tritium is dead. The lume plots, if they are still tritium, have a little life in them and won’t glow for long after UV exposure is removed.
To me it looks like a good example and unless the hands not glowing bothers you I wouldn't sweat it so much as appearance-wise they look good. The big question is what condition the movement is in, since it's an older watch. Pictures of the movement probably won't give much clue. So my opinion is $2200 without the bracelet and probably needing a service would be too much for me. There have been stainless datejusts listed on this site within the past few months including bracelets that sold for only a couple hundred more, and a datejust is more desirable than the 1500 series any day. The gold cap adds practically nothing to the watch value and makes it less likely to find a compatible jubilee or oyster to match if you wanted to go that route. From the pictures that jubilee and head links combo looks like a Mexican 19mm oval which is relatively scarce nowadays and even more so gold filled. $2200 WITH the bracelet would be a go for me. Just my thoughts 😁
I really think that the negotiation is up to you and the seller. Here are a few things for you to think about in general.
- Have you actually tried 34mm and 36mm Rolex models on your wrist? Some people feel that 34mm is fine, but others find it too small. If you haven't tried them in-person, I wouldn't jump into a purchase yet.
- Is it important for you to have a gold-colored Rolex? If so, then your options are quite limited in this price range. For an additional $1k, you can get into a decent SS DJ, but the entry point for solid gold Rolex watches is quite a bit higher. So if you really want a "golden" Rolex, maybe this is the reference you can afford, and they aren't terribly common, so that could influence the price you are willing to pay.
- It is almost always better to buy the bracelet and watch together instead of buying the watch and trying to find the bracelet afterwards.
This is solid 14K
Here is my my model 1500 from the same era. I am not sure what the difference between 1500 and 1550, movement maybe? This is solid 14K
I know nothing about Rolexes but read this thread title, then read it again, and again. When I convinced myself I wasn't seeing things I had to come in here. The English language, and how one letter can change everything. Love it OP, don't change the title 👍 As for the rest of the posters here, well you know what you are: 😝
Disclaimer: apologies to any person or member of the horse family who is outraged by this offensive and politically incorrect post. 😬
