Hi,

I am a newbie for the vintage world. This is my first post here on the OF. I have been stick to this forum for a while but never posted anything.

I am looking for a 1665 DR and came across this 5.1xxxxx serial. The seller is nice and the asking price is about market average price .

From my point of view, the watch is slightly polished but still maintains thick lugs. Crown guard is still ok. The case back has serial number on it.

The insert is later replaced. The dial is mark IV which is correct with the serial range.

The bracelet is 93150 with 585 end links. Everything seems to be ok to me.

Need your help here guys. Is there something else I should be concerned? Every comment is welcome and appreciated.
Sorry for low quality pictures.

Auttasit

 

Looks good to me. You r on point with all the observation. It even has the super dome [emoji15]. I would find a proper later mark 3 FF to "complete" a beauty like this.

 

I love older subs and SD's but they scare the heck out of me. I dont understand all the nuance and at those prices, it's important. That said, really pretty watch, I cant offer anything on the validiity but good luck with it and enjoy!

 

Is this a watch you can see first hand or buying from these pictures? Looks like you have done a bit of homework already.
I would ask for better (a lot of) pictures without a flash of everything, caseback, dial writing (unobstructed) and the plots to look at the tritium condition/loss. The 6 o'clock marker shows as if the tritium is lifting.
The case still looks solid and it has evidence of a case refresh.
Ask to see if the owner knows if the hands are original or were color matched.
Good luck!

 

What is the asking price?

I almost pulled the trigger one of these a few months back, and someone gave me great advice...perfect examples are hard to sell, not perfect examples are really hard to sell.

It is a lot of money to have wrapped up in a piece, and if you can afford it, I say go for it. But since you are new to vintage, you will most likely want something else in short order, and if you need to move the DRSD it could be a challenge.

Just some thoughts. It is still my grail, just dont know that I will ever pull the trigger.

Good luck and welcome!

 

You should post on VRF and ask if it is legit. There are many franken and fakes since there is a lot of money involved.

 

Looks fake to me. The coronet does not match any of the known DRSD versions I-IV. Also, you need close up pics of the Sea Dweller font. The pics shown have the hands blocking the text. DRSD are notorious for fakes. Be careful, double check on VRF.

 

or you can ask on TRF

 

Thank you guys for the warm welcome and helpful opinions.
I have requested more pictures from the seller focusing on the dial and movement.
He has sent some more pictures. Now I can see the differences at the coronet like @Overgrower stated.
But I think the Sea Dweller text seems to be okay. What do you guys think?
Anyway, I will post my questions on the VRF also. Thanks again.

 

My advice would be to get one from a brick and mortar store, like HQ Milton in San Francisco. If there isn't a store near you, next best would be buying one on a Rolex forum. Both of these avenues will be expensive, but you can be almost 100% certain that the watch is exactly what the seller says it is.

 

I have doubts about the case, it had been touched up at some point, too clean bevels

 

Yes, it looks really pretty. When putting a nice faded gray insert on, it really looks fantastic.

I totally agree with you. Even though I already spent a lot of time studying, I always find something surprising.

If the deal were to be made, I would go there and pick it up myself. The seller has confirmed that the hands are original without relume. He has sent some close-up pictures.The case has been recently polished. The dial writing looks fine for me but the coronet is different from most of MarkIV examples.

Asking price is around USD 34K
Thank you for sharing you thoughts. Think I will reconsider it. This watch makes me realize that I still have a lot more to study.

thank you, will do that.

I did it, just wait for some reponds.

Yes, that is right. I really thank you for that. I didn't notice it at first. After I did more research, I think it is really different. I attached a photo comparing the coronet side by side. Hopefully this could be useful for others.

I did it. I found a nice example from his IG. The asking price is 70K USD. It is clearly way above my budgets.

You are right. The watch has been polished recently.

 

I don't know about these enough to comment.....but I do know you need to study drsd.com and tread carefully. There has been a lot of "good" fake dials on these to people not knowing the small nuances lately. Make sure you get opinions from the top guys that know their sea dwellers at VRF and TRF.

 

If you have that amount of $ to spend, maybe consider that one :

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Rolex-Double...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

I am not saying it is ok, I just saw it. Please, understand that Double Red needs Triple Check. OF, VRF and TRF,...

 

The coronet on the pictures provided to you is fine.. The angle of the picture and camera used makes a big difference.
Your pictures are clearer, better magnification.
That is a fine crisp dial on your example.
Good Luck!

 

I know of many examples that that traded at or below that number from trusted dealers and collectors.

For a few grand more I know where you can get a tropical one.

 

Thank you, Actually I have checked that one. The seller have sent me more pictures.The dial and case are fake, the paper is questionable.

 

I'm traveling right now so don't check my phone often. This watch is fine. Just like the bezel inserts, there are variations due to printing issues such as old pad vs new pad. There r certain tells that I won't share here to prevent fakers from perfecting their skills.