After a period or learning and buying a few relatively cheap watches that I'm enjoying, I'm now beginning to think about what would, for me, be a pretty significant addition to the collection. I've come down to two birth year options (1963) - a Railmaster or an Explorer 14270. I'm surprised to find myself drawn to the Rolex because generally I find their watches way too blingy. Both seem to be findable around the 5k mark so not much difference in price (although I've not yet seen any 1963s at that price level so maybe I'm being naive).

So what would you go for between these two? Pros and cons. Which is the better watch to your thinking? Aesthetically I like them both - perhaps the Railmaster has a bit more character for me, but not enough to swing me in that direction if the view is that the Rolex is a better quality timepiece.

Looking forward to your thoughts on this. I'm early on the journey and it may well be that I have to wait many months or even years before I find the right item - I certainly won't be buying until the middle of this year at the earliest by which time I may have changed my mind altogether, but I want something to aim for and as things stand it's one of these.

 

I'd go with the Explorer 114270. The 3130 movement is reliable (same movement used in the submariner 14060m). The oyster bracelet is amazing.
Now if you want the 14270, I would pick one with case holes.

 

The 14270 was released in 1989, if you want a birth year one you'll probably need to shell out a lot of cash for a 1016. For the Railmaster it would be the 135.004, much rarer and also very expensive.

 

Oh dear, my misunderstanding. It is the 1016 for a ‘63 isn’t it? I guess I got confused with my explorers. Those early ones are going to be way over my budget. Have I also miscalculated on the Railmaster? I think it’s the CK 2914 I’m looking for and I’m sure I’ve seen some of those around my price level, but maybe again I’m getting confused with later re-issues. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Sorry for being a dummy

 

135.004-63 is a no brainer......if you are from Pakistan

 

Birth year of ‘63 for Omega or Rolex sport models is gonna be about double your budget- perhaps you should look downstream a bit, like the Longines Wittenaur Chrono’s, the Longines compressor dive watch (not sure if they were that early), or even a classic Rolex Datejust which is always an elegant choice.
A black dialed Seamaster (not the 300) can be had for a fraction of your budget and is a classic.

 

+1. There are some very nice 60s Seamaster, Constellations or Oysters at that price point. I would go with the Oyster as they are more durable than most watches of that era. Heck, you could probably get a 60s Omega *and* a Rolex for $5k.

 

Does it have to be a birth year vintage model? My vote is the Railmaster LE. You get the looks of the vintage piece, but with the most advanced movement and bracelet. Lots of bang for your buck if you get one second hand....lots out there.

 

Thanks for reviving this thread. I’m still looking for a birthyear watch. Still very keen on a Railmaster, or now, a Datejust.

 

Railmaster of your birthyear (CK2914) will set you back around 13k. I’m not sure this is within your budget?

 

I must be looking at the wrong things. That said, I'm some way off even the £5k so not in any rush yet.

 

A 1600/1601/1603 is within your budget; try finding an excellent example an don't get too bogged down on the exact year of the serial #

 

With the early 60s Datejusts, keep in mind that they will not have quickset dates, so if you wear some other watch long enough for the Datejust to run down you're in for a tedious couple of minutes to set it so that the date is right. May not matter to you if you plan on wearing the Datejust all the time, or if you don't mind a couple of minutes to set. Or, I guess, if you don't mind looking at the wrong date.

 

My OPD has the 1570 which is a slow set. The stem is silky smooth so it’s not too laborious to run around the Calender, but I have a few other watches that are really tight and it makes me not want to wear them. It is a consideration at 5:30am when you are standing in front of your watch box/drawer/cabinet

 

1575 actually...Rolex date movements will end in a 5.

Yes, the bridge says 1570...but its a 1575...part of that special Rolex mystique (aka cost cutting).

Oh and since you can’t do the semi quick set (9 to 1 and back again), just know that you can go backwards, so you are never more than 1/2 a month away...

Cheers, Al

 

The backwards I did read and that’s the way I do that watch- I tried that on another slow date watch I had (cheap 60’s diver), and it was not goood