rolex resale ?

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Phillyfan

O.G.
Nov 25, 2007
6,343
303
#1
Let me preface by saying I am NOT selling any of my 3 rolexes - love them all.
But sitting at home in 5 degree weather and thinking! Has anyone ever sold a preloved rolex and what % did you get for it of the price you paid for it? Everyone says they hold value more than Cartier, J12, Breitling, Tag, etc. But no one is specific how much value.
I will never sell it as I don't sell anything, not vuitton bags, jewelry or anything ever. I'm just thinking what my children might get out of it someday!
 
#2
I would like to know as well as I would like to buy a Rolex. I have a Cartier tank that is 3 years old. The new tanks are selling for a lot more than what I paid for mine. I realize resale is a different story.
 
#3
I purchased a TT mid size yachtmaster 2 & a half years ago, brand new no discount & I paid £4,260.00 I sold it 3 months ago for £3,200.00, at the time I think the retail price had gone up to about £6,300. I sold it to a second hand watch dealer who will probably sell it for about £1,000 more than I got, the watch had hardly been used probably for about 6 months & then I got my J12 so stopped wearing it & then got a few other watches & just decided to sell it because I didn't really like it that much anymore & wanted a yg love bangle & a 36mm SS datejust, DH got me the datejust for my 40th & I got the love bangle out of the money I got for the Rolex.
 
#6
Bearer of bad new.
Overall, it all depends on the model not matter the brand. If model is retired & not desirable, they might not want to buy it. Even on a Rolex.

If its not gold or platinum, sorry but many won't want it.

Sorry to say but what its worth now won't matter till heirs are ready to sell it.

We have Rolex from the 60's that we take on vacations. I doubt if its worth much (other than the gold value) but don't care, its the watch someone will get if we get robbed.
 
#8
Hokaplan said:
Any idea what that converts to in U.S. dollars?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure but I think there's about 1.5 dollars to £1, I lost about 25 % on what I originally paid for the watch, I also sold a SS extra large Santos which belonged to my DH & got £1,400 & he paid about £2,300 2 years before but the retail price when I sold it was about £3,000 but we just compared it to what we paid not what the retail price was at the time.
 
#9
I have just seen a SS Rolex Daytona 38 years old priced at £23,500 & I think the retail price for a brand new one is about £7,700, so it really depends on the watch as some do become collectors like this one & I wonder how much the people paid for this watch originally.
 
#10
DesignerDiva brings up an excellent point.

My jeweller is a watch collector (different luxury brands). He has 1 Rolex worth well over $50k......he "knows" watches!

What he has shared with me (and I find this very interesting), is that while there are many Rolex's offered for re-sale on the market, not all of them are "authentic". He is one of the few people I know of who will thoroughly "undress" the watch to ensure all of the internal parts are genuine, authentic, and in perfect condition. Yes.....some are more "rare" than others, but a vintage model that looks fabulous on the outside, may not be all it appears to. So, caution needs to be taken. He's seen many a Rolex with cheap parts made in China inside the watch, but it will sell for thousands because who really bothers to take the watch apart?

He recently found me a vintage Rolex that looked great!-only to discover that it was once plagued with severe water damage. While it was cleaned up, he warned me that it would never be the same. Come some humid weather or if moisture got in, the rust would re-surface........kind of similar to breaking a bone. While it repairs itself, the break point will always remain fragile and vulnerable to damage.

My recent Rolex acquisition is a rare bird. A Vintage 'collector' 36mm datejust from 1978- a limited Ed. model in MINT condition- both inside and out. I'll never part with it, as finding it to begin with was like winning the lotto.

Bottom line.....not all Rolexes are created/maintained equal. And the newer Rolexes of today are nothing compared to what they used to be. Rolex keeps up with trends because of what clients/celebs ask for, but their recent designs aren't representative of what they're really known for which may explain why the older models sell for more $$$
 
#11
My mom received an all gold Rolex, ladies size (old model with visible clasp) for her 25 years of service in a bank. She kept the watch for 5 years (sitting in the bank vault) and has not worn the watch as she's not into such a fancy watch. Then she decided to sell it or rather it's me to told her to sell it since she didn't want to wear it (bear in mind that I was naive and young, not ready to appreciate such watches). The market price for that watch was RM27K (approx USD7.8 at that time's conversion) and was sold at only RM18K (approx USD5.1K). The watch was sold 6 years ago. I regretted that decision and wished she didn't sell it cause there's no way I can get an all gold watch for that price today.

According to resellers, it depends on the market demand, apparently there's higher demand for Rolesor compared to all gold.

Prices go up all the time, so it's not worth selling any watch. Just keep it, for the next generation. ;)
 
#12
In the UK there is actually more demand for SS, I've been told by several secondhand watch dealers that SS are more desirable & easier to sell, TT not too bad but the ones that loose the most are all gold & maybe that's because there so expensive & out of a lot of peoples price range but different countries might be different I'm just talking about the UK, I personally would love an all gold watch but would want to buy it brand new & the cost for the one I want is about £20,000 so a bit out of my price range at the moment.
 
#13
Contessa said:
DesignerDiva brings up an excellent point.

My jeweller is a watch collector (different luxury brands). He has 1 Rolex worth well over $50k......he "knows" watches!

What he has shared with me (and I find this very interesting), is that while there are many Rolex's offered for re-sale on the market, not all of them are "authentic". He is one of the few people I know of who will thoroughly "undress" the watch to ensure all of the internal parts are genuine, authentic, and in perfect condition. Yes.....some are more "rare" than others, but a vintage model that looks fabulous on the outside, may not be all it appears to. So, caution needs to be taken. He's seen many a Rolex with cheap parts made in China inside the watch, but it will sell for thousands because who really bothers to take the watch apart?

He recently found me a vintage Rolex that looked great!-only to discover that it was once plagued with severe water damage. While it was cleaned up, he warned me that it would never be the same. Come some humid weather or if moisture got in, the rust would re-surface........kind of similar to breaking a bone. While it repairs itself, the break point will always remain fragile and vulnerable to damage.

My recent Rolex acquisition is a rare bird. A Vintage 'collector' 36mm datejust from 1978- a limited Ed. model in MINT condition- both inside and out. I'll never part with it, as finding it to begin with was like winning the lotto.

Bottom line.....not all Rolexes are created/maintained equal. And the newer Rolexes of today are nothing compared to what they used to be. Rolex keeps up with trends because of what clients/celebs ask for, but their recent designs aren't representative of what they're really known for which may explain why the older models sell for more $$$
Click to expand...

Really interesting info. I guess I should always buy from an authorized dealer. Those gray market deals on the net are so tempting, but I'd rather spend the extra 800-1k with peace of mind that all the parts are authentic and not cheap Chinese parts! My bf/FTB is worth the extra money!
 
#14
Kohl mascara, I would be very careful when buying secondhand watches, the good thing with a Rolex they have a phone number that you can ring & check it out, when I sold mine they did it in front of me they took the strap off & the serial number was there although my newer one is actually on the inside of the dial on the case & I believe they have done this for a couple of years now, Rolex can tell you the tear it was made & if it's been reported lost or stolen & you can make sure it all ties up with the paperwork.
 
#15
Perhaps I mis-read Contessa's post. Does this info only apply to pre-owned second hand watches or to new watches as well?

Thanks designerdiva40! I was planning on purchasing a new watch - should I go through this process as well with a new one?
 
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