Quote:
Originally Posted by TSM330i
Excellent write-up!
It seems most of the Rolex Sport models keep their value better and will eventually appreciate. There are a rare few watches that are made today that will actually be an "investment" unless you buy it at an extremely good price.
At one time, the Daytona SS was a great investment as they always went up shortly after you purchased them. Now they are not as rare and can be acquired much easier. The older rare Daytona's from the '70s (it wasn't a very popular watch) sold for less than $1,000 and are worth from $20-75K now.
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Here's an idea of how much Rolex's have gone up in value over the years. You can compare the original list price when they were first released to what they're selling for now.
http://www.minus4plus6.com/PriceEvolution.htm |
TY for the kind words.
When I speak of a watch appreciating in value, I'm talking about what a person who owns one can expect to sell it for at some time in the future. I am not talking about retail prices increasing, which is what that "Price Evolution" table shows.
There are collector grade Rolexes that have appreciated in value. "Redline" and "double red" Submariners and the various flavors of "Paul Newman" Daytonas have absolutely appreciated. The Asia-only Submariner Smurf has. Pretty much every commissioned Rolex has. The ones John Cameron had made for his dives are examples of commissioned Rolexes.
The commissioned watches Rolex makes are exactly one of the sorts of watches I said earlier would appreciate in value because they have some trait about them that goes beyond the traits of the watches themselves. I can tell you now that if you or I, unknown as we are, expressly commissioned a limited edition of one (or five, ten or however many you have made to order and exclusively for your own use and purposes) watch from any watchmaker who'd accept the commission, the watch will go up in value. You'll pay through the nose to have such a thing made, but it will get made and it will increase in value. Collectors will pay dearly to get their hands on something that was made in such limited numbers and that is visually distinct from a general production watch.
As for general production Rolexes one can buy as I write this, sure, some of them may go up in value if one waits 80 years for that to happen. If I were actually looking for one that might appreciate, it'd be that platinum-only Cellini Rolex offers. If/when Rolex introduces a new model, if one gets the first serial number for that model, it might appreciate. The rest of them, you and I will be dead -- or close to it -- before they increase in value, and the sole reason they might appreciate is simply that they would by then have antique status.
Here are the details from a Christie's auction where at several of those "Paul Newman" Daytonas were sold:
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/s...w&sortby=ehigh . There's a lot of cache associated with Paul Newman; moreover, the one watch that sold for $1M+ has several unique attributes about it that distinguish it from the more "run of the mill" "Paul Newmans."
All the best.