vintage Rolex advise required.

[jonny996]

I need to start planning for a special present & my limited imagination has lead me to a 1969 (year of birth) Ladies Rolex. Whilst I appreciate a classic watch I know nothing about them or reputable dealers.
So for I have found 2 options
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/rolex/vintage-oyster-da...
Pro's: It looks nice, is a 1969 watch, boxed & is £800 less than option 2.
Con's: Don't know the dealer.
or
http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Rolex/Datejust%20Lady...
Pro's: Looks nicer, Have a least heard of the dealer.
Con's: Due to lack of papers they can only guess its about 1969 - 1972, no box & that £800 (I am really stretching budget for this one) .

I can see 1 is a Oyster & the other is a DateJust but are there other things I should be aware of? is 1 of them more desirable than the other.
Any help appreciated.

[Yex 450]

If you can get Watchfinder to let you know the serial number there is bound to be someone on here who can confirm the manufacturing date for watch 2.

Would then include or exclude the watch from your list.

[audidoody]

The Watchfinder Option 2 will be serviced and refurbished and come with their warranty. You'll also be able to easily sell it back to WF or part-exchange it to them in the future. Or return it for a refund if she doesn't like it when it arrives.

Option 1 - the bracelet looks a bit knackered. Without papers having the box is neither here nor there.

Option 1 would save you the £800 which could pay for a Rolex service (about £500) which would restore it to as-new. But M'Lady would be without it for three months,

Edited by audidoody on Thursday 3rd May 11:38

[LordGrover]

WF will likely supply in their own, very nice presentation box anyway. Speak to Richard there.

[jonny996]

Coming back to this but I have seen on chrono24 the make an offer option, is there a rule of thumb as to what percentage you would expect to knock off

[lostkiwi]

Haven't both the original links sold now?

Edited by lostkiwi on Friday 20th July 10:16

[jonny996]

Yes but others have came up & the comment about the £500 Rolex service did interest me, I don't need it until Christmas so if I got one now I could get it serviced before I present it

[RiggaTheMighty]

If you do happen to go for a cheaper option which needs a service, I would happily Service and clean it up for a lot less than people seem to think is acceptable on here.
£500 is a ridiculous amount for a service on a Ladies Rolex! £150-200 is much more likely.

Just a thought.

[jonny996]

RiggaTheMighty said:

If you do happen to go for a cheaper option which needs a service, I would happily Service and clean it up for a lot less than people seem to think is acceptable on here.
£500 is a ridiculous amount for a service on a Ladies Rolex! £150-200 is much more likely.

Just a thought.

Thanks, I may take you up on that. apart from chrono24 & watch finder do you know of any other possible places to look for a 1969 watch

[vixen1700]

jonny996 said:

... do you know of any other possible places to look for a 1969 watch

You could try this place: https://www.vintagewinders.co.uk/

edited to add: https://www.vintagewinders.co.uk/product/1969-ladi...

[RiggaTheMighty]

they are not my favourite people, but BQW would be one place to look
There is also a Vintage Rolex shop in Burlington Arcade, they might have a site.

Also, Est1897.co.uk

Theres loads of little shops up here in the North, I will have a look if i am passing

[jonny996]

can I seek opinions on this option?
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/rolex/oyster-perpetual-...

[RiggaTheMighty]

very nice example.
The bezel needs to be a re-rhodium, but other than that it looks rather good for the money.

[Username...]

jonny996 said:

I need to start planning for a special present & my limited imagination has lead me to a 1969 (year of birth) Ladies Rolex.

I did the very same thing earlier this year for my wifes birthday - I bought her a Rolex Datejust 31mm.

Things I became aware of through research and looking around:

• "Stretch" in the Jubilee bracelet. Hold the watch by the case so the bracelet sticks out to the side; a good bracelet shouldn't have much play in the links, so it should not droop too much. You should get a feel for this if you take a look at a few.

• Components replaced with fake or unofficial parts. When looking at a dealer in Hatton Garden, I liked a watch and the price was good but the face was chipped. They said that they'd replace it for £30 and throw in a Rolex box for another £30... Clearly neither were going to be official, so I left it. I suspect this is pretty common practice.

• Do you want an automatic or a winding watch? The former became standard sometime in the 80's whilst anything before that need to be manually wound.

• Gold watches often do not hold their value as well. This is obviously beneficial if you happen to like it and are looking second hand.

• Consider other sizes aside from 26mm. That's a very small watch these days and many women prefer the larger 31/34/36mm case sizes. I found the 31mm to be a good middle size.

• Check for refinished/replaced dials. On your budget you may well come across watches with these and whilst this goes against what I said above, I don't think this is always bad. As long as you know what you're buying, the quality is good and the price is right... so what?

• Buying a birth-date watch is a really nice idea, but my advice would be not to lose out on a great watch just because it's not the right birth year. And don't buy a second rate watch just because it IS her birth year. A vintage Rolex is a great idea and I'm sure she'll love it. Birth year, really, is just a novelty.

• Buy from a reputable bricks and mortar shop who offer a good returns policy and a 12/24 month warranty.

• Check that it'll have been serviced before you buy.

• Check what it'll do to your house insurance. Once you have some nice watches and a few bits of jewellery, be prepared for your house insurance to double if you want good coverage.

• Look far and wide and don't give up! I spent around 6 months looking around and after almost giving up I found the perfect watch which she now treasures.

[jonny996]

Nice post thanks, will have to get my finger out when back from holiday.
I’m thinking I might bite the bullet & pay the premium for a watchfinder watch

[AJB88]

Option 1 has sold anyway

[kmpowell]

RiggaTheMighty said:

There is also a Vintage Rolex shop in Burlington Arcade, they might have a site.

I’d avoid this place like the plague IIWY. A simple google search will reveal why, if there was ever an example of somewhere you don’t want to spend money, it’s there.

Staggering levels of arrogance and rudeness, lies, and extremely poorly refinished stock on a DFS type pricing structure.

[Username...]

kmpowell said:

I’d avoid this place like the plague IIWY. A simple google search will reveal why, if there was ever an example of somewhere you don’t want to spend money, it’s there.

Staggering levels of arrogance and rudeness, lies, and extremely poorly refinished stock on a DFS type pricing structure.

I second this. They have some nice looking watches, but their prices are ridiculous and the place just oozes snooty salesman! Go elsewhere.

[ecain63]

I'd also avoid BQW based on what I've seen delivered to traders from their stock and stories of unchecked paperwork (which ended up revealing the watch to be a Frankenstein or just not 100% legit) from customers on social media.

[jonny996]

Apologies for another what may be stupid question.
What is the main difference between a DateJust Lady & a Oyster Precision? What was the better watch when new assuming both are in same condition now.