Collectors 1946 is a five time Best of Long Island award winning watch and jewelry retailer and consultant. We seek to guide our clients on the best quality watch and jewelry purchases. This is the first of many articles that we will publish that focus on the features and benefits of our brands but also, more importantly, the investment quality of your purchase. Unlike other watch consultants we want to make sure that our clients make the correct collection building decisions because as you will see in this first article watches are more than just a timepiece. They can be a lucrative investment IF you buy the correct watch, at the correct price, in the best condition. It is our corporate goal to be your watch advisor. To make sure that you invest in a watch that you like aesthetically as well as one that will help you attain your watch collecting goals.
For our first article we will explore why to buy a premium watch and why Rolex maybe your best bet.
What the average person does not know is that purchasing the right watch is as good an investment as purchasing the right home or the right stock. Over and over again we see watches purchased in the 1960’s and 1970’s for $100 to $250 reaching multimillion-dollar values in recent years. The best example is the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona which cost about $250 in the 1960’s and selling at auction for $17M! Now this does not happen to every watch of course, but most Daytona’s of that period now sell for $50K or more. Another great example is the pre-moon Omega Speedmaster which sold for $99 and now sell for $10K+!
Rolex is among the best performing watch brands when it comes to appreciation. This is especially true when it comes to its sports models. Even examples of early 1990’s Submariners that sold for $1900 can now command as much as $7000 if box and papers are available and the watch is unpolished in excellent working condition.
Every other sport model of Rolex has shown the same sort of appreciation. These include Explorers, GMT Masters, and Daytona’s. The most sought-after Rolex sport watches are as follows:
Explorer – Models 1016, 5500, 14000
Submariners – Models 6204, 5512, 5513, 1680, and 16800.
GMT Masters – Models 6542, 1675, 16753, 16750
Pre Daytona-Chronographs – Models 6234, 6238, 6239
Daytona – Zenith Daytona’s Model 16520, 16523, 16518
The range of price for each of these models is vast and depends upon condition and whether box and papers are available.
As a brand Rolex is a master of quality, innovation and marketing. In the industry Rolex watches are referred to as “money watches”. This means that they are always resalable or trade able because they tend to retain or increase in value. This is not an accident. Here is some Rolex history which will help you to understand why it is so respected as a brand:
- In 1910, Rolex was the watchmaker to earn chronometercertification for a wristwatch. Rolex is the largest manufacturer of Swiss made certified chronometers. To date, Rolex still holds the record for the most certified chronometer movements in the category of wristwatches.
- In 1926 Rolex produced the world's first waterproof wristwatch called the Rolex Oyster.
- In 1931 Rolex produced the first self-winding It was called the bubble back due to its concave case back.
- In 1945 Rolex introduced the first wristwatch with an automatically changing date on the dial. It was called the Rolex Datejust 4467.
- In 1953, Rolex produced the first wristwatch case waterproof to 100 m (330 ft). It was called the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner6204.
- In 1954 Rolex produced the first wristwatch to show two time zones at once. It was called the Rolex GMT Master6542.
- In 1956 Rolex produced the first wristwatch with an automatically changing day and date on the dial. This was called the Rolex Day-Date.
In conclusion, Rolex is a truly remarkable watch company with over one hundred years of record-breaking history.
Collectors 1946 is your Rolex authority. We are here to assist you with your Rolex purchase. We offer the largest assortment of Rolex dress watches and sport watches in the US. Each of our watches has been serviced and comes with a one-year warranty. We are here to help you. Call, email, or visit us at anyone of our five Long Island locations.