You have decided that your next watch will be a Rolex. Whether it is for the prestige of the Crowned House, for the objective build quality of its timepieces, for the desire to invest or because a Rolex is always a status symbol, your choice is now between buy a vintage Rolex or a new Rolex.
Both the Rolex vintage the New Rolex have their advantages. The fear of those who make a challenging choice like buying one rolex, is to make an investment mistake and find yourself wearing the wrong watch on your wrist.
You have therefore chosen to buy a Rolex but you don't know whether to orient yourself on a vintage or a new one? Get yourself out of the way with our Rolex ideal, written with the exclusive collaboration of a watchmaker with decades of experience.
Vintage Rolex and Modern Rolex: The Expert's Opinion
Deciding whether to buy a Rolex vintage o modern it is a difficult choice and there are many opinions. Chronosect chose to speak to a real expert: Andrea Arcuri, watchmaker and owner of the watchmaking laboratory Lab 2.0 di Verona.
We have placed ad Andrea Arcuri some questions to help enthusiasts and collectors to orient themselves in the world of Rolex vintage and modern.
Good morning Andrea. From your point of view, what are the main differences between vintage and modern, between new and used?
So, first of all it should be clarified that new and used are terms that indicate the condition of the individual watch, while vintage e modern relate to the period in which a clock It has been realized. There are modern watches that are mistreated and sold as used in poor condition and exist vintage kept in a maniacal way or even never carried - in this case we speak of NOS, New Old Stock -. Therefore, the discourse relating to the choice of the watch should focus more on the distinction between vintage and modern, because the conservation conditions of the watch you buy are a choice related to the single object and which cannot be treated in a generalized way.
Very clear. So, what are the main advantages of buying a modern Rolex, that is, of recent production?
Given that Rolex has always been a serious company that makes quality watches, it is clear that the more the production technique improves, the more constant the finish and other characteristics of the watch will be. The numerical control machine allows an almost perfect repeatability of the processing: once there was more craftsmanship in the production process, which on the one hand is an added value for those who love the "human" side of mechanical realizations, on the other it caused a unavoidable less homogeneity of the product.
Buying a Modern Rolex, you buy a watch that is still in production. It seems trivial, but this detail has many concrete consequences, first of all the availability of spare parts. The component to be replaced is much easier to find if the machinery that makes it is still active. Another advantage is the maintenance costs: to have, for example, a Paul Newman Daytona da Rolex means incurring a much higher expense than for the overhaul of a Rolex Daytona 116500, especially if there is a few pieces to replace ...
What are the advantages if you buy a vintage Rolex, therefore, to be clear, a pre-ceramic?
Il Vintage Rolex, so everything that reaches up to the XNUMXs, to be clear, is a type of watch different from the modern one. If we talk about recent vintage, then i Rolex with sapphire crystal and aluminum bezel like the Submariner 16610, we are referring to timepieces with high quality movements and the usability of a modern watch, but still with the maintainability of the "old school".
To give an example, if I, a watchmaker, have to replace an aluminum bezel of a Rolex Submariner 14060, absurdly I could even make do with a knife and a cloth to do the job! Scratches on the case and bracelet? Old alloys polish more easily than modern ones. Not to mention the welds, necessary when there are major damage to be restored: with the steels of the past it was much less difficult to carry out them.
If I need to open a caseback, then those in steel are much less subject to the risk of damage than those in glass. It is true that Rolex continue - luckily! - to mount solid case backs, but glass ones are becoming more and more popular in the watchmaking industry. Which allow you to admire the movement, for heaven's sake, but ... I can make a digression outside the scope Rolex?
You're welcome.
- Omega Speedmaster once they were watches that were easy to work with. Steel caseback, plexi glass, manual winding: there wasn't much, apart from water infiltration, that could damage them. And repairing them, above all, was easy. Today if I want to open one Speedmasters, I have to be very careful when I close the sapphire crystal case back, because it is a not very elastic material and without the specific tool you risk damaging it. Not to mention those domed sapphire front glasses, which compared to their plexi ancestors are far more difficult to put back in their place, due to their lack of elasticity. In short, a Omega Speedmaster with glass plexi and steel caseback, model still in production, has a better maintainability.
Similarly, then, are the disadvantages of modern Rolex mainly related to the difficulty of maintenance?
Basically this is the case, not just for crowned watches. THE Modern Rolexes, those with a bezel in ceramic in short, they have a much more complex maintainability than their predecessors. To carry out an overhaul, it is necessary to completely disassemble the watch, wash its components and reassemble them, correctly lubricating the various friction points with different specific oils. This, whether we are talking about a vintage or a modern one.
Now, a Modern Rolex presents a greater difficulty in opening and closing. Precisely positioning the ceramic bezel is essential if you want to avoid damaging it when you press it to put it in place. And of course it is necessary to use specific equipment. Here, this equipment is a central issue. Once upon a time with a limited set of tools it was possible to work on many watches. Today, each clock requires a specific tool kit: this increases costs.
Furthermore, it must be said that a Modern Rolex, for example a GMT, internally it is not vastly different from its predecessors. To work on movements, a watchmaker must know them logically, he must understand how they were conceived, why a certain component is made in a certain way. THE movements Series 32xx “Read” in this way, they show a very consequential development to those of the series 31xx: there is innovation, but it is not revolutionary.
What about the disadvantages of vintage Rolexes instead?
When a watch goes out of production, it stops producing its components. Therefore, the older a watch, the more difficult it is to find spare parts. Consequently, the costs of overhauling a Vintage Rolex they may be higher than the current one, and the maintenance intervals shorter. An extreme example is the Rolex Daytona: as already mentioned before, the revision of a 6263 in Rolex costs much more than that of a 116500.
The right choice: vintage Rolex or modern Rolex?
So, Andrea, in the light of your experience, would you recommend a modern or a vintage Rolex more?
There is no right answer. A Modern Rolex has a different aesthetic from the vintage, and this is already a relevant factor for those who buy. Furthermore, by buying a new one, you can be sure that you are getting a watch that has not been worn by anyone and that its condition is perfect: from an investment perspective it is important. Technically, whether you buy a Rolex recent vintage that you choose a modern rolex, the movements are excellent. There is a difference in steels: i Rolex six digits, compared to five digits, use a steel that is more resistant to corrosion but with greater porosity, which makes it easier to scratch the bracelet or case and more complex to intervene.
I would like to conclude with a sincere advice. It might appear pro domo mea, because I am a watchmaker, but it is really advice that is the fruit of extensive experience and passion staff for watches in general and Rolex in particular. At every stage of the life of your watch, turn to serious and trained professionals. When you decide to buy un Rolex used, that is moderno vintage make sure it was revised by a competent watchmaker. And during the life of the watch, carry out maintenance regularly. A few hundred euros have been invested in an object that is worth tens of thousands, and which over time will repay themselves amply in terms of sealing the value of the watch on the market used.
Thanks Lab 2.0 by Arcuri Andrea for your valuable suggestions.
