Can you guys talk me through this Datejust?

[9 iron]

So here's the deal. I have Rolex taste but, since I'm once again raising little kids, I don't have the budget. I did just a few years back, but with the kids (4 and 6) and living in this present economy and a wife who now stays home (that's not a knock, I prefer it)...... Well, lots of guys in the same situation. Makes no difference, I'm a happy guy, and it's just a watch. I began lusting over watches just about the time the economy went in the tank, so I've focused on Seiko Divers and I'm happy with the few that I have.

But, I am coming into a little windfall shortly and out of that am going to allocate about 2K to one nice watch, God willing. After many, many months of pouring over so many watches and waiting patiently to see if they still ring my bell months later, I have it narrowed it down to two (and yeah, there is a big list of runner ups ). An Omega 2254.50 or a 1980's era Stainless Datejust with stick dial. This is not a "Which One" thread, because honestly, whichever one comes up first in great condition at the time I have the money (coming shortly) is the one I'l be buying, and I can honestly say that I'll be very happy with either one.

But the question re: the Datejust.

So I thought I'd been doing my homework. I have been looking at early/mid 1980's stainless Datejusts with silver or white dials and stick markers, with quickset date and Jubilee bands, in pretty darned good condition from reputable sellers.

Throw out the highs and lows - highs being the web retailers/resellers who are listing these at roughly $3, lows being the shady looking EBay auctions or extremely low post count forum sellers who want you to believe that their $999 dollar Rolex is real.

Isn't a 1980's Datejust as described above a pretty desirable watch, and isn't 2K (+/-) a really reasonable price? I was watching an EBay auction recently with exactly such a watch. Looked great, seller had high sales numbers and 100% feedback and several attaboys on this forum as a legit source. The watch was listed at roughly $2100 and the EBay listing ran 10 days (Buy it now only) and no bites, it ended up not selling. Lots of pics, watch looked great, solid seller, actual watch-in-hand.

Am I wrong about the actual resale value of these? Is it actually lower? I'm not seeing these coming up in the forums in good condition at lower prices.

I just want to really know where I stand before I buy.