Interested in buying a vintage Daytona..any thoughts?

[sampelligrino]

Hey TRF

I might be crazy but I've been looking into some vintage Daytona pieces, have been thinking of moving a couple of my current pieces (maybe SubC and Daytona) + cash for a 6263.

I love the fact that these pieces are no longer produced, and love the design, they really make me smile looking at pictures of them online. But I also want to do my due diligence and seek out any opinions or thoughts from the vintage community here on TRF/see if anyone has a vintage Daytona and what their experiences have been.

Specifically, I was wondering:

- Can we still expect these pieces to continue to appreciate in value over time like they have in the last 20+ years?

- Will RSC still be able to service these watches down the line, or will it ever get to a point where you can have a vintage Daytona but it won't be able to be serviced?

- Is there anything specific in this hunt that I should keep an eye out on, or be aware of, in regards to vintage 4 digit Daytonas?

Any other comments are greatly appreciated as always, thanks TRF!!!

- Sammy

[FrmrHoss]

I don't have much to add other than I wanted to add a reply to this thread because it's something that had been coming across my mind alot lately.

[descartes]

The vintage Daytona market is overheated, just like the stock market was a few years ago. These are not rare watches.

[Robbyvm]

My only vintage rolex i ever regret selling... Excellent choise, no worries about servicing or parts. Value increase... If we had a crystal ball! I believe it will go up in value but not enough to call it return on investment (financially spoken) the biggest return is being able to wear your investment

What to look for : a great seller !

[roh123]

Just the perfect watch to wear. Classic design and the right size that fits for everything. Parts is not an issue for a long, long time with these Valjoux movements. They are expensive and there are quite a few of them around but demand is even bigger. I doubt they come much cheaper in the future.

If I could only keep one watch it would be my 6263.

[r4gs]

Vintage daytonas are an entire universe on their own merit.

In terms of value, who knows really? I have noticed of late that the big reds are healthily into the 30's.

RSC is questionable on whether they will service a 4-digit daytona, all depends on which RSC worldwide. As for the Valjoux, no problems with sourcing parts or servicing for a long while yet though you will pay a pretty penny for original Rolex service parts.

Do your homework on the dials and what to look out for as a vintage daytona is among the most faked/frankened Rollie around, and they have gotten seriously good at it.

Lastly, thought this thread needed some juicing up to be taken seriously.

[datejust24]

Love the look of these old daytonas if they would bring back a no crown guard version I would consider buying one ... Wish I could afford a vintage one

[watchcrank]

lovely watches buy to small for me to wear much. I sold my 6265 Big Red this month in low 20's and my 6263 for high 20's so you never know if a deal comes your way.
they are one of the best looking watches out there imho. The hunt is the thing for many of us so start educating yourself and begin looking. M

[Cc1966]

Prices I believe are stable and in the loooong run, will return a decent amount. Parts are no problem in the foreseeable future IMHO.

[andromeda160]

Originally Posted by Cc1966

Prices I believe are stable and in the loooong run, will return a decent amount. Parts are no problem in the foreseeable future IMHO.

I don't think they're as stable as you think. It seems like every vintage Rolex has its time to boom, and they usually drop quite a bit. They can't keep getting more expensive forever. They have to level off somwhere. I wasn't alive in the 80's and early 90's but people were talking here about how they hit about $10k back then, now you can find them for $1-4k all day long. While at the same time you could've bought a Daytona for $2-4k. There's still thousands/tens of thousands of these Daytonas. I think that the return/ if any, will be minimal as theyve already had massively inflated prices. And buying in the heat of the market never seems to give good returns. Just my opinion, and I could be very wrong. But $30k for a vintage Daytona is a pretty premium price for the piece when you look at other more rare models fetching lower prices

[T.S.Eliot]

Vintage Daytonas are on my mind ever since I started looking at watches. Are the nice ones inflated? yes. Are they easy to service? No and is quite tricky these days as you never can tell what happens to your long awaited grail of a watch when going for service.

[Cc1966]

Originally Posted by andromeda160

I don't think they're as stable as you think. It seems like every vintage Rolex has its time to boom, and they usually drop quite a bit. They can't keep getting more expensive forever. They have to level off somwhere. I wasn't alive in the 80's and early 90's but people were talking here about how they hit about $10k back then, now you can find them for $1-4k all day long. While at the same time you could've bought a Daytona for $2-4k. There's still thousands/tens of thousands of these Daytonas. I think that the return/ if any, will be minimal as theyve already had massively inflated prices. And buying in the heat of the market never seems to give good returns. Just my opinion, and I could be very wrong. But $30k for a vintage Daytona is a pretty premium price for the piece when you look at other more rare models fetching lower prices

You could be right Greg, but I believe that the premium of truly stellar pieces will remain strong. There is always a market for those top watch examples, and I don't see this changing anytime soon; in fact I believe the supply still can't keep up with the demand for these watches ~ as seen by their top sales.

[shane0mack]

Prices are definitely high right now. Can they go up? Maybe, but it's not something I'm willing to bet on. The "Big Reds" have really climbed to the upper 30s for really nice examples, which is getting a little bloated.

Servicing, like others have mentioned, shouldn't be an issue with Valjouxs. Rolex OEM parts will get tougher to come by, but a competent watchmaker should have no problem keeping them in good running condition.

I know this is TRF, so I will keep my opinion as measured as possible, but I'd personally look at vintage Heuer Carreras for the time being. They have gone up in price as well, but they're very similar watches (Valjoux, Singer dial, etc.), in fact, slap a tach bezel on an original Carrera...and voila! Until vintage Daytonas come down a bit, IMHO, they're not guaranteed to appreciate...especially when you factor in inflation.

[breitlinglounge]

Prices are definitely high right now. Can they go up?

What do you think about the price results in this Christie's auction ?


Sale 4002
Total including Buyer’s Premium: 12,032,850 (CHF)

Rolex Daytona "Lesson One" 50 exceptional examples of the world's most celebrated chronograph wristwatch

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/s...&viewType=list

[MitchSteel]

Christies, and some celebrities rocking vintage Daytonas will keep the prices relatively even, methinks......premium, overpriced,I think so, I mean it is a beautiful watch, but nearly 30k for a hand wound Chrono?.....Vintage Rolex collectors are a wacky bunch, with no shortage of cash, usually.....one can only dream...

[breitlinglounge]

but nearly 30k for a hand wound Chrono?

?

The average price at Christies was at about 200k

[MitchSteel]

Yup, I'm aware of what kind of money some, rare pieces went for.Im talking an honest SS Daytona here....

[kultschar]

Do love them but when browsing them in the Burlington Arcade in London I was very surprised to see how small they were

[watch-guy.com]

They awere reallypristine unique pieces.
However the daytona market is fraught with difficulties- dials and cases do not match , hands are changed and some movemens may contain non rolex parts or even worse.

So if you are going to spend 30k ( about) make sure you buy from a person who you trust and will make sure you are getting a real honest vintage piece

You could start with a 6238, or look at 623 or 6265

The last of the zenith movement daytona are auto and it is much easier to wear, Be aware that the vintage ones have a screw down crown and non auto so you have to unscrew the crown every time you want to wind the watch. One of the reasons they were not so popular when they were sold

Good luck out there

Julian