A little lesson to share with people buying on secondary market

[JSolution]

A very novice lesson but this could be helpful to newer members or people who haven’t been buying watches long so thought I would share.

It’s quite simple but I have fallen a victim to it 3 years later..

“Make sure when you buy a gold watch it has all of the links”

I bought a yellow gold day date a few years ago, and have put a considerable amount of weight on in that time (via bodybuilding, so not a negative). When i bought this watch I walked in and it fit me perfectly so obviously I was happy to buy it. Fast forward to now it doesn’t fit me at all, my day date is three links short and I now need all three of these links plus an extra one which total nearly at an eye watering £2000.

Very common trick applied by secondary dealers I actually remember when I bought my second day date (white gold) I counted all the links and was one short, I know this dealer very well and it was bought to order. Well when I went to collect this watch his sales assistant gave it to me (he wasn’t there) and when I questioned it she said “oh it must be this one here” conveniently stashed in the draw right next to her.

Steel links not so much of an issue they’re very very cheap but make sure you get your gold links!

[joeboy]

Good to know, £500 a pop is steep. Excellent advice!

[joli160]

Lousy behaviour of the seller.
Not all of us know with how many links a watch leaves Geneva.
It would be a one time only buying experience with this seller for me.

[TimepieceRPP]

Thanks. Good to know

[Goonthree]

Yep also many watches are polished and look like crap before the polish. On some I see it should come with XL box and it doesnt.

[cerendigit]

Lol avoid that seller. It doesn’t mean that other gray dealers will be that shady.


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[JSolution]

Originally Posted by cerendigit

Lol avoid that seller. It doesn’t mean that other gray dealers will be that shady.


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To be fair, I never questioned it as I didn’t know any better. Most of these watches probably don’t come to the dealers fully linked they just sell them as they are.

[OG1982]

I had this same issue with Watchfinder while purchasing a Rolex on Jubilee. The watch arrived less three links. If you go to ebay and search for Watchfinder, its pretty clear that they are making a tidy profit in removing links and selling them on once a watch has been sold.

Out of interest, I've lifted weights for years and my wrists only seem to be getting leaner. You must have some mighty impressive wrist muscles! What on earth are you doing that has seen your wrists grow 3/4 links

[Master_Grogu]

Surprise surprise, can’t trust greys. And here I was thinking they were the benefactor of humanity. Who would have thought that people profiting off others were acting in bad faith and for their own good only?

[TimepieceRPP]

Originally Posted by Ollie1982

I had this same issue with Watchfinder while purchasing a Rolex on Jubilee. The watch arrived less three links. If you go to ebay and search for Watchfinder, its pretty clear that they are making a tidy profit in removing links and selling them on once a watch has been sold.

Out of interest, I've lifted weights for years and my wrists only seem to be getting leaner. You must have some mighty impressive wrist muscles! What on earth are you doing that has seen your wrists grow 3/4 links

It helps. Thanks

[aczaja10]

How many links is a Day Date 40 supposed to have? I’m looking for one myself

[JSolution]

Originally Posted by Ollie1982

I had this same issue with Watchfinder while purchasing a Rolex on Jubilee. The watch arrived less three links. If you go to ebay and search for Watchfinder, its pretty clear that they are making a tidy profit in removing links and selling them on once a watch has been sold.

Out of interest, I've lifted weights for years and my wrists only seem to be getting leaner. You must have some mighty impressive wrist muscles! What on earth are you doing that has seen your wrists grow 3/4 links

Interesting about WatchFinder.

He he …

I have a very high calorie diet, I’ve always been addicted to some form of training. At the time, I was doing a lot of HIIT training, running and boxing. generally a lot leaner. I’m now 105kgs or so and I was 70kg at one point when doing that type of training.

All I have done for the last 3 years or so is lift heavy weights working on muscle group per week. My forearms are a hell of a lot bigger.

[Cigars&Watches]

Thanks for the info. Good to know

[OG1982]

Originally Posted by JSolution

Interesting about WatchFinder.

He he …

I have a very high calorie diet, I’ve always been addicted to some form of training. At the time, I was doing a lot of HIIT training, running and boxing. generally a lot leaner. I’m now 105kgs or so and I was 70kg at one point when doing that type of training.

All I have done for the last 3 years or so is lift heavy weights working on muscle group per week. My forearms are a hell of a lot bigger.

Fair play to you, that’s one hell of an increase in size.

I hear you about being addicted to training in one form or the other, for me it's either been long distance running or weight lifting which seem to work completely against each other!

[bob sims]

Is there a site that will tell us how many links there should be in a given watch?
Every watch I have tried on in my life has fit perfectly so I guess I have a dead average wrist!
Still don't know my exact wrist size at over 60.

[JSolution]

Originally Posted by Ollie1982

Fair play to you, that’s one hell of an increase in size.

I hear you about being addicted to training in one form or the other, for me it's either been long distance running or weight lifting which seem to work completely against each other!

You’re not wrong there my friend I used to do marathons now I can’t run to the front door without getting out of breath ha. Running just deteriorates my muscles I prefer to be bigger.

Least I get to wear an sd43 now

[JacksonRain]

Originally Posted by JSolution

A very novice lesson but this could be helpful to newer members or people who haven’t been buying watches long so thought I would share.

It’s quite simple but I have fallen a victim to it 3 years later..

“Make sure when you buy a gold watch it has all of the links”

I bought a yellow gold day date a few years ago, and have put a considerable amount of weight on in that time (via bodybuilding, so not a negative). When i bought this watch I walked in and it fit me perfectly so obviously I was happy to buy it. Fast forward to now it doesn’t fit me at all, my day date is three links short and I now need all three of these links plus an extra one which total nearly at an eye watering £2000.

Very common trick applied by secondary dealers I actually remember when I bought my second day date (white gold) I counted all the links and was one short, I know this dealer very well and it was bought to order. Well when I went to collect this watch his sales assistant gave it to me (he wasn’t there) and when I questioned it she said “oh it must be this one here” conveniently stashed in the draw right next to her.

Steel links not so much of an issue they’re very very cheap but make sure you get your gold links!

This is what many many of them do. It is far far too common. And it is well known in the industry. Some people even joke that this tactic is there 401k. They retire on their links that they take out of the watches that they buy, and then they store them, because each link can be a couple hundred dollars or even $1,000 each depending on the type of metal.

I remember I was once dealing with what many regard as a trusted seller, and it was a gold sub I was interested in several years back, and you should have seen how infuriated he was when at the last step, I asked if it has 12 links. The whole deal went South and we didn't have a deal anymore.

I've also dealt with other people tour gray Market sellers years ago, and they engage in the same practice.



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[Robf52]

Originally Posted by Master_Grogu

Surprise surprise, can’t trust greys. And here I was thinking they were the benefactor of humanity. Who would have thought that people profiting off others were acting in bad faith and for their own good only?

Yup. Buyer beware.

[KathleenL]

The Millenary Watches website has an article about how many links are in each type of Rolex bracelet and how to count them (no, don't count the end links).

[mrarchiegoodwin]

I too have experienced the missing links, but assume the reseller got the watch that way. Something similar used to happen to me in a Vietnamese restaurant. The weekly special was whole Maine lobster chow mein (I know that's Chinese food). After a couple of years, I began to wonder why I was always hungry after that meal (oh no, it's not that old joke). One time, I reassembled the chopped up lobster and discovered that a large portion of the tail was missing. I was a regular, always polite and a generous tipper--in short, a good customer. What they did seemed wrong. Admittedly, not gold Rolex wrong, but wrong. Just wanted to share that tidbit with fellow Rolex fans as a precaution when ordering lobster--the Rolex of seafood. Yer welcum.

[DAC2]

i once bought a platinum watch from a grey dealer and it only had 23 links. They are suppose to have 24 links. I kicked up a HELL of a fuss about it and he finally relented
and sent me a link but it wasn't a solid link... it was one of the hollow links from
a pre 2000 day date. When i sent it back he sent me a white gold solid link that he thought i wouldn't find out about. I did and sent it back.
Thats was the LAST i had to do with him.

I sold the watch as it was and from then on.... i always find out how many links a watch has. If you dont know... a simple call to the RSC and they will tell you how many it should have.

[doboy007]

In before someone makes a comment, “this is why you buy from a trusted seller”. Or am I too late, haha.

[mrarchiegoodwin]

I could never complain. But I have always wanted a platinum watch with platinum bracelet. Was it quite heavy?

Originally Posted by DAC2

i once bought a platinum watch from a grey dealer and it only had 23 links. They are suppose to have 24 links. I kicked up a HELL of a fuss about it and he finally relented
and sent me a link but it wasn't a solid link... it was one of the hollow links from
a pre 2000 day date. When i sent it back he sent me a white gold solid link that he thought i wouldn't find out about. I did and sent it back.
Thats was the LAST i had to do with him.

I sold the watch as it was and from then on.... i always find out how many links a watch has. If you dont know... a simple call to the RSC and they will tell you how many it should have.

[Bizcut1]

You re-assembled a chopped up lobster?

Man, some people have completely different days than me.

[mrarchiegoodwin]

Well, indeed...I went there every other week--one of their regulars. They could have served more than two dozen extra lobsters from what they withheld from me. I was not churlish and did not point out the discrepancy to them. I did not wish them ill will either although they closed several years ago. I just wanted to share this with Rolex Forummers as a precaution.

Originally Posted by Bizcut1

You re-assembled a chopped up lobster?

Man, some people have completely different days than me.

[DAC2]

Originally Posted by mrarchiegoodwin

I could never complain. But I have always wanted a platinum watch with platinum bracelet. Was it quite heavy?

YES! VERY heavy ! Thats the pleasure of owning platinum.
One of the things i love the most about it is the weight !
JUST fabulous ! The watch is always reminding me.... its there. lol

[SWS65SM]

Yea, it's good advise and thanks for doing a PSA on this.

I feel like this is a bit harder to pull off on Rolex models with oyster bracelet since the links are much bigger in size which makes it easier to notice if a grey is shorting you one or multiple links.

On the president or jubilee models it'll take some eagle eye and patience to verify - usually half way through one side of the bracelet I would have already forgotten how many links I've counted...

[mrarchiegoodwin]

Nifty! If it is well balanced then you only have to contend with total mass and not a watch that shifts around. Another question. Considering platinum's characteristics, how do you prevent scratches or do you not mind?

This seems as though it should be in a platinum Rolex thread. The material fascinates me. Did you read Paul Krugman's suggestion that Janet Yellin should mint a $1 trillion platinum coin? Hilarious.

Originally Posted by DAC2

YES! VERY heavy ! Thats the pleasure of owning platinum.
One of the things i love the most about it is the weight !
JUST fabulous ! The watch is always reminding me.... its there. lol

[southtexas]

Originally Posted by mrarchiegoodwin

Nifty! If it is well balanced then you only have to contend with total mass and not a watch that shifts around. Another question. Considering platinum's characteristics, how do you prevent scratches or do you not mind?

This seems as though it should be in a platinum Rolex thread. The material fascinates me. Did you read Paul Krugman's suggestion that Janet Yellin should mint a $1 trillion platinum coin? Hilarious.

Seems these days like a trillion is already easy enough to throw around.


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[ks58]

Very good to know. Thanks for sharing. And it makes complete sense for sure for everyone to be aware of this.