Interested in 80’s Submariners.

[IS2000]

Recently I’ve been looking at a few 1982 Subs (16800,5513) since I wanted to have a watch with my birth year. I found three different ones at Tokyo’s Nakano Broadway. They were priced roughly around 1.5-1.8 million Japanese yen. I believe none of them came with papers. I ended up not purchasing the watch on spot because I wanted to learn more about them first. So, what should I look for when buying these watches? I found a few more of them selling online from Tokyo watch dealers, but price ranges are quite high for similar watches without box and papers.

[IS2000]

Here are some photos from Nakano Broadway.

[Dan S]

Ideally, you should look for an attractive watch with a clean dial, sharp case, and original parts. Most people have a preference between date and no-date, so you might want to make a decision about that feature, and then study the reference you've chosen intensively so you can identify a watch that is correct and in good condition. Bargain-priced watches often have condition issues and/or service/aftermarket parts, so you need to know what you are looking at.

You will need to post better photos if you want opinions about specific watches.

A couple of notes about your desire to buy a 1982 watch:

- There is no way for you to be certain that a given watch was made in 1982. Purchase papers will only indicate the year of purchase, and watches were often made/delivered years earlier. You can only use the serial number on the case to estimate the year of manufacture/delivery based on unofficial charts that have been posted on the internet. Some of the charts are terrible, TBH. But even using the best chart, you will only be able to say that a given watch was plausibly made in 1982.

- I have never made a special effort to buy a birthyear watch, but over time I have incidentally purchased many watches from my birthyear, and also many watches from a year or two earlier or later. I can tell you that in the long run, I get no special joy from a birthyear watch ... condition is everything. Finding a good vintage watch at a fair price is already difficult; limiting yourself to a particular serial number range makes the search even harder.

[Kingface66]

Study. Study. Study. Then look at, say, six examples of the same reference from the same year (eg. six Rolex 16800s from 1982) that are priced differently. Once you undertand WHY they’re priced differently, you’ll be on your way.

[0nly5iv3Digits]

Pick up some of the Mondani literature and study.

[indianmachine]

16660 matte is a great choice as well from that era

[Tensai]

I know those exact watch shops and even those exact watches :)

Although Tokyo is a fantastic city and the dealers are nice people, the vintage watches are typically overpolished (because the Japanese customer does not like scratches) and pieced together, often with relumed hands, service bezels, etc. And you will seldom get a straight answer from the dealer. And you will never see a great deal on Nakano broadway, regardless of the strong $.

Good luck!

[IS2000]

Thank you for all of your feedbacks. I’m still looking for other options but a lot of watches in Japan are fitting within my budget. Many of them are in wearable condition compare to what I find locally for the same price range.

[1665fan]

Originally Posted by Tensai

I know those exact watch shops and even those exact watches :)

Although Tokyo is a fantastic city and the dealers are nice people, the vintage watches are typically overpolished (because the Japanese customer does not like scratches) and pieced together, often with relumed hands, service bezels, etc. And you will seldom get a straight answer from the dealer. And you will never see a great deal on Nakano broadway, regardless of the strong $.

Good luck!

High money for franken wstches….. sounds about right….

[996marty]

Originally Posted by IS2000

Thank you for all of your feedbacks. I’m still looking for other options but a lot of watches in Japan are fitting within my budget. Many of them are in wearable condition compare to what I find locally for the same price range.

Just picked up on your post.
Would you be buying sight unseen or travelling back to Japan?
If you can’t buy in your location maybe cast your net just that little bit further afield although it sounds like you are drawn to the Japanese market for good reasons.