ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX

mementomori1983 · 22 May 2016, 03:37 PM

A few days ago I chanced upon a buy-it-now listing on eBay for a vintage Rolex model in a the exact configuration I've been wanting for some time now. The pictures were not great, but I could tell it was a well-worn piece -- lots of hairline scratches, and caked all over with dirt and grime, and what looks like a sprinkling of hardened pasta sauce (?) in between the case and end links!

BUT, movement pictures provided looked good, the clasp code was fairly close to the case serial, and the bracelet SEEMED to have little stretch. Also looked unpolished from looking at the lug holes, but I couldn't tell for certain from the pictures. To top everything off, the price was just too good. Almost too good to be true.

After running things quickly through Google, and quickly skimming all my accumulated knowledge from lurking the Vintage section here, I pressed the Buy-it-Now button and paid for the watch within 5 minutes of seeing the listing!

So I'll be getting the watch on Monday, which is when find out if my impulse buy was a great or terrible idea

I'm not a vintage expert, so this will be a good learning experience. Hopefully not a costly one!

Here's the seller's picture of the clasp as a clue on what I bought. Will update!

Name: DSCN88831_zpsvkdxiayn.jpg
Views: 597
Size: 112.2 KB

Name: DSCN88831_zpsvkdxiayn.jpg
Views: 597
Size: 112.2 KB

kirksingleton · 22 May 2016, 04:10 PM

Looks good so far!

Psmith · 22 May 2016, 07:09 PM

Congrats

1William · 22 May 2016, 09:42 PM

Congratulations.

Qinhan · 23 May 2016, 09:52 AM

Mmmm. Pasta sauce.

RC2 · 23 May 2016, 09:54 AM

Email springer. He knows a ton about these bands Think it's ok to me

springer · 23 May 2016, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RC2

Email springer. He knows a ton about these bands Think it's ok to me

Yes, yes......looks like he bought a ..................

RC2 · 23 May 2016, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by springer

Yes, yes......looks like he bought a ..................

And.....

Boaters · 23 May 2016, 10:03 AM

Would be nice to have a picture of the watch?

QueueCumber · 23 May 2016, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boaters

Would be nice to have a picture of the watch?

speedolex · 23 May 2016, 10:11 AM

That's a 20mm Jubilee bracelet from the 80's, and you're not too stressed over authenticity which means low price, and you're referring to configirability, so I'm guessing it's a SS Datejust.

mementomori1983 · 24 May 2016, 12:24 PM

Sorry for keeping you guys hanging... It's here!

Unboxing...

And here she is!

A 16014 Datejust from 1984 (8xxxxxx serial) with a silver stick dial and jubilee bracelet -- the configuration I've always wanted. Not the rarest model, but it certainly looks like an honest, well-loved, vintage Rolex!

Any thoughts or possible red flags? Thanks TRF!

speedolex · 24 May 2016, 12:32 PM

Nice! I own the same model, just a decade earlier, it's a beauty, congrats!

mementomori1983 · 24 May 2016, 01:35 PM

Soaked the bracelet in warm soap water and give the case a gentle scrub. 30 minutes later...

The lines are looking very sharp -- could very well be unpolished. There is some stretch on the bracelet, though, but it's not too bad. The crystal could use a buff, but I'm still on the fence, I kinda like the semi-scratched look. Overall, I'm very pleased on how this turned out!

Meeting the siblings:

mementomori1983 · 24 May 2016, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedolex

Nice! I own the same model, just a decade earlier, it's a beauty, congrats!

Thanks! I saw yours with the engine-turned bezel, it's a beauty!

springer · 24 May 2016, 01:40 PM

Love the box, great packing by someone.

avirom · 24 May 2016, 04:41 PM

can i ask you how much it cost?

RHJ · 25 May 2016, 08:08 AM

Was worth the risk ... Good Job!

droptopman · 25 May 2016, 08:10 AM

Congrats. Always liked that refernce. I sold a 16014 with linen dial not long ago. I miss it

Charlie3755 · 25 May 2016, 08:42 AM

Congrats. Nice looking DJ.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tan · 25 May 2016, 09:05 AM

Congrats, what a classic!

thomaspp · 25 May 2016, 10:42 AM

looking good!

cocopeep · 25 May 2016, 11:01 AM

wow very nice DJ! I have one similar where it just says t-swiss-t and not swiss made, so I assume this is early 1980's?

gtnator · 25 May 2016, 02:38 PM

Great pickup. Congrats

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Richard Carver · 25 May 2016, 02:55 PM

Oh yes, eBay, late at night, fantastic price, BIN, foreign country, low transaction number, whattaya gonna do?? Pull the trigger of course! LOL, too much fun...

...all the way from sunny Columbia!

yannis · 25 May 2016, 03:06 PM

Congrats!

mementomori1983 · 26 May 2016, 04:04 AM

Thanks all!

The eBay seller had 10k+ feedbacks, which were overwhelmigly positive, so I felt pretty good about pulling the trigger on this (not mention all the eBay protections for buyers). Seems like they don't specialize on watches, which likely explains the poor pics and why the watch was not cleaned. As for the price, the most I'm willing to say publicly is that it was listed for what you'd expect on a DJ without a bracelet.

Just got it back from a local watchmaker for sizing. He couldn't remove the pin on the first link that's connected to the clasp using a screwdriver, so he had to drill through the pin hole to get it out. Most likely it was due to an aftermarket pin. So far no other issues aside from that. No complaints, given what I paid!

Here it is in natural light. The dial is very "warm", has lots of character, it almost looks bronze in certain angles. Absolutely loving the patina on the lume plots and hands. This is going to be on my wrist for a long time!

Meme-Dweller · 26 May 2016, 04:16 AM

Nice pick up!

superstarmar · 26 May 2016, 06:05 AM

Congrats !!! Looks fantastic !!!

Now I want one ....

brandrea · 26 May 2016, 06:11 AM

Congratulations

22 May 2016, 03:37 PM	#1
mementomori1983 "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 667	Incoming Vintage (Impulse Buy)!! A few days ago I chanced upon a buy-it-now listing on eBay for a vintage Rolex model in a the exact configuration I've been wanting for some time now. The pictures were not great, but I could tell it was a well-worn piece -- lots of hairline scratches, and caked all over with dirt and grime, and what looks like a sprinkling of hardened pasta sauce (?) in between the case and end links! BUT, movement pictures provided looked good, the clasp code was fairly close to the case serial, and the bracelet SEEMED to have little stretch. Also looked unpolished from looking at the lug holes, but I couldn't tell for certain from the pictures. To top everything off, the price was just too good. Almost too good to be true. After running things quickly through Google, and quickly skimming all my accumulated knowledge from lurking the Vintage section here, I pressed the Buy-it-Now button and paid for the watch within 5 minutes of seeing the listing! So I'll be getting the watch on Monday, which is when find out if my impulse buy was a great or terrible idea I'm not a vintage expert, so this will be a good learning experience. Hopefully not a costly one! Here's the seller's picture of the clasp as a clue on what I bought. Will update!

22 May 2016, 07:09 PM	#3
Psmith "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Real Name: Clive Location: Exoplanet Watch: spring-driven Posts: 38,856	Congrats __________________

23 May 2016, 09:54 AM	#6
RC2 "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Real Name: Rich Location: NC Watch: Rolex 1675 Posts: 2,359	Email springer. He knows a ton about these bands Think it's ok to me __________________ Rich Member of Nylon Nation Red Sox Nation Instagram watchguy97

24 May 2016, 12:24 PM	#12
mementomori1983 "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 667	Incoming Vintage (Impulse Buy)!! Sorry for keeping you guys hanging... It's here! Unboxing... And here she is! A 16014 Datejust from 1984 (8xxxxxx serial) with a silver stick dial and jubilee bracelet -- the configuration I've always wanted. Not the rarest model, but it certainly looks like an honest, well-loved, vintage Rolex! Any thoughts or possible red flags? Thanks TRF!

24 May 2016, 01:35 PM	#14
mementomori1983 "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 667	Incoming Vintage (Impulse Buy)!! Soaked the bracelet in warm soap water and give the case a gentle scrub. 30 minutes later... The lines are looking very sharp -- could very well be unpolished. There is some stretch on the bracelet, though, but it's not too bad. The crystal could use a buff, but I'm still on the fence, I kinda like the semi-scratched look. Overall, I'm very pleased on how this turned out! Meeting the siblings:

22 May 2016, 04:10 PM	#2
kirksingleton "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,759	Looks good so far!

22 May 2016, 09:42 PM	#4
1William 2024 SubLV41 Pledge Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: North Carolina Watch: Rolex/Others Posts: 47,764	Congratulations.

23 May 2016, 09:52 AM	#5
Qinhan 2024 Pledge Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 632	Mmmm. Pasta sauce.

23 May 2016, 10:03 AM	#9
Boaters 2024 Pledge Member Join Date: May 2015 Real Name: Mike Location: Pacific Northwest Watch: 116610LV 16710 SD Posts: 10,653	Would be nice to have a picture of the watch?

23 May 2016, 10:11 AM	#11
speedolex Banned Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NYC Posts: 1,231	That's a 20mm Jubilee bracelet from the 80's, and you're not too stressed over authenticity which means low price, and you're referring to configirability, so I'm guessing it's a SS Datejust.

24 May 2016, 12:32 PM	#13
speedolex Banned Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NYC Posts: 1,231	Nice! I own the same model, just a decade earlier, it's a beauty, congrats!

24 May 2016, 01:40 PM	#16
springer 2024 SubLV41 Pledge Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Real Name: jP Location: Texas Watch: GMT-MASTER Posts: 17,319	Love the box, great packing by someone. __________________ Member of NAWCC since 1990. INSTAGRAM USER NAME: SPRINGERJFP Visit my Instagram page to view some of the finest vintage GMTs anywhere - as well as other vintage classics.

24 May 2016, 04:41 PM	#17
avirom "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: israel Posts: 123	can i ask you how much it cost?

25 May 2016, 08:08 AM	#18
RHJ 2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: here Watch: 214270 Mk1 Posts: 924	Was worth the risk ... Good Job! __________________ here to learn

25 May 2016, 08:10 AM	#19
droptopman "TRF" Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Real Name: Mark Location: Washington State Watch: SUBS and GMT's! Posts: 9,664	Congrats. Always liked that refernce. I sold a 16014 with linen dial not long ago. I miss it

25 May 2016, 08:42 AM	#20
Charlie3755 Banned Join Date: Aug 2014 Real Name: Mark Location: USA Posts: 974	Congrats. Nice looking DJ. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

25 May 2016, 09:05 AM	#21
Tan "TRF" Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Canada Watch: PP 5320G Posts: 1,259	Congrats, what a classic!

25 May 2016, 10:42 AM	#22
thomaspp "TRF" Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: N/A Posts: 11,137	looking good! __________________ Instagram: @watches_anonymous

25 May 2016, 11:01 AM	#23
cocopeep "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: PA Watch: DJ 116234 Posts: 510	wow very nice DJ! I have one similar where it just says t-swiss-t and not swiss made, so I assume this is early 1980's?

25 May 2016, 02:38 PM	#24
gtnator 2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: USA Watch: DSSD, SD43, Pepsi, Posts: 2,084	Great pickup. Congrats Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

25 May 2016, 02:55 PM	#25
Richard Carver "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: US Posts: 2,237	Oh yes, eBay, late at night, fantastic price, BIN, foreign country, low transaction number, whattaya gonna do?? Pull the trigger of course! LOL, too much fun... ...all the way from sunny Columbia!

25 May 2016, 03:06 PM	#26
yannis "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Real Name: Yannis Location: Europe Watch: maniac Posts: 9,070	Congrats! __________________ Rolex Submariner 116610LV \| Tudor 79220N DSSD MEMBERS - OWNERS CLUB

26 May 2016, 04:04 AM	#27
mementomori1983 "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 667	Incoming Vintage (Impulse Buy)!! Thanks all! The eBay seller had 10k+ feedbacks, which were overwhelmigly positive, so I felt pretty good about pulling the trigger on this (not mention all the eBay protections for buyers). Seems like they don't specialize on watches, which likely explains the poor pics and why the watch was not cleaned. As for the price, the most I'm willing to say publicly is that it was listed for what you'd expect on a DJ without a bracelet. Just got it back from a local watchmaker for sizing. He couldn't remove the pin on the first link that's connected to the clasp using a screwdriver, so he had to drill through the pin hole to get it out. Most likely it was due to an aftermarket pin. So far no other issues aside from that. No complaints, given what I paid! Here it is in natural light. The dial is very "warm", has lots of character, it almost looks bronze in certain angles. Absolutely loving the patina on the lume plots and hands. This is going to be on my wrist for a long time!

26 May 2016, 04:16 AM	#28
Meme-Dweller Banned Join Date: May 2015 Location: TX Watch: Meme-Dweller Posts: 498	Nice pick up!

26 May 2016, 06:05 AM	#29
superstarmar Banned Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: In Motion Watch: my wrist presence Posts: 7,436	Congrats !!! Looks fantastic !!! Now I want one ....

26 May 2016, 06:11 AM	#30
brandrea 2024 SubLV41 Pledge Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Real Name: Brian (TBone) Location: canada Watch: es make me smile Posts: 78,076	Congratulations

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)