It’s been a while since I had some time to post something on the blog…
As vintage Rolex prices are on the rise and the watches are becoming more and more expensive I was thinking to myself : what will the young collector or the enthusiast without a $50000 budget do now?
Vintage Daytona with screw pushers are now well over $33000 and with full sets fetch close to $50000… I know it for a fact. I am not talking about Paul Newman dials, I am talking about classic Big Reds and Sigma dials.
The pump pusher models are well above $20-25k.
Prices have sky rocketed since September for Daytonas, I am not able to buy for what I sold for  and the specimens are fewer and fewer to be found in the proper conditions. Today, only the best sells fast and everybody wants it.
What is beautiful about this business is that it’s very similar to the Gems I’ve been selling since I was 18 years old. What is unearthed from the ground (in this case from drawers and safes) is what’s available. There is no endless pit of beautiful vintage Rolexes… These are the Burma Sapphires and Golconda diamonds of the future!
Ok so now I am a Rolex addict and want a Daytona for myself but I do not have even $30k to spend , what am I to do? Wait for the next recession? Wait for the next market crash?
My suggestion is to start focusing on Rolex Zenith Daytonas and along with them all the beautiful late 80s Rolex Sport production. The golden era for Rolex in my opinion.
Perhaps I am in love with that time period because I grew up in the 80s and I want to go back to that era where my parents were together and I was a privileged kid going to St Moritz on vacation..
Sapphire crystals and tritium dials: a sexy combination in my opinion! We see them on the 5513 white gold surround markers, on the 16700 GMTs , on the 16550 explorers , on the 16760 fat lady.. A lot of cool watches out there from this era that haven’t captured yet the craze and the insane values. Though, they are a real joy to wear and real easy + durable as the sapphire crystal is built to last and the cases are super fat.
The early Daytonas R serials and L serials with the special floating and 4 line  dials + 200-225 bezels are really sexy and must be fetched now , before it becomes crazy!
Well, this is what I’m starting to seek and acquire for my loyal clientele.
I hope we can all enjoy these watches and wear them with the same thoughtlessness and abundance of the late 80s, an era that I wish I could feel again!
Below find some pics  from this website depicting late 80s Rolex models.
