Rolex Articles
Vintage Rolex Watches

There aren’t a lot of things you can purchase these days that retain their value, but buying any model of Rolex wristwatch is an investment that will continue to increase in value as the years pass.

Rolex wristwatches are beautiful pieces of jewellery with guaranteed accuracy and are available in different models that are specifically designed for different purposes.  For example, the vintage Sea Dweller (replaced by the Deep Sea Dweller) was designed for people who enjoy deep-sea skin diving adventures, whereas the now vintage GMT (replaced by the GMT Master) was designed with features that are popular with aviation enthusiasts.

Since the Rolex Company doesn’t create new models but, instead, prefers to improve and update current models, the older ones quickly become “vintage” timepieces and their popularity and value continually increase.

If you are in the market for a reliable wristwatch that shows your particular taste and style, you cannot go wrong with a vintage Rolex of any model because, no matter which model appeals to you, it appeals to others also, which means that you will always be able to resell your Rolex watch, especially when your particular model is no longer being produced or has been replaced with an updated version.

Because Rolex wristwatches are so popular and in high demand, you should always keep the original box and paperwork that came with your Rolex watch of any model, since having those original materials when you resell your watch makes them even more valuable, especially vintage Rolex models.


Facts About Rolex Watches

Whenever you think about high quality wristwatches, the Rolex brand automatically comes to mind.  These popular and very expensive timepieces have become synonymous with success and the wealth that accompanies it.    

Rolex watches are now undoubtedly the most sought after watches in the world, but it wasn’t until the “yuppie movement” that began in the 1980’s that Rolex watches became incredibly expensive.  The decade of the 80’s produced a plethora of young people who graduated from college with degrees that enabled them to obtain well-paying jobs and those young people wanted to display their new-found success and did so by purchasing and proudly wearing “flashy bling” and Rolex watches are the epitome of “bling.”   

The demand for Rolex watches created by young people during the 80’s resulted in increased prices for the popular timepieces, as well as manufacturers of many fake imposter replicas of the watches.  In 1981, you could purchase a “Datejust” Rolex watch for around £900 but, by 1991, the price for that same model, with few changes/improvements, skyrocketed to about £2350.

Besides the “bling” factor, Rolex watches are popular because many people incorrectly believe they are all “hand-made.”  Rolexes are mass-produced by machinery (patented by Rolex) and they turn out about a million watches every year.  Another misconception is that Rolex watches are the most accurate of watches, but they are only as accurate as almost any other watch and their popularity and value rests in the product name and the jewellery factor that Rolex watches represent.

An interesting, mostly unknown, fact about Rolex watches is that it is a non-profit company that is owned by two family trusts that give a fixed amount of money to the members of the founding families every year, but the “profits” of the Rolex brand go to charitable organizations whose focus are high school education and the training of watchmakers.

A distinguishing element of Rolex watches is the Serial Number that appears on all of them at “12 o’clock,” between the lugs and under the bracelet.  Each Rolex Serial Number consists of one alphabetic letter, followed by six numerical digits.  The letter represents the time period during which the watch was manufactured and the remaining numbers in the Serial Number represent different qualities of the watch, including the model type, the bezel (or rim) and the composition of materials used to manufacture the watch, but only the Rolex company can define the qualities that each digit in a Rolex watch Serial Number represents.

A popular feature of Rolex watches is the “perpetual movement” that each watch contains, which is invisible to the wearer and accessible only by Rolex dealer watchmakers who use special tools to access the mechanism.  This perpetual movement mechanism is renown for its chronometric performance and is considered a work of art, available in a variety of shapes, colors and surfaces.

The perpetual movement in Rolex watches means that the watch does not include a battery or require manual winding but, instead, receives its power from motion supplied by the movement of the arm and wrist on which the watch is worn.   

All Rolex watches are certified for accuracy in time keeping by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (“COSC”), which is the organization that certifies the precision and accuracy of all Swiss-manufactured wristwatches.  Watch movements that are certified by COSC are accurate from –4 to +6 seconds a day and anything within that range is considered accurate.

Although Rolex watches are expensive timepieces, they are reliable, accurate and durable watches that will continue operating perfectly for many years with very little ongoing maintenance.  Rolex was the first watch manufacturer to create waterproof watches and it is advisable to have your watch pressure-tested and inspected annually by a Rolex dealer or respectable watchmaker to ensure that the case of the wristwatch is still waterproof, especially if it’s a diver’s watch.

You can clean your Rolex watch using simple hand soap and water.  Although many people who own Rolex watches never have them serviced, it is advisable to do so at least every five to seven years, depending on the model, its environment and the amount of use the watch endures.  In extreme or harsh hot or cold environments, it is not uncommon for the oils and case gaskets within the watch to dry-out.  

It is very important that you utilize only an experienced Rolex jeweller for servicing your watch to ensure that it contains only authentic Rolex parts because using other manufacturer’s parts will ultimately damage the watch.

It’s easy to see why the Rolex brand of wrist watches is the most desirable of timepieces and, if you are lucky enough to have one, it is advisable that you maintain it regularly in order to sustain its functionality, as well as its value, for many years to come.  

Dream-Watches Blog

Keep up to date with all the latest Rolex & Watch industry news

visit our blog

Howard S

've bought and sold with Dream-watches on several occasions over th...

more customer comments
© Dream Watches