Help getting rid of my Rolex Submariner

i spent the last two decades collecting and buying and selling mechanical watches. was a big (pre-tag)heuer collector, and mainly vintage chronographs. even still have a nice collection compared to watch collectors.


a rolex holds it's value pretty well over time. especially stainless sub. yours is a stainless sub? put it in the safe, wait for the next couple of price increases from rolex to come out.....then get online to timezone watch forum or one of the rolex collector sites and sell it. some rolex watch fanatic will pay for a barely worn lnib rolex sub for a massive discount compared to a brand new one, and will be happy handing over the money to do it.

shelf it in the safe for a couple of years and watch how much it brings back to you in value. i've done it myself more than a dozen times.

if you need the cash now, hit the watch sites and look for the going rate for your model in the condition it's in and put it up for sale on the rolex fanatic sites. make sure you find the boxes and papers and include them in the deal cause it will bring more money....and when comparing other subs to yours only compare complete packages. you'd be surprised how much the original boxes and papers bring extra. all watches are different though the rolex might not bring the kinda money the heuers do.....but it will help prove it's the real deal, not a high end fake to the buyer. sell it as as no warranty, mechanical things can break, this runs and works now, you are on your own once the package leaves me, etc. make them send you the money first, make sure it's good funds not a bad check or fake cashier's check, etc. once you know the money is there, ship it out usps insured for the full value, signed delivery receipt, etc. packaged in protecting galore from crushes, drops, tosses, etc. in other words cover your rear end to the full. do not use ups or fedex. they have a limit of like a couple hundred bucks no matter how much you claimed on the insurance section it's worth. sit back and enjoy. it's easier than it sounds. it's the dollars worrying you, as it should, but in the watch world.....10k isn't huge money. not little money, but not huge. it's all relative. guys buy and sell 20k watches all the time.
 
Rolex sub is a nice watch. I had mine for 15 yrs and it's still going strong. Had it refurbished about 6 yrs ago. Maybe will send it off in another 3. I go to work in t and shorts. This watch goes with everything.

Pete
 
Wear it and enjoy it. That model is built to handle everyday wearing, just have it serviced thru Rolex every 3-4 years. If you do decide to sell it hear you could find a trustworthy member willing to serve as the "middleman". The watch gets sent to him, the money sent to him and then he sends the watch to the buyer and money to the seller.
 
Try Bernard Watch. You can look at their website and find out what they will pay. They have a chart that will give you their high and low price. You can also look up Paul Duggan Jewlers out of Boston. Be forwarned that you'll get around half of what you paid. Did you buy it from an authorized Rolex dealer? That helps a lot. It will also bring you more if you have the boxes with the manual and all the paper work. I have bought and sold to both guys. The best way to ship it is FedEx overnight with insurance. I do it all the time. Keep in mind that watches are like cars. As soon as you walk out the door; it's worth about half. You also might do better if you trade it for something else from the same dealer. If you try to sell it outright you'll be insulted by the offers you get. If you have any questions feel free to email me and I'll help you. I know most of the good guys as well as the bad. I've been buying and selling Rolex's for a number of years.That being said; I would wear it. They are great watches and are built like tanks. If you take care of it, it will last you a life time. If you need to have it serviced don't send it to Rolex unless it's still under warranty. They clean it up, lube it and charge you around $800-$1000. And that is the base price, if it needs parts hold on to your shorts because you are going to have a heart attack. I know several guys that will treat you fairly and only charge for what it needs.
 
Forgot something. Get your money FIRST before you ship it. Be careful about giving someone more than a few hours to exam it. There are many people that will swap out the movement for a cheap Chinese or Japanese movement and then send it back to you for a refund. You won't know the difference until you take it in for service and by that time it's too late. There are some very good replicas out there that even dealers can't tell the difference until they open it so be very careful as far as trading. Stick with very reliable dealers that will furnish you with "real" reference's. Again, if you are leary about a dealer let me know and I can have them checked out in minutes. DON'T send it to anyone out of the country because you'll probably never see it or your money again.
 
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I have sold a number of Rolexes, Omegas, Bell & Ross, etc. on eBay over the years and I have always felt that I got fair $ for them. Any dealer is going to try and automatically build in their re-sale margin, and then try to beat you down from there. At least on eBay you will have end users who are comparing your asking price to retail competing against the dealers. For a highly desired piece like a Submariner you will do well on eBay if you take good pictures and tell your story.

Good luck.
 
Hey Rob, as others have stated before, I'd join a watch specific forum like watchuseek or TRF (therolexforums). I've been a member at both for a long time and they are both quite trustworthy (TRF would seem to suite your needs a little more). I had a Vintage GMT Master II and while it was a lovely watch, it was just too much money for me to have on my wrist at 21, even though it was fully insured. So I have three suggestions for you:

1. Keep it, maybe it will grown on you a bit and you can pass it down to your son.
2. Trade it on either of the watch forums stated above for a watch of lesser, yet still substantial value (say, a $3500 sub etc with additional cash to you obviously)
3. Sell it outright on one of the forums. I did a quick check for Sub Cs (assumed thats what you have) on TRF and BNIB pieces range from 7500-8200 currently, and used about 6-7k

Spend some time on TRF. Start a few threads or so looking for advice. There are many trustworthy fellows there who know rolex inside and out. I would definitely steer clear of jewelers and the like because a Rolex depreciates substantially, like a new car - no one will give you anywhere close to market prices.

EDIT: jbmonkey has a valid point, while Rolexes do appreciate over time (literally only the stainless models), that generally applies to models which are no longer produced. Rolex is notorious for periodic price increases and so a newer watch like yours will eventually appreciate but not significantly nor very quickly.

Anyways, just my two cents.
 
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wolfmann601 said:
Wear it and enjoy it. That model is built to handle everyday wearing, just have it serviced thru Rolex every 3-4 years.
Click to expand...

Rolex servicing is, what, $500 a pop? It's worth factoring this in. Especially as quite a few independents (not to mention Seiko and maybe Citizen) make equally nice mechanical watches at a thousand dollars or less. And servicing them is much cheaper.
 
I'm a 27 year vintage Rolex collector. Buy and sell in gray markets. My objective isn't money, however I've always stayed ahead financially. Unless you need money, you're probably best off wearing and enjoying the new watch. As painful as it is, keep it professionally maintained and never polish the casing. 20 years future, the watch will have appreciated and new models will seem cost prohibitive. Rolex sport watches typically appreciate faster than dress watches and specific models of each appreciate faster and to higher levels than others.
 
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You are willing to lose a couple thousand because you are afraid to wear it?

How about keeping it and not losing anything? Many people have expensive watches they do not wear, just like expensive knives they never use.

Keep it brother..... you are going to kick yourself for selling it once you stop being afraid.

Or better yet trade it for an awesome knife ;)
 
I would keep it and wear it.I see them for sell over on watchuseek forum for around the 4 to 5 grand mark.
I have also seen people post that they have been wearing them everyday in real life for 25 plus years with no signs of damage.
 
I'd keep it and wear it. I bought a used Submariner Datejust over 20 years ago for $1600 and it still runs like a champ. I've sent it to Rolex one time for a reconditioning and I guarantee I could get more for it than I have in it.
 
Wear the watch. It's built to take it (it is after all a dive watch) and probably 99% who own one don't dive. I own 2 Panerai watches and don't dive with either and not afraid to wear them.

Selling across borders is a hassle and you would probably need to purchase separate insurance as most delivery companies only insure up to $1000 (although some will take money to cover up to $5000). They won't pay out if something happens.

If your not sure how to sell on line. Don't. They are many scams out there and a new seller could easily get screwed and lose both the watch and the money.

Retailers, pawn shops etc. are going to pay you the least or as little as possible. Check out some watch forums and see if anybody in your area has GTG"S (get-togethers) where watch friendly people meet up. Should be able to do a private deal with someone.

DON
 
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