Reply With Quote1982....Omega....could have got one of these.....
Last year an old neighbour of mine, Nev, who I've known since I was a kid (I can remember watching the 1970 world cup at their house, cos they had a colour TV..), he said his Rolex was losing a lot of time and he was tired of constantly having to correct it. I recommended a watch maker I' seen mentioned on here, and sure enough his Rolex was soon back and keeping good time.
The problem? It hadn't been serviced since Nev bought it... in 1982!
I managed to borrow it for a few minutes to take a few photos, when I also learned of the day Nev bought it from the local AD. They were having a 50% sale off Omegas, but Nev didn't want an Omega, he wanted a Rolex, and with a bit of haggling, he got it for the grand sum of £265 against the rrp of around £400. Cant imagine getting that much off at an AD these days.
The watch maker who serviced the watch offered to buy it for £4000, which was a surprise as Nev had no idea it could be worth that. Forfunately he kept this Rolex.
Here it is, full B&P, all tags, spare links, even the original invoice..
1982....Omega....could have got one of these.....
Cool storythanks for sharing.
£4k would have shown a significant profit on his original purchase - wow!
One must wonder why he chose the Rolex over the Omega?!! LolOriginally Posted by Der Amf
1982....Omega....could have got one of these.....
But, but, but, aren't you supposed to spend 1000 quid every 5 years to service the things?
Seems like he got lucky, that thing is almost as dependable as a Seiko.
Love these kind of story's
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
It reminds me of a Citroen that got traded in at the garage. It was in reasonable condition, especially as it had nearly 250,000 miles on the clock, and the engine ran very well.
When asked for it's service history, "Never had one".
Or when the oil was last changed, "I just put fuel in it and drive".
It sometimes makes you wonder how much products really need servicing?
Putting £265 in the bank in 1982 and compounding it at a very generous 6% annually would tot up to about £1,700 now.
How much is one of those worth now?1982....Omega....could have got one of these.....
Very interesting story. Thanks for sharing.👍
Although I like Omega just as much, good job on picking the Rolex instead. No wonder the guy wanted to buy off of him... It's worth even more since it has box and papers...
Cool Story
In a certain way it reminds me of my Rolex Date bought new in 1989 and never serviced until 2004.
I litterally used it 365 24/7 like a plastic Swatch for whatever a young man could do in his prime.
Two Rolex services later (2004,2013) is just like new and it's now my wife's beloved watch.
Last edited by tanatron; 27th July 2016 at 16:51. Reason: spelling
Superb story
A lovely watch and a lovely package. If it were mine I'd never sell it.
Personally, I prefer the Omega! I`ve never liked the GMT Rolex, especially that bezel.
In 1982 the fashion for the so-called sports watches was nowhere near as strong as it is today.
Paul
I was thinking the exact same thing!
Great story and does make you think about how often it is really necessary to service a decent watch.
Neil
That's bloody lovely. 4K is a lowball
Well I would normally go for the Omega too, but seriously, did you look at that photo??
Great story thanks for sharing. I love that rolex, shows how little they have changed-timeless classic and just shows it has the engine of a tractor.
Not exactly a Rolex sale story but similar from me. Back in 1987 I was finally earning decent money after being a poorly paid engineer for years and decided that I wanted to have a two tone Rolex. My girlfriend also liked the idea so I rang around a few AD's for a price, eventually the guy in Nottingham sounded actually interested in a sale (not like the others) and "for cash" i.e. credit card for a pair of his and hers he reduced the price by around 30% but on strict instruction that "you cant let Rolex know about this or I'll be in deep shit". The watch and girlfriend have long gone but the last time I checked a few years ago she was still wearing hers. I dont think anything like that would happen now.
Keith
Beautiful watch. Glad he didnt sell it!
Beautiful watch.
Re the sales, that was from the days when Rolex were seen as a very good watch but not the non-discountable behemoth they have become now.
Cheers,
Neil.
Circa £500
Was a GMT really only £400 In 1982?
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