Reading about Military spec Watches in Esquire's latest Watch Book(azine) and I was astonished to read that the Military spec Submariner would have been worth about the same as a standard Submariner of similar Vintage back in the early 1990s (approx £1500), whereas today the standard Sub would be £5-6k and the Mil Sub £100k !
Is this correct ?
In short yes!
As i understand it, numerous examples of the issued watches were turned back to civilian standard after they were released from the military in order to increase the value, this meant removing the fixed bars, changing the dial and hands and swapping out the bezel insert.
I actually think the Mil Sub version was worth less then. I remember looking at them back in the 90’s, not that I could afford anything like that then as £1500 was still a large amount, probably equivalent of £3500 now. Only a few dealers had or could get hold of a Mil Sub Rolex, most steered clear because of the fixed bars and more often than not beaten up. I don’t think in those days there was as much demand for military watches in the secondhand market. It was before the internet so there were a very limited number of places you could get such watches.
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I turned down a Rolex milSub in the mid-1990's for £1,500 because it was going to cost too much to get a new dial and bezel fitted, and to buy an Oyster bracelet. It subsequently sold at auction for £2,200, but found its way to me shortly after, and I happily paid £3,000 for it.
The words "hindsight" and "millionaires" spring to mind...
:-)
FTFY. HTH.Originally Posted by Mike Wood
:-)
Here are two from my collection, both the (even more) rare 5517 variant. The right hand one was purchased from Motosail in Weymouth where trays of surplus mil subs were sold off for - sigh - £50 or so. The purchaser's first one quickly proved faulty in some way and on returning to the store he was simply invited to pick another. Around 2009 he read in the press about my rather more expensive purchase of the watch on the left and made contact to see if I'd like another.
Both have maxi dials of course but when issued would correctly both have had bezels like the one on the left, with sword hands.
While writing of sword hands, I am rather pleased with this photo which I composed deliberately to expose only the letters SRR (Special Reconnaissance Regiment, for whose members an Explorer II would later be created):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specia...sance_Regiment
So much for successes. Mike, let us never tot up all the opportunities we've missed !
Haywood
Last edited by Haywood_Milton; 23rd October 2017 at 13:19.
Years ago things were very different....military watches cannabilised for parts because they were of much lesser value and all beaten up.Can't remember where I got this story from now but at a vintage watch show a customer dropped a rolex daytona and apologising went to pick it up only for the dealer stopping him and kicking it back under the stall.....wonder if it was a newman!
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Think I posted this before but here goes. In the early 90s I was relatively on my arse but scraped enough together for a week in a caravan with mrs & 1st born. On the way down to Hayling Is we stopped for a charity shops raid in Lymington as compared to sarf Londons emporia......
So, mrs & tot went one way, I was immediatley window lickin a jewellers window, previously enjoyed section naturally.
Wandered inside & got chatting to the host. A mention of old Subs had him out the back, returning wiv a freezer bag (!) bulging with milsubs, all on tatty natos.
He dealt with the RN Portsmouth so they were no real biggie for him.
Prices? Between £1000-£1500 each depending on condition!
Mortgage rates then around 15%, sole earner as a landscape gardener on the council with young family.........
Where IS that time machine going to be in the shops?
its what happens when you combine rarity and demand. relatively few made, even fewer have survived
I think that was in an interview with Jason Singer?
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