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Thread: Advice on selling the wife's Rolex (yes, she knows!)

  1. #1

    Advice on selling the wife's Rolex (yes, she knows!)

    My wife has a bi-metal lady datejust she bought in 1999 - bi-metal case & jubilee bracelet & (I think) champagne diamond dial (I could be wrong about the colour). She hasn't worn it for (probably) 15 years, and has decided to sell it and gift the cash to daughter number 1, who is saving hard for a house deposit. Because she thinks I know everything about watches, she's asked me to advise her on where to sell / what she should anticipate getting for it. The problem is that I know very little about Rolex, and what I do know tends to be on the steel sports models. So here I am, with one of those "best place to sell" & "what's it worth" threads. Any help appreciated!

    Some info that will probably be pertinent

    1) She purchased it new in 1999 from a jeweller in Warrington. The sales receipt is included (hand written for a "Lds Rolex B/watch" at £3520)
    2) I believe it is a 179173 (the punched guarantee papers have a sticker on the front with "79173" on them
    3) She has the original box, hangtag, Swiss Chronometer tag, red Rolex wallet with guarantee book & calendar (for years 2000 & 2001)
    4) the watch has not been serviced & so a service will need to be factored in
    5) cosmetic condition - my wife isn't as precious with her watches as I am, and looking at it under a lupe I can see lots of dings / scratches. It has never been re-finished, so I would anticipate a service and case / bracelet finish at Rolex would bring it back to pristine.

    It will need a service / case finish. Does anyone know (roughly) what Rolex would charge for that on this watch?

    I'm unsure whether the best course of action would simply to sell it to the trade as it is, rather than bother getting it serviced and then trying to realise a higher price to cover the cost of the service.

    So any suggestions - on both where to sell, but also whether a service before hand is a good idea.

    Sorry to be so vague, but as I said in the opening paragraph, these are really not my thing!

  2. #2
    No idea but my daughter is looking for one like that. If the hive mind here can come up with price I might be interested.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Toshi View Post
    My wife has a bi-metal lady datejust she bought in 1999 - bi-metal case & jubilee bracelet & (I think) champagne diamond dial (I could be wrong about the colour). She hasn't worn it for (probably) 15 years, and has decided to sell it and gift the cash to daughter number 1, who is saving hard for a house deposit. Because she thinks I know everything about watches, she's asked me to advise her on where to sell / what she should anticipate getting for it. The problem is that I know very little about Rolex, and what I do know tends to be on the steel sports models. So here I am, with one of those "best place to sell" & "what's it worth" threads. Any help appreciated!

    Some info that will probably be pertinent

    1) She purchased it new in 1999 from a jeweller in Warrington. The sales receipt is included (hand written for a "Lds Rolex B/watch" at £3520)
    2) I believe it is a 179173 (the punched guarantee papers have a sticker on the front with "79173" on them
    3) She has the original box, hangtag, Swiss Chronometer tag, red Rolex wallet with guarantee book & calendar (for years 2000 & 2001)
    4) the watch has not been serviced & so a service will need to be factored in
    5) cosmetic condition - my wife isn't as precious with her watches as I am, and looking at it under a lupe I can see lots of dings / scratches. It has never been re-finished, so I would anticipate a service and case / bracelet finish at Rolex would bring it back to pristine.

    It will need a service / case finish. Does anyone know (roughly) what Rolex would charge for that on this watch?

    I'm unsure whether the best course of action would simply to sell it to the trade as it is, rather than bother getting it serviced and then trying to realise a higher price to cover the cost of the service.

    So any suggestions - on both where to sell, but also whether a service before hand is a good idea.

    Sorry to be so vague, but as I said in the opening paragraph, these are really not my thing!
    As for the value, the price can vary widely based on condition, market demand, and whether it comes with all the original paperwork and box. Given the dings and scratches, you might want to factor in the cost of servicing and finishing the case/bracelet, which can range from £500 to £1,000 depending on the service center.

  4. #4
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
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    For one in good condition serviced - maybe £4500 after fees is a bit of a wild guess - looking at chrono24 - but then you’d need to have it serviced?

    Is the bracelet stretched? If so maybe it needs re-pinning. Maybe not an issue if not worn for 15 years!

    For a quick quote you could try Watchfinder.co.uk as is send a few pictures to them and they turn around quite quickly. Same for Blowers. Subdial could sell on commission but there fees have jumped recently. The I doubt you could redress the cost of a service if selling to the trade.

    Privately it would sell for more and I’d get it serviced and leave it stickered and try that way. Looks like you have a buyer above! Good luck. My wife has one similar and treats it like a beater - keeps excellent time.
    Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 3rd February 2025 at 22:29.
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  5. #5
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    Condition of the bracelet will influence the price, if it has a lot of stretch (wear in the pins) that isn't good, rebuilding these bracelets is specialised and not cheap. Best not to wear them out, dirt and loose fitting are the chief causes.

  6. #6
    Thanks guys. I've just spoken to Rolex St James who have quoted me £695 for a full service (including case & bracelet refinish), so if she decides to go the private sale route that's actually less than I was anticipating. They said they would be able to turn it around in 3-4 weeks too - I was expecting a longer wait.

    Watchfinder have offered £4950 to purchase it, but obviously they will want to give it a full service (and speaking to them this morning that will knock approx £300 off that price, so £4650). I'll get some photos taken and send them in to a few other dealers (watches.co.uk & Blowers) and see what they come back with, so she has an idea of what she can expect with a quick sale to the trade.

    Looking through the main dealers pages, prices for a 179173 with the champagne diamond dial are spread widely, from around £5500 at the bottom to over £7k at the top.

    I guess she has a decison to make

  7. #7
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Advice on selling the wife's Rolex (yes, she knows!)

    I don’t want to be a party pooper but I don’t think Rolex switched to six digit references until around 2005/6 so it probably is a five digit as per the tag you have.

    Bearing that in mind, I would be surprised if you achieved anywhere near the price quoted by Watchfinder, particularly with it needing a service.

    Also bear in mind that Chfono24 prices are dealer prices and private sales or selling to the trade will achieve a bit less.

    I’m no expert though and could be a mile away.

    Edit: I think I’m right about the model (79173) but not about the price. Watchfinder have four (but only three which are really comparable) starting at £5950 so I would expect their buy in the be in the £3-4k range if needing a service.
    Last edited by Dave+63; 4th February 2025 at 11:30.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by jkbenn02 View Post
    As for the value, the price can vary widely based on condition, market demand, and whether it comes with all the original paperwork and box. Given the dings and scratches, you might want to factor in the cost of servicing and finishing the case/bracelet, which can range from £500 to £1,000 depending on the service center.
    Did you read the post?

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    I don’t want to be a party pooper but I don’t think Rolex switched to six digit references until around 2005/6 so it probably is a five digit as per the tag you have.

    Bearing that in mind, I would be surprised if you achieved anywhere near the price quoted by Watchfinder, particularly with it needing a service.

    Also bear in mind that Chfono24 prices are dealer prices and private sales or selling to the trade will achieve a bit less.

    I’m no expert though and could be a mile away.

    Edit: I think I’m right about the model (79173) but not about the price. Watchfinder have four (but only three which are really comparable) starting at £5950 so I would expect their buy in the be in the £3-4k range if needing a service.
    Yes, I realised my mistake (I told you I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to Rolex ). The paperwork have it as a 79173, and apparently a 1999 watch will be either a 79173 or a 69173, so I think at least that question is now answered.

    The watchfinder quote was based on it being a 179173, so I've taken that off the table and re-submitted it to them. I'm also waiting for Milton's & watches.co.uk to reply to enquiries. By the end of the day I should have enough to have a chat with Mrs Toshi and see what she thinks

  10. #10
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gunner View Post
    Did you read the post?
    The post reads like an AI bot!
    “ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG

  11. #11
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    I don’t want to be a party pooper but I don’t think Rolex switched to six digit references until around 2005/6 so it probably is a five digit as per the tag you have.

    Bearing that in mind, I would be surprised if you achieved anywhere near the price quoted by Watchfinder, particularly with it needing a service.

    Also bear in mind that Chfono24 prices are dealer prices and private sales or selling to the trade will achieve a bit less.

    I’m no expert though and could be a mile away.

    Edit: I think I’m right about the model (79173) but not about the price. Watchfinder have four (but only three which are really comparable) starting at £5950 so I would expect their buy in the be in the £3-4k range if needing a service.
    expect trades to offer approx 50% of their sale prices, depends on rarety - TT DJ are not rare. :-(
    “ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG

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    Quote Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK) View Post
    The post reads like an AI bot!
    Exactly what I thought! You can sense it.

    As for the value of the watch, it's impossible to estimate without knowing the condition. It's a mistake to treat Rolex models as commodities, I see it often regarding the sports models. Two factors which will have a big influence are the condition of the bracelet (stretch) and the condition of the bezel. Both are expensive to replace and if the watch has had a 'busy' life there's a fair chance they'll not be good. Refinishing is straightforward but the end product after refinishing is influence by the condition, a watch can be cosmetically improved but it's a mistake to think water can be turned into wine. A bimetal Datejust with Jubilee bracelet is more challenging to restore than a steel Sub or Explorer 1.

    These watches are not well suited to 24/7 wear over a long period.
    Last edited by walkerwek1958; 4th February 2025 at 13:28.

  13. #13
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walkerwek1958 View Post

    These (bimetal jubilee) watches are not well suited to 24/7 wear over a long period.
    Please tell that to the wife! But then again, she enjoys wearing it constantly, it is scratched up and I think the bracelet is stretched. It stil keep excellent (superlative) time which is its primary function. What am I to argue.
    “ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG

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    Quote Originally Posted by walkerwek1958 View Post
    Exactly what I thought! You can sense it.

    As for the value of the watch, it's impossible to estimate without knowing the condition. It's a mistake to treat Rolex models as commodities, I see it often regarding the sports models. Two factors which will have a big influence are the condition of the bracelet (stretch) and the condition of the bezel. Both are expensive to replace and if the watch has had a 'busy' life there's a fair chance they'll not be good. Refinishing is straightforward but the end product after refinishing is influence by the condition, a watch can be cosmetically improved but it's a mistake to think water can be turned into wine. A bimetal Datejust with Jubilee bracelet is more challenging to restore than a steel Sub or Explorer 1.

    These watches are not well suited to 24/7 wear over a long period.
    Interesting post, thanks.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK) View Post
    The post reads like an AI bot!
    I thought the same but thought I'd apply Hanlon's razor...

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    Quote Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK) View Post
    Please tell that to the wife! But then again, she enjoys wearing it constantly, it is scratched up and I think the bracelet is stretched. It stil keep excellent (superlative) time which is its primary function. What am I to argue.
    Exactly that. Other half has her LDJ in for service at the moment. £730! Wears it every day. It's having a new glass/crystal fitted because the present one has some scratches on it. I didn't like to say the new one will be the same after a short while!
    Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.

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