Maintaining vintage Rolex watches in their original condition hasn’t always been a top priority for any but the most discerning collectors. But in more recent years patina and originality has come to be highly prized, with even the once-routine act of polishing a watch now frowned upon by most owners of Rolex watches that are anything but brand new.
Redefining Vintage: How the Definition of Collectible Rolexes Has Evolved
Even the very definition of “vintage” has changed in the last decade. Whereas such pieces were once loosely defined as being 30 years old or more, now the broader scope of “vintage” tends to begin more at the 20-year mark, with what are now more commonly known as “collectible” Rolexes, such as the Rolex Kermit watch with the so-called “Flat 4” bezel on the 16610LV Submariner.
Featuring inserts that were only fitted to the earliest examples in the first years of the 16610LV’s production, the “Flat 4” bezels were later altered by Rolex to what is known as the “Sharp 4” with a better-defined numeral. We have a complete Flat 4 vs Sharp 4 bezel guide where you can learn more. Increasingly, little quirks like these have grown into their own niche amongst collectors of “neo-vintage” or “modern classic” timepieces made by Rolex.
The Risks of Servicing: How Authentic Updates Can Devalue Your Rolex
However, it is easy to devalue these watches, and vintage and collectible Rolexes in general, by insensitive servicing and inadvisable updates. To be sure, Rolex’s own service center has for many years been the source of downgrades to the value of such watches by polishing and swapping out for incorrect or non-original “service” dials, bezels, hands, etc. In an effort to make the watches “as good as new” much of their intrinsic value was lost along the way.
This is why you might notice a preponderance of service dials in Rolex’s new coffee table book on the Submariner. Serious collectors might avoid them like the plague, but making such changes has long been a matter of company policy; nor will Rolex return the original parts to you if you send in your watch to be serviced and said parts are replaced as part of the process.
Expert Advice: Paul Altieri’s Tips for Preserving Vintage Rolex Timepieces
“For any vintage or collectible Rolex timepiece, I would highly suggest keeping it all original – including but not limited to the dial, hands, and bezel,” says Paul Altieri, founder and CEO of Bob’s Watches and one of the world’s top Rolex collectors, noted for the all-original, impeccable condition of his important pieces. “And I also suggest that you do not polish the case of the watch.”
As for the bracelet, Altieri says that this is less critical, and can be polished or restored as necessary, although preferably not replaced. All too often, however, “we see watches come in where the hands, dial or bezel have been replaced, or the watches have been heavily polished, and it’s sad because they are no longer original and have lost significant value. These are important pieces of Rolex’s history and should be treated as such.”
A Significant Investment: Why Alterations Can Be Detrimental to Collectible Rolexes
Purchasing collectible vintage Rolex for sale is a significant investment these days, and it simply does not make sense to inflict what is essentially damage upon such precious timepieces by making any alterations, upgrades or “improvements” that will leave them useless in the eyes of many collectors.
