DD36 (18238): What do you think of the condition?

[TomWambsgans]

Not sure if this belongs in the Vintage forum, so my apologies in advance if I got this wrong.


Thought I'd poll the experts on the condition of this 18238. I'm considering buying it.

[1William]

It looks good for what it is. Can you provide details on pricing and age and completeness of the watch.

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by 1William

It looks good for what it is. Can you provide details on pricing and age and completeness of the watch.

Sure. $18.5k. Box, hangtag, but no papers. A Serial. All links.

[0nly5iv3Digits]

Originally Posted by TomWambsgans

Sure. $18.5k. Box, hangtag, but no papers. A Serial. All links.

Nice condition (likely unpolished) but the ask is too much imo. Wouldn’t pay more than 14.5 for it, personally.

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by 0nly5iv3Digits

Nice condition (likely unpolished) but the ask is too much imo. Wouldn’t pay more than 14.5 for it, personally.

Wow. Where might I get a watch like this for $14.5k? I thought the bracelet in particular looked quite good and from what I've seen this price seemed on the high end, but not beyond the pale.

[yowlie]

18.5 should get a crown collection dial . . . .

[huncho]

Originally Posted by TomWambsgans

Wow. Where might I get a watch like this for $14.5k? I thought the bracelet in particular looked quite good and from what I've seen this price seemed on the high end, but not beyond the pale.

14.5 won't get you anything good, i think 16-17 is around the range for one in great condition. check out tropicalwatch (Jacek on this site), he primarily deals with vintage pieces in great condition

[TomWambsgans]

Thanks for the feedback. What about this one at $14.25k? It's older (R serial/1988), more stretch in the bracelet, has been polished.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by TomWambsgans

Thanks for the feedback. What about this one at $14.25k? It's older (R serial/1988), more stretch in the bracelet, has been polished.

That one is short 2 links. Subtract $600 for that. I’d pay $13k for that one not a penny more.

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by ronricks

That one is short 2 links. Subtract $600 for that. I’d pay $13k for that one not a penny more.

Thanks. I totally missed that.

[mobster600]

Condition is everything. If you find an older watch in excellent condition its going to go for a premium. If you dont want to pay up for a really nice condition watch, then dont buy this. If condition doesnt matter to you, yes you can find an 18238 for less

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by mobster600

Condition is everything. If you find an older watch in excellent condition its going to go for a premium. If you dont want to pay up for a really nice condition watch, then dont buy this. If condition doesnt matter to you, yes you can find an 18238 for less

I totally agree, and generally want a 18238 that is in exceptional condition, especially when it comes to the bracelet. Just wanted to check with people whether this watch met the "exceptional condition" bar.

[KY..]

Is it possible to get a better price on the first one in the 15-16k range?
Remember, neither have a special dial as the gold/champagne stick dial is very common and have no added value.

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by KY..

Is it possible to get a better price on the first one in the 15-16k range?
Remember, neither have a special dial as the gold/champagne stick dial is very common and have no added value.

Highly, highly unlikely. Reputable dealer, doesn't really haggle.

[Kingsking]

You can get one on 47th street for 12k , same condition

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by Kingsking

You can get one on 47th street for 12k , same condition

There's no 47th street near me!

[illiguy]

Looks great, OP

[Daytonaman799]

An extra 1k for amazing condition is important. I would gladly pay a little more to get as close to super mint as possible.

[TomWambsgans]

Just as I start hunting a 18238 in earnest, the watch becomes popular with influencers and the like? Oh, hooray.

https://robbreport.com/style/watch-c...ng-1235871671/


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[rolex_DateJust]

I purchased my 18238 full set unpolished for $17.5 a few months back. You can definitely get one a bit cheaper but condition is what mattered to me and that’s what they were going for when I purchased mine. I highly doubt you’ll find a complete set in excellent condition for anything less than $15k like others have stated unless you’re a dealer buying wholesale or from someone who’s willing to let go of it for a steal. I may be wrong though if prices have gone down, I’m not sure since I haven’t been on top of the market lately since I purchased mine.

The first watch you posted is in decent shape, considering the year, and the bracelet is in great condition as well for the year. If they’re willing to drop the price a bit seeing it’s got everything else except the papers, I’m sure they’ll accept a reasonable offer from you.

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by rolex_DateJust

I purchased my 18238 full set unpolished for $17.5 a few months back. You can definitely get one a bit cheaper but condition is what mattered to me and that’s what they were going for when I purchased mine. I highly doubt you’ll find a complete set in excellent condition for anything less than $15k like others have stated unless you’re a dealer buying wholesale or from someone who’s willing to let go of it for a steal. I may be wrong though if prices have gone down, I’m not sure since I haven’t been on top of the market lately since I purchased mine.

The first watch you posted is in decent shape, considering the year, and the bracelet is in great condition as well for the year. If they’re willing to drop the price a bit seeing it’s got everything else except the papers, I’m sure they’ll accept a reasonable offer from you.

Thanks for the response. I've noticed prices creeping up and then I stumbled upon the article I linked above. Guess I'm not the only one who's noticed.

If you don't mind my asking, where did you find your 18238?


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[Zach69SS]

Op, I think, $15K is very fair for that DD 36, the condition very good, the bracelet looks good too. The asking price is a bit strong for what it is. but as I always say condition is everything and you may find something for less and the condition may not be the same.


So if you like the piece and price get it, don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.

Enjoy!

[investorcody91]

I have the same sentiments as others have shared. I think the condition is pretty good but for that price I think you could do better.

[TomWambsgans]

Thanks all for the feedback. I don't know whether the watch is unpolished but I assume it is and the bracelet looks pretty good to my admittedly untrained eye.

Comparison shopping for similar-ish watches, I found similarly high prices for unpolished watches being sold without box/papers, which made me view this one as priced on the high end of the band, but not absurdly.

1. 18038, tapestry dial. Unpolished. No box, no papers. $22k.

2. 18238, black dial. Unpolished. No box, no papers. $25k.

3. 18238, champagne dial. Presumably polished, no word on bracelet, no box, no papers. Three on this site (Bob's) at this price in this configuration. $18k.


Etc.

I'll propose a small discount to the dealer tomorrow and see what that gets me.

[springer]

Originally Posted by TomWambsgans

Thanks all for the feedback. I don't know whether the watch is unpolished but I assume it is and the bracelet looks pretty good to my admittedly untrained eye.

Comparison shopping for similar-ish watches, I found similarly high prices for unpolished watches being sold without box/papers, which made me view this one as priced on the high end of the band, but not absurdly.

1. 18038, tapestry dial. Unpolished. No box, no papers. $22k.

2. 18238, black dial. Unpolished. No box, no papers. $25k.

3. 18238, champagne dial. Presumably polished, no word on bracelet, no box, no papers. Three on this site (Bob's) at this price in this configuration. $18k.


Etc.

I'll propose a small discount to the dealer tomorrow and see what that gets me.

Wind Vintage is out-of-touch with market prices. Way over-priced.

Pricing - Nice 18038 sets, $14,000-$16,000, nice 18238 sets $16,000-$18,000. Of course prices are based on condition, dial color, bracelet condition, type of dial and the link count. Watches with shorted links should have at least $300 per link deducted from the asking price and watches with excessively stretched bracelets should be avoided.

[TomWambsgans]

Originally Posted by springer

Wind Vintage is out-of-touch with market prices. Way over-priced.

Pricing - Nice 18038 sets, $14,000-$16,000, nice 18238 sets $16,000-$18,000. Of course prices are based on condition, dial color, bracelet condition, type of dial and the link count. Watches with shorted links should have at least $300 per link deducted from the asking price and watches with excessively stretched bracelets should be avoided.

Appreciate your advice. What about Bob's?


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[springer]

Originally Posted by TomWambsgans

Appreciate your advice. What about Bob's?


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There are plenty of reviews for Bob's on the forum. Try the Who's Who section and the Watchout section.

Below is a starter thread for you.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthre...highlight=bobs

[ROlesorusLEX]

Originally Posted by TomWambsgans

Appreciate your advice. What about Bob's?


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Bob's also has a nasty habit of holding links and not giving you the full set of them. Caveat emptor.

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[huncho]

Originally Posted by TomWambsgans

Thanks all for the feedback. I don't know whether the watch is unpolished but I assume it is and the bracelet looks pretty good to my admittedly untrained eye.

Comparison shopping for similar-ish watches, I found similarly high prices for unpolished watches being sold without box/papers, which made me view this one as priced on the high end of the band, but not absurdly.

1. 18038, tapestry dial. Unpolished. No box, no papers. $22k.

2. 18238, black dial. Unpolished. No box, no papers. $25k.

3. 18238, champagne dial. Presumably polished, no word on bracelet, no box, no papers. Three on this site (Bob's) at this price in this configuration. $18k.


Etc.

I'll propose a small discount to the dealer tomorrow and see what that gets me.

those prices are ridiculous and all 3 are in poor condition, i wouldn't even entertain pursuing any of them personally. also, as for bobs, i would never buy a vintage watch off them without seeing it in person. they always overpolish everything

like i mentioned before, reach out to Jacek at https://tropicalwatch.com/. for these kinds of watches it's much better to deal with dealers that specialize in them, you might have to wait a bit but he'll get you a mint example for 15-17k. patience is everything with vintage watches because that market is a minefield and you don't know what to look out for because you can't just compare listings to the rolex website. it's a very easy market to screw up a purchase in and have regrets (speaking from experience)

just scroll through the 18238s that were recently sold and you'll see the ones he deals with are in amazing condition and night and day compared to the ones above, and at fair prices - https://tropicalwatch.com/watches/search?q=18238

[springer]

My advice would be to forget the 18238. I was hung up on the double quick set model at one time and then, one day it hit me. I sure as hell don't need a model with a quick-set day feature. Why? Because I rarely, if ever, wake up in the morning and not know what day it is.

While it is nice to have the quick-set date feature, I realized the quick-set day feature was unnecessary and not a requirement when looking to purchase my next Day-Date.

I also realized that an 18038 model is significantly less expensive than the 18238 model which is an added bonus.

So, I set out to find a nice 18038 which I eventually found. It was a super nice, a one owner model and was recently service by Rolex. Additionally it had the very rare black pyramid dial that really had a nice nice. This would be my second pyramid dialed Day-Date, the first one having the creme dial which is much more common.

So, that's my advice, take it or leave it. Good luck with the hunt and enjoy whatever you decide. jP