The first Rolex in our family: 79173J Datejust

[Mxvftc]

We just had a baby last month and it was our anniversary today so decided to surprise my wife with a Rolex...our first. We've both been Tag fans thus far, going for the younger sporty look.

Thanks in part to these forums, I found Kens Watches in HK as a good place to shop for a good, pre-owned Rolex. I also looked extensively at the inventory in Lung Shing centre and Kwaiyan watches. All of these have great internet sites to atleast narrow down what you want to look at. At Kwaiyan and kens you can call in advance and request them to bring certain models from their other branches...so quite user friendly.

I was only looking for watches which had papers and box. Although watches at Lung Shing were slightly cheaper (by an average of HKD1k), it did not generate much confidence because I dont speak Chinese, their knowledge of English was very limited and they refused to show me the papers before I agreed on a price (they also refused to negotiate any form of a discount on the marked prices). At Kwaiyan and Kens on the other hand, the staff was excellent and took the time to take me through each model, explain the various things, etc. finally narrowed down on a 79173J Datejust at Kens Central and a two-tone Yachtmaster at Kwaiyan Mong Kok. Then figured out that the Yachtmaster also had a pretty sporty look and quite similar to the Tags we had, so decided in favor of the 79173 as it seemed to have a bit more gravitas and better for formal occasions. Wasnt a big fan of the 'computer' gold dial, but I thought my wife would like it (and I was right). A little bling never hurt anyone :-). Got a deal after many entreaties to buy the watch for 32500HKD - an approximately 9% discount on the stated price. I would have gotten a better price if i had paid in cash. Can anyone tell me if they think I got a good price? The watch is from from 2004. Picture attached.

Was advised by Alex to get the watch checked over at the Rolex Service Centre for my peace of mind. Went over and within an hour had a free service estimate saying that the watch was impeccable and needed cleaning - which basically meant that the watch was an original. The lady at the counter in fact commented on how mint condition the watch was in. Peace of mind achieved, the watch was presented to my wife today who was suitably surprised and delighted :-). A search is on now for a watch for me!





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[vitalsignsrn]

Welcome! Congratulations on the baby and anniversary! The watch is a beauty. :-D
All the best in your search for yours. Its fun isn't it? LOL

[Eric Chan]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the Baby and the watch for your Wife! Happy hunting for your Rolex. It is going to be fun.

[MonBK]

Lovely watch, congrats and welcome

Forget about the price, you already bought it.

[Urosfan]

Welcome congrats

[sea-dweller]

Congrats!

[opaline460]

Congrats!

[tkerrmd]

Congrats

[sroh]

Congrats all the way around. Welcome to TRF!

[soho]

Congrats on the baby and the DJ.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BlakeC]

Originally Posted by MonBK

Lovely watch, congrats and welcome

Forget about the price, you already bought it.

This... And congrats on all the greats things you are experiencing right now. Rolex is the best way to celebrate and remember beautiful times in life IMHO.

[14060m]

Welcome
Congrats

[nick c]

Congrats!

[lipjin]

Welcome to the forums. Alex is a great guy to deal with - have dealt with him in the past and their service standards are pretty high. Congrats on a great addition!

[HACKNSACK44]

Congrats!!

[Mxvftc]

Thanks everyone :-) I think my wife was expecting a spa package so a Rolex was definitely a delight for her to have this thank-you gift from me. As someone here said, a Rolex is a great way to celebrate the big moments in life :)

Yes, it is much fun embarking on the search for my Rolex now - 3 weeks of researching this one means I now at least know the basics of what to look for! Just need to wait for the wallet to get heavier again :-)

[Furbo]

Congrats!

[travisb]

Congrats on both additions to the family!

[cow1hk]

I just wanted to add to this old thread by saying I went to both Lung Shing and Kuen Kee in Sham Shui Po today. I was disappointed in Lung Shing. While they had a good collection of watches I had emailed ahead to ask if they had a particular watch listed on their website in stock. I was told they did but they were silent on the price so I made the trip over there during lunch only to be told that they don't have the watch and that the person who replied to my email might not have known the exact watch I was talking about (despite the fact I took a screenshot of the exact listing). I was then told I couldn't see the papers for a particular Rolex until I bought it (which kinda defeats the point). Overall the experience was enough to put me off from buying from them. For the record I communicated with them in Cantonese, so it wasn't a language thing. Kuen Kee on the other hand actually let me see the papers for the watch I am interested in.