Beautiful vintage 16800

[cemil]

Hi guys,
I'm about to make my second Rolex purchase but wanted to ask your opinion.
Beauty (usually) is in the eye of the beholder. Usually.. because this one must be beautiful for everybody!

Serial: 9xxxxx
Year: 1989
Ref.: 16800

According to the seller it's an original full set, and the bezel is original.

What do you guys think?

How much should it cost in Europe?

Thank you.

[fskywalker]

Beautiful!


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[cm70]

that insert comes from early 90's (16610) and (it is my opinion) has been "cooked"
the hands, also, look like luminova ...
I would leave that ...

[1665fan]

Replacement hands so wouldn’t classify as “all original” but a matching pair could be found. Other than that I like it!

[stewester]

Just to note that serial is more like 1986, thinking that 1989 may be based on the purchase date. Agree that the insert has some 'assisted patina'.

[offrdmania]

Yeah, that insert looks like a chrono-shop special

[Paulie 50]

The OP is bang on..... " Beauty is in the eye of the beholder " this is a pass all day long.

[swish77]

In addition to the points above ... why is some of the paperwork/accessories in Italian while another has Asian characters? Not a big deal in itself, but just a clue that this might be a put-together set.

[Woody]

The case looks good which is the key for me. The hands on the 16800 series of subs were notorious for corroding so not a surprise to see that they have been replaced (personally I am not a fan of corroded handsets). The watch has the papers which is the main thing.....the rest could have been put together but that could be the case for many watches (I have done it myself for some of my own collection). You could always secure a replacement bezel insert but I like the look of the "baked" version if that is what it is. Bottom line is the price. I would hazard a guess that the seller is looking for top dollar which on these can be in the region of 15,000 GBP....maybe more in the crazy vintage Rolex world. Personally I wouldn't pay anything like that sort of money (these were about 1500 GBP when I started collecting) and would opt for a later 16610 or 14060....although prices on those are also now pretty insane

[cemil]

Originally Posted by Woody

The case looks good which is the key for me. The hands on the 16800 series of subs were notorious for corroding so not a surprise to see that they have been replaced (personally I am not a fan of corroded handsets). The watch has the papers which is the main thing.....the rest could have been put together but that could be the case for many watches (I have done it myself for some of my own collection). You could always secure a replacement bezel insert but I like the look of the "baked" version if that is what it is. Bottom line is the price. I would hazard a guess that the seller is looking for top dollar which on these can be in the region of 15,000 GBP....maybe more in the crazy vintage Rolex world. Personally I wouldn't pay anything like that sort of money (these were about 1500 GBP when I started collecting) and would opt for a later 16610 or 14060....although prices on those are also now pretty insane

Thank you very much sir, the request is around 11000 EUR.

[cemil]

Originally Posted by Paulie 50

The OP is bang on..... " Beauty is in the eye of the beholder " this is a pass all day long.

What does this mean?

[Paulie 50]

Originally Posted by cemil

What does this mean?

It means that were I looking to buy a 16800 i would pass on this particular watch and wait for a better one to come along. Good luck.

[Dan S]

Just keep in mind that the later hands and insert definitely affect the collectible value. And, to me anyway, the aesthetics.

[Filipão]

OP, if you're looking for a transitional (and the above is no good) why don't you look for a non white gold surround 16800?

Dial as below.

Good luck!

[swaini3]

Originally Posted by cemil

Thank you very much sir, the request is around 11000 EUR.

you can get a decent matt dial for that price....

[Paulie 50]

Originally Posted by Filipão

OP, if you're looking for a transitional (and the above is no good) why don't you look for a non white gold surround 16800?

Dial as below.

Good luck!

To the OP this is the kind I was alluding to. Good luck and stay safe.

[cemil]

Originally Posted by Paulie 50

It means that were I looking to buy a 16800 i would pass on this particular watch and wait for a better one to come along. Good luck.

Oh yes now I get it. I just loved the fact that it's brown! :) Previously I have found another one which was blueish but should have moved faster.

[cemil]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Just keep in mind that the later hands and insert definitely affect the collectible value. And, to me anyway, the aesthetics.

This is exactly the type of input I was looking for. I am so new in these things. Thank you very much.

[cemil]

Originally Posted by Filipão

OP, if you're looking for a transitional (and the above is no good) why don't you look for a non white gold surround 16800?

Dial as below.

Good luck!

Because the thing I liked about that watch is the bezel, and the fact that it went brown. But I guess it wasn't a natural process.

[cemil]

Originally Posted by Paulie 50

To the OP this is the kind I was alluding to. Good luck and stay safe.

Thank you. You too.

[mineral]

Originally Posted by cemil

Because the thing I liked about that watch is the bezel, and the fact that it went brown. But I guess it wasn't a natural process.

The faded brown insert can be natural fading but seldom to this extend. But it does happen sometimes. Can ask seller to share with you the back of insert (clear picture of it under normal lighting) and perhaps can have better conclusion.

The other concerns are the unmatched accessories.


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[cemil]

Originally Posted by mineral

The faded brown insert can be natural fading but seldom to this extend. But it does happen sometimes. Can ask seller to share with you the back of insert (clear picture of it under normal lighting) and perhaps can have better conclusion.

The other concerns are the unmatched accessories.


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Oh I will definitely ask this. Is there any other thing I can ask him in order to understand how "pure" is the watch?

[mineral]

Originally Posted by cemil

Oh I will definitely ask this. Is there any other thing I can ask him in order to understand how "pure" is the watch?

If you still keen on the watch, definitely worth to ask following,

- the bracelet clasp code to determine if it is period correct (important to some collector)
- UV shot to determine if the hand being replaced (very likely replaced in this case from the photo)

And most importantly is the case serial 9xx,xxx or 9,xxx,xxx? It should have 7 digits serial for that 16800 white gold marker.

In my opinion, I will give this a miss and look for better one . There are better examples out there.


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