Daytona or 15300

[nokaoi1]

Sure this has been discussed before. My situation is I have about +-25k budget for a piece. I have been on a "waiting list" for 4 years for 116500. Its not happening obviously. So in the mean time the prices on 116500 have gone up to 25kish. Now I am trying to decide on getting the Daytona from a grey or my other option is a 15300 AP at the same price. I love both pieces, am a little leery of the AP and it being delicate, older and service costs higher. What would you guys do??

[wiem0014]

Don't mean to be the "buy whichever you like more" guy, but because these two watches are SO different I think this really comes down to preference. In addition, how are you hoping to wear the watch (daily, casual, dressier, etc.). If you have been waiting for the Daytona for 4 years it sounds like you truly want that piece, so I would lean towards a new 116500.

[phow]

^ +1000

I think how you plan to wear the watch is the biggest factor. Price aside, if this will be a daily wear, I would go with the Daytona. I love my 15500ST but it's not nearly as comfortable as any of my Rolex's. The RO feels more special and I wear it mainly when going out with the wife.

The other concern that only you can answer is how you feel about paying 25k for the 116500...

This might not be a popular opinion on here but the 116500 is simply not a 25k timepiece. If you put it next to an AP RO or VC OS, both will put it to shame. But again, that may not matter to you or it may.

If you love the Daytona enough (4 years of waiting seems like a lot of love), then the price shouldn't matter. I only bring it up because the price can impact the ownership experience for some and it's best to be honest with yourself if you will be satisfied in the long term paying x2 MSRP.

But my gut tells me price seems to be a bit of a factor since you are cross-shopping it against other pieces that actually look/feel like 25k pieces. I love my 15500ST but at the current market price of ~34k, I wouldn't have pulled the trigger but I'm also not interested in selling it.

[Benzsiam]

Good condition of 15300st blue dial will be higher than $30k.

In the past couple months, all the AP RO are skyrocketing.

To me AP RO in stainless, it can be daily wear, dress up or down.

[jdw003]

I own both and the Daytona is more comfortable and, in my opinion, more versatile. Having said that, the Royal Oak is a truly special piece and a more enjoyable “wrist experience” than a steel Daytona. You could get into a 116520 for $20K or stretch and get a 116509 for $27K.


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[1William]

I prefer the Daytona and the market price is the market price. As the Grey market has walked the Daytona-C up it has sold and still is selling. Anything can happen but Daytona prices have been strong for a long time. Find the watch you want, negotiate, get your best price and buy the watch. Enjoy the ownership experience and move on.

[ts3]

Originally Posted by nokaoi1

I love both pieces, am a little leery of the AP and it being delicate, older and service costs higher. What would you guys do??

Delicate? If you'll use it as a beater the 116500 will suffer less. The 15300 will start looking beat up but it would still look cool.

Older? Worst case the 15300 would cost you one extra service early on.

Service costs? If you spend 25k on a watch it shouldn't be a factor if service costs every 5 or 10 years down the road are 0.5k or 1.5k.

IMO it really comes down to what you want. I wanted to love the 116500 time and again but it didn't happen. I haven't even bothered to get in line at my AD. In contrast I do like the 15300 which would fit in nicely between the three-hand plus date watches I currently own.

[cascavel]

Unworn Daytona vs. 10 year old 15300? Unworn Daytona.

[supernova]

I just can’t justify paying $25k for a Daytona no matter what the “market price” is, unless money is of no concern to you of course.

The 15300st is less fragile and more versatile than most think. I wear my 15500st most days without no problems.


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[Xeer]

weird that I had just been discussing this with a friend today since I own both watches. the white 116500 and the 15300. simple answer was that AP was in a different league and I am surprised they can be attained off the grey market for the same price! don't sleep on the 15300.

[phow]

You can also get a new 15500ST at MSRP if you call one of the corp boutiques and are willing to wait 6-18 months (excluding blue dial). The AP waiting game is nothing like Rolex. I had no buying history and got my 15500ST quite quickly and just got the call for my wife’s 15450ST this last week (took 6 months).

[wiem0014]

Originally Posted by phow

You can also get a new 15500ST at MSRP if you call one of the corp boutiques and are willing to wait 6-18 months (excluding blue dial). The AP waiting game is noticing like Rolex. I had no buying history and got my 15500ST quite quickly and just got the call for my wife’s 15450ST this last week (took 6 months).

I called two boutiques a few weeks ago to inquire about 15500's. Both boutiques told me that waiting lists are effectively "closed" for virtually all RO's (including all 15500's) because demand has been so high and the supply has been down a bit due to covid. Now I am a new customer to AP, so perhaps others would have better luck if looking for a Grey or Black dial.

[Tanuki]

Originally Posted by nokaoi1

Sure this has been discussed before. My situation is I have about +-25k budget for a piece. I have been on a "waiting list" for 4 years for 116500. Its not happening obviously. So in the mean time the prices on 116500 have gone up to 25kish. Now I am trying to decide on getting the Daytona from a grey or my other option is a 15300 AP at the same price. I love both pieces, am a little leery of the AP and it being delicate, older and service costs higher. What would you guys do??

Have you looked at the 26331 panda? Have you tried the Daytona on in person? I wanted one so bad and when I found one at a grey and tried it on I was surprised that my reaction was meh... At MSRP is was a fantastic watch but when it’s close to $30k it’s in a category with some amazing watches. For me the 26331 is nokaoi and in a different league than the Daytona.

[faimag]

So difficult... I will go against the flow and suggest 15300, simply because it's so much more special and rare to see out there.

[phow]

Originally Posted by wiem0014

I called two boutiques a few weeks ago to inquire about 15500's. Both boutiques told me that waiting lists are effectively "closed" for virtually all RO's (including all 15500's) because demand has been so high and the supply has been down a bit due to covid. Now I am a new customer to AP, so perhaps others would have better luck if looking for a Grey or Black dial.

Interesting. Just curious if you contacted a corporate boutique? I only ask because the corporate boutiques are really against “waiting lists” and have a whole different process and terminology they use.

[AshAP]

JMO but the only way that I can see a Daytona being more ‘versatile’ than an AP is that it can just as easily double up as a woman’s watch. The Royal Oak is in a different league to a Daytona, again JMO.


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[Tanuki]

Originally Posted by nokaoi1

Sure this has been discussed before. My situation is I have about +-25k budget for a piece. I have been on a "waiting list" for 4 years for 116500. Its not happening obviously. So in the mean time the prices on 116500 have gone up to 25kish. Now I am trying to decide on getting the Daytona from a grey or my other option is a 15300 AP at the same price. I love both pieces, am a little leery of the AP and it being delicate, older and service costs higher. What would you guys do??

JMO too but I was thinking about this and one could just replace Audi for Rolex and Bentley for AP.

If the Audi was priced the SAME as a Bentley, would you choose the Audi because you could beat on it more whereas the Bentley is more delicate and the service costs are higher? Your basically considering paying the same price for an Audi and Bentley. A precious metal Daytona would make the comparison a lot closer.

[phow]

Originally Posted by Tanuki

JMO too but I was thinking about this and one could just replace Audi for Rolex and Bentley for AP.

If the Audi was priced the SAME as a Bentley, would you choose the Audi because you could beat on it more whereas the Bentley is more delicate and the service costs are higher? Your basically considering paying the same price for an Audi and Bentley. A precious metal Daytona would make the comparison a lot closer.

I see what you are saying but I think the comparison is fine considering the OP REALLY wants a 116500 and has been waiting 4 years with nothing to show for it. And now he is just trying to decide if he should pull the trigger at market price or not...

IMO, watches should be first and foremost an emotional decision. Otherwise, the whole thing becomes about something that is just less pure and fun...

If his heart is telling him "damn the price, get the Daytona", that's what he should do because at the end of the day he will be wearing the 15300 while staring at pics of the 116500 on Insta wishing he had made a different decision.

I personally would never pay 25k for a Daytona but I'm also not actively trying to buy one nor do I care about that particular watch (never liked them). But if I had spent the last 4 years waiting on BS Rolex waiting lists and still didn't have the watch... I could see considering it.

But if we are purely looking at this with all emotion aside. Agreed. There is absolutely no comparison between the two.

However, I like that watches are one of the few places in my life that I get to make decisions based on what my gut says instead of my brain. Spending tens of thousands of dollars on a watch is insane and trying to rationalize any of this is an exercise in futility.

[cascavel]

Originally Posted by Tanuki

JMO too but I was thinking about this and one could just replace Audi for Rolex and Bentley for AP.

If the Audi was priced the SAME as a Bentley, would you choose the Audi because you could beat on it more whereas the Bentley is more delicate and the service costs are higher? Your basically considering paying the same price for an Audi and Bentley. A precious metal Daytona would make the comparison a lot closer.

In this case you're comparing a 10 year old Bentley to a new Audi since the 15300 was discontinued about 10 years ago.

[Etschell]

the daytona.

[supernova]

Originally Posted by cascavel

In this case you're comparing a 10 year old Bentley to a new Audi since the 15300 was discontinued about 10 years ago.

I suppose cars are not the best analogy here since most watches don’t depreciate over time, in which the 15300st does not.

Unless your comparing a vintage Ferrari to something like an A7 Audi, in which the A7 is also really hyped up.

Anyways, if you can see past the Rolex hype, you will realise that there are so many better crafted prices for the same price as the inflated hype prices.

Then again, if OP is set on the Daytona, in which they are since been waiting 4 years now, then their mind should be made up in this case.


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[AshAP]

Originally Posted by cascavel

In this case you're comparing a 10 year old Bentley to a new Audi since the 15300 was discontinued about 10 years ago.

Yes but he forgot to mention that the Bentley in the example in a GTC Supersport and the Audi is an A1.


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[macrowatch]

Originally Posted by AshAP

Yes but he forgot to mention that the Bentley in the example in a GTC Supersport and the Audi is an A1.


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Low blow man, low blow.

[logo]

I can’t rationalize paying 2x MSRP, nor waiting 4+ years for a mass produced watch. Get the AP and never look back. Life’s too short to waste on a waiting list.

[Recaro18]

AP RO all day over a Ceramic Daytona