Be careful what you wish for...

[GradyPhilpott]

I bought mine in 2014, so it's a little late for that dilemma, but still, my advice is to wear the damn thing. That's what it was made for.

[Chute]

To the OP and other forum members I must admit I am guilty of buying a watch and leaving the stickers on for some time after purchasing them.

These were in demand watches that I got at retail (116520 black, 116500 black and now a 126710 BLNR). I bought them when the opportunity arose to get them at retail, yet still really adore the watches.
I didn’t buy them to flip them but I have a good enough collection of other watches to keep me company (116520 white, 116500 white and 116710LN to name a few).

I few years back I removed the stickers on the 116520 black on my birthday and have worn it on special occasions since.

The other two are just waiting for a special occasion. Or in the event I get called for my grail watch and don’t have the extra cash lying around, I figure I would get more selling the stickered watches than if I’d worn then.

If I can get my grail watch and don’t need to sell them, I will probably just wait for an occasion to unsticker them.

So I sympathize with you. Once you’ve paid a lot for something nice you still want to be respectful of maintaining its value. I get the “just wear it” crowd. But I can be overly cautious sometimes.

“I spent all my life trying not to be careless” - Don Corleone

[Brny11]

Your rational is mentally insane. To summarize, you obsessively searched for a watch you needed, and ultimately paid an insane premium (watch was worth 9k 2 years ago) and now you finally have it!! Yet... you won’t wear it, in order to ensure you can max value it down the road?? That doesn’t sound like someone who “wanted” a watch as badly as you allegedly say you did. Rip the stickers of and enjoy the watch.

[mmmmp]

Deleted. Topic covered, my post was redundant.

[Sandpit]

This is part of the problem in overpaying I think. I expect a person’s mindset changes once they pay significantly more and there’s this onset of anxiety thinking “if i de-sticker it will it suddenly be worth less”.

Either that, or there’s doubt in one’s mind that this object perhaps wasn’t really worth all that money / hype. Lovely piece and I don’t mean to take away from that - I’m merely just throwing ideas around.

[GB-man]

It’s a Rolex GMT. It’s meant to be worn. It’s not an investment.

[kieselguhr]

Originally Posted by Sherio

I wonder if it is a common thing among collectors that spend so much time and effort looking for something, but the moment they find it it becomes a burden...

Only for watch “investors” who only care about perceived monetary value. But for true enthusiasts, the greatest value is wearing the watch and allowing it to be a part of your life experiences.

They may seem far and few between these days but some of the best posts are the ones where the OP recounts the experiences they had with particular watches in their collection.


AOW

[kegan]

That watch might gain some value if you leave it in a safe. I guarantee you if
worn as intended it will become priceless to you as finish out your flying
career.

[JayHantz]

Originally Posted by kieselguhr

Only for watch “investors” who only care about perceived monetary value. But for true enthusiasts, the greatest value is wearing the watch and allowing it to be a part of your life experiences.

They may seem far and few between these days but some of the best posts are the ones where the OP recounts the experiences they had with particular watches in their collection.


AOW

Very well said!

[yoniman]

Originally Posted by BisonHead

Rip the stickers off with glee. Pop it on your wrist and enjoy it as a watch should be.

Best rhyme and reason here.

I will definitely buy one regardless if it's from AD or Grey.

And I will wear it until it has scratches and that OK.




Cheers

[AK797]

It's a SS CE Rolex, if you aren't going to wear that then you ain't gonna wear anything.

[SUPERDOC]

Originally Posted by Sherio

As anyone in my profession knows, we are trained to listen to other opinions and then make our own decision. I am enjoying this debate, believe me you I have no intention of throwing this watch in a safe for the chance of reselling for a profit down the line, simply speaking the return on investment versus to the time needed to yield such return is not worth it by any means.

Unless you’re a watch dealer, you won’t be making much by stocking a single watch for no matter how long.

I just wanted to share a feeling I got with fellow watch enthusiast, this would have not been the case a couple of years back when all this hype was non existent. I used to buy a Rolex after passing by it time and again while it’s sitting idle in a display window waiting for a customer to decide, that is not the case any more, thus the momentarily dilemma.

At the end of the day it is a mere object, and if you can afford to indulge so be it, I totally get it, as do all of you.

There is one part of your mental struggle I could somewhat appreciate, if not for the fact that you already paid the premium..

I know plenty of people who only swim in the <$10 territory - and long before the hype, acquired their GMT/Hulk etc - most at a discount -

The guys who would feel comfortable wearing the 8 k watch, now get nervous of scratching/denting/de-valuing what is now a 16K watch (something they would never have purchased)

I could understand that mentality.. but you have now a $16 k watch... that you paid 16k to have ...

could be that bit of buyer's remorse nagging you ..

either way, I still think that the Kool-aid here can be a bit toxic to your mental health and enjoyment of this hobby..

[travisb]

You wanted it so you can wear and enjoy it. Do just that.
Plus, you're a pilot. That watch was made for you.

[rmlovett1]

Originally Posted by brucethemanlee

just wear it. what are you going to do get buried with it?

sure its discontinued but its not like this pay for your retirement and any material increase (if that even happens) won't happen for like 30-40 years. Will 2x in value make or break you in the long run? if it will break you then you should be buying the watches you have

⬆️⬆️⬆️ THIS....1000x this!
To see any “real” return on a Rolex you’ve put away with stickers on it, you’ll need to wait a LONG time! I mean, even if you double your investment in 2,3,5, years...will that be your retirement money? Hardly....put that thing on and enjoy!

[Muxi]

Originally Posted by Sandpit

This is part of the problem in overpaying I think. I expect a person’s mindset changes once they pay significantly more and there’s this onset of anxiety thinking “if i de-sticker it will it suddenly be worth less”.

Either that, or there’s doubt in one’s mind that this object perhaps wasn’t really worth all that money / hype. Lovely piece and I don’t mean to take away from that - I’m merely just throwing ideas around.

Good point.

[HappyFish]

Buy a second used one - so you have one to wear and one to collect!

[dtwer]

Ask yourself this question: are you going to sell the watch at some point because it is "collectible?"

If the answer is no then there is no worries, you should just wear it and enjoy it.

If the answer is yes then you may as well sell it now while the price is high and economy is good.

[johnjm]

It reminds me of my late grand father and krugerands.

He had a massive collection, just sitting away, and some dude convinced him that 3 krugerands was equal to one proof Krugerrand (sealed).

So he swapped them all out. At the end of the day, when his siblings cashed them in, all they got was, you guessed it, the same value for any old used Krugerrand.

The analogy is the same with these watches. I can guarantee you that in 30/40 years time, if you decide to sell a NOS or used watch, the difference will be there but not as much as you think.

Enjoy it. If you REALLY want to be careful then just get a rubber B for it.

J


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