August 9, 2018

Insight Five reasons why I love vintage Rolex: Reason Nr 5

Part 5: Vintage Rolex is all about knowledge and understanding the details.

There is a famous saying: Money can buy you almost everything but not love. I would add vintage Rolex to that equation too.

What do I mean by that?

The nice thing about collecting vintage Rolex is that you simply cannot build a good collection overnight- even if you have millions. Sure, it helps to have money and some vintage Rolex models cost a fortune today. But the matter of fact is that the best Rolex collections take years to build up. Gaining knowledge and becoming part of the Rolex collector community is the key to start building a good Rolex collection.

Often the most interesting models become available through networks, contacts and dealers. If you’re not part of this inside group – even millions in the bank will not help you. Money alone is not enough to create a good Rolex collection. You need the network, the patience and most important you need the knowledge. Else the dealers, the auction houses, the collectors (some of which are in fact are dealers in disguise) will eat you up for breakfast.

Literally.

Another reason collecting vintage Rolex is addictive is because there is so much to learn.

Each model line within Rolex is an entire universe and learning science. Even the box and paperwork that accompany old Rolex models is a science. You can spend a lifetime only figuring out what chronometer papers are correct and what are not (see this superb post here for an example of what I am talking about). You can spend an entire life time discovering only the GMT Master line within Rolex and still learn new things until the very end. The point is that most collectors will never master even 20% of Rolex’s history. It is too vast.

To become a good Rolex collector means years of learning and mastering the details. Only the collector who can master the details will build a good collection over time.

As I said before and this point is so important: Collecting Rolex is not about money. It’s about mastering the details.

Sure, we learn from each other and collectors do help each other tremendously in sharing knowledge (something I highlighted in my previous post) but at the end of the day – it is your knowledge that counts.

This is what I love about vintage Rolex. The best collectors are not those who have enough money but rather those who invest enough time to do their homework and are patient. Rolex is about understanding the history.

Let me be clear – today with the values having risen it helps to have deep pockets.

But thankfully money is only one part of the equation.

(Main Picture Credit: Atom Moore / Analogic Shift).

For collectors who are interested in reading further about vintage Rolex – here some in depth reports: