Rolex GMT Master 1675 PCG: Vintage Market Debate

ImranLondon · 2018-05-21T15:00:35Z

Miranda explores the impact of rising values on vintage Rolex collecting, featuring a GMT Master 1675 PCG, and debates wearability vs. preservation.

ImranLondon

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

25 replies5347 views17 photos

Miranda presents a stunning Rolex GMT Master Ref. 1675 with pointed crown guards, using it as a springboard to explore the evolving landscape of vintage watch collecting. The author delves into the 'paranoia' of owning highly valuable vintage pieces and questions how their increasing worth impacts wearability and preservation.

This weekend I had the pleasure to photograph a rare vintage GMT Master ref 1675 with pointed crown guards. The dial is a beautiful lacquered gloss black with gilt printings and inner chapter ring. The values of these pointed crown guard (PCG) have risen dramatically in recent years, in line with many other vintage wristwatches.

Looking at this piece it made me ponder a lot of the future of vintage watch collecting. Vintage watches, especially Rolex, have transcended from being collectible watches into the rarefied world of antiques and objects d‘art. Is a Paul Newman or Patek 2499 now in the same realm of the Ming vase and Dali painting? Perhaps the better allegory is with the classic car world. Does the owner of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB actually go racing or display in a climate controlled garage? Truth is it’s a combination of both, although it’s probably in the garage mostly, driven only on special days. Maybe the owners of Paul Newman’s wear them on special occasion?

Has the rarity and value factor affected wearability? I have a confession, I get nervous now. Maybe this is a failing on my side. But certainly the older and more valuable a watch is, the more I mollycoddle it. Am I foolish?

I want to preserve the facets of the watch which make them special in the first place. The originality is very important to me, a typical example is my Speedmaster with CB case. The watch is completely original, and I am desperate to preserve that. Any silly knock and bang, damage could affect the bezel, crystal, maybe even dial/hands. Overpolishing could wipe out those distinctive facets – if it suffers a hard knock to the case. This has happened to me already with another piece. I cannot get it repaired, as the manufacture insist on changing parts. I foolishly dropped it in on concrete. So to preserve my Speedmaster (a watch I am deeply in love with), I bought a Speedmaster with tritium dial from the 80’s. I love this watch too, but is less stressful to wear. Of course this maybe all my own paranoia, we regularly see Bill on boats and manner of places supporting nothing but vintage.

I think Bill has bigger “balls” than me. Same with Nico.

This brings me to vintage retro modern watches. Faux patina et al. I think manufactures are aware. They know someone with a vintage piece may want a modern for daily life, or perhaps the vintage is so inaccessible they want a way into ownership.

Some of these vintage retro are perfect, the Omega Trilogy, the vintage Longines diver and JLC Polaris 68 to mention a few. Others are modern interpretations of the vintage, the JLC DeepSea and Tudor Black Bay 58 are prime examples.

Getting back to vintage- there are many factors that are entwined that affect ownership. Value is definitely one, when the GMT was £3000, it hurt if it got damaged, but not as much if it’s worth £30,000. When it becomes this expensive, and dent in originality has a consequential and perhaps devastating effect. Most desirable vintage watches are now at least 50 years old, and are vulnerable to damage. We have already seen the upset on the Rolex forum, when the tritium came out of a GMT master hand. It also happened to a friend of mine, the hour hand still needs fixing.

That brings me to servicing. Not every brand will service their vintage watches. Rolex is perhaps the biggest culprit. Even when they do, they will replace hands and dials with modern Luminova versions due to health and safety. Talking of health and safety the future of radium dials has oft been called into discussion. Baron did a superb post on radioactivity. All these factors beg a question, are vintage watches too precious to wear regularly and on a daily basis or reserved for those special occasions? Have they become safe box antiques?

So has the profile of the vintage watch buyer changed – even if not yet significantly. Who pays £50,000 for a Daytona? What am I missing? Are the modern day dealers of antiquities now firmly in the driving seat of highly desirable vintage pieces. Have they superseded the vintage watch buyer?
Paranoia or real first world anxiety, how do you feel about the Vintage market?

Best

Imran

About the Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000 Ref. 116600

The Sea-Dweller reference 116600 marked the return of the 40mm case size for the model, a dimension that had been absent from the Sea-Dweller lineup for some time. This reference reintroduced several classic Sea-Dweller design elements, distinguishing it from its larger contemporary, the Sea-Dweller 4000. It was produced for a relatively short period, making it a notable transitional model within the brand's professional tool watch offerings.

This reference features a stainless steel case measuring 40mm in diameter and 15.3mm in thickness. It is equipped with a unidirectional rotating bezel made of black ceramic with a 60-minute graduation. The watch is powered by the automatic caliber 3135, offering a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. A sapphire crystal protects the black dial, which includes a date complication without the cyclops lens, a characteristic feature of the Sea-Dweller line.

Appealing to collectors who appreciate traditional proportions and the technical capabilities of a professional dive watch, the 116600 is recognized for its blend of heritage design and modern materials. Its limited production run contributes to its appeal among enthusiasts seeking a Sea-Dweller with a more classic case size and specific aesthetic details, such as the matte-like black dial and the absence of the cyclops over the date.

Specifications

Caliber: 3135

Case: Stainless steel

Diameter: 40 mm

Dial: Black

Water Resist.: 1220m

Crystal: Sapphire crystal

Key Points from the Discussion

Vintage watches offer unique originality, charm, and an 'aura' that modern watches often lack, but their escalating monetary value, sometimes reaching the cost of a house, introduces new considerations for collectors.
The rising prices of vintage references like the Rolex Daytona 6263 have made them unattainable for some collectors, leading them to focus on other brands or more accessible vintage models.
Vintage watches possess 'soul' but lack the everyday resistance of modern watches, making dings more painful and parts harder to find, though servicing by a good watchmaker is generally not an issue.
Some collectors prefer not to buy vintage Rolex watches before 1980 due to concerns about fakes and the difficulty of selling high-value pieces outside of auction houses, favoring watches in the $5,000-$10,000 range for easier liquidity.
The increasing value of vintage watches creates two distinct classes of collectors: those who wear them and those who treat them as investments, with some collectors still choosing to wear their valuable pieces carefully rather than keeping them in 'plastic bubbles'.
The experience of owning vintage watches is unique, involving extra considerations compared to modern watches, but the joy of a 50-year-old watch with a heartbeat is special, and many cool, inexpensive vintage pieces remain 'off the radar'.

The Discussion

Gelato Monster

May 21, 2018

I guess deep inside we are always a bit more nervous and time conscious everytime we are wearing those high value vintage collections. I am with you on Tribute and Modern Vintage, they give me perfect life of precision and peaceful romance.

Bill

May 21, 2018

As the watches increase in value the more the go underground or are considered investments. So that creates two distinct classes of vintage Rolex collectors. Those who wear and those who don't. But I am always careful but no plastic bubble business for me. Best Bill

nilomis

May 21, 2018

I like to wear my watches without being concerned if something happens to it. That’s one reason that I don’t own vintage watches. The other reason is that one cannot be 100% that any vintage is original, no matter how many experts attest the originality. Examples or should I say disasters abound. Between a beautiful vintage that only causes concerns and a brand new one, I stay with the new one. Let the new one turns a vintage on my wrist. Cheers, Nilo

benzng

May 21, 2018

I am loyal to PP on my watches. I buy a few modern Lange and Rolex. The new Daytona is one as is the new GMT. I wanted to buy a 6263 about 3 to 5 years ago. I studied the watch closely but said its manual! so I hesitated and that is that. Now prices are so high, I give up buying one. I am happy with my PP. Then I bought a 16520 floating. I liked the watch. A local dealer was selling some 16700 and 16710 GMT, I was researching them and I came to know about GMT history from 6542 to the modern era.

Bill

May 21, 2018

You go through the experience of vintage and you either like what it is all about or you give up on it. It is just they way we look at things. With a modern watch (yes I have modern watches also) you don't have the extra considerations of vintage watches. But the joys of have an old 50 year watch with a heart beat is special. If money was not a factor in all this the question would be mute. Yes there is risk in vintage but there are also many super cool watches off the radar like no one has seen

Baron - Mr Red

May 22, 2018

I love vintage and modern. I think they both bring different things to the table. Modrn brings with it the latest technology. Esasier to service. Easier to repair. Easier to find....usually. Yet, vintage brings with it something unique. It brings originality. Obviously, that isn't always the case, but often it is. Vintage brings with it a charm and aura that modern just cannot. Vintage brings with it a touch of something special. Bill said it well when he said that you either understand and buy

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Rolex GMT Master 1675 PCG: Vintage Market Debate

About the Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000 Ref. 116600

Specifications

Key Points from the Discussion

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