Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Coffey
Yeah, it's crazy for the "special" references now. Probably based on the aforementioned lack of remaining vintage parts, and the climbing demand/significance (and market value) of such pieces.
To make matters worse, most (if not all now?) of the reputable indy watchmakers with Rolex parts accounts have had those accounts terminated by Rolex.
There are still a few indys in the US that I would trust with such a piece (who have a decent parts stockpile), but a standard service/overhaul will still typically be north of $5k on it, and will take a looong time, especially if there are any HTF parts (which is basically all of them) that need to be replaced, and you want to avoid using aftermarket parts.
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I think I’m a little more cynical than you are. I suspect as the values of these things have climbed, Rolex have seen an opportunity to make more money. They have never been more vertically integrated as a company than they are today, they could easily make production runs of parts and restock their spares, if they chose to. They remind me of Ferrari, when they started their Ferrari classic program. No real value in that for the average guy, just a way to make a bunch more money.
Sounds like Scott needs to talk to you about his watch, I’ve been out of the hobby a few too many years.