New buyer here, need some advice

[chasez]

Good morning all,

I have been in the market for a watch to honor my father who recently passed. I stumbled on an idea of purchasing a watch from his birth year (1960). The idea is to find one and pass it down to my son and so on and so forth. I have found this one, but as a new guy I am concerned I don’t know enough to determine if this is real or not. As I’m new, I cannot post links (being a new user) but it is on eBay from a seller called The Laughter Collection. If there is some way to provide the link I will do so. It is advertised as: 1960 Rolex 5500 Oyster Perpetual Explorer Dial Cal. 1520 + Jubilee Bracelet.

I suspect the bracelet was added after and is not the original, but as long as it’s Rolex I’m fine with that.

Now, I am less concerned about it looking vintage or original, rather, I prefer that it is a real Rolex. The dial, to me and through some research on this forum, appears to have been serviced and refinished. This has led to no “Swiss” markings of any kind on it. I did ask the seller to send pictures of the dial and I will try to attach them.

Any thoughts, education, or feedback is appreciated.

Chase

[mjolnir2thor]

Originally Posted by chasez

Good morning all,

I have been in the market for a watch to honor my father who recently passed. I stumbled on an idea of purchasing a watch from his birth year (1960). The idea is to find one and pass it down to my son and so on and so forth. I have found this one, but as a new guy I am concerned I don’t know enough to determine if this is real or not. As I’m new, I cannot post links (being a new user) but it is on eBay from a seller called The Laughter Collection. If there is some way to provide the link I will do so. It is advertised as: 1960 Rolex 5500 Oyster Perpetual Explorer Dial Cal. 1520 + Jubilee Bracelet.

I suspect the bracelet was added after and is not the original, but as long as it’s Rolex I’m fine with that.

Now, I am less concerned about it looking vintage or original, rather, I prefer that it is a real Rolex. The dial, to me and through some research on this forum, appears to have been serviced and refinished. This has led to no “Swiss” markings of any kind on it. I did ask the seller to send pictures of the dial and I will try to attach them.

Any thoughts, education, or feedback is appreciated.

Chase

A consideration... a watch from the 1960s will have Radium lume which is radioactive. You'll have to decide if radioactivity is an issue for you or not. There are multiple threads here on the topic... one started by myself a month or so in the past.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=876363

[zapokee]

Oh, gosh. Ebay isn't the place for you if you're new to vintage Rolex. While there is occasionally some good stuff on there if you know what you're doing, there's also a lot of stuff you should run away from fast.

You need to work with a trusted dealer. There are many on this board, and you can also feel relatively safe with reputable US dealers like Tropical Watch and HQ Milton.

Give Ebay a miss. Good luck with your search.

[chasez]

Thank you both for responding. Yeah, I’m learning that I should probably slow down. Attached is the dial in question, if that’s helpful.

Do you mind pointing me in the right direction for reputable sellers here?

IMG_0280.jpg


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[chasez]

Thank you both for your responses. Yeah I’m learning that I may need to slow down a bit, I just love the way the watch looks and the year. Attached is a better picture of the dial, if that helps.

Do you mind pointing me in the direction of reputable sellers on the forum?

Thanks,

Chase

IMG_0280.jpg
IMG_0281.jpg


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[Dan S]

Hang around for a while and learn. Participate and ask questions. Eventually you will be able to post links and you will have accumulated knowledge. There is a lot to learn if you want to make a good choice, so be patient.

If that's not for you, and you have a strong budget, contact a knowledgable dealer and put yourself in their hands.

I didn't look, but those 5500 Explorers are usually fake, you jumped into the deep end.

[chasez]

Thanks Dan! I am definitely browsing this forum quite a bit now. And looking at the classifieds here.


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[harry in montreal]

I love eBay, but literally every time I buy something I hear a toilet flush. Now, I’m way way ahead over the years and I’m happy to gamble. I have some good stories... anyway, listen to my buddies above. If this is a first Rolex, pay a bit more and buy one locally only after you post images here. Or buy from one of our sellers. Buying remotely is not easy unless you have a buddy that can guide you. Good luck!

[chasez]

Thank, Harry. I have done exactly that. Working on a purchase now from a seller off here.


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