For Brendan Cunningham, Professor of Economics, Eastern Connecticut State University and author of a book on Rolex, vintage is also the way to go when deciding the best Rolex to invest in. “I would recommend the asymmetrically cased Rolex King Midas. In many ways, it is the most versatile option for a collectible Rolex,” he says. On a leather strap, with moderate condition issues, this design can be found for mid-to-upper four figures (US dollars), while the most pristine examples, with precious metal bracelets, are priced closer to $50,000. “I still believe there is a lot of upside in these watches, though. Rolex is currently renewing its selection of dress watches and the King Midas is an important part of the brand’s dress watch legacy.”
As Cunningham points out, quirky dress watches are having a moment and the King Midas (a fave of Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd) is solidly in that category. “If rumours of a Rolex museum hold true, we’re likely to learn more about the origin of the Midas, which will renew interest in the design,” he adds.
Kenichi Abe, of the popular watch shop Jack Road in Tokyo, echoes this sentiment. “When it comes to building a collection, vintage is better, especially from the ’70s,” he says. “But they’re quite difficult to get recently.”
Sotheby’s
Abe is all about the Daytona, one of the holy grails of collecting. “It was made for motorsports to calculate the speed, and became iconic because of Paul Newman,” says Abe. John Mayer, Chris Pratt and Ed Sheeran are fans of the Daytona (and the ‘Bad Habits’ singer does have some good habits, wearing his on a leather strap, just like the Newman did).
Abe also mentions the GMT-Master II, a model made originally for Pan-Am pilots. Abe says like David Beckham, he would go for the brown dial for both models (“I like brown”, says Abe.) A casual version with a black and grey bezel was released this year at Watches & Wonders.
But before reaching for your credit card, Abe advises: “The most important thing is to maintain it. For a vintage piece, get it serviced every three to five years. This way, it will last for a very long time.”
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