A huge success, the two collaborated on delivering the watches to the Italian military until 1956.īy the time the war broke out in Europe, Rolex had already established itself as the maker of highly durable and reliable timepieces. 618), were assembled by Rolex, and had the brand’s Oyster case to thank for its water resistance.

(We’re trying to help you here.The watches may have said Panerai on the dial, but they carried a Rolex movement (the Cal. Yes, yes, we get it - a $6,000 watch is not most peoples’ idea of an “affordable” timepiece. Rolex Oysterdate Precision Reference 6694/6294.Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 5-Digit 34mm.All Rolex watches today with the exception of the Cellini feature Oyster cases. Oyster: This is Rolex’s proprietary water-resistant case technology, first released in 1926. These days, all Rolex watches are chronometers, though such was not always the case. Don’t me.)ĬOSC: The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) is the body that gives a watch movement its chronometer rating, ensuring its accuracy to within -4/+6 seconds per day for a mechanical watch. So in the case of Rolex, we’d call a watch produced between the early 20th century and roughly 1985 “vintage.” ( Roughly. Vintage: Again, the definition of what constitutes “vintage” is fluid, but we’re going to peg it at a watch roughly 35 years old or older. There’s no clear delineation with respect to time period, but for our purposes, we’re going to say a watch is neo-vintage if…we say it is. Neo-Vintage: This is a loose term employed by the secondary market that typically denotes watches with a mix of vintage and modern attributes, such as 5-digit Rolex Submariners from the late 1980s/1990s/early 2000s. This could mean it’s been worn, or it’s in NOS (“new old stock”) condition - but it’s still pre-owned, so the market determines the price. Pre-Owned: Here, we mean a watch being offered on the secondary market. New: In this case, we’re talking about a current-production model that’s being offered at retail value. So take pricing with a grain of salt, and always do your own research. NOTE: If you’re wondering why we’ve given such wide price ranges for certain pre-owned watches, it’s because price is dependent upon condition, rarity of a particular variation, and numerous other factors. But all this being said, it is perfectly possible to nab a pre-owned or vintage Rollie for well under $10,000, and in many cases, for well under $5,000. So what is an “affordable” Rolex? For our purposes, we’re going to limit our Rolex price range to watches under $10,000 - which, we know, is a lot of casheesh.

(And that’s if you can find one at retail…which you probably can’t.) A Rolex Submariner, perhaps the timepiece most often mentally conjured upon the very utterance of the word “watch,” will run you $8,950.

You’re welcome.)įor example: a steel Explorer, considered by some to be an “entry-level” Rolex sport model, will set you back $7,200 at retail. (By the way, if you’re looking for a killer dive watch for under $1,000, here you go. But within the highfalutin world of Rolex, affordability is a concept whose lower reaches exceed the upper reaches of many folks’ watch budgets. To many folks (and I include myself, here), “affordable” within the watch world conjures up images of a great Seiko for $500, or a killer Timex for under $200, or the G-SHOCK that got me through my military service that I purchased new for $80 at a bus station. Ok, let’s get something straight right off the bat - “affordable” is a relative term.

Rolex explorer diver vi tagr