Vacheron Constantin Triple Calendar

 One of my favourite VC dress watch.

It is simple, automatic, Blue Dial Moonphase with traditional layout and dial design.

36mm diameter excluding crown.

A lovely piece in my Vacheron Constantan collection

HK Snob

 

Collectiors' Journey with Vacheron Constantin watch makers

 It was a honour to attend the event at Prince building VC boutique on 27 Aug 2021 with Friends together.

These are the valuable watches shown top down in order

1. Jubilee 1935 $134,000

2. Stainless 1947 only 254 pcs made, Steel was a rare metal during war time $970,000

3. yellow gold $118,000

4. Pink gold $126,000

5. My friend's Rolex Stella 18039 in blue $456,000

6. Ref 4241 $290,000

7. Ref 4141 $290,000

8. VC Titanium Ref 85050/000T-9341 with 260 movement $350,000 estimated at current value

These watches will b sold at the boutique after the event on 6 Sep 2021 except item 5 and 8.

HK Snob

New Rolex Green palm motif dial Date Just 126234

When Patek’s CEO Thierry Stern had mentioned that even his son cannot get the Patek Nautilus 5711/1A-014 Green …. Made me laugh out for ten minutes!

Is that the right timing Rolex launching this super beauty to take over market loophole of the Nautilus Green? Of course its is not justify to benchmark a Nautilus with a Date Just, that is not fair for them. Or this is a sensical year after many months of stupid lockdown and our ugly two tone suntanned face when facial mask is removed?

This is an awesome year for Rolex to launch an utterly non-traditional dial on a tradition watch Date Just. I give Rolex a Thumb’s up!

For many years I wrote on my blog, Rolex is more than just bore as there were little new gadget every year when new watches were launched…

Change the colour of the dial, change the material of the bezel, enlarge the size by 1mm, not enough make it 2 mm? No, too big, let’s go back to 40mm...and made different combination on these things… What else?… May be Rolex heard us and give this new look of a green leaves on the Date Just… Please don’t put it on the Sport models and that hurts… this dial works on Date Just does not imply it looks good on a Daytona …There is 30 over Daytona variety already and so bore that is no one even knows how to use the chronograph… a boring time pieces even no date but price is up and up like the Chinese DF41 reaching 15,000km.…shoot to the tip of the atmosphere and Bloom!

I enjoy odd dial Rolex, Domino Pizza Air King, Omen Motif Date Just … and this green palm leave motif,… I am more than happy to pick up one from one ADs….Ref 126234, 36mm, 70 hours power reserve, the right size for me. A 18 KT white gold Fluted bezel and Jubilee bracelet of what the “Rolex Steel King” is used to equipped! – perfect combination.

It could be worn week day, at work, in bed, meeting with customers, watching Bikini at beaches, go to meeting Taliban friends in Kabul would not be too high profile… Join the meeting of Tsai Ing Wen in Taiwan may get a surprise kiss from her because of “Green”.

And most of all, a reasonably friendly MSRP HK$64,600…. Of course, that is what most of us could not get. Still not the insane price of Nautilus 5711 Green of US$400,000!

HK Snob

 

What kills the vintage Rolex market

What kills the VR market in Hong Kong? Actually I am a loyal fan of VR. I am expecting things will change and correct this VR Market. 

In fact since 2015, we have been anticipating a down fall of VR market in Hong Kong. The main reason is Rolex was trying to launch a lot new interesting watches to capture market of the fans. New design such as the first ceramic Daytona 116500LN,  Batgirl 126710BLNR, Pepsi 126710BLRO which are a lot more attractive than those VR especially to new players. In August 2020, Rolex announced not offering authenticating service for vintage watches, many newbies and even VR supports are so scary of buying VR. As matter of fact, 80% of first Rolex Watch buyer prefers to go to RVC for authentication… As they have been listening to a lot of stories of scammers and dishonest sellers in Hon Kong via newspaper, fb, IG… etc.

Hong Kong was notorious about selling fake Rolex in public in Ladies Street, Temple Street, later on they sold Fake watch through catalogues without actual watches in display, then they and bring you somewhere nearly to see watch to avoid customs inspectors' raid. As a Rule if there is no physical counterfeits watches, less liability to get caught. More recently these kind of  business is also dead partly there is no more tourists coming to Hong Kong after 2019 protest and even worse the COVID-19 since Nov 2019 that blocked Hong Kong totally from the tourists coming all over the outside world…

People had to switch to selling watches on internet, you can see fake watches are flooding on fb, and IG now.

People is selling fake Patek, Rolex, AP on fb… its seems fb also had technical issue to block them..

The other factor killing the VR marketing is the fact there are a lot of scammers. These are even out of your expectation on the scale and background of their companies and individuals.

Many people think that watch come with paper should impossible be stolen watches.

I told you that still have certain number of brand new full set with paper are stolen watches.. and someone are being in bail by local police for a few years. Some of my friends watches were confiscated by the principals once they found that was a stolen.

Cases about VR that is with paper, and a 1680 was re-marked with "Red Submariner” to become single red, with that operation, the price if the Watch will be two times higher.

Well, it used to be filtered out before but nowadays no one is able to authenticate them.

A factory Single red dial can inserted on a originally non single red watch that is coming with papers, they you feel happy and safe about it, but if this is under Rolex’s judgment, this is not authenticated Rolex watch at all.

Well, if Rolex does not open his data base to us, of course the would not, no one can tell if that is the original dial of watch cases on that watch? Even Auction house does not care if yours is original factory dial or not.. they just auction it as it is…

So many people are so frustrated and switched from VR to new Rolex.. that is another reason why all new Rolex are so hot and price is always up and hitting the ceiling…

Many Rolex lovers are shopaholics, why not dumping money onto newer watches that Rolex are happy to support “authentication”!

HK Snob

VR = Vintage Rolex year 1989 or before

RVC = Rolex service centre

AD = Authorized dealers