Month: October 2017

Patek Philippe 5035 – The first annual calendar from Patek

Produced from 1996-2005, the 5035 was the first PP annual calendar watch. Patek decided to produce this model as a simplified version of the perpetual calendar, which many found too complicated to operate, and sometimes obsolete. The 5035 was replaced in 2005 by the 5146, which is still in production today.

At 37mm, the 5035 features the date, month and date display. At 6 o’ clock, there is a 24 hour display. This combination is not found in any annual calendar watch offered by Patek anymore.

The 5035 was produced in rose gold, white gold, yellow gold and platinum. The movement inside is PP’s 315s QA24h movement with a solid gold rotor. The finishing is superb and the winding efficiency is great due to the weight of the solid gold rotor.

Its successor 5146 features sub-dials for day, month and moon-phase and an aperture for the date. There is also a power reserve at 12 o’ clock. The 5146 is 39mm which is 2mm bigger than the 5035. It also has Arabic numerals instead of the Roman numerals on the 5035.

Although the 5146 displays more information on its dial, it is considered by some to be too busy. Not only does the 5035 have the most discrete size of 37mm, it also has the kind of sheer functionality displaying only the most essential information on the dial. It is simple and clean.

Investment value : The 5035’s price ranges from HKD140,000 to 170,000 depending on condition. Although it was produced for almost ten years, it is still a collectible piece as it was Patek’s first annual calendar model. In today’s watch world, if you can still grab a used Patek with complication at this price, it is a bargain. What you get are superb finishing on the dial, case and the movement and very practical functions from the world’s most prestigious watch brand.

Rolex Day Date 40 VS the Daytona ceramic 116500

Rolex Day-Date 40 VS Rolex Daytona 116500 ceramic   
With the new Rolex 116500ln Daytona Ceramic out, the attention of us is back to the Daytona. However, let’s not forget the brand’s most iconic model, the Day-Date. A new olive dial version has been released with rose gold case and bracelet. It is also available in white gold.
Some of you may have the same struggle – to go for the Day-Date or the Daytona?

1 Price
The Rolex Day-Date 40 is way more expensive than the Daytona as there is no stainless steel version for the DD40. With that said, you will have to pay around 190k -210k for a DD40. With the Daytona, if you opt for the yellow gold, white gold or the rose gold version, you will have to pay around 180k-210k. However, the Daytona can be had in stainless steel which is around 145k right now for the 116500ln.

  1. Practicality

The Rolex Day-Date is a way more practical watch than the Daytona. We bet you have to know which day and date it is more than to know the duration of your drive, given that most of us are not professional race car drivers? The Rolex DD40 has the date and day display which makes everyday life way more convenient than wearing the Daytona. Moreover, let’s not forget the DD40’s 72 hours of power reserve That means you do not have to wind your watch as much as the Daytona.
 

  1. Rarity

How often do you see people wearing the Daytona on the street? Very, right? But you do not see a lot of DD40. So, why wear the same watch that others are wearing? Stand out by wearing the DD40 is a good choice to show your elegance and special taste.

  1. The bracelet.

The Daytona has a Oyster bracelet which features the Easylink extension system. Most of Rolex’s sports watches have Oyster bracelet with them. Again, it might be too common. The DD40 has a President bracelet which reflects light way better than an Oyster band. The polished center links shine like nothing else. It is more comfortable as the links are smaller, they can adjust to the shape of your wrist better

Updates on Rolex prices

The prices of Rolex sports models have been rising for the last couple of months.
A 116500ln white dial cost around HKD130,000 in April. Now a used one is over HKD135,000 and a bnib 116500ln white is now around HKD150,000. Although the price is so high, there is still very limited stock. It is hard to estimate when the price of this Daytona will go down as it has always been Rolex’s most signature sports watch.
The 116610lv Hulk is now selling HKD95,000 in shops. Grey dealers are selling HKD88,000 to HKD92,000 now. Rumor has it that this model will be discontinued next year in 2018 when it will have been produced for 8 years. A used Hulk is now over HKD72,000. The list price of this watch is HKD68,100.
The 116710blnr Batman is now selling over HKD75,000 now. A used Batman is now selling at around HKD68,000 to 72,000. This is another very highly sought-after Rolex model because of its bi-colour ceramic bezel.
The other hot model is the 16610lv 50th anniversary Submariner. A “Flat 4” LV is now selling at over HKD110,000. A normal 16610lv is now selling at over HKD80,000 in shops while grey dealers are selling at around HKD76,000 to 79,000.