Humbling Requesting Advice Te.The Greatest Rolex Rep (ever, all time, etc.)

[TheRealHowardJohnson]

Hello! I'm new the forum, and am happy to be joining the community. I'm an art collector and found this site after poking around for my first luxury watch. I found the information incredibly useful, and also understand procedure when it comes to forums.

Thus, I must apologize that my first post is a "request," as these communities are all about giving back. Alas, as I'm new I do t have much to offer advice-wise, but I did just pick up a lovely navitimer and will definitely post a review if anyone's interested in a nice one for under $100. I also know a ton about contemporary art and if anyone needs advice in that area please do not hesitate to drop me a DM.

Apparently I got into this hobby "the wrong way"; all my co-workers have amazing Rolex collections and I was flat out jealous. But after learning about how the damn things work and the history I was hooked... until I really started looking at prices. I'm not sure how i came around to reps, but when I found them it was absolutely perfect for me given my obsession with contemporary art, specifically Richard Prince.

If your not familiar with his work he is best known for pushing the boundaries of copyright law. His work asks, "what defines 'real'," "what constitutes 'originality'." These fundamental questions fascinate me. These watches ask similar questions, and I want to be part of the conversation.

Anyways, on to the matter at hand. Richard Price re-photographed a Rolex advertisement published in TIME magazine in the 80s. From what I can tell it's likely a gold presidential date just with a blue lapis dial.

I'm after this watch. I'm looking for something as close to a gen as physically possible, with the exception of changing it from a woman's to a mans model. I have no idea how to go about finding one. I've emailed a few "trusted guys" and a bunch on DHgate, and everyone just points me back to their inventory. I imagine I will probably need to commission it in some fashion and was hopeing I could find some love on here.



Thanks in advance, and I'm stoked to have caught the watch bug!

Note: I've tried every which way to get a photo on here, which I will update tomorrow, but here is the watch I'm after: http://www.artnet.com/artists/richar...dLCtntHb9s74g2

Here is one of the posters from the ad campaign Richard used for the photograph: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_04kZGR_ltm...Wood-Dials.jpg

 

[TheRealHowardJohnson]

Please excuse the poor grammar. I'm off to figure out how to edit a post!

 

[tripdog]

Those watches sell on DHGate for less than $100 - just about within your budget.

 

[mikeanh77]

Maybe arf dj 116234 with jubilee bracelet fluted bezel will fit your taste.
changing dw is advise.

 

[TheRealHowardJohnson]

Cheers. Thank you!

 

[beau7816]

Read, research, read, research, read. You ask the impossible question as it is all about affordability and taking a watch to the next level. You can get an amazing base model for around $500 but then you may want to franken the watch to make it true to original. The choices are vast and varied. Then you come to gold, should it be plated or wrapped? You see it goes on and there is no simple way to answer your question other than read/research....its all here so just look for it as we all started that way once.

 

[mikeanh77]

Read, research, read, research, read. You ask the impossible question as it is all about affordability and taking a watch to the next level. You can get an amazing base model for around $500 but then you may want to franken the watch to make it true to original. The choices are vast and varied. Then you come to gold, should it be plated or wrapped? You see it goes on and there is no simple way to answer your question other than read/research....its all here so just look for it as we all started that way once.

after all we are human and human raise question on others opinion.
So after he get his answer he will still questioned it if the answer are true, so finally he will have to do the research after all lol


Sent from the RWI App

 

[TheRealHowardJohnson]

Read, research, read, research, read. You ask the impossible question as it is all about affordability and taking a watch to the next level. You can get an amazing base model for around $500 but then you may want to franken the watch to make it true to original. The choices are vast and varied. Then you come to gold, should it be plated or wrapped? You see it goes on and there is no simple way to answer your question other than read/research....its all here so just look for it as we all started that way once.

Thank you very much for your thoughtful response. After a month of scrolling this forum I think I have a handle on the next steps as well as the correct base model thanks to the kind member who recommended the 116234 (totally what I was looking for). I'm comfortable with a rep case and dial, and I would be adding a new movement and bracelet along the line as my budget permits.

My ideal dealer in this situation would be someone who could sell me the base, add a custom or similar dial (I can only find models with the flat black dial in the style I'm looking for), and send me the finished product. Are there dealers who do this, and if so does anyone have a good recommendation? Obviously I'd be prepared to pay a premium for the comprehensive service.

thanks again!

 

[Keylog74]

Those watches sell on DHGate for less than $100 - just about within your budget.

and you get the photo art for free if you ask the seller nicely like OP did on his first post

 

[tripdog]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful response. After a month of scrolling this forum I think I have a handle on the next steps as well as the correct base model thanks to the kind member who recommended the 116234 (totally what I was looking for). I'm comfortable with a rep case and dial, and I would be adding a new movement and bracelet along the line as my budget permits.

My ideal dealer in this situation would be someone who could sell me the base, add a custom or similar dial (I can only find models with the flat black dial in the style I'm looking for), and send me the finished product. Are there dealers who do this, and if so does anyone have a good recommendation? Obviously I'd be prepared to pay a premium for the comprehensive service.

thanks again!

No TD offers this service, custom dials will need to be sourced by yourself. You will need a modder to change the dial and the movement, they will charge you for their services.

 

[TheRealHowardJohnson]

No TD offers this service, custom dials will need to be sourced by yourself. You will need a modder to change the dial and the movement, they will charge you for their services.

Just the info I needed. Thank you! Guess I should set a google alert for the Blue Lapis Dial and just go fishing until I can find one. The rest should be somewhat straightforward as its just an all gold 116234 and fluted bezel. In the interim, if anyone is looking to sell a gold 116234 franken please drop me a line. I was a typical noob and bought my two favorite watches on DHgate, which I now regret after reading through the forum. The Navitimer quartz works great at the very least, and I'm hoping that I could eventually get a gen movement in there (if thats even possible). As for my next purchase, I think its going to be waiting game on my holy grail, no sense wasting any more money!