Super Franken price

[watchmydebt0]

About to start on a Franken 16610 project and wanted to see what kinda of price it may be worth when all finished. I've seen very modest builds with only basic gen exterior parts go for well over a grand, so I'm very curious to see what this one will be worth. Here's what my build will consist of;

Tc midcase(crownguards worked so they have same profile as gen)
Tc V3 bracelet with V4 clasp
Gen 16610 Z serial dial
Gen 16610 Z serial hands
Gen flat four bezel insert
Gen 704 crown and tube
Crystal is still undecided(gen non lec,non ar really has no advantage over Clark or tc)
Star time bezel assembly(deeper teeth grooves like a Z serial should have)
Yuki 3135 with gen winding gears, and hand stack

With all these parts together it should be a very nice watch and damn near a gen watch. But again judging by what I see other Frankenstein go for, I would think I should be able to get a couple grand for this all done. Am I wrong in thinking that? I have well over a grand just in the parts already.

 

[marrickville]

lol

 

[QueTip]

Count a few grands in for building this.

And You're never gonna get close to the price YOU invested to build it if you want to sell it on..

 

[Ruprekt]

It's more of a question of should you build it rather than could you build it? Why spend better than half the price of a gen to build a rep? Still feel like building this watch? Ive got some prime Arizona oceanfront property to sell you!

 

[d4m.test]

It is known that the chances to see Your money back are very scarce.
In my opinion the only way to spend that kind of money is to go for a unique vintage Rolex with gen movement that You build for Yourself and not a current model like the 16610. And even than You probably see more money back if You sell it in parts than assembled, because You don´t sell these, You keep them. While there is still a minor market in the lower $1.000 the interest totally thins out above.

 

[Markeronee]

Sounds like an expensive build :X and a long one as well provided the parts are all readily available for purchase

 

[watchmydebt0]

I have everything already and really wasn't looking for getting my money back out of it more as I was curious as to what everyone thinks it would be worth if I was to sell it. I'm a bit of a hoarder so selling stuff is rather scarce for me. However there is some lower end watches I'll build just to sell but something with this many Gen parts and time I don't think my OCD/hoarding would allow me to sell it. lol I know it's still a money pit but it's more of the chase for me and building it myself rather than buying one. That's what got me into this hobby, building seikos and modding them for people cause that's what i like to do. Anyone can blow money on a watch that's done but building it means much more to me.

 

[J___]

If you're already thinking about what it would sell for before building it, it's best not to build it. It's like you've already got one foot out the door since the beginning.

Bottom line: What Daywatch said -- the interest in purchasing thins out exponentially above $1,000. You'll get 10 pages of people telling you that your watch is beautiful and that they wish they had the money for it until it might be sold if it's priced considerably above $1,000.

 

[QueTip]

If you're already thinking about what it would sell for before building it, it's best not to build it. It's like you've already got one foot out the door since the beginning.

Bottom line: What Daywatch said -- the interest in purchasing thins out exponentially above $1,000. You'll get 10 pages of people telling you that your watch is beautiful and that they wish they had the money for it until it might be sold if it's priced considerably above $1,000.

+1

 

[JoeyT]

Don't ever build a franken with the intention on selling. Build a franken with the intention to keep it because it's a waste of money and time of your trying to build an investment. My 16613 cost $5,600 to build. Yes buying a gen wouldn't had been too much more but like Op said, anybody can buy a built watch. It takes passion to build one. I would never attempt to sell my 16613 because I would have to lose my ass on it unless I chopped it up and sold it in parts which would be horrible in my eyes.

 

[maxracingshox]

I just thought about this today and came to the conclusion, that investing money in reps/ franken watches is a very stupid idea, because you'll never see it again!
This is the reason why I'll be keeping my TC Franken forever and be proud of my own build.

 

[JoeyT]

I just thought about this today and came to the idea that investing money in reps/ franken watches is a very stupid idea, because you'll never see it again!
This is the reason why I'll be keeping my TC Franken forever and be proud of my own build.

Your right and wrong my friend. Reps are very liquid. Just look at the sales section, you can buy a watch and wear it for months then sell it at practically no loss. Reps are better investments then most stocks, although once you reach 1k+ reps, your chances of making your money back lower significantly.

 

[maxracingshox]

Your right and wrong my friend. Reps are very liquid. Just look at the sales section, you can buy a watch and wear it for months then sell it at practically no loss. Reps are better investments then most stocks, although once you reach 1k+ reps, your chances of making your money back lower significantly.

True.
The asking prices some guys call for their V6's with gen insert and crown but nothing else make me speechless...
I bought a gen insert bnib for round about 125 usd which is a steal imo, so I should be able to make profit through this in theory. So it all depends on the prices you buy the parts in the end? I think so.
Investing my money in gin is a hell lot of fun, but a much worse idea. I do it occasionally though!

 

[watchmydebt0]

Any watch I have put a great amount of money into Gen or Rep I could never sell. I was more shocked at how much people were selling and actually getting money for a basic watch with just a few gen parts for. Anyways, I'll prob start the build thread tonight as I will have some spare time. Should be a real nice watch when it's finished! Only waiting on a few more pieces for the movement then I will have every last thing I need to complete it. I think I have a total of $1700 into for everything I have listed.

 

[watchmydebt0]

True.
The asking prices some guys call for their V6's with gen insert and crown but nothing else make me speechless...
I bought a gen insert bnib for round about 125 usd which is a steal imo, so I should be able to make profit through this in theory. So it all depends on the prices you buy the parts in the end? I think so.
Investing my money in gin is a hell lot of fun, but a much worse idea. I do it occasionally though!

This is exactly what got me curious on pricing, It seems they can put a couple small ext prts on it and it makes it automatically a $1500 watch.

 

[maxracingshox]

This is exactly what got me curious on pricing, It seems they can put a couple small ext prts on it and it makes it automatically a $1500 watch.

I see this trend on TC watches mostly. They are good, but hyped. I'm curious if this trend will last for long...

 

[watchmydebt0]

Exactly, now granted that's what all my subs consist and will continue to use but I just think ppl get blinders on sometimes with pricing.

 

[droptopman]

Some good feedback so far. I have a watch winder full of franken builds that I could get more $ out of if I part them out. Really a shame as they are great watches, but once you get over 1K the buying pool gets pretty small.
Doing a super franken of a gen model that is easy accessible (not rare) and fairly reasonable price wise (5-10K) is an emotional decision and not a logical or financial one. Be very hard to get even half the cost back. While I love doing builds, I have lost money on every single one. Most Subs and GMT's can be found in the reasonable price range all day long.

Now if you are doing a super franken of a gen that costs 10X what your cost to build it would be, that may make sense if you plan to keep it. For example a high end 6538, a gen would cost 50-100K, so spending 8-10K to build it might make sense to if you plan to keep it--like forever. Even with a rare model, the resale in the rep market is very difficult. If I ever decide to sell my 6538, I know I will have to sell it in parts as no one is going to pay 9K for my rep--no matter how nice it may be or how many rare genuine parts were used.

Now if it is about the build and the satisfaction of the build, you have some great parts and a great plan for an awesome build just try to have a realistic idea of what it will be worth when you are done.