Do vintage Rolex watches retain their value?

Are vintage watches and antique watches the same thing? The answer is no. A vintage watch indeed qualifies to be a vintage watch, but not all vintage watches can be vintage.
The difference between the two has to do with the age of the watch. In order to be considered antique, many experts require watches to be at least a century old. Some watches are decades old, but they haven’t reached that century mark. The result is that as long as the watch is less than a hundred years old but happens to be more than a quarter of a century old, it is considered vintage rather than antique.
It’s no secret that Rolex watches tend to appreciate in value. What is less well known, however, is that not all Rolex watches appreciate at the same rate. Many factors can affect how much a watch appreciates over time. For this reason, it is usually a good idea to have a vintage Rolex watch appraised rather than make any assumptions about its current value.
Keep in mind that proper care and maintenance is essential if you want to ensure that your vintage Rolex watch retains its reliability and durability. This is not a timepiece that you can take to your local watch repair service for cleaning. Just as Rolex authorizes certain retailers to sell their watches, they also certify specific services to handle cleaning and repairs. In some cases, the local official retailer is also the place you can take your vintage Rolex watch for cleaning and repair.
Now, your main concern is the vintage Rolex itself as a way to determine its value. What you may not realize is that the paperwork and packaging that comes with the watch also make a difference. When you have the original piece with the watch, you can expect its market value to be a little higher.
This is because these additional elements help reinforce the fact that a vintage Rolex watch is authentic. Rolex numbers each watch and prepares documentation that is very difficult to counterfeit. Even forged documents that seem authentic at first will lack some of the qualifiers found in the real thing. The same goes for the packaging; Rolex chooses difficult packaging, and in some cases impossible, for forgers to duplicate.
Is a vintage Rolex watch a good investment? Yes, you can rely on this watch to be a worthy investment. You can get an idea of what to expect based on the history of the year and the model involved. When you see that it has a long history of appreciation, it is likely to continue to appreciate in value in the future.
Ultimately, it is up to you to decide what to do with your vintage Rolex. Keep it and wear it from time to time. Take proper care of this watch, and it will serve you well for decades. If you do need to sell it in the future, rest assured that the watch will likely be worth more than it is today.