Introduction
Rolex is one of the most trusted brands in the world. Rolex watch quality is legendary and their Oyster Architecture models can last forever. Rolex models such as their Daytona, Submariner and GMT Master II are in great demand as these models appreciate with time and you are exceptionally lucky if you are able to purchase it by simply walking into a Rolex Authorized Dealer anywhere on earth.
For example, I bought a Rolex GMT Master Pepsi 16700 back in 1997 for RM10K. Today, the same model is selling for more than RM30K all around the world. Once again, mine is a GMT Master Pepsi and therefore much rarer than the GMT Master II Pepsi (aka 16710).
My Rolex GMT Master Pepsi 16700 still looks like new even thought I bought it 20 years ago!
It is very natural for the Pepsi Red Colour bezel to fade.
From the above, you can see for yourself that my Rolex Pepsi 16700 is selling above RM30K to RM60K, that’s 300% to 600% increase in price compared to what I paid for it.
Rolex sport models, especially the Daytona Stainless Steel, GMT Master II Pepsi & Batman Stainless Steel, Submariner Hulk Stainless Steel, all command high second hand value. However, you must know that, for most other Rolex Oyster models, you will be lucky if you are able to resell it for the price you bought it and this include the Gold and Half Gold models for Submariner and GMT Master II!!! So if you are really thinking of buying a Rolex for investment, then you better do your homework or just blindly follow my advise where you shall only purchase Daytona Stainless Steel, Submariner Hulk Stainless Steel, GMT Master II Pepsi Stainless Steel and GMT Master II Batman Stainless Steel. As for the Sea Dweller and Sky Dweller Stainless Steel, they are unique but I doubt you will wear them daily as they are kind of huge…… no point buying a Rolex watch and then just keep it in the safe deposit box and not enjoy wearing it.
Having said the above, if you want a watch that looks new forever and can be passed down to your children or grand children, then I recommend you get a Rolex Oyster Datejust with white gold fluted bezel. Because of the fluted bezel, you won’t see any scratches on your watch. Therefore, it will look like new forever 🙂
Rolex OysterSteel with White Gold Fluted Bezel
On the other hand, if you love to see scratches on your watch, then the smooth polish domed steel bezel is excellent (image below), hahaha.
Smooth domed bezel is prone to scratches!!!
The new Daytona, GMT Master II and Submariner bezels are made from ceramic and therefore, scratch proof and fade proof! What this means is that the new Rolex Pepsi 126710BLRO 24 Hour Rotating Bezel Red Colour will never fade unlike the previous Pepsi models!!!
Prior to 2018, one of the most sought after mass market watches was the Rolex GMT Master II Batman 116710BLNR which was introduced in BaselWorld 2013. But that all changed when Rolex introduced the new GMT Master II Pepsi 126710BLRO in Stainless Steel during BaselWorld 2018. So this year 2018 onward, the most sought after watch in the entire world is the new Rolex Pepsi with Jubilee Bracelet!!!
Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi 126710BLRO Stainless Steel Official Retail Price Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, USA, Europe and UK October 2018
- Malaysia – (RM) MYR34,890
- Singapore – SGD12,430 (MYR37,613.18)
- Australia – AUD11,750 (MYR34,704.05)
- Switzerland – CHF8,800 (MYR36,763.76)
- USA – USD9,250 (MYR38,568.80)
- France (Europe) – EUR8,400 (MYR39,894.33)
- UK – GBP7,150 (MYR38,232.86)
Based on Forex conversion as of late October 2018, the cheapest place to but the Rolex Pepsi is in Australia where it will cost RM34,704.05 including GST. So if you are taking the watch out, you will get GST rebate of about 9% making the Pepsi even cheaper. Reason why the Pepsi is cheaper in Australia is because the AUD has been weakening against all major currencies.
Also please note that we are also able to claim back GST if we take the watch out of Singapore, Europe and UK but not the case for USA.
As you can see, the price of the Rolex Pepsi is roughly the same throughout the entire world once we remove GST from the retail price.
However, the question is not where we can buy the Rolex Pepsi at the best price BUT is it in stock? I doubt you will see any Rolex Pepsi in any Rolex Authorised Dealer’s showcase unless you are damn freaking lucky.
Rolex GMT Master II Batman 116710BLNR Official Retail Price Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, USA, Europe October 2018
- Malaysia – (MYR) RM33,710
- Singapore – SGD12,010 (MYR36,342.26)
- Australia – AUD11,300 (MYR33,399.69)
- Switzerland -CHF8,500 (MYR35,514.26)
- USA -USD8,950 (MYR37,317.92)
- France (Europe) – EUR8,100 (MYR38,460.78)
- UK – GBP6,850 (MYR36,628.69)
Once again Australia price is the lowest for the Rolex Batman where we can get further 9% tax rebate.
Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi Stainless Steel Versus Batman Stainless Steel Price
Every piece of Rolex that is produced is shipped to their Authorised Retailers around the world; and every single piece of Rolex watch that has been sold by an Authorized Retailer will have to be keyed (the Serial Number) into Rolex system and immediately the 5 years warranty goes into effect. All Rolex Authorised Retailers anywhere on planet earth are not allowed to sell any Rolex at a premium price (i.e. at Official Retail Price and not a sen more) and also not less than discount rate approved by Rolex (yes, you can get discount for Rolex watch and sometimes very very good discount for selected clearance models too).
As such, a watch dealer that is not authorized by Rolex to sell their watches cannot claim that they are selling NEW Rolex watches. So don’t be bull shitted by second-hand watch dealers claiming that they are selling NEW Rolex watches at Premium prices. However, if they were to classify the watches they are selling as Preowned or Unworn Rolex, then I suppose that is appropriate.
As you can observe above, the official retail price of the Pepsi versus Batman is negligible!!! For example, the price difference between the two said models is only RM1,180.
On the other hand, the difference in price between preowned and unworn models of the Pepsi and Batman can be RM20K and above in the grey market!!!
For example, at Wing Wah (who also sells at Chrono24), they are selling the Rolex Pepsi at almost double the official retail price!!! And the price difference between the Rolex Pepsi and Batman is RM26,500.
Another example is Citi Time in Sarawak, they are selling the Rolex Pepsi for RM6x,xxx which is easily close to or more than RM30K above the official retail price of RM34,890. Citi Time has many hard to get Rolex watches such as the Submariner Hulk and Daytona. One thing for sure is that they are not a Rolex Authorised Dealer as they are selling the hard to get Rolex watches way above Retail Price.
You can also find grey market at Mudah for the Pepsi and Batman:
From the above images, not only is the Rolex Pepsi Stainless Steel selling for almost double the retail price but it’s the same for the Daytona too.
And the ridiculous price for the Pepsi and Daytona in the grey market is not a Malaysia thingy but a worldwide phenomena!!! And the most expensive place to get a second hand Pepsi is in Australia where it is going for more than AUD30K (RM90K)!!!
The Batman on the other HAND, you can get one in the grey market by paying extra RM10K on top of the official retail price. This is because the Batman has been around for about 5 years and there are many second hands available.
CONCLUSION
The demand for the new Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi Stainless Steel 126710BLRO is so great that it is fetching ridiculous prices in the second hand market, even better than the Daytona in some countries. Well, Rolex has once again made a quality must have product that will be legendary……………………..
Those of you who travels overseas frequently, walk into every Rolex dealer (there are some at the airports) and if you ever see a Rolex Pepsi in Stainless Steel or a Daytona in Stainless Steel selling at Retail Price at any Rolex Authorised Dealer, consider it as God blessing you and you should immediately purchase it on the spot or else you will regret for the rest of your life.
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