Very interesting thread guys.

I'm new to the world of Heuer, and do not own one yet. I joined this forum recently to research the brand as I'm finally in the position to be able to afford to start a little collection, after being attracted to these great watches for years. Perhaps the rise in prices is good for some of you guys who already have large collections that have appreciated in a value, but it's tough for someone like me who is trying to buy. I look at the price guide on OTD and others, and the prices that I see out there are no where close to those numbers.

I don't own any vintage Rolex (...yet ;-)), just a modern Sea Dweller, but I don't have any problem calling myself a Rolex lover. In the past I looked down on the brand because they are so ubiquitous and over-marketed, but I've come around and just love the aesthetics, history and quality of the brand. When you go back to the 20's and look at Rolex inovations in waterproof watches, and follow the development of subsequent Submariners and Sea Dwellers, there is a brand history in sport and tool watches that I think is unmatched, and for me that makes it easy to overlook the negatives.

Now the issue of fetishizing the minutiae... how could you not? I'm not sure how many pieces per year Rolex made in the 60s or 70s, but it had to have been 10s if not low 100s of thousands. With so many pieces floating around out there, if collectors didn't differentiate based on seemingly tiny details, you wouldn't have any "rare" Subs or GMTs, and what collector doesn't want something special and unique? Some Rolex are legitimately rare and produced in very low numbers, and the prices of those are as much as a nice car.