My heart says AP, my brain says Rolex and my fingers says JLC.

It's down to which model you buy from the respective brands. You are going to lose money in the intermediate term for all three, if you buy brand new.

AP, great story, great history, just don't get the useless generic Offshores with too many colour variations...ghost are meant for seasoned and hard core AP collectors.

Rolex Day-date...tried and trusted, but seriously " boring"....but great value, and value retention is best amongst all three. Thus if you want to move on, or give up this hobby, least downside, and secondary market is extremely liquid.

JLC, the Master control series is super robust, and the least "common" amongst the three. But worst resale, and least liquid. Also not that many fakes, unlike the above two. And if any, very bad copies. I hate to say this, but fakes and the increasingly better construction of them is posing a clear and present danger.

Like Nicholas said, think think think......dream dream dream.....if it's a keeper, as it should because of the occasion...it's a family heirloom in the making. Also, in due course you might wanna get matching pair for the missus, should you go down that route...Rolex and AP, easier to get matching ladies. jLC has ladies master control, but small range. Also, there is half a chance that that if you buy the day-date and AP RO, you might even pass it on to your partner, if yours and her view is that the size is acceptable.....and increasingly common view.

Cheers,

Horo

💰1849 Marketplace Listings for Rolex›

AP vs JLC vs Rolex

By: Achilles : September 27th, 2012-22:55

Hi everyone, Im new to this forum, so bear with me and i hope someone can direct me in the right direction and answer my queries. Im 23 yrs and by end of this year ill be graduating with my masters degree and after that i plan to join my family business. ...

Let me guess:

By: dr.kol : September 27th, 2012-22:59

You will not get many straight answers to such a question from here. Your Top Three are all fantastic watches. Make your own life easy and pick up one of these and then you will not go wrong. Best, Kari

If you are considering the problem under the value side, forget it.

By: amanico : September 27th, 2012-23:12

Or you will be disappointed. Now, things will be easier if you consider things under another criiteria, subjective though, the one I prefer. Take pictures of each of these three, look at them every day, several times a day, then go and try them again and ...

As is always the case...

By: elliot55 : September 28th, 2012-15:42

... you give the most sage advice. Before I buy anything, I'm checking with you first. I bet you'd have told me to hold off on that Seiko Discus I just got and do not seem to be able to bond with. Oh well. Thanks, my friend. - Scott

Are you real?? Better to read time on your phone...

By: Fricks : September 28th, 2012-01:00

And buy candies with the money you saved

His post was not offensive.

By: Whirling : September 28th, 2012-10:24

One might be jealous. One might have judgments about where the money for watch purchases should originate. Nonetheless, he is askng a fair question and not making any obvious effort to insult anybody. Sincerely, Jon

Please remember to keep your tone civil on the forum.

By: dxboon : September 28th, 2012-10:50

I'm sure you didn't mean to come across with "tone," but writing on the internet is not the same as speaking face to face, and without the benefit of inflection or body language, your post begins to cross the line of being rude. Thanks in advance for keep...

Welcome and Buy the AP Royal Oak, you will not regret it nt

By: SALMANPK : September 28th, 2012-04:32

Have you tried them all physically?

By: patrickmaniac : September 28th, 2012-06:13

What's on picture do not always tell a thousand words. If you want to consider the holding value, most folks would say Rolex but again it's a subjective topic due to the model, country and market condition. Lastly, which piece sets your heart fluttering a...

Congrats on your upcoming graduation!

By: AlexSunrise : September 28th, 2012-06:48

Achilles, First and foremost, congrats on your upcoming graduation. All of the choices you mention are winners, however, bear in mind your general lifestyle more than a specific set of scenarios where you would be wearing your watch. - Do you have an affi...

First and more important, Welcome, Achilles. The simple answer to your question is

By: ThomasM : September 28th, 2012-07:14

of the three, get the AP Royal Oak. Among those who know watches overall, it will have more brand prestige than either the Rolex or JLC, and the Royal Oak is an iconic model even within the AP product range, yet will have less recognition among the more c...

Congratulations... You are a lucky man...

By: elliot55 : September 28th, 2012-08:48

... especially if your father is ready to drop in excess of 15k on a graduation gift. That said, welcome to the forum - you have come to the right place for educated opinions about high-end, quality products, such as Rolex, JLC and AP. Not to mention abou...

Royal Oak without a doubt.

By: mkvc : September 28th, 2012-08:53

Disclosure: personally, I am not a particular fan of the look of the Royal Oak. Nevertheless, I think it's the correct objective choice. It's an unabashedly top-quality watch. It's a first choice: nobody will ever assume you wanted something else but coul...

Ask your father . . .

By: Dr No : September 28th, 2012-10:08

. . . to give you his watch. If you think about it long enough, that is the decision you will make.

Even if the resale value of the AP Royal Oak were to plunge by 70%

By: mpiz : September 28th, 2012-10:13

I'd still say AP RO...bought it sold it regretted it bought it again and never gonna sell it again...15300 or 15202...both are awesome. Make sure you get the black dial if you're going for either steel or RG.

To add to Achilles' decision making...

By: amnaggar : October 27th, 2012-01:40

Black, Blue or white... AP RO 15300. I'm undecided on that too.. People buy the blue, then say it kills wearing it with a suit, black but too dark, white but contrast with hands isn't too great... Id go for white (classic) or blue (dark but fresh).

My Humble Opinion: JLC or VC

By: Whirling : September 28th, 2012-10:37

APs and Rolexes are fantastic watches. They are also watches that carry a lot of baggage, given their popularity and celebrity endorsements. JLC watches are wonderful watches, well-respected by the vast majority of watch enthusiasts. Nobody is going to th...

I've owned all three

By: long71 : September 28th, 2012-14:17

I tend to share Thomas' assessment or ranking. I don't have the DD anymore. I found it too ostentatious. The other point is that the movement is essentially the same as that in a regular Datejust, so you are paying a steep premium fior a few grammes of go...

JLC is the best choice.

By: SamEE : September 29th, 2012-07:36

The JLC has a classic design and the most complications, day, date, month, and moonphase. Plus it has a crystal sapphire case back, and the reputation of JLC for having the best quality watches is well Rolex is too popular, do you want to have something ...

My heart says AP, my brain says Rolex and my fingers says JLC.

By: Hororgasm : September 30th, 2012-11:00