Your Rolex story

[number6]

Even as a kid I liked watches. My dad had a rectangular Hamilton (tank watch?). When I graduated high school he bought me an Accutron tuning fork watch. If memory serves that was something over US$100 in 1972. I wore that for about four years until I distroyed it in a motrocycle wreck. I was a starving student so I went watch-less for about six years.

In 1979 dad and I started our own company. After a couple of years we were making enough money I could quit waiting tables at night to pay my rent. In 1982 I earned more than my age for the first time and to mark the occasion I bought myself a new stainless Perpetual Date with a charcoal colored dial. That watch cost me almost two weeks pay and I still wear it a few days each week.

[Robert-Jan Broer]

Great thread, have read some good stories so far. My own story is less interesting I am afraid. I started collecting watches when I was in college, 1998 or so. I started out collecting vintage (and new) Omega watches. Later on, in 2002, I got my first Rolex. It was a Date-Just which my mom gave me for my graduation. Still have it ofcourse. After that, I had several different Rolexes added to my collection (and sold some of them again). My current collection is quite stable.. a DJ, a Sea-Dweller and a GMT-II. As I said before, I had other models as well, but these three are picked with 'awareness'. The Sea-Dweller is a great Rolex sports model and can take heavy abuse, it is a tritium dial model from 1997. Last year, when I became 29, I bought the GMT-II and had it stamped on my birth day. This became my daily wearer, giving the SD some rest.

I have no interesting watch stories from when I was little, because I grew up in the 80s and 90s. The 80s being a Casio and Swatch era, the 90s I got aware of watches, but had no money So there were only quartz models on my wrist till 1998. My grandparents had gold Omega watches, Constellations. My grandfather still wears his, the watch of my grandmother went in the safe when she passed away in 1986. My father has a Omega Constellation from his grandfather (with original box, papers and bill) and has his own Omega Geneve from 1968 when he passed his exams. The only thing that I can remember about these watches is that my father always told me about the Omega and Moon connection and that my grandparents always had these nice gold watches.

Funny that Rolex and Omega didn't differ much in price back than. A Rolex Day-Date was even less expensive than an all gold Omega Constellation (including gold bracelets on both models). The Rolex Chronograph in this thread as only 20 usd more expensive than the Omega Seamaster Chronograph. Unbelievable, look at the ratio's now..

p.s. I don't think that there is difference in quality in Omega and Rolex watches from that period. Rolex had the nice in-house movements (Chronograph is probably a valjoux 72c?) and so did the Omega Constellation (cal.55x/56x) in those days.

RJ

[tomahawk]

Funny that Rolex and Omega didn't differ much in price back than. A Rolex Day-Date was even less expensive than an all gold Omega Constellation (including gold bracelets on both models). The Rolex Chronograph in this thread as only 20 usd more expensive than the Omega Seamaster Chronograph. Unbelievable, look at the ratio's now..
RJ

How right you are! I distinctly remember that Omega seemed to be higher up in the ranking ladder. Maybe not by much, but definitely more highly regarded than Rolex was. Seems the tide has turned and in a somewhat big way. Ahh..... the vagaries of the watch world. And that is why a watch is never to be seen as an investment.

[The anti JJ :-)]

I have enjoyed Rolex for years I have flipped a few over time but I always buy another Rolie. Now my favorite Rolex is a TT Sub with a blue dial it is my favorite Rolex. I bought my first Rolex when I was 34 that was a few years ago. :oops:

[Esben]

Hi Guys
Got my first Rolex, SS GMT II ref#16710 w black bezel 2004, as I worked as postdoc at Yale. After returning to Europe I changed my bezel to red-black - but still keep my all black version.
Off course - as most of you - this was the initiation of the most terrible disease: Rolex-mania
So, then followed a TT GMT II ref#16713 as well - this however - I only had for some months and then it got changed into a TT Sub ref#16613. Then the SS Sub ref#16610 found it´s way into my home. The No date Sub ref#14060 is the most recent addition - but unfortuneately not the last. Don't ask me why - but I have strong feeling that more are on their way to my wrist.

Cheers
Esben

[fquiroga]

MY ROLEX STORY IS VERY SIMPLE: I like it, some of my friends had a rolex, a singer (I am a musician) who I accompanied many years had a rolex, I love stories as wilsdorff's ones, with his obsession about accuracy, impermeability and others...I have a friend who changes the bezel of his master II each year because he doesn't want to take-off his watch on the sauna and pool...so at 53 years old I bought my SD and I feel very very happy

[Hamster56]

Like the others, I've always loved watches and for the last 20 years, had my eye on a Submariner. Well I finally got a yellow gold/blue face/blue bezel last year for my 50th birthday and love it.
Thanks

[Atomant]

My Rolex story? I've always wanted a Rolex and almost buy one many times but am put off by the quality of the clasp. End up buying a SD and still complaining about the clasp to the AD just before I made payments.

[jumboman72]

My rolex story is heartbreaking. Got my Submariner 16600 about 9 months ago. Loved every aspect of it. Became a part of me. Never cared for or took as much caution with something as much as I did for this.

Last week...a dog lunged at me on my walk home from my office...put my hands up to intercept it as it was literally in the air. The metal collar of a 100 lb black lab met my oyster perpetual head on and pierced it causing a shatter.

I'm literally heartbroken...it could be as long as 10 weeks before I get it back. I'm still heartbroken.

[casfz1]

My first Rolex was a wedding gift from my exwife when we got married it was a SS date just with a granite bezel. We had a whole watch theme going we bought everyone standing up in our wedding one even my mom and dad. As we were shopping for the watches one day (all 23 of them) she asked me to pick out a watch I liked so I picked a Wittnauer, nothing special just a nice watch. Then at or rehearsal dinner we were handing out the gifts we bought everyone and as I was sitting there watching everyone open their watches and what do I see my dad opening the watch that i picked out. Then a long comes my future wife with a nice bag and tells me to open it and what do I see the watch of my dreams.

A few years later I traded that watch in when i was excepted into the skilled trades program as a industrial truck mechanic. Know I am the proud owner of a two tone turnograph.