Need help buying a watch from the forum.

[Vernal]

I hope I'm not beating a dead horse here, but I think that erroneous conclusions may be being drawn about me based on my question. I will readily admit to being a bit odd, but I don't feel I am unreasonable.

My 14060 was bought through an AD because 1) they had one, along with a selection of others that I was able to try on so I could make a decision amongst many lovely timepieces when I decided I wanted a new watch and happened to walk into an AD; and 2) they provided me with an excellent educational presentation that brought me relatively up-to-speed in far less time than it would have taken to read through a million forum pages (if I had even known this place existed at the time.) And I simply fell in love with it the moment I saw it, so there's that too.

I don't necessarily agree that an AD is what I must use, though; I don't even know I can find what I'm looking for there anyway. I've visited three in the past month, with no Turn-O-Graph of the model I want. I'm looking for a 16613 also, and they only had the ceramic ones. This is what led me to consider learning how to buy over the internet.

What I DO value are the stories that make them MINE. I understand (thanks to this forum) that the PCLs on the bracelet can scratch easily. That does not bother me, but my oddity is that I want to be the one who puts the scratches on it, thus the RSC refurb consideration. If the price was right, I would of course simply buy the watch and have it repaired on my own.

My question was basically, how is purchasing done via the forum, and I made a guess based on my experience drawn from other areas. Frankly, I don't even know what PayPal is or how it works, and I would rather spend my limited browsing time learning about watches. My new fascination with Rolex is that they seem to be perfect from the factory, while most items are designed to appeal to the widest possible audience. I modify if it gets me what I want, but Rolex is practically the only product I've run across that appeals to me "off-the-rack."

If my money doesn't spend here, so be it - I've found that where there is cash, there is a way. If it takes me longer than I would prefer, at least I have my awesome 14060 to tell me how much time I've wasted! Patience is unfortunately not one of my virtues.

I appreciate the input, as always. I apologize if my writing has not been clear enough to fully describe my questions and concerns.