The Story of a 1675

[wardhanayvish]

Hello Rolex Forum, let me please introduce myself, my name is Wisnu. Thank you for tons of knowledge, and here is my first thread about my Rolex 1675, and the story behind it.

I know, I'm fascinated with vintage watches. My first vintage watch was when I was still in design school, a Seiko Bell Matic, that I bought from a friend ( in not great condition) for around 35 USD. (it didn't last long until it broke down).

After graduating and starting my career in professional work, I bought myself a 1960s TIMEX, manual winding (32,5 mm, boy size, ref. 1157) for around 40 USD. It didn't last long until the watches broke too and stopped working. I took it to local watchmakers in Jakarta, but they just said, it's hard to find the broken parts and refused to repair it. (Around the 2018). So I do my research, studying, saving, and planning about my next wristwatch, but it must be a vintage timepiece.

Since I was a child, I heard about the Rolex watches. My dad had one, with blue and red color on its side. When I was a child, in the family restaurant and we waited for the food to come, ill always tempted to turn the bezel (I remember I borrowed it from him, just to turn the bezel). I never knew it was a GMT Master 1675, until around 2019, when I started to ask my dad, where the watch was. Because I didn't see him wearing it for around 10 years (since he retired). So he started to remember the watch and started searching around (He forgot where the last time, he kept it, from his retirement).

Long story short, after years of looking, searching, and trying to remember where the last time he kept the timepiece was, on the 30th December of 2020, he found it. The timepiece is kept in one of his briefcases, in the warehouse all the time. In the morning he found it, he woke me up, and I remember jumping out of my bed, getting out in a hurry from my room, and sitting down at our family table, and my dad said, "Here is the watch, you can continue to wear it. It's for you." I was so amazed at the watch, and the first time I saw it, I noticed the second hand was moving, the watch was still running, but the acrylic crystal was broken (only the surface), and missing the last bracelet (the last link of bracelet that connected to end link, where the bracelet code is stamped). So my dad told me, that the watch was given by his father (my grandfather). The serial number is 30xxxx, with Oyster Fold Bracelet, stamped 2 / 71.

It became my daily watch since (even with broken acrylic crystal, I wear it on my wedding day) Later, the watch was serviced, not polished and fully overhauled, and the acrylic was replaced, by a trusted local watchmaker.

I am sorry for the long post, that's my story of how I got into watches. Here are some pictures. Thank you Rolex Forum, thanks a lot for all the knowledge that was shared by all the members around the world.

[Styles Bitchley]

Great story. So nice to have such a special heirloom. Do you have an after photo? That original crystal sure took some abuse!

[TimeLord2]

Great story and thanks for sharing. Got my GMT from my dad too. Would love to see some current pics of the watch. If looking to rebuild the bracelet, try Michael Young since you are located in South East Asia.

[Dan Pierce]

Lovely story, Wisnu! Thanks for sharing. Great to have such an iconic family heirloom.
dP

[Michael1968]

Great story
Thanks for sharing

[southtexas]

Congratulations Wisnu, on a wonderful family heirloom. Did your dad recall how the crystal came to have that interesting looking scar? I'm not sure I've seen a crystal do that before. It almost looks like it's de-laminating (of sorts)?

[Dom9]

Great story!!! Lovely piece, filled with memories!

[Dan S]

Thank you for sharing that great story! Not only a great watch, but amazing family history.

[996marty]

Great watch and family connection

[ADINVA]

Well-deserved gift.

[wardhanayvish]

Originally Posted by Styles Bitchley

Great story. So nice to have such a special heirloom. Do you have an after photo? That original crystal sure took some abuse!

Yes, the original crystal was really in bad shape, at first time I wanted to keep it as original as possible, while the crack didn't get in through the dial, but later, it got really hard to read the time, so I changed with the new acrylic crystal (but I kept the original damaged crystal).

At first, the bracelet itself got really damaged, you can check from the photo, that the part of the (12 position) end link to the bracelet was lost. (The part with the stamped code) and the clasp also did not lock well.
So the watchmaker tried to repair it, and now the clasp is working great. But I still hunting for the end part of the bracelet, with the stamped code.

[wardhanayvish]

Thank you for the reply Styles Bitchley, TimeLord2, Dan Pierce, Michael1968, southtexas, Dom9, Dan S, 996marty, ADINVA. I look forward to learning and gaining knowledge from this forum. Honestly, I have been following as a reader in this forum since around 3 years ago. But now, I decided to get into this forum so I started by sharing my story and personal experience, thank you for all the kind responses and feedback !

[wardhanayvish]

Originally Posted by southtexas

Congratulations Wisnu, on a wonderful family heirloom. Did your dad recall how the crystal came to have that interesting looking scar? I'm not sure I've seen a crystal do that before. It almost looks like it's de-laminating (of sorts)?

So the damaged crystal itself is caused by, my dad used to work in the train and railway industry, especially in workshops. Back in the day when I was a child, I remember visiting him in the workshop, the environment was very hot, and humid and he was not babying this watch. After more than 10 years without servicing and treatment, the watch crystal got damaged, maybe it got smashed, dropped, or bumped around, and he believed it was a kind of tool watch. When I visited the watchmaker to get serviced and overhauled, the only things the watch needed just full movement cleaning, oiling, and no parts broken or replaced (except he recommended replacing the gasket and acrylic crystal), now the watch still keeps the good time, I notice it only gaining two minutes every month and the date wheel changed on 00.06, but I can live with that, because the watch is from the early 70s and as a daily beater back in the day, and now for my everyday.

[TimeLord2]

Lovely watch and a great story! Wear it in good health!