RoleX used to be despised?

[Amer]

I have to say I was "that guy" who hated the brand. 13 yrs ago i bought my first sub and I flipped it two months after I got it. My disdain for the brand came from 2 issues. Everyone had one and it was way too common for my taste (living in Dallas). I preferred watches off the beaten path. The other reason was like many of you I got the "Is it a real Rolex" It was a bit too much for me so I stayed away till a few yrs ago. Keep in mind I knew about the history, patents, legendary oyster case, but it did not matter.

I'm older now and my taste in watch design has changed. I'm mainly tired of the larger watches cases as daily wear....>44mm.

What brought me back was watching the amazing documentary about James Cameron's descent into the Marianna trench and the Challenger watch. I love dive watches and anything ocean related. So I ended up with an over engineered watch, the DSSD as my first Rolex back into the fold. To me it was unique enough in the sense you don't see many worn in the wild. It was 44mm a good size for me and I could wear it under a cuff if need be.

My second Rolex was the 116619LB. Again unique, not very common and love the blue dial and bezel. The WG does not hurt either :) plus it wears so well at 40mm

Yeah they have a powerful marketing arm, but it's equally matched with history, quality and robustness which I respect.

I ended up with a third, 14060M but that's for my daughter who is 6. She will get it after college. It took me almost a yr. to find because I was determined to find her birth yr. watch. (I wear it once in a while to make sure it's in working order ;) )

So in a nutshell I'm a convert :)

[SALTY]

Is it preferred to to ask a question for which there is no answer or to have an answer for which there is not question?

In that regard, I have never hated Rolex.

[GeorgeK]

I love to hate them. They have mistreated me badly (Geneva).
Yet, I have bought a plexi GMT, and a 16550 since. Go figure.

No matter how you look at it, they are still the watch I grab when I go anywhere unprevisible, because I know a Rolex won't be out of its confort zone. War zone or embassy.

[Snow-Dweller]

I was 7 or 8 years old when my father gave my mother a Ladies Rolex. I remember her taking the watch out of its box at the kitchen table, and telling me that they were "the best waterproof watches". This was around 1974, and I have loved them ever since.

By the way, that watch is her daily wear to this day.