What motivated you to buy your first Rolex?

[drrd]

Originally Posted by Jack T

Fifteen years ago, at dinner with a friend, we were comparing watches, his TT Bluesy Sub and my Planet Ocean. His wife held both in her hands, looked them over closely, felt their respective heft and said ‘I kind of like Jack’s’.

As I smiled at my friend he grinned and said, ‘It’s very nice but it’s not a Rolex’
Not long after I acquired my first Rolex, a beautiful DateJust

I still have my Planet Ocean, my son has the DJ, but sadly my friend is gone.

Oh, sad story. Sorry to hear your friend is no longer around.

[AF_Rob]

Was growing my collection in many of our natural progressions. Dropping $2.5k per piece. Said “F-it” and dropped $6k on a 14060M new at an AD. Cooled the jets for a few years.

Realized that price point is about the roof of my comfort level. That piece set the tone and is the foundation of my collection. All previous pieces have moved on.


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[Vetracer]

For me it was a reward for hard work.

It was 1998 and doomsayers were predicting that computer software which was ill-equipped to handle a four digit year and would crash causing global chaos.

I was a young computer programmer and has been contracting taking full advantage of the shortage of “experts”.

In 2001, after the world survived the infamous Y2K bug, I decided to celebrate by splurging some of my lucrative gains on a Rolex GMT Master II Root Beer. I paid £4470. The watch was robust and unusual looking. At the time, it was the most expensive thing I’d ever bought.

[tifosi]

I'm just a watch guy. Have been my whole life. I bought my first real watch, a Ti Victorinox, when I was maybe 8 or 9. I still have it. When you are into watches, but not around "watch people" you hear that Rolex is the best/ most expensive watch in the world. I just always thought that. I got into Omega in my late 20s and had a few. Never really thought about owning a Rolex, I just assumed I couldn't. Got into dive watches then started looking around on forums and discovered that I could by a used Sub for like $3,500 (then). Went to an AD to check out this whole Rolex thing and was hooked. Bought a pre-owned Sub, then sold it for a new Sub in 2007ish and since then I've owned almost every reference of modern steel subs and sea dwellers.

I love the robustness and just daily wear-ability of a Rolex sports watch.

[ButtButt]

It was 2015 and I had just sold some tech stock I'd been holding for 15 over years. Decided to reward myself after reading some articles on Hodinkee or some other website that I can't remember.

One day on a whim I just went into town and walked into into all the watch stores there to see if they had any Pepsis or Batmans available. Pretty much every single shop told me they had no stock or were selling it at above retail. I was ready to give up when the last shop I visited told me they had a Batman in stock and if I wanted it I had to take it then and there. They even gave me a few hundred dollars discount. I just about threw my entire wallet at the guy and the rest is history.

To this day I still regret not asking the sales guy how they had one in stock unsold and why they were willing to sell it to a random walk in with no history like me. I think I was probably just too excited to find one at the time.

Over the past few years I tried to do this again for a Pepsi but sadly haven't had the same kind of luck. I still have and love the Batman.

[jets]

I was motivated by the need to impress random people and pretend I was richie rich.

[cszy67]

"Without love, without anger, without sorry...breath is just a clock, ticking." ~ Equilibrium, 2002

Time.

My late father asked me in 1991 if I wanted to buy the same watch as he was preparing to purchase, a 16710 with Pepsi bezel. I was a 24 year old Naval Aviator with nothing but respect and love for my amazing father. If he was going to do it then heck, it must be a wise decision. How correct you were dad...

He called Harold at Orr's Jewelers in Beaver, Pennsylvania and our order was placed. Some time later our watches arrived and I was hooked. Stepping up to a Rolex marked a point in time where I truly began to transition from a boy to a man. The fact that I was wearing an identical watch as my father was icing on the cake.

A year or so later the Air Force provided me a free ride out to Hawaii so I could dive really deep in crystal clear bathwater and tease some Navy EOD. While there, I bumped into a man wearing a 16618LB, and instantly fell in love with the blue and gold. There was no question, I had found my true love and had to have it. Now I knew exactly how dozens of young women felt looking into my Cobalt-blue eyes as I raced up on my new GSXR wearing my Navy-issued flight jacket. There was no question, they had found their true love and they had to have me, lol.

A few weeks later I am in SoCal and venture into a Rolex AD and ask about the 16618LB and nearly fainted when I heard the price. But sitting there in the same case was my even newer love, a 16613LB. A long-distance phone call (remember those?) to dad with a request that he ask Harold if it was possible to find two with consecutive serial numbers. Dad laughed, Harold laughed even louder. Months later Harold called and our watches had arrived. Not consecutive serial numbers but heck , I tried.

Part of the deal is that we would "trade-in" our 16710s on the new 16613s so with some reluctance we traded in and up. As you can guess, I wish I had kept my 16710 although I still have my X-serial numbered 16613, with box and papers, of course. Recently, I had it serviced at Orr's new location in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. A decade or so ago my father presented my younger brother with his 16613 and he wears it daily. I think he got the best deal ever!

So...it's all about time, and memories. I now spend some of my time looking for one of our lost 16710s with box and papers. Maybe one is still in the Pittsburgh area, maybe not. But I'll keep looking...or I will compromise and find one close enough. It's all about time...and memories...and breath is like a clock...ticking...

[Number3]

Originally Posted by Chet Szymecki

"Without love, without anger, without sorry...breath is just a clock, ticking." ~ Equilibrium, 2002

Time.

My late father asked me in 1991 if I wanted to buy the same watch as he was preparing to purchase, a 16710 with Pepsi bezel. I was a 24 year old Naval Aviator with nothing but respect and love for my amazing father. If he was going to do it then heck, it must be a wise decision. How correct you were dad...

He called Harold at Orr's Jewelers in Beaver, Pennsylvania and our order was placed. Some time later our watches arrived and I was hooked. Stepping up to a Rolex marked a point in time where I truly began to transition from a boy to a man. The fact that I was wearing an identical watch as my father was icing on the cake.

A year or so later the Air Force provided me a free ride out to Hawaii so I could dive really deep in crystal clear bathwater and tease some Navy EOD. While there, I bumped into a man wearing a 16618LB, and instantly fell in love with the blue and gold. There was no question, I had found my true love and had to have it. Now I knew exactly how dozens of young women felt looking into my Cobalt-blue eyes as I raced up on my new GSXR wearing my Navy-issued flight jacket. There was no question, they had found their true love and they had to have me, lol.

A few weeks later I am in SoCal and venture into a Rolex AD and ask about the 16618LB and nearly fainted when I heard the price. But sitting there in the same case was my even newer love, a 16613LB. A long-distance phone call (remember those?) to dad with a request that he ask Harold if it was possible to find two with consecutive serial numbers. Dad laughed, Harold laughed even louder. Months later Harold called and our watches had arrived. Not consecutive serial numbers but heck , I tried.

Part of the deal is that we would "trade-in" our 16710s on the new 16613s so with some reluctance we traded in and up. As you can guess, I wish I had kept my 16710 although I still have my X-serial numbered 16613, with box and papers, of course. Recently, I had it serviced at Orr's new location in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. A decade or so ago my father presented my younger brother with his 16613 and he wears it daily. I think he got the best deal ever!

So...it's all about time, and memories. I now spend some of my time looking for one of our lost 16710s with box and papers. Maybe one is still in the Pittsburgh area, maybe not. But I'll keep looking...or I will compromise and find one close enough. It's all about time...and memories...and breath is like a clock...ticking...

Lovely story.