20K Posts

[HogwldFLTR]

It’s hard to imagine 20,000 posts on the forum; here I am about to scale that peak. Especially considering that my time as a watch collector is relatively short. When I started on the forum in 2012, a mere six years ago I had zero knowledge regarding Rolex watches and watches in general. I came to the forum by way of the UMGF (Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum), one of my first experiences with a forum. It started with a discussion on there about the “James Bond Watch.” For me it was because of showing off my newly purchased Omega that a friend who was a Rolex fan explained the long history of Rolex, Fleming, and Bond. I was hooked. He told me about the forum and I joined.




My first thought when joining was to buy a Rolex, a Rolex at the lowest price possible. After seeing the prices being requested by Trusted Sellers here on the forum, I decided to use other sources for purchasing watches. For me it was eBay as the most readily available source. Of course, nothing is free and this lead to several missteps. One DJ sold as working died within 12 hours on the wrist. EBay gave me a week to get an estimate for a repair. Not possible within my knowledge base at the time. Even difficult within my current knowledge base. Both eBay and PayPal failed me. Ultimately it was Amex which rescued me from the bad deal. This was a valuable lesson in having multiple levels of security in making deals with strangers. Another lesson learned was really buy the seller and not the watch alone.



There were two additional watches I almost bought. One was an Explorer with the incorrect hands which the forum helped to prove bogus and eBay interjected to kill the deal. The second was a full set 16610 which was totally unpolished and was locally available. Based on input that it was too rough I let it go. I could have had it for $4K. Oops. It would have been a great watch. What really bothered me was the sales slip from the original was so much less than what I was going to pay for the watch.
Finally, the stars lined up and I found a watch that satisfied my then immature Rolex wish list. It was a modern Rolex with the engraved rehaut and modern bracelet. It was my first grail, an 116000 OP. I owned it a while and ended up trading it in on a 114060. It was a concentric dialed OP with the orange and black dial (frequently called the Harley Davidson Rolex). Being a Harley owner, I appreciated it a lot.



I started buying more Rolex watches, these included a 16013 DJ, a 14060 Sub, a 114060 Sub, a blue dial DJII which I traded in the 114060 on, a GMT 16700, a black dial Explorer II and a manual wind 6694. An 1803 on leather which I was able to find a bracelet for but also found there was a scratch on the dial. I found a dial replacement (actually two). I diverged a bit and bought a couple of Mark II Omegas, one from 1969 and one from 2015. I ended up with quite a collection realizing that no watch ever really got much wrist time. The top shelf watches of the collection were my Sky Dweller Blue dial, my black dial 116500 Daytona C, and my Sea Dweller 116600. Ultimately, I needed a spreadsheet to track all the watches and one day decided that it was nuts. Having so many watches and real use for only a few at the most. I guess that is part of how the collecting hobby works for some of us. Below is a fair portion of the watches obtained over 20K posts.





















The funny thing that I realized is that it’s much easier to acquire watches than to sell them. I thought about the work involved in selling them individually. Frankly I don’t have the stomach for the negotiations involved. Luckily (or not) a local AD sent out an email offering to buy used watches. I decided to make and appointment and give them a try.

John at Longs in Burlington, MA (their head office) asked if I could bring them in. I paired all watches and associated accessories (boxes, warranty cards, etc.) and placed them all into two suitcases. The store is only a couple of exits from my work so I stopped buy on my way to work. We met and given the sheer numbers we agreed that they could hold on to everything and take a few days to go through it all. A week later I was able to get back to the shop and discuss the offer.

They frankly admitted that they never get people coming in with box and papers intact. The offer they gave me allowed me to make a fair profit on almost all the watches with a couple of cheaper pieces being the exception. I went through review of many pieces that I’ve been dreaming of. Ultimately, I mentioned the words Platinum Daytona and it was like I ignited a bomb; it was like there was no way to put the Genie back in the bottle. I also purchased a DJ more my wife who really loves it. They allowed me to pull two watches I didn’t feel they recognized the value of (Exp II 16570 and SD4K 116600) and which I felt low balled on. The Exp II was lowballed because their watch maker said it needed an overhaul. They through in an overhaul for it as part of the package. The Sea Dweller was low balled, I believe, because it is a Sea Dweller, still carrying the stigma which has plagued the watch for years.

So here I am, 20K posts later. The owner of three Rolex watches. When I first posted I was a wit’s end to try to figure out how to purchase a 36mm Oyster Perpetual. Now I’m the proud owner of a watch which I believed to be unobtainable plus two others I really like. No I don’t have a massive collection nor do I have a handful of PM pieces. The truth is I have more than I wanted and I feel blessed to have what I do.





If you read this far, you deserve an award. Thanks all for tolerating my participation.

[1665fan]

Yea much easier to buy one than sell one!

[iwenger]

What a journey! I'm happy to hear you've ultimately landed on three pieces that bring you happiness. Here's to the next 20k posts

[ink3027]

What a great post, thanks for taking the time to put that together. Wonderful trio you have now as well, glad you've found peace with a smaller collection.

Cheers

[Chewbacca]

Nice going Lee

Great journey.

[SoCal_Batman]

That was quite the journey and collection you had amassed over the past several years. Thanks for taking the time to write it up and share with the TRF community.

You’ve kept 3 great watches that will continue to bring you years of happiness, I mean wow...just look at that Daytona!!

Looking forward to the next 20K posts, .

[Starhutch]

Cheers and look forward to your next 20k!

[BNA/LION]

Congratulations on 20K!

[BrazenC5]

Well done, Lee! I've always enjoyed your posts.

[e dantes]

Thank you for the great story and watches. It is interesting to read about others journey to and through the Rolex world.

[Etschell]

C9ngrats, I enjoy reading your posts.

[austinp]

Congratulations and I love the 3 you kept.

[GADNYC]

What a great journey, sincerely appreciate you sharing these thoughts. Brilliant Daytona

[LuminousMaximus]

Hey Lee, that was an amazing journey from the beginning to this point. It is so much like many of ours, not wanting to sell individually, or sometimes privately, due to the hassle, and often times collecting many pieces.

It is lucky you got that offer in the mail, and I'm sure they won't be mailing that same letter any time soon...lol

Keep that Platinum Daytona on the wrist as it is where it deserves to be

[CalSRQ1]

Great post- congrats on 20k!!

[Romeojk]

Great story, thanks for sharing!

Keep on truckin’


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[Bxtek]

Thanks very much for sharing the story of your Rolex "journey" with us! An early congrats on 20K posts too! I loved reading about your history and how the Rolex bug has bitten you. I see you are a very passionate WIS and you have really gotten to experience some beautiful pieces along the way! Nobody is born with all of the knowledge on a subject. Learning, making mistakes is all a part of the journey! I'm learning quite a bit myself, mostly from this forum. I want to thank people like yourself and other friendly knowledgeable members for sharing their knowledge about this great brand and watches in general!

Thanks also for all of the great pictures of your collection over time. Your current collection is the perfect trio! Each with their own specific use, plus the holy grail Platona!

I really love your old TT DJ with the Jubilee dial and Arabic numerals! I've always had a soft spot for the Jubilee dial.

[sickened1]

Congrats on your 20k post, Lee. That's a milestone.

[sensui]

Nice journey... So far... I'm sure there will be more down the road. Congrats again on the 116506. Great watch I enjoy myself.

[BT1985]

Great post Lee. Shows that it really is a journey which can be a lot of fun when shared in community. For post 40k maybe you will have a platinum DD as a brother to the Platona....

Cheers!


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[TimeRookie]

Congratulations on 20k! I thought my watch story was complicated. You win by a long shot! I’m down to 3 as well and only wear 2 regularly. I don’t have an amazing PM piece though. Enjoy your watches and thanks for posting your thoughts and history, 20,000 times.

[DESH]

congrats on 20k and congrats on your new acquisition enjoy in good health...

[Amochosto]

You have had, and still have a great collection of watches. If I was to get back down to 3 I think it would be some variation of the watches you kept.

Congrats on 20k, I know I will never get close to that

[1WatchDawg]

Great story, amazing how it all starts. Congratulations!!!!

[Psijason]

What a great journey you've been on. I absolutely love how it brought you to a Platinum Daytona and two tool watches. It's just a perfect trio after all the trials and tribulations!!! Congratulations and thank you so much for telling your story!!! One of my all time favorite reads on TRF.

[RichM]

Congratulations Lee. That’s quite a journey in such a short period of time. Here’s to the next 20K.

Is that a D18?

[Chiboy]

Wow, so many watches and so many posts in such a brief period of time! I kinda got to the same place, but I feel like the marathon runner who took the subway from mile 2 to mile 24.

Great writeup and interesting journey.

[Brucewayne1]

Great read. Plat Daytona is real piece!

[Hard_Six]

Enjoyed the read. You've had a heck of a journey through some great watches! Congrats on 20K and on that incredible Platona

[Dubshack]

Congrats on 20K and the evolution of your collection, especially in such a short period of time. You have 3 great watches!


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