Most sentimental watch?

[watchspike]

I find it really sad that this forum, once a parish for irrational lovers of shiny trinkets that denoted emotional value, has descendent into a forum for investors and speculators all either getting anxious about the state of the Rolex buying market or rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of procuring said shiny bauble while the whole world is on fire, no doubt hoping that once they source one of these "assets" that the world corrects itself again and prices rebound, thus jumping back on the speculator train and turning into hypocrites.

Having read someone posting about how fed up with these threads they had become and wanted a classic WIS topic, I've decided to start one about which watch in their collection has the most sentimental value.

For me, that watch would probably be my first ever Rolex, a modest yet beautiful stainless steel Date, a gift given to me by my late mother. I was given a choice of any in the display case and choose it because of it's subtle beauty and because it didn't shout Rolex like the Datejusts or Subs did. My mother actually told me she liked the new anniversary sub and suggested I should choose that one in the display but I went with the pure aesthetics of the Date over the green of the "kermit", something I only regret in passing as it's now one of the 'hyped' references and should I ever get one in memory of my mother, would have been less costly then compared to now. Truth be told I felt a bit guilty or out of place at the time, choosing a luxury watch as a gift at an age when most of my peers associated Rolex as an old man's watch.

The gift was to mark a coming of age and set me on this path of being obsessed with watches, particularly Rolex as it helps form a mental and emotional bond with my late parents. For them, Rolex watches were special not necessary for their monetary value, although that does play a role, but more that they were bought as gifts to signify a special occasion or event in life. It began when they got matching sets of Datejusts for their wedding which have pride of place in my collection.

As a side note, having lost my parents to cancer and technically becoming an orphan before turning 30, I find I'm mentally more prepared to deal with this pandemic then most people, having experienced things a lot of people twice my age have yet to go through. That's not to say I'm blasé to the idea of losing loved ones, I still have concerns for my older relatives, but that I'm neither panicking and thinking the worst, nor do I have my head in the sands, being in a state of denial due to an uncontrollable fear of losing people close to me.

I thought about this a couple of weeks ago when I was wearing the Date in my rotation and as I was stepping out of the car, a rare moment of sunlight shone on it, catching it at just the right moment, as pictured in the photo's below.

Would like to hear of other peoples experiences with their watch collections.

[*LexLover]

I'm like many here who love, love the Daytona - I've mentioned before that I actually own multiple Daytonas. My 3rd (116506) is the most sentimental to me due to what I had to go through to get it and I think it will always be with me.
I was raised in a country where many people look at Rolex watches as a mark of success. I remember being on flights and in hotel lobbies where businessmen would proudly wear their watches and I would think to myself, this is the perfect way I can tell the world I made it...

I started with a day date as my first rolex - a gift from my parents for graduating engineering school. I sold that to get a submariner brand new in the box. After holding that watch for maybe 3 full weeks, I was able to offload that and add some cash to pick up what was hot at the time... a BLNR. I almost wore this watch because my mentor at work had one just like, but I held out, keeping it in pristine condition...waiting for the right time to sell it. As luck would have it, the model was discontinued. Found a buyer at a significant increase to what I paid and offloaded it. Next, I added some money an picked up an AP ROO for wholesale at a watch show my buddy was attending. That was an easy 3k increase after finding someone who had to have it. Now, with some money on my end, I was sitting at 40k...I couldn't pay retail, so I basically attended as many wholesale shows as I could, finding diamonds in the rough and using negotiating skills and the power of persuasion to pick up as many pieces as I could at low enough prices to facilitate someone else's dreams. Along the way, I learned what to buy and how to buy which aided me in hitting my goal of finally obtaining my beloved Daytona. I don't think this one will ever leave my wrist except for when I place it back into it's box (full plastics and tag still on). My enjoyment comes from the memories I've gained along the way and the people I've met, not to mention I take to watch out several times a day to admire the way the light reflects off that ice blue dial. Thanks for taking me back!

[kieselguhr]

Love the NATO pairing with that OP date!

[DCheeta]

Beautiful post. Thank you for starting a thread NOT about waitlists and investment value. Yours is a great story, albeit sad, as I cannot imagine losing my parents at such a young age. At least you have things to remind you of them, and you remember them fondly.

My most sentimental watch is not a Rolex, it's the Omega AquaTerra that my wife gave me as a wedding gift 14 years ago. I wore it at our wedding and throughout our honeymoon, and because it's the closest thing that I have to a dress watch I end up wearing it during special occasions, so it has a lot of memories with us.

Watches that I buy for myself just don't have that same sentimental value. They all come and go eventually, but that AquaTerra will always be with me.

[Dpop24]

I never let the monetary value of anything define its importance to me. I’ve got two Rolexes (216570 Black and 116400 White) but without question, my most sentimental/valuable/important watch is the Seiko that my Mom gave me as a present for getting my MBA. It’s the one watch in my collection that is irreplaceable and will never leave the collection, especially now that dear Mom is no longer with us (lost to cancer, I share your pain).

[Dpop24]

Originally Posted by Dpop24

I never let the monetary value of anything define its importance to me. I’ve got two Rolexes (216570 Black and 116400 White) but without question, my most sentimental/valuable/important watch is the Seiko that my Mom gave me as a present for getting my MBA. It’s the one watch in my collection that is irreplaceable and will never leave the collection, especially now that dear Mom is no longer with us (lost to cancer, I share your pain).

Decided that a wrist shot was in order! RIP Mom.

[lamnyc]

I have five Rolex and the one I cherish the most is the one that my mom bought for my dad 53 years ago. 6694 Oysterdate.

[tfjordan]

My 16263 Thunderbird my wife gave me in 1994 for our engagement. Both are keepers!


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[jamesthejeweller]

Originally Posted by tfjordan

My 16263 Thunderbird my wife gave me in 1994 for our engagement. Both are keepers!


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Love this model. I have the same but with blue/mauve dial

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[brandrea]

Easily this

Lucky winner of the TRF James Bond Submariner Giveaway. Won with my lucky #3.

A day I will never forget, and a watch I will always cherish.

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[Nikrnic]

The Rolex Date was my first one as well. Long gone now..

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[johnorpheus]

Thanks for sharing and totally agree with your first paragraph. Don’t really have a sentimental watch as I’ve just really started, but I imagine my current Rolex will become sentimental in time.

[TimeLord2]

I would not say I have a collection. But what I do have is a Seiko that I got from my late Grand Parents when I was 12. The other is from my Father. It would be very hard to part with either.

[209Wrist]

My fathers G-Shock DW-6600. He wore it every day to work. He was in commercial construction so when he passed it was beat to hell. I replaced the strap and bezel to bring it back to life, even found a Casio stand for it.

I have fond memories of my mother taking it off his wrist every evening when he came home and sat on the couch.

I’m now patiently waiting to purchase a date sub from my AD with money he and my mother left me after passing. I feel it would make for a more meaningful heirloom piece that I can cherish as a “last gift” from my parents than just cash.

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[Ny325]

My SS 36mm DateJust. Purchased it in 1999. The year I got married. Love it to this day.

[dmash]

This thread makes me sad I sold all my watches I bought at 18,19,20 when I first got into horology. I wish I would have kept at least one.

[Setarip]

Beautiful post OP - thank you for sharing that. Very touching. Have lost many in my life that I was close to, but not yet parents. They will be 90 and 85 this year. My uncle is 99. Like your parents, I’ve gifted many Rolex watches to my kids, friends and business colleagues for special occasions. To me they are a celebration of life.

All of my Rolex watches have been gifts from my wife. But probably the most sentimental is the first, a SeaDweller in 2004 for promotion to partner. Also, that watch was on my wrist when I was serving in Afghanistan. Loaned it to my oldest son (24) who will get his own Sub or ______ when he graduates and gets married next year. Occasionally I borrow it for a day when I really miss it. It still sparks joy.

[FQ01]

What a fantastic thread! I enjoyed reading all the stories. Thanks for sharing guys!

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[dmash]

Originally Posted by FQ01

What a fantastic thread! I enjoyed reading all the stories. Thanks for sharing guys!

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+1, checking in with every new post!

[slimboy1974]

Love this thread I’ve been reading everything on this forum for months and this thread really struck me, I had been longing for a Rolex for years since I first really paid any attention to them my boss at the time had a gold submariner with a blue dial which I loved but at the time it was just over £12000 we’ll out my price range then a customer came in with a two tone Daytona that blew me away again was out my price range at about £5500 however a couple of years later I thought stuff it and waited a couple of weeks to get one and put the lot on my Visa card, I was in love with this watch and had it for about 2 years when I sold it to carpet our 1st house I was gutted at having to sell this and only got £3200 at the time, I was absolutely gutted at having to sell it and my fiancée just didn’t see my point of view or get my longing for this watch, however in2006 we were getting married in Vegas on hogmany and before we left she gave me a gift which was a steel GMT11 at the time I was delighted but was still longing after a Daytona again selfish I know but over the years this watch has really grown on me and I love it and would never part with it, and about 4 weeks ago I managed to get another new two tone Daytona and while I love this watch it just doesn’t feel the same as the 1st one I owned and still prefer my GMT, my aim is to get to 3 Rolex so I can pass 1 each on to my sons, hoping for the 3rd to be a steel sky dweller white or blue dial. Hope this thread goes on and on really enjoyed it.

Sorry for everyone that has lost people

[42itus]

My most sentimental watch is the DJ that I got for my mom. She always put her kids first and she never treated herself to luxury items. But I overheard that she always wanted a Rolex. So one day, on a whim, we walked into my AD and she saw this one and immediately fell in love with it. It makes me smile every time I see it.




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[Rolexavidfan]

There’s one Rolex watch that my wife and I bought back in Oct 2018 which we intend to gift it to our kid when he graduates.

At that time also, my kid was undergoing some difficult period which needed us to visit him in school. And we were initially toying the idea of giving it to him to cheer him up. At the last minute, we decided to hold back and wait for the right time which is his graduation day.

Graduation date would be in May 2020. Plane ticket and hotel accommodation were already booked as early as August of last year. We engraved the watch caseback with his initials and graduation date. And my wife and I were definitely looking forward to seeing him soon.

Not until this Covid-19 pandemic happened which necessitated changes in plan such as cancellation of our visit and possibly cancellation of graduation day. But we are still hoping that graduation day will be postponed. In addition, we were in a tight dilemma of whether to ask him to come home or for him to stay in his apartment near the school. We decided on the latter as the airport is not definitely a safe place to be in and the long flight hours and possible quarantine activity that may be undertaken when he returns home.

So there you go, a sentimental gift watch that is still an ongoing work in progress. Hopeful yet scared, optimistic yet cautious. A “crown” for every achievement indeed.




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[mosfetaus]

My story...
Omega was the first watch (brand) to get into my head, way back when, I don't even know how young I was.
I got seriously into luxury watches 10 years ago.
I went through MANY Omega's, and countless other brands.
In the beginning, I always put off buying a Rolex, they never really did much for me. Plus I thought they were over valued. I finally got over the mental barrier, and bought an Explorer 114270 and immediately realised - "oh ok, this is what all the fuss is about?". Such a gorgeously simple, yet exquisitely beautiful object!
I then bought a Datejust 116200, and since then I have quite literally been through over a quarter of a million dollars worth of luxury watches.
So many Omega's, so many Rolex's, and so many others also.
I've recently been selling down my collection, and the sale of my Rolex's and the huge profits I made from them (I guess they weren't over valued after all) along with the sale of many other pieces allowed me to completely pay off my mortgage.
I am now down to a final few watches, 10 actually. Still a few Omega's, others, and just one Rolex, my DJ.
And that Datejust I bought way back when, is probably going to end up being my one and only watch.
There's just something about it (comfort, design, looks, solidity, reliability, history, hell even liquidity).
So the watch that came from a brand that meant little to me in the beginning has ended up becoming my most sentimental watch.
They do make a good watch actually, do Rolex!

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[jvb.nc]

this one is both hard and easy for me to answer.

my first serious watch, a breitling chrono avenger, was bought with a small legacy from my departed maternal grandmother in 2001. i didn’t expect to be a collector at the time, and wore that watch daily for about eight years. my second good watch was an omega SM PO 2500, which i added because i couldn’t afford a submariner at the time. the seamaster was also purchased with funds from a legacy from my paternal grandmother.

both of those watches are seriously sentimental. and i’ll never sell them.

buuuuuut.

in 2015, while in vienna with my stepfather and mother (it would prove to be his final international trip, as he began to suffer more from parkinson’s symptoms after that adventure), i was at Juwelier Wagner on stephansplatz and had tried on a batman. i loved it, and i wanted it to be my first rolex - i had finally come around to understanding what rolex was and why they were rolex. i went to pay the woman, and she smiled and said “that won’t be necessary, the gentleman has already settled your account.” my stepfather was a quick one, that guy. so my first rolex, bought for me by my stepfather on his last international trip. heavy. more wrist time than anything in my collection since.

and now..: the watch i’m wearing daily, the 228206 meteorite diamond. bought to memorialize that same stepfather, as he was as rare as they come.

i have sentimental attachment to many of my watches but these two rolexes definitely take the cake.

[Stew7]

I have 2 that are particularly sentimental. I purchased one and one was gifted to me.

I've worn a watch since I was about 12 so always had a love for them. When I finished university and got my first engineering job I purchased a LNIB Omega Seamaster 2254.50 from a buyer on WUS. I've owned it for 14 years now and it has been all over the world with me on vacations and for business. It was on my wrist when I met my future wife and years later when I proposed. It's been on my wrist for the birth of both of our children and many important milestones along the way. Heck, it was even on my wrist when I bought my first Rolex.

The second watch is an old Elgin pocket watch bought by my great grandfather. This was gifted to me by my Dad last year and is over 100 years old. It was serviced a few years ago and still works. Although not especially rare or valuable, it is a glimpse into a different period in time.

[garyk]

Thanks to the op for this thread. I lost my parents a few years ago, I had them in my life for many more years than the op but still very difficult. I posted the following on another thread...

My first watch ever as I was leaving home in 1964 being sent to military school for the next 6 years. To help soften the blow, My late father bought me this watch and it no doubt became very important to me as it was the one thing I could have while spending those years in uniform. Thankfully I kept it in good shape all these years!





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[rmagoo57]

Thanks for sharing your stories. Here's my sentimental favorite. I wore this everyday for almost 30 years! Work or play, didn't matter.

Got this 16013 as a graduation gift from my Dad in 1989 - 6 years of night school for an MBA. He bought it new and wore it for a couple of years - I have the receipt! He retired, sold his business and bought himself a DD President - wore it until he passed in 2017. My brother wears it today.

I'm thinking of "retiring" this watch until I'm old and frail - it's very comfortable. I have a Sub and DJ41 to wear until then. Figure I can give those away to my daughters then just wear this beauty until I pass - go out in style!

[AlexFrank]

Great story

[enjoythemusic]

GREAT POST OP and thx for starting it.

For me, mechanical timepieces are loved due to not only the celebration in mechanical mathematics, there are aesthetic and other arts / crafts. Then add the experience while wearing it... or dad's watch... or the one I lent for many years to my brother who passed. For me, in some ways it is quantifiable, in other ways it is the unseen that matters most.

Hope that all makes sense.

Or I'm just another timepiece crazy. Hmmm... :)

[kypt]

Mine is the Submariner I bought back in November. I hit 10 years in service (Army National Guard) and wanted something to commemorate my time in so far.

When I look at it I remember all the good (and challenging) times I've had, all the interesting places the Army has taken me, and the amazing people I've served with.

I'll never part with it.