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Chope Man · 22 July 2018, 04:30 AM

Hello everyone. After being a lurker for months to measure the atmosphere and the level of posts, I quite recently decided to participate. It is time for me to introduce myself after 30 posts.
I am French man, born in 1959. As far as I remember, as a teenager I always dreamed of having a Rolex. I was indeed infused with advertisements in magazines, surrounded by people with Rolex (many members of the Golf Club where the family was, golf competitions with prizes such as Rolex in PM. In addition to this a friend of my father, living in Argentina, made trips to Europe, for business, and for his Chifonelli suits, to buy Rolex for friends in South America and sometimes for himself or his two daughters. During those trips en Europe, he always visited us for é or three days. He had a Day Date. About his daughters, the eldest one, goddaughter of my father, eventually was kidnapped in Argentina. She returned safe after ransom but without her Rolex, and her father bought her a Tudor. More under the radar but for, as the both of father and daughter said, the same quality.
No wonder, for my 18 years, in 1977, I asked (and got) a Rolex. Many young people from middle class or rather favored class, who were in the same golf club, received a Rolex for their 18 years. I asked for one of the least expensive if not the cheapest of the sports range: a submariner without the date. A 5513 therefore, at 1800 francs (I still remember it), the 1680 with the date I dreamed but that I found unreasonable to ask, being 2200 francs ...
I absolutely loved this watch, being myself precise, making the most accurate models possible, so appreciating the precision of manufacture and finish. But I always had a problem measuring how much time passed, never knowing what day it was. A few years later, after my military service, I bought myself a Datejust. I had asked my father, who had always dreamed of a Rolex but tended to favor his family before himself, to come with me at the AD (Aldebert, in Paris). When the seller put the datejust to my measure, my father asked me what I was going to do with the submariner. I then told him that the the reason why I wanted him to come with me was that he finally had a Rolex ... The seller had then to put on the right size a second watch and my father was so pleased... About this trend of doing everything first for his family, he had asked my brother, who had just achieved very early (19 years and a half) good studies (Science-Po Paris), what he wanted as a gift, like a little car for instance. This was one year and a half after I got the 5513. My brother replied: for that price, as I did not have time to pass my driving license, I would prefer a Rolex in yellow gold ... he got it and still have it after 39 years (Oyster date, 34 mm). He has small wrists. His girlfriend, who had also succeeded Science-Po, had also received a Rolex, they realized by finding themselves, surprised, while they had not spoken about this before ...
And then the time has passed, I again had my first submariner to the untimely death of my father, left too early at the age of 59 years. In this regard, I should not advise enough against smoking ...
When I got back the 5513, the rotating bezel of the submariner served me a lot to note the time I spent on this or that file and then bill the client (law firm then IP legal firm, intellectual property being my specialty, two diploma respectively in the IT Laws, mainly copyright for computer programs, and in patent laws).
The time has passed again, a few years later I resold the submariner and the SS datejust for a second hand 31mm gold datejust with president bracelet and for a SS manual winding precision Oyster.
One day, a guy who worked in the same law firm as me, in the library, with less means than me, asked me if I would sell him the Oyster Precision for the low price I had paid, that he had always dreamed of a Rolex, etc. As I am not a money man and I liked this person, I resold him without profit.
Then, years later, after a wedding (where I offered a gold and steel Lady datejust), a divorce, a new girl-friend who found the junior datejust not enough manly, I bought a second hand GMT 16700.
And later came a Day Date in yellow gold on President bracelet, hidden clasp, with diamonds on the dial, which I would have kept well if I had not been obliged to resell it to pay for the repair of the engine of one of my Lotus (my other passion for 20 years, I had and still have an Elise S1 of 1998, prepared for the track, an Elan M100, kept 5 years and sold last year, and am waiting for the completion of the restoration of a rare Lotus seven S3 of 1968). The Jaguar S family type is only the "common" car when I need more seats.
I will not tell you all the details of my 40 years of relationship with Rolex, but the beginning was more significant to explain one of my hobbies. By the way, I followed quite the same way with McIntosh labs audio gears and Leica M. And I'm also known in the little community of vintage slot cars.

Today I still have the Junior Datejust, very much like dress watch, the GMT Master 16700, which comes out of its third maintenance service (one every 5 years), a Tudor 79270 that I love as much as the others (the Big Block I had tried was still a little thick, not easy to wear with a suit of city or a blazer, but I'm not saying that one day ...), and a submariner finally with date ... yellow and blue if you see what I mean (16618, because not having a very big wrist I find the new ceramic model too big for me, and moreover not in the spirit "wristwatch" with an integration of the box which decreases at the level of lugs to join the bracelet).
The next one? Keeping the others of course: I hope in a few years to buy a Day-Date. If it could be platinum ... I would have gone through my adult life from the cheapest Rolex to the Flagship, and having loved them all and continuing to admire a 5513 ...

My name is Jean-Michel, the pseudo “Chope Man” being a joke (reference to Antony Colin Bruce Chapman, to the fact that “Chope” is in French a mug of beer). I work and live close to Paris as director of intellectual property of a simulation software company (I was hired 17 years ago by my best client at the time).

Thanks to the contributors for their beautiful pictures, for the interesting technical details and long life at the Forum, hoping that we will talk less investment and a little more of our common passion for beautiful watches.

rootbeer7 · 22 July 2018, 05:48 AM

Welcome!!

uniqueMR · 22 July 2018, 07:05 AM

Welcome and thanks for sharing :)

Urosfan · 22 July 2018, 08:44 AM

Welcome

Beckster · 22 July 2018, 04:38 PM

Welcome. Thanks for sharing your journey. Very interesting.

subtona · 22 July 2018, 04:49 PM

Welcome.

Andad · 22 July 2018, 04:50 PM

Hi.

HL65 · 22 July 2018, 08:07 PM

Welcome!

Starwalker · 22 July 2018, 08:33 PM

Welcome!!

Burlington · 23 July 2018, 01:55 AM

Bonjour !

IP is a very interesting area to work in...welcome to TRF !

Allanmodel · 23 July 2018, 12:39 PM

Welcome to TRF~~

brandrea · 23 July 2018, 12:51 PM

Welcome to the forum

Hairdude1 · 30 August 2018, 10:13 AM

Welcome to TRF

subtona · 2 September 2018, 05:51 AM

welcome

Snow-Dweller · 2 September 2018, 06:02 AM

Bienvenue Jean-Michel. Yours has to be the best introduction I’ve read on this forum. I’m sure you will prove to be a very welcome member.

GoingPlaces · 2 September 2018, 06:09 AM

Quite the introduction. Welcome, and yes more passion and less investment!

SearChart · 3 September 2018, 05:51 AM

Great introduction/write-up.

Welcome!

BNA/LION · 3 September 2018, 06:52 AM

Welcome to TRF!

Chope Man · 6 September 2018, 07:23 PM

Many thanks for all your messages. What a warm welcome!

Reading my presentation again, I find typos and have to apologize for some idiomatic errors ...

By the way, the Day Date of my father's friend was a white gold model. So classy because discreet...

When I was a teenager, I remember having commented the fact that I was surprised to see the day on a steel model.

He gently answered in a smile: well, it is a day-date, and it is not in steel...
His elegance did indeed influence me in my will to one day have a Rolex.

1William · 6 September 2018, 08:36 PM

Welcome.

Joeguy · 8 September 2018, 11:30 PM

Welcome!

MT_Timepieces · 19 September 2018, 01:10 PM

Great story, welcome!

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

Audemars Piguet · 10 November 2018, 05:47 AM

Welcome

Psmith · 10 November 2018, 09:35 PM

Welcome Jean-Michel

22 July 2018, 04:30 AM	#1
Chope Man "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Real Name: Jean-Michel Location: Paris, France Watch: Blue dial 16618 Posts: 293	Who is "Chope Man", this new comer? Hello everyone. After being a lurker for months to measure the atmosphere and the level of posts, I quite recently decided to participate. It is time for me to introduce myself after 30 posts. I am French man, born in 1959. As far as I remember, as a teenager I always dreamed of having a Rolex. I was indeed infused with advertisements in magazines, surrounded by people with Rolex (many members of the Golf Club where the family was, golf competitions with prizes such as Rolex in PM. In addition to this a friend of my father, living in Argentina, made trips to Europe, for business, and for his Chifonelli suits, to buy Rolex for friends in South America and sometimes for himself or his two daughters. During those trips en Europe, he always visited us for é or three days. He had a Day Date. About his daughters, the eldest one, goddaughter of my father, eventually was kidnapped in Argentina. She returned safe after ransom but without her Rolex, and her father bought her a Tudor. More under the radar but for, as the both of father and daughter said, the same quality. No wonder, for my 18 years, in 1977, I asked (and got) a Rolex. Many young people from middle class or rather favored class, who were in the same golf club, received a Rolex for their 18 years. I asked for one of the least expensive if not the cheapest of the sports range: a submariner without the date. A 5513 therefore, at 1800 francs (I still remember it), the 1680 with the date I dreamed but that I found unreasonable to ask, being 2200 francs ... I absolutely loved this watch, being myself precise, making the most accurate models possible, so appreciating the precision of manufacture and finish. But I always had a problem measuring how much time passed, never knowing what day it was. A few years later, after my military service, I bought myself a Datejust. I had asked my father, who had always dreamed of a Rolex but tended to favor his family before himself, to come with me at the AD (Aldebert, in Paris). When the seller put the datejust to my measure, my father asked me what I was going to do with the submariner. I then told him that the the reason why I wanted him to come with me was that he finally had a Rolex ... The seller had then to put on the right size a second watch and my father was so pleased... About this trend of doing everything first for his family, he had asked my brother, who had just achieved very early (19 years and a half) good studies (Science-Po Paris), what he wanted as a gift, like a little car for instance. This was one year and a half after I got the 5513. My brother replied: for that price, as I did not have time to pass my driving license, I would prefer a Rolex in yellow gold ... he got it and still have it after 39 years (Oyster date, 34 mm). He has small wrists. His girlfriend, who had also succeeded Science-Po, had also received a Rolex, they realized by finding themselves, surprised, while they had not spoken about this before ... And then the time has passed, I again had my first submariner to the untimely death of my father, left too early at the age of 59 years. In this regard, I should not advise enough against smoking ... When I got back the 5513, the rotating bezel of the submariner served me a lot to note the time I spent on this or that file and then bill the client (law firm then IP legal firm, intellectual property being my specialty, two diploma respectively in the IT Laws, mainly copyright for computer programs, and in patent laws). The time has passed again, a few years later I resold the submariner and the SS datejust for a second hand 31mm gold datejust with president bracelet and for a SS manual winding precision Oyster. One day, a guy who worked in the same law firm as me, in the library, with less means than me, asked me if I would sell him the Oyster Precision for the low price I had paid, that he had always dreamed of a Rolex, etc. As I am not a money man and I liked this person, I resold him without profit. Then, years later, after a wedding (where I offered a gold and steel Lady datejust), a divorce, a new girl-friend who found the junior datejust not enough manly, I bought a second hand GMT 16700. And later came a Day Date in yellow gold on President bracelet, hidden clasp, with diamonds on the dial, which I would have kept well if I had not been obliged to resell it to pay for the repair of the engine of one of my Lotus (my other passion for 20 years, I had and still have an Elise S1 of 1998, prepared for the track, an Elan M100, kept 5 years and sold last year, and am waiting for the completion of the restoration of a rare Lotus seven S3 of 1968). The Jaguar S family type is only the "common" car when I need more seats. I will not tell you all the details of my 40 years of relationship with Rolex, but the beginning was more significant to explain one of my hobbies. By the way, I followed quite the same way with McIntosh labs audio gears and Leica M. And I'm also known in the little community of vintage slot cars. Today I still have the Junior Datejust, very much like dress watch, the GMT Master 16700, which comes out of its third maintenance service (one every 5 years), a Tudor 79270 that I love as much as the others (the Big Block I had tried was still a little thick, not easy to wear with a suit of city or a blazer, but I'm not saying that one day ...), and a submariner finally with date ... yellow and blue if you see what I mean (16618, because not having a very big wrist I find the new ceramic model too big for me, and moreover not in the spirit "wristwatch" with an integration of the box which decreases at the level of lugs to join the bracelet). The next one? Keeping the others of course: I hope in a few years to buy a Day-Date. If it could be platinum ... I would have gone through my adult life from the cheapest Rolex to the Flagship, and having loved them all and continuing to admire a 5513 ... My name is Jean-Michel, the pseudo “Chope Man” being a joke (reference to Antony Colin Bruce Chapman, to the fact that “Chope” is in French a mug of beer). I work and live close to Paris as director of intellectual property of a simulation software company (I was hired 17 years ago by my best client at the time). Thanks to the contributors for their beautiful pictures, for the interesting technical details and long life at the Forum, hoping that we will talk less investment and a little more of our common passion for beautiful watches.

22 July 2018, 05:48 AM	#2
rootbeer7 "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: london Posts: 5,950	Welcome!! __________________ @imrootbeer7

22 July 2018, 07:05 AM	#3
uniqueMR 2024 Pledge Member Join Date: May 2018 Location: USA Watch: P A T E K Posts: 4,694	Welcome and thanks for sharing :) __________________ A. Lange & Sohne \| Audemars Piguet \| F.P.Journe \| Omega \| Patek Philippe \| Rolex \| Tudor \| ...and Othersss

22 July 2018, 04:38 PM	#5
Beckster "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Singapore Watch: 16710 BLRO Posts: 836	Welcome. Thanks for sharing your journey. Very interesting. __________________ Rolex Only Please

22 July 2018, 04:49 PM	#6
subtona "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Real Name: gus Location: East Coast Watch: APK & sometimes Y Posts: 25,987	Welcome. __________________

22 July 2018, 08:44 AM	#4
Urosfan "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: NYC Watch: Me now Posts: 19,184	Welcome

22 July 2018, 04:50 PM	#7
Andad 2024 ROLEX DATEJUST41 Pledge Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Real Name: Eddie Location: Australia Watch: A few. Posts: 36,791	Hi. __________________ E

22 July 2018, 08:07 PM	#8
HL65 TRF Moderator & 2024 DATE-JUST41 Patron Join Date: Dec 2007 Real Name: Ken Location: SW Florida Watch: One on my wrist. Posts: 63,384	Welcome! __________________ *SPEM SUCCESSUS ALIT*

22 July 2018, 08:33 PM	#9
Starwalker "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: aroundtheworld Watch: SS Daytona - BLACK Posts: 2,237	Welcome!! __________________ 116520 Black - 116500 White - 116713LN - 116613LB - Panerai 389 - Chopard Mille Miglia GMT Chronograph - Chopard LUC Sport 2000 - Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds

23 July 2018, 01:55 AM	#10
Burlington "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Europe Posts: 5,634	Bonjour ! IP is a very interesting area to work in...welcome to TRF ! __________________ “My tastes are simple; I am easily satisfied with the best.” ― Winston S. Churchill

23 July 2018, 12:39 PM	#11
Allanmodel "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Real Name: Allan Location: Little Red Dot Watch: Still Looking....! Posts: 3,861	Welcome to TRF~~

23 July 2018, 12:51 PM	#12
brandrea 2024 Pledge Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Real Name: Brian (TBone) Location: canada Watch: es make me smile Posts: 73,551	Welcome to the forum

30 August 2018, 10:13 AM	#13
Hairdude1 "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Real Name: Alex Location: Chicago Watch: AP,PP, Rolex Posts: 37,156	Welcome to TRF __________________ Instagram: @Hairdude Watches in Collection 5070R, 5522A, 214270 MK1, 228238 16750, 26401, 5711, 116718, 116710LN, 116300, 16710"Coke", 372, 15300, 15703 (All Flipped) Official Member "Perpetual 30" Las Vegas GTG 2016 Official Member "WIS-CON" Las Vegas International GTG 2017 Official Member 'WIS-CON' Las Vegas Int'l GTG 2018

2 September 2018, 05:51 AM	#14
subtona "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Real Name: gus Location: East Coast Watch: APK & sometimes Y Posts: 25,987	welcome __________________

2 September 2018, 06:02 AM	#15
Snow-Dweller 2024 Pledge Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Real Name: Clive Location: The Alps Watch: collections change Posts: 6,269	Bienvenue Jean-Michel. Yours has to be the best introduction I’ve read on this forum. I’m sure you will prove to be a very welcome member. __________________ . The path from WIShood to WISdom can have many turnings... ——————————————————————————————————— . 16803. 16570. 18038. 114300. BB58. GMW-B5000D.

2 September 2018, 06:09 AM	#16
GoingPlaces "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 5,341	Quite the introduction. Welcome, and yes more passion and less investment!

3 September 2018, 06:52 AM	#18
BNA/LION 2024 ROLEX DATEJUST41 Pledge Member Join Date: May 2011 Real Name: Larry Location: San Diego, CA Watch: ROLEX Posts: 25,187	Welcome to TRF! __________________ ✦ 28238 President DD 18K/YG ✦ 16610LN SS Sub ✦ 16613 18K/SS Serti ✦ 16550 Exp II Non-Rail Cream Dial ✦ Daytona C 116500 ✦ 126710 BLRO GMT-Master II ✦ NEXT-->? ⛳ Hole In One! 10/3/19 DMCC 5th hole, par 3, 168 yards w/ 4-Iron.

6 September 2018, 07:23 PM	#19
Chope Man "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Real Name: Jean-Michel Location: Paris, France Watch: Blue dial 16618 Posts: 293	Many thanks for all your messages. What a warm welcome! Reading my presentation again, I find typos and have to apologize for some idiomatic errors ... By the way, the Day Date of my father's friend was a white gold model. So classy because discreet... When I was a teenager, I remember having commented the fact that I was surprised to see the day on a steel model. He gently answered in a smile: well, it is a day-date, and it is not in steel... His elegance did indeed influence me in my will to one day have a Rolex.

6 September 2018, 08:36 PM	#20
1William 2024 ROLEX DATEJUST41 Pledge Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: North Carolina Watch: Rolex/Others Posts: 44,641	Welcome.

8 September 2018, 11:30 PM	#21
Joeguy "TRF" Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Real Name: Joe Location: Kentucky Watch: DJ 41 Posts: 237	Welcome!

19 September 2018, 01:10 PM	#22
MT_Timepieces Banned Join Date: Sep 2018 Real Name: Mike Location: Parkland FL Posts: 727	Great story, welcome! Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

10 November 2018, 05:47 AM	#23
Audemars Piguet "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Real Name: Alex Location: Europe Watch: AP Posts: 5,252	Welcome

10 November 2018, 09:35 PM	#24
Psmith "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Real Name: Clive Location: Exoplanet Watch: spring-driven Posts: 38,856	Welcome Jean-Michel __________________

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