Vintage as daily wearer

[cmdr_foley]

Just wondering what opinions are out there on wearing vintage as a daily. Most official opinions out there seem to point out that they should be taken care of more than the usual tool watch?

But articles like this are pretty inspiring and make me wonder!

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/br...the-golden-sub

I have a 1675 gilt dial that has some cracking on the dial already. Is this liable to get worse if worn as a daily?

I know better to swim with it, but what about rain? Moisture? Temperature changes?

[Dan S]

Wear them AND be careful with them. Both.

P.S. Nobody can predict with certainty how wearing your watch will affect the condition of the dial, but life is short, so wear your watches.

[fsprow]

I love to wear these watches but I am very careful about water incursion, after having a problem with an old Breguet Aviator. For the older watches (not Rolex) I source the o-rings and gaskets myself and keep them to give my watchmaker when he services a watch.

[Rebel]

I have a Tudor Submariner (75090/black face & bezel). I wear it everyday. I service it about every 5 years or so. I do not wear it swimming or when exercising as I have a Casio Illuminator for that. My Citizen Eco Drive dress watch is my suit/dress-up watch.

Under the above conditions, my Submariner serves me very well...is quite accurate...is a daily wearer for sure.

Hope this helps.

[1William]

I have owned vintage watches and while they are cool they require another level of effort in service, maintenance and care. As a daily, I do not do it and if the watch is of significant value I definitely do not do it. It is a strange situation to be in.

[dhknola]

Remember 10 years ago when vintage were meant to be beaters so you didn't bang up your 'new nice watch'...and they were cheaper than new watches, oh the ol' days.

[HERITAGE82]

In most peoples daily life a vintage watch is perfectly fine. However I agree with 1William that vintage requires extra TLC to service and water (with even a serviced watch) is a concern when dials are difficult or impossible to source.

I for example may wear a vintage watch to the office or at home, but I keep a beater in my kitchen drawer to throw on if I'm going outside to play with my 2.5yr old. I also need to remember to remove them before his bath time. Yes its a tad annoying, but as a watch enthusiast its a small price to pay to have the luxury of wearing a cool vintage piece.

If I was a one watch guy I would probably go with a 5 digit sapphire model or a 4/5 digit plexi model that has service parts. However, in your case with a Gilt 1675 I just don't see that as a watch that I would want to subject to all day everyday use, but if you are good about servicing it every 5-7 years (probably the shorter end if its your one and only) then I'm sure you can wear it worry free depending on your lifestyle.

[chinaski]

Going back a number of years, but I daily wore a 6426 and it chugged along just fine. Miss that watch.

[TimeLord2]

If you know the crystal is cracked definitely get it replaced, and while you’re at it have them replace the seals and pressure test. That would be the bare minimum aside from a service.

[iliketime]

Probably with care. Rolexes as they are, are mostly bulletproof. However I do treat my older watches with more care.

[swish77]

There's no reason a properly serviced and maintained vintage Rolex can't be worn as a daily without freaking out about it. Yes, swimming with it is risky, but washing hands and getting wet in the rain shouldn't be a problem, as long as gaskets and other essential parts (e.g, crystal, crown) are replaced when needed. (I pressure-check mine occasionally to make sure.)

I wear my 6263 frequently and would have no problem wearing it as a daily, except I have other watches I like to wear too.

One caveat: Daily wearer can mean different things to different people. Are you a doctor or auto mechanic? An accountant or construction worker? Certain watches probably should never be daily wearers, depending on your occupation.

[HERITAGE82]

Originally Posted by swish77

One caveat: Daily wearer can mean difficult things to different people. Are you a doctor or auto mechanic? An accountant or construction worker? Certain watches probably should never be daily wearers, depending on your occupation.

Well put... That's the key right there.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Wear them AND be careful with them. Both.

P.S. Nobody can predict with certainty how wearing your watch will affect the condition of the dial, but life is short, so wear your watches.

[Tom1675]

I have an office job and wear a 2.1m or 5m every day. I don't worry about it at all and love that I get to enjoy them. I avoid getting them wet, but accidents happen and no problem...

[kwcsports]

My 1971 DJ is worn daily with zero worry. Have it serviced regularly, no worries.

[1665fan]

Been doing for about 20 years, but in rotation. Me personally need different watches and that’s the fun part....

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by fsprow

I love to wear these watches but I am very careful about water incursion, after having a problem with an old Breguet Aviator. For the older watches (not Rolex) I source the o-rings and gaskets myself and keep them to give my watchmaker when he services a watch.

What did you do with your Breguet?

[Undefeatable]

Question for the vintage experts.

Let's assume someone has a vintage Sub from 1970, fresh service, new gasket and seals, and passes all the pressure tests. Whats the difference in diving with that watch vs. a brand new Sub?

Is it just the "irreplaceable" aspect if something were to happen?

[Dan S]

A pressure test is a good precaution, but it doesn't necessarily simulate everything associated with actual use in the water. (And I'm not talking about the mythical increase in pressure due to motion, which doesn't exist.)

[L.K Johnson]

When looking at it, it’s quite sick...a watch that’s been previously been looked at as a toll watch suddenly has risen to a such a value that the wise decision would be to put it in the safe for a further future value increase (especially refs like 1675, 1680, 5513, 1665 etc.)

[SunTzu]

I wore my grandfather's 5513 every day of the week from 1996 when I graduated college for the ensuing 20 years.

I had little idea as to the true value even though I knew it was an old Rolex. I wore the hell out of it. I wore it work in NYC, nights out after work ending up on someone's apartment floor waking up the next morning and going back into the office. I wore it weekends, evenings out, bachelor parties, etc...

I was smart enough not to wear it in water, but dopey enough to risk it in many precarious situations.

But overall it never missed a beat, was a staple on my wrist, and only stopped being so when I needed a service after running slow.

It's in my rotation as my collection expanded. It's retired at the moment and comes out as a weekend cruiser on occasion.

So yes, you can wear a vintage every day. Just mind yours Ps and Qs with it, prepare yourself for the hazards of typical bumps and bruises along the way and just insure it properly.

These things are meant to be worn every day.

[cmdr_foley]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Wear them AND be careful with them. Both.

P.S. Nobody can predict with certainty how wearing your watch will affect the condition of the dial, but life is short, so wear your watches.

I like this line of thinking, as it gives me an excuse to wear it guilt-free!

On topic of what day-to-day is, I’m a doctor but a surgeon which means I’m frequently taking my watch off and putting it aside. I’m careful about where it is at all times but of course accidents do happen. Mostly I’m wearing my Exp II at work instead for this reason.

On the topic of servicing, is the general opinion to get it serviced regularly as a few of you have mentioned? I could see the alternative rationale - don’t touch or fuss with it too much for risk of screwing something up or god forbid messing up parts which may be irreplaceable (like a gilt dial that’s already cracking...)


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[sutats]

A wristwatch, just like any consumer goods will wear and tear over time but proper servicing and handling will prolong its utility. In the field of vintage watches and corresponding ownership experience, a properly maintained and serviced watch will greatly determined the likelihood of future vintage interest.

So ensure that your watch is serviced by a reputable watchmaker who is specialised in the same Rolex model and it should work as designed and then lastly enjoy it in the best of health.

[zapokee]

Wear it. Get it pressure checked occasionally.

Above all, enjoy it. Like Dan says, life's too short.

Done.

[Filipão]

Originally Posted by L.K Johnson

When looking at it, it’s quite sick...a watch that’s been previously been looked at as a toll watch suddenly has risen to a such a value that the wise decision would be to put it in the safe for a further future value increase (especially refs like 1675, 1680, 5513, 1665 etc.)

I have them all and wear them all - everywhere anytime.

They're Rolexes, right?

[Texote69]

I’m in construction and wear a 6265 every day. I much prefer wearing the watch than leaving it at home

[KatGirl]

It’s fine. My son wears a 34 mm OP from 1958 as his daily wearer. Since he is a professional Sax player, it is nice and light on his wrist. When I see him, I check the integrity of the bracelet Recently, I advised him to get it serviced, since it’s running a bit fast.

[highcotton]

I wear all of my Rolex watches to work at different times. My Tudor probably takes the brunt of the work though.

[vcnyls]

I wear my 1675 daily. Meant to be worn, not babied

[Yachtbuoy]

I wear my ‘77 1603 daily, hasnt spontaneously combusted as of yet.