I don't count this as a Rolex - An early lesson for me in watch buying

Back in the 80’s, I was transitioning from collecting pocket watches to wrist watches. I made some good choices during that period and some bad ones. This was a bad one. I look at the dial now and cringe. But, it’s amazing what one can talk oneself into if the motivation is high enough.

I really wanted an early Oyster cased Rolex, but they were all so expensive. This one wasn’t, sitting in a reputatable watch shop, long ago closed, in Cow Hollow in San Francisco, for reasons that are obvious. Clearly, I’d have been better off spending the extra money to get a squared away watch.

Please don’t be too hard on me. (You can’t be any harder than I’ve been on myself.)



Who could be stupid enough to buy something so clearly a crude, put together piece?

I was.

I'm absolutely no expert, but isn't the only real issue with this the (very bad) redial where someone added Rolex? That appears to be a FHF 30 (Rolex Cal 59) movement which would be correct for an Oyster Watch Co. watch, which was a sub brand of Rolex.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?13&ranfft&2&2uswk&Rolex_59

You have one more Oyster than me 😀

You’re correct. But, I paid a Rolex price.

You also learned something. And it’s still kinda a cool watch.

I always thought the word oyster was used in the branding to vaguely mean waterproof, but in your second picture I see it!