New to Me - White Dial 36 OP...which there's sort of a story to...

Hey guys; so while this watch itself is fantastic, there's an odd little backstory to this one I thought I'd share - I find it the sort of quirky/interesting thing that only happens in a hobby like watches, but I'm also curious if anyone has had a similar experience.

For a while I'd been looking for a new/newer time-only Rolex - I like the simpler pieces like OP, Milgauss, no-date Sub...not inexpensive to be sure, and I wouldn't say no to a Daytona if I was gifted one, but my point is that regardless of 'value', I simply enjoy the more elementary pieces - which to me, in Rolex, means time only. No complications, no cyclops, etc.

What I wasn't looking for, and TBH didn't get the angst about its being discontinued, was the white dial OP, 36 or 39. I thought the blue 39 was nice, the rhodium okay, but the white was well...just 'plain' to my eyes. A new blue or black 36 was a possibility but I've worn too much vintage for too long for the new 41 to feel right on my wrist, I think.

By happenstance on another site I saw a 36 white on offer from a seller with no references or feedback who stated they preferred cash, f2f, and who was very vague about their location in the post. I felt absolutely no investment in politely but pretty directly telling them (paraphrased) "Look, you couldn't sound more like a scam set-up for some unwary soul if you tried - my advice is figure out how to ship, sell to a dealer, or plan on this sitting a long time; your current wording is downright ominous."

VERY much to my surprise he messaged me back very politely, explaining it was his first sale like this, he thanked me for the advice because this was all new to him - at 17 years old. 😵‍💫 At 17 I could barely afford a used car!

I responded, basically just saying to be patient, be polite and re-word when he updated his post, offer police station/bank/jeweler etc for a f2f, and good luck.

We ended up continuing to chat. About watches in general, and then he basically said "I think I trust you if I was to ship it - would you be interested?"

I declined. I nay-sayed, I said he could get a better price than I'd offer for a white dial, he was wasting his time...and now here I am with the discontinued white dial 116000 sitting perfectly on my wrist, fits like it was made bespoke, and in the end I barely paid above MSRP for an essentially like-new (one scuff on bracelet) full-kit example, which has been verified by my watchmaker and pronounced 100% correct.

Not only did I end up with a new Rolex I didn't even know I 'needed', but now have a new friend that's already mentioned getting advice in the future - so now I get to help out a complete noob in the hobby and pay forward a bit of all the kind advice given to me - much of it on this very forum!

Some days, not often, but occasionally, things really do seem to happen for a reason. 😀



Just a wrist shot for now, but hoping to take a full set of pics soon!

Wow what a great way to get a memorable watch and an example of good karma.

Also love this watch. It had a very short run, classic colour and unique dial that Rolex (for that size), probably won’t ever do exactly the same again.

Much to my own surprise, although I did just get it in, I think this one might just be a keeper!

What a wonderful story...made my day.
Congratulations on the beautiful watch and I'm with you on the simple three-hand Rolexes.

Terrific story but you left us hanging. What was you new friend saving for, or doing with his new-found liquidity? Another watch, a Porsche, university....

Oh - he's trying to get a new Submariner...which led to a conversation about the wait lists 🙄

When I was that age, I was saving up for a better bike.

Did you get the full set? How does a 17 year-old come to have such a watch? 👎

when I was that age, I was saving for a candy bar.
Lovely piece. AND, guaranteed appreciation.

Exactly this - how or where did a 17 yr old get such a watch in the first place?

all i had at 17 was spots !!!

Yes, when I say full kit I do mean the full set including cards.

As to how, after seeing a few pics of his collection - yes, he has one - I would venture to say that there's nothing nefarious about it - beyond that I don't like to speculate on the financial situation of others, that's just my own personal view.

I will say I went to my very 'bumpkin' public high school with a fellow, good friend at the time, who wore a DJ his father gave him new when he turned 13, and boy did he baby that thing even when we were kids - remember, different strokes guys, different strokes.

Great story...of my few Rolexs, my 39mm is a keeper.