2001, antique store in Baltimore (eBay was in its infancy and the web was only for porn). In the front display case with cigarette lighters and cheap pocket knives was an old ratty looking Rolex diver. I asked to see it- if felt small in my hand, almost diminutive. The crystal was all scratched up but I could see the name Submariner and all the script and plots were a golden color, not white like the new ones I had seen. The bracelet was a riveted thing that was kind of rattly. I gave it a shake and it started running. Asking price was $400, I was fresh out of college, making $21k/yr with $40k of student loan debt and credit cards maxed out) they should not give credit cards to college students). $400 was more than my rent. I gave it back. That night I thought about it and decided I could raid my savings account- the watch was gone the next day. That watch (we all have an idea of which one it was) could have wiped out my credit card and student loan debt in once shot today.
The one I regret most was Jack’s watch- his 1961 GMT. When he died in 2012, I was in a rough place. I had just lost my job with NPS (it was a bitter parting) I was going through a divorce and had lost half of everything. I was unemployed for 6 months waiting for my current job to get sorted (moving at the speed of government) and was hemorrhaging money trying to stay afloat.
Jack didn’t have many large assets, I was bequeathed all of his stereographic images and lantern slide collections- a seriously overwhelming collecting that I still have to this day (if you collect - hit me up, we have some trading to do) as well as his cameras and entire negative and slide collection from his 50 years of government travel (this was his personal image collection, the government owned images were already transmitted to the LOC).
His sons were estranged, they wanted nothing to do with him and his prized Rolex. His attorney who was settling the estate offered to sell me the watch for $800 to recoup some of his costs…I didn’t have $800 to spare, I declined. After I got back on my feet financially, I called the attorney back and asked if he still has the watch. He said it sat in his safe for a year or so but had a client who expressed interest in it, so he sold it to that guy…who apparently had constant money issues so then sold it himself shortly thereafter. To me, the loss of that watch wasn’t as much about missing a GMT for $800, but losing Jacks watch- I think of that often.
If you bought a ‘61ish GMT with service bezel and bracelet from someone in the Maryland/ DC area around 2013-14…hit me up.
