What’s the story of your first Rolex?

Stripey · Jun 19, 2020

NickC
My dad had always promised me a Rolex for my 21st. He had a nice little collection building and said I could go for whichever one I wanted - within reason.
It's 1999 so we go to the Bond Street boutique and they have pretty much everything going.
I had (still so actually) quite slim wrists and as soon as I tried on this AirKing, I loved it. Loved the blue dial , the numerals etc. I remember my dad asking if I was sure it was the one I wanted, slightly confused that I'd chosen basically the cheapest watch in the shop. I still think its a pretty perfect watch, it works with every style of clothing and is still an under rated piece.

Sometimes less really is more.

timjohn · Jun 19, 2020

Love all the heartwarming stories. Mine? not so much

A few years ago, before I'd fully mortgaged my soul to watch collecting, I fell in love with the original Rolex Explorer but I was on a crappy journalist's salary and even then they were out of my reach. Then I got a job in a bank and moved to Hong Kong. My time had come. First paycheck in hand, I went to a well-known vintage watch seller in Kowloon and 20 minutes later walked out with an all-original 1018 Explorer -- I I knew it was all-original because he told me so.

A few months later I was doing some research -- I now know that it's better to do your research before you buy rather than after -- and yes, Vietnamese dial, aftermarket hands, case from 1964, caseback marked 1967....

I've now sourced the correct 1018 dial and hands, and still wear it occasionally as a morality lesson.

It hasn't gotten much better after that. I was still on the hunt for a proper Explorer. Last year, I finally pulled the trigger on a real, and really nice, 1016 being sold at a Swedish auction house. I'm now back in Hong Kong and they wouldn't send it direct. I had it sent to my mother's house in London. She was broken into and the watch was stolen.

One day I'm going to get that bloody Explorer.

stevec14 · Jun 22, 2020

Well, my first was an explorer 2 in 2015 when you could actually walk into an AD and buy a watch! Lovely piece but like all these things I got the bug and went through a few:

116710LN, 16710 (twice), DJ41, black ceramic Daytona, 16610LV

now I have none. An Apollo 11 and a BB58 only and if I’m honest, I’m fairly happy. But there’s always something in the back of my mind that likes Rolex and omega the most.

having not had one, I fancy a no date sub - the BB58 has convinced me that less is more and I always find the cyclops gets greasy and gunky.

cant decide 5 or 6 digits. I’ve always preferred the 5 digits due to the case, but I dug out some photos of my old 116710 the other day and actually like the way the 6 digit wears. If I can get one at a reasonable price, I might just do it.....

no date sub and a speedy. Can’t need much more than that surely.....

Stripey · Jun 22, 2020

stevec14
Well, my first was an explorer 2 in 2015 when you could actually walk into an AD and buy a watch! Lovely piece but like all these things I got the bug and went through a few:

116710LN, 16710 (twice), DJ41, black ceramic Daytona, 16610LV

now I have none. An Apollo 11 and a BB58 only and if I’m honest, I’m fairly happy. But there’s always something in the back of my mind that likes Rolex and omega the most.

having not had one, I fancy a no date sub - the BB58 has convinced me that less is more and I always find the cyclops gets greasy and gunky.

cant decide 5 or 6 digits. I’ve always preferred the 5 digits due to the case, but I dug out some photos of my old 116710 the other day and actually like the way the 6 digit wears. If I can get one at a reasonable price, I might just do it.....

no date sub and a speedy. Can’t need much more than that surely.....

I've always thought that the Speedmaster is the classic chrono design and the Submariner the classic diver. I can't get on with the Daytona or the Seamaster. I don't think it's marketing either - I don't recall seeing marketing for the Speedmaster until I really started to get interested in watches a few years ago, and for divers, the Seamaster was always thrust in my face as the Bond watch. There's just something very clean about both designs, to my mind, anyway.

amfalconer · Jun 23, 2020

NickC
My dad had always promised me a Rolex for my 21st. He had a nice little collection building and said I could go for whichever one I wanted - within reason.
It's 1999 so we go to the Bond Street boutique and they have pretty much everything going.
I had (still so actually) quite slim wrists and as soon as I tried on this AirKing, I loved it. Loved the blue dial , the numerals etc. I remember my dad asking if I was sure it was the one I wanted, slightly confused that I'd chosen basically the cheapest watch in the shop. I still think its a pretty perfect watch, it works with every style of clothing and is still an under rated piece.

Pretty much one of my favourite Rolex pieces, and a certainty if I hadn't got a Speedy, sadly they're not that common on the used market in that colour, and with the later 114200, which is what I was looking for (well they are not uncommon, but being new to this game , I wasn't going to buy one without seeing it face on).

Davidt · Jun 23, 2020

Apart from my Seiko divers i only own(ed) vintage watches but have had my eye on a new one for a while.

Modern Omegas with the master coaxial don't appeal to me so I figured a new Rolex could fit the bill. We had our first baby late last year so I thought it would be a fitting time to buy a new watch to mark his birth (any excuse!). I put my name down for an Explorer in Nov/Dec and got the call a few weeks ago.

The fit is perfect and with all the knocks and scrapes that come with having children I can see this being my daily wearer for some time.

MikeJF · Jun 23, 2020

Davidt
Apart from my Seiko divers i only own(ed) vintage watches but have had my eye on a new one for a while.

Modern Omegas with the master coaxial don't appeal to me so I figured a new Rolex could fit the bill. We had our first baby late last year so I thought it would be a fitting time to buy a new watch to mark his birth (any excuse!). I put my name down for an Explorer in Nov/Dec and got the call a few weeks ago.

The fit is perfect and with all the knocks and scrapes that come with having children I can see this being my daily wearer for some time.

Beautiful watch! I love my Mkii as well. Congrats on the baby. We are about to celebrate my sons first Next month as well. Time flies!

JLN765 · Jun 23, 2020

Likely my first and only Rolex received in recognition of my 50th B-day. Nothing too fancy but still a very nice watch and a favorite, especially with the mesmerizing blue dial coupled with the white gold bezel and jubilee bracelet.

Happy · Jun 28, 2020

My first Rolex.. what a great experience!! New years eve I managed to persuade the wife to "go and have a look" it was the shops 50th anniversary and they had a German band playing, free beer and champagne also someone making Frankfurter sausages. I have owned many different watches over the years but always wanted a Rolex. I wanted something a little different from the usual Sub or GMT.
So I was having a good look round and saw a couple of Datejust41. Tried on the fluted bezel first and it was to blingy for me, then tried on the smooth bezel and fell in love straight away!!

so I got the wife more champagne, got her drunk and persuaded her to let me buy it!!!

Think it's a great watch, very understated under the radar , dress it up or down. Definitely a keeper for sure!!

RonJ · Jul 5, 2020

I worked as an IT Consultant for two years in Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 1984.
A number of my co-workers from Europe and the U.S. had Rolex watches and I had researched the various models and figured I'd buy one at some point in time.
I was around 25 years old during this time, so a Rolex watch was quite a bit of money but I liked the idea that it would last me a lifetime and would be watch I could always be proud of.

I knew I would either buy the watch in Saudi or in Europe because, back then in the 1980s, they were 18k gold outside the U.S. and 14k gold inside the U.S.

On August 1, 1984, I was traveling by car through France with my wife and a friend, and we were staying in the city of Reims.
As we were walking down the sidewalk cafes, there was a Rolex Authorized Dealer (AD) there in the shopping district of Reims.
I figured I'd do a little window shopping and see which watches they had in stock.

Of course, they had a gold & stainless steel Date with the Oyster bracelet (Rolex model 15053) that caught my eye.
I figured the purchase transaction would be too complex, given the VAT tax and my method of payment only being my American Express card.
The AD manager said to call AmEx back in the U.S. on their 800 number and ask if I can go ahead and buy the watch.
He helped me dial the 800 number from his store's phone (putting in the country code, etc.).
I think he knew the answer would be "yes" and, sure enough, AmEx said they would authorize the transaction.

I don't remember the exact amount I paid for it, but I think it was about $1250 USD.
An online inflation calculator says that would be equal to $3084 in 2020 dollars.

I wasn't planning on buying my first Rolex that way, but it worked out great and I've had the watch ever since.
It really is a lifetime watch.

Here are pictures of my first Rolex with its box and certificate (I blanked out part of the serial number).
The date on the certificate is in French, I think it translate to "1 August 1984".

larrylush · Jul 5, 2020

I was in Australia for a vacation in my late 20s and walked into the equivalent of Watches of Switzerland. I was just poking around and casually asked if they had a Daytona. In 2015 they were hard to get, but it was nothing like today and you would have to call around. They happened to have one that a customer never came and picked up and I was able to get it with the exchange for cheaper than the US and also didn’t pay taxes because of the VAT refund. I wore it everyday for 4 years and then I sold it to buy an expensive vintage piece and then a month later I traded a modern Pepsi for one in better condition than the one I sold, but I does not have my name on it or the marks I created. Live and learn.....

Stripey · Jul 6, 2020

RonJ-in-VA
The date on the certificate is in French, I think it translate to "1 August 1984".

Yes it does - interesting that the watchmaker started to write juillet (July) and evidently had that thing where you sometimes don't remember the month has changed!

dhgarrabrant · Jul 6, 2020

I had been looking at vintage watches and some newer stuff for years, and when we closed a new client that was huge for my business, I pulled the trigger. At the start of the year I got a Rolex Explorer 114270 from 2003. Love it and perfect size for me.

ekallus · Jul 7, 2020

My first Rolex was a GMT Master 1675 that I bought in 1979, when I got my first job.
With a Jubilee bracelet, the watch cost £680.

10 years later, I traded it in for a Datejust and was given £250 as trade in value from the Rolex AD.

If I'd kept it, it would now have been worth 20 times what I paid for it.
Probably the biggest regret of my life...

What’s the story of your first Rolex?

Stripey

timjohn

stevec14

Stripey

amfalconer

Davidt

MikeJF

JLN765

Happy

RonJ

larrylush

Stripey

dhgarrabrant

ekallus

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