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Elliot55's compelling narrative delves into a pivotal moment from his youth, intertwining a thrilling Las Vegas craps experience with the acquisition of his first Rolex. This story resonates with many collectors who associate their watches with significant life events, offering a personal lens into the emotional value behind luxury timepieces. It prompts readers to reflect on their own watch-related milestones.
August, 1986
I had just turned twenty-two, graduated from college, and like every kid that grew up on the West Coast Las Vegas was calling my name. So me and my buddy “Gordo”, jumped in his ultra-hip VW Scirocco and sped off for Nevada. Our destination: Bob Stupak’s Vegas World. On the way (for about five hours) I explained the dice-driven game of Craps, as taught to me by my grand father. And Gordo – who is an actual math genius – totally got it, including memorizing the odds of all the various dice combinations. He asked all the right questions letting me know he had a good grasp on the best darn game in the casino. If you know odds, you also know that of all the casino games, Craps offers a gambler the best odds.
After an intense study of the Craps games in progress, my friend says he’ll throw the dice and he wants me to manage the bets. We work our way in, get some money out on the pass and work a couple of the numbers. After just a couple throws of the dice, the person shooting “craps out” to a collective of groans and sighs. Fifty bucks gone! Gordo was next in line at the table and in the moment the ‘stickman’ pushed the dice towards these two kids, turning left and right everything seemed to start moving in slow motion.
“You know what? That almost never happens.”
Whipping around, it was the ‘boxman’ (the guy at the table in charge of the money), stacking, counting, and then restacking and recounting hundreds of chips with blind precision, fully engaged and looking me straight in the eyes - just like my grandpa. With conviction he continued, “You and your friend there don’t go being stupid now and give that money back to the house!” His familiar sounding voice was stinging and the words left me speechless.
We cashed out our chips and headed up to the room. All said and done, the two hundred we started with was now fifty-four hundred bucks! I think my grandfather must’ve been watching - or more likely manipulating - the dice from a place where the security cameras can’t see. Back at the room, sporting a shit-eating grin when I handed him almost twenty-seven-hundred dollars, my friend’s only words were, “Dang, it’s cold in here!”
Hearing the boxman’s voice in my head I said, “Hey, Gordo, you know we should do something with this money instead of gambling it away.” Wise beyond his 22 years, he smiled and sang in an almost opera-esque voice, “Okay, well here’s something - I’m gonna get a “massage”, and I’m gonna give her a really nice tip - if you know what I mean - and then I’m gonna have steak for breeeeaaaaaak-faaaaaaaaast…”
When he was done "singing" (using term "singing" very loosely), Gordo said in his normal voice, “And then we’ll drive back to L.A. How’s that?”
Although I had something different in mind, I must admit having steak for breakfast sounded pretty good. The next morning, I vacated the room while “The Shootah” was getting himself a “massage”, and crossed “The Strip” (you could actually walk across Las Vegas Blvd. back then) to the “Jewelry & Loan” I had noticed when we first arrived at the hotel the day before. The display window had a bunch of different watches, but what caught my eye was a brand new, stainless steel Rolex Submariner, shown with the box and tags. Once I saw it I knew I had to have it.
The owner of the store had only just arrived to open for the day and looked me up and down. “Can I help you?” he snorted with the sort of sarcasm that actually begs the question “Why the %$#@ are you here right when I’m opening my %$#@ store?”
“I’m interested in the Rolex you have in the display.”
“Yeah? Which one?” he pushed, looking me up and down again.
“The Submariner. Is it new?” I asked a little too eagerly.
“Yeah… You want the Rolex, eh?” This time only looking me up, he smiled and softened a bit, “How are you going to pay for a Rolex, young man?”
“Well, me and my friend won a bunch of money at the craps table last night and – “
He cut me off –
“ - And you want to buy a Rolex?!?” Now he was like a different guy. “Young man, that is the best move you could make. So much better than giving it back to the casino…” He looked at the tag, “It’s nineteen hundred.”
I put the seventeen one hundred dollar bills I had in my pocket out on the counter. “I have seventeen hundred cash. Will that work?”
The guy started rubbing his two-day-old-unshaven face as he looked at the stack of bills. Picking up the money, while counting he said, “I really need at least eighteen hundred. It’s new and worth more like twenty-three hundred [which was true]… can you get another hundred?”
I reached into my back pocket and produced two fifty-dollar bills. The jeweler’s eyebrows rose. “You’re smart, kid. If you’ve got a few minutes, I’ll engrave your initials on the back.” As the old guy disappeared into the back of his store, I didn’t really grasp how the watch I had just purchased would come to mean so much more than just giving gambling winnings back to the house.
Twenty-six years later, every time I wear this watch it reminds me of that very special time in my life as if it took place this morning. After a recent service my beautiful Submariner continues to keep excellent time. While definitely well worn, with close inspection you can still see ‘SEG’ engraved on the case back.
You made me smile, as my first car was this old VW Scirocco... 90 HP, tuned and which had, at the end 115 HP, which allowed me to do some races. I guess your story is very personal and that most of us have a different story to tell. It is good to know that 26 years after, you still have it and enjoy it. Since I was a child, I always loved watches, and I had to wait till 1998 to get my first serious watch, a Rolex GMT 16700, which I sold to upgrade it for a former GMT. So yes, all began with a Ro
love every moment of it..what a great adventure and what a way to enter the world of horology... and ahh..like Nicolas..that VW Scirocco! LOVE IT! And it sounds like you got a fair deal on that Sub and glad to see that you still have it.. brought a smile to my face the whole time I was reading... Did you bud kick himself for not following you?
I can't wait the next ones. Mine are very boring compared with yours. Most of my watches are related with some kind of success in the business and now I'm working hard in order to get a Grand Complication. I hope I will get an opportunity to tell that story later. Best, Kari
Hey, Nicolas - I am so happy you liked my post. I never miss an "amanico" post and I know you and I have discussed the great JLC brand. And so, you give me much pride today and I appreciate your kind words very much. - elliot55 (Scott)
Hey, OC - Thanks so much for the kind words. To this day, Gordo isn't all that into watches and like all non-purists, he relies on his mobile phone to let him know the time. But you should've seen the "masseuse" that showed up. Holy mackerel. - Scott (elliot55)
Hey, Dr, Kol - I appreciate your kind words and I doubt your posts are boring. Nothing about the watches we all love is boring. I look forward to reading about your Rolex's story. - Scott (elliot55)
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