Baron - Mr Red
14613
Vintage Rolex GTG - "Issued in London"
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. The same is true with GTGs. This weekend, I attended one of those more unusual GTGs. When the most common watch in the room is a Rolex Milsub, it suggests a somewhat unusual GTG.
Travelling on a River Thames boat in London, 40 or so collectors from all around the world got together for a most stunning occasion. The theme of the GTG was “Issued” watches, with the bulk of the offerings being military provenance.
For me, it was an opportunity to meet not only lots of new faces and friends, but the chance to meet the owner of the brother to my Sea-Dweller Gold Oman. Four exist in the world. Three of those come from a batch with serial numbers within 10 of each other. All four watches came, originally, with no lume at all. Regrettably, one owner decided to lume his watch. The owner I was to meet had the closest version to mine…. no lume….from the batch of three with consecutive serial numbers….these two watches are brothers and in all likelihood have not been together since their original issue 40 or so years ago.
An historic meeting of watches….
Globally, one would have to say that the Omani Sea-Dwellers are a rare breed. On the River Thames boat, however, it was not so rare! Joining the two gold Omanis were two red versions....
Oh, I forgot tio mention, there is also an Omani GMT joining the Gang of Four. Fancy a close-up of one of those Red Omani in the sun? Just spectacular!
Not wanting to push the Omani theme too far....but actually....why not? Rolex Day-Date on a Red Omani!
But the spread of different watches at this event went much further. Here is one of the most beautifully patinated Milsubs that I have ever seen.
From Milsubs to Double Red Sea-Dwellers. This one is rather special..... Every now and then (if you are lucky), you will see a MK2 dial turn tropic. When it happens, it creates a most amazing patination. I have tried to capture a taste of the even golden brown nature of the dial but have not really done justice to it. A superb DRSD.
And talking about unusual patina, this 5512 Submariner stood out to me as simply breath-taking. I know I am being picky here, but when a watch is described as tropical, so often the one doing the describing can be a little too liberal. To me, a tropical dial needs to be evenly dispersed and without damage. A little bit like this:
This Submariner 5508 also had some unusual patina - I have never seen a more deeply orange dial.
Going back briefly to the 1665 Mk1 Patent Pendings.....I forgot to mention the beautiful "pink" that was on board.
Did I say that there were one or two Comex on board? To be honest, I did lose count of the Comex.....such a common watch.....!
But one Comex, in particular, did catch my eye. Initially, I loved it because of its patina. I have a plain old simple 16660 with an almost identical patina. So when I saw this, I thought it was special...being Comex AND with such patina. When I turned the watch over, however, I found it to be one of the Hydra V expedition watches. To be honest, although there were literally dozens of Comex on board, this one was the one that caught my eye a lot....really....a lot.
The other watch that really caught my eye was a superb Explorer Sub 3-6-9.... oh yes a Milsub version of that 3-6-9, and of course a 6200 3-6-9.........well, here those three are in one shot.
Want a close up?
Given that this was an "issued" theme, there were not as many Chrnographs as one might find in a normal GTG....however, a few did sneak in...in a quiet sort of under-the-radar manner....
Of course, this was not all about Rolex...a few other manufacturers made some strong showings.....A JLC DeepSea Alarm, A Blancpain Tornek, a superb Berguet as well as an entire army of Tudor MN. And of course a few Panerai!
I am going to finish with a couple of unique wrist shots. Obviously I am a little biased with this. The first is a shot of a red and gold Omani ...
And the second is, I am quite sure, the first time that two gold Omanis have been wrist-shot in the same picture....at least the only two that have been confirmed as delivered by Rolex.....
When the boat trip came to an end, we disembarked and found ourselves at the horological centre of the world....the Greenwich Observatory!
It goes without saying that this was an extraordinary GTG. So many new friends made and so many stunning watches on show. I think it is always an interesting situation when a bunch of people get to gather with their watches and see what other people have come to collect. Obviously, we collect what we collect because of our love for that particular watch. Yet, other people have different tastes and themes. What I always learn from looking at the "loves" of others is that there is no "best" or "superior" collection. A watch means what it means to its owner and that supersedes any other variable. It supersedes value, subjective aesthetics, rarity etc etc. We love what we love....and in that type of environment, egos go out the door and instead there emerges a genuine appreciation of how others have built their collections.
What I will say is that events like this do not happen by chance. To get 40 or so collectors from all around the world together is no mean feat. Jed, Mike and Paul....thank you so much for your integral part in putting this GTG together. It was astonishing in so many ways.
This message has been edited by Baron on 2014-03-31 02:07:37 This message has been edited by Baron on 2014-03-31 02:14:56 This message has been edited by Baron on 2014-03-31 02:55:08 This message has been edited by Baron on 2014-03-31 03:00:59 This message has been edited by Baron on 2014-03-31 06:30:46
Vintage Rolex GTG - "Issued in London"
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. The same is true with GTGs. This weekend, I attended one of those more unusual GTGs. When the most common watch in the room is a Rolex Milsub, it suggests a somewhat unusual GTG. Travelli...
Incredible!
It's indeed astonishing in so many ways. I'm at a loss for words. But I don't think many are needed. So I'll leave it at that. If I were a modern Rolex, from the current collection, I wonder which one I would want to be if I were to be on this boat. Any s...
I think I can only see one possible.....
....the brand new Sea-Dweller....just because there were so many SDs on the boat, it would have been "interesting" to have that comparison. But yes.... a great question to ask.
I was thinking the same thing...
The new Sea Dweller, but only partially because of its novelty, and mostly because of its unique history. I think the most recent past Sea Dweller would also garner some respect among this group of collectors. What would a group like this wish Rolex to de...
Chris...two things...
....first, it is a pleasure. I love taking pictures and capturing these wonders is no hardship. Also thanks for your editorship. Its easy to make slips when covering a boat-load of watches! ....and second......congratulations on your catchphrase.....outst...
Fantastic report...!
Thank you for coming along to join us and making the event so enjoyable! As you say, egos are left at the door, and it's just great to share watches and meet friends old and new! MW :-)
Thanks Mike....
.....like I said before, the River trip was inspired and allowed for a truly relaxing opportunity to view all the watches. It was great to be invited and be part of such an occasion. Joe
Great pics and great company!
OK I will admit your camera is better than my quick Iphone pics Joe! Turdor MN O'Clock.... ...
Jason....didn't clock who you were for a bit...
......964....yeah, that should have given it away
coolll but ...
why no pics at all about military Omega ?? I know for sure that some were present at the show ....
150 or so watches....
......i didn't catch all for sure..... Sorry to have missed those Omegas.
Marcello my dear friend these are for you !! wish you were here with us
Hi guys first post here so be kind with me !!! will upload some more pictures when I learn how to Spell These are for you Marcello my friend
Hey Ray....
......no pony-tails here, so rest happy. It was great to meet you at the weekend and look forward to your posts...anyone who can keep Marcello happy gets plaudits here...... between Bernhard and myself, it seems we deliberately missed the Omegas MP was lo...
Ok Pics added Marcello my dear friend these are for you !! wish you were here with us
Hi guys first post here so be kind with me !!! will upload some more pictures when I learn how to Spell These are for you Marcello my friend ...
Ray....
.....like a bus......nothing fort ages then three come all at once! Great pictures. Nice to catch the Breguet along with the paperwork.
'Mazing!!!
Stuff in there I missed seeing on the day! :-( Lovely pics... and Ray, your smile is infectious! :-)
Mike it was great seeing you again ........
As always love seeing new faces and old. Thanks to you Jed and Paul for an amazing weekend !! Ray
PS: Does anyone have more pictures and informations on this Breguet?
Diameter of the case, variations ( as it seems there was at least another one ), movement and so on? Best, and thanks in advance, guys! Nicolas
This pic . . .
. . . says it all. :-) PS - I'd no idea Corona had made its way across the pond! A favorite of watch guys . . . . . . everywhere ;-) . . . ...
Fantastic event !
I as really disappointed to have other plans and not be able to join. All the more as I finally had to stay home with my back stuck ! Anyway, thanks for the report and the amazing pictures !
A GTG aboard a ship cruising the Thames River sounds like...
... a dream to me. Gathering such an array of magnificent timepieces on board... I would bet it is an impossible task to do. Joining two Gold Omanis "brothers" after 40 years of their "separation", well ... that simply can´t be done! Well, I have to admit...
Great shots Joe!!!
Hi Joe.. i did not see that you took so many images! Great! Next meeting you do the work for me!! So great to meet. Hope to see you soon again. Best Bernhard Bulang Here are some more images from me... Ohhhh no… NUR SAFE WATCHS*X für unseren Englischen Su...
I think of it like this....
.....if you are a photographer at a Miss World contest, its fairly hard to take a bad picture. Nice scans....and really nice to meet you for the first time. Best Joe
Wow!! Welcome to puristpro Bruder
Its me sugianto. Hope to see you on next GTG. And hope you like it here on puristpro ;-) Until next time my bruder kumpel
speechless! thanks so much for sharing
Wow! i think i've read this post 3 times this morning already!
Wow. That is one great Vintage Rolex GTG
So many grail watches grail Rolex watches all in one place. It must have been hard to contain your emotions. Thanks for the low down on all the great watches present. I am going back in for a third look. Best Bill
It was breathtaking...
.....so much focus in so many different collections. I think I learn so many different things from such events. When you posted that vertical versus horizontal article, it really does make you think about "how" to collect. But then, when you see collectio...
With on set of 12 Tundor Submariners MN
You have no choice but to agree. The verticals can surely go very deep. Bill
Superb!
Some great and rare watches on display. Wow. It sure will make a few people dream of vintage rolex some more. My favorites were the 5508 orange dial and the JLC Deep sea along with the 6200. Thank you for the report and great pictures. Best E
To be fair...the 5508 was even more spectacular in the flesh....
.....if you imagine Seville Orange....that is what it was like. I have never seen a colour like it. Its difficult to pick a favourite.....
Superb color
I have seen a few rolex with this orange color but that intense is very rare. I would have loved to see it in real. Thanks for posting. E
Same thing here, what a watch.
If I recall well, it reminds me the Breguet diver which was part of the collection of Julien Dray (no kidding). cheers François
THAT was a great report & unbelievable line-up.. Have bookmarked to return & re-read..
.. awesome GTG, mesmerizing pieces and amazing quality of specimens !.. Little humble me can only admire the repercussions & goings of such a meeting. Thank you , Joe - for this share and the picture - essay ! Best, hs
Looks like you had a lot of fun! :)
Great line up! :) The Breguet is really eye catching! Thank you for sharing. Best Blomman
It was a great event...
.....its not often one gets to see such a variety of incredible watches from all over the world.
one of the most ...
peculiar watches shown at this meeeting was the Panerai 6152-1 with experimental bezel ( roughly less than half a dozen made ) : ...
Where did you get this information,Marcello? I am very curious to hear more about that one,
Indeed! Ciao, my friend. Nicolas
got it through ..
MIS ( = Marcello Information Service ) that has two branches inside .. set a dir : RIS ( = Rolex Inf. Service ) OBIS ( = Other Brands Inf. Service ) and I'm obviously the boss ... LLOLLL so about this bezel : made in the 2nd half of the 50s.. just 4 are k...
yes made by a ....
mould : what is very interesting is the special device made to fix bezel and case ( will not share for security reasons ) ...
great report an it was indeed an unforgettable weekend
thanks to ll that i could be there and as Special to Mike, Paul and Jed It was so fantastic and i hope we will see us soon again here are some of my pics i hope it is OK that i post it here ...
Ok to post here? Are you kidding! Very welcome indeed
Yep, it was some weekend with some fantastic moments and great to meet new friends. Please feel free to post at leisure!!
HOLY CRAP!!!!!
That was some amazing display! 4 omani dwellers...and COMEX as far as the eye can see. Simply fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing!!!