My youngest son is preparing conscientiously for the IGSCE's and we intend to give him as a present his first watch after the exams regardless of outcome, as he is working hard. He was not, to my knowledge, horologically interested. His older brothers chose Speedmaster and Panerai at their time, so I expected him to go down these or similar lines. Their opinion always weighed most heavily on the final choices.
To my surprise, since I have never owned a Rolex, my younger son has given me repeatedly, over months, two clear indications: 39 mm Oyster Perpetual or 41 mm Datejust, all steel with smooth bezel and Oyster bracelet, white dial, with a clear preference for the Datejust. Although I have collected over the years a number of watches, refining my choices over time to pieces of a certain horological importance within my limited budget, I never owned a Rolex.
I tried to put him off, since it is not a watch that goes under the radar; everyone knows Rolex. Nevertheless he persisted. Whenever I showed him many, many choices, he would politely mostly agree, but he would go back to mention Rolex. So... I came to Rolex and read, and the more I read the more impressed I was with the brand, and with the young man's choice.
I am writing this with father's pride on a young man who has chosen his first watch more carefully than I could imagine, and has opened my eyes and respect for this brand.
Picture taken from Rolex official website: