Rolex

Journe1304
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Gift of Appreciation

A lot has been said about the phases of Rolex appreciation over the course of one’s enthusiasm for watches. It goes something like this: starting out thinking it’s the best, then thinking it’s mediocre while learning about other high-end brands, and then revisiting Rolex further down the line and settling into an appreciation for their well-rounded excellence. Although I had seen and handled many of them, I had never spent an extended amount of time with one on wrist until now.

My primary casual watch (PAM111) went in for servicing around Thanksgiving in November, so my father-in-law loaned me his Submariner 16610 to wear during the Christmas season. I generally don’t like bracelets, so I immediately swapped the bracelet for a leather NATO suited to the season.

When I strapped it on, the first thing I noticed was how small it seemed. My everyday watch is a dress watch, so it’s not that I’m conditioned to think of a 44mm PAM as ‘normal’, but the Submariner still felt small to me for a casual sport watch. I eventually grew to embrace the size as a faithfulness and continuation of its original design, as well as a modern mark of understatement in an age of gigantic monstrosities.

The next thing I noticed was how useful the bezel was for timing mundane everyday things, including everything from grilling meats to laundry to my baby son’s naps. It’s nothing that couldn’t have been done with my phone, but to have it at a quick glance at my wrist was convenient, and using the functionality of the tool aspect of the watch (albeit not for its originally intended purpose) was satisfying.

The next thing I noticed was the impact of the brand itself. I’m not usually self-conscious when I wear my watches; as far as the general public is concerned, Panerai is the most broadly recognized among the watches I own. I wasn’t sure if I’d feel conscious of having “oooo a Rolex” on my wrist, but the combination of living in a large market, the Submariner being one of Rolex’s more understated designs, and the ubiquity of this particular model made me feel comfortably anonymous.

This is certainly not the end of my Rolex journey, but I can definitely say that I’ve reached the final phase of Rolex appreciation.