Rolex

It's been a nostalgic Saturday and I have been reminiscing a bit today about the past and how I got to where I am with the watches. Got to say it’s been an incredible journey and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. The failed bids, the missed opportunities, the hunts, the buying, the grails, etc.  

In 2009/10 I was beginning to explore other watches that were not part of the big watch trend (Panerai, AP etc) and Rolex kept popping up due to its popularity in Asia. Of course, due to my earlier fixation with Pre-V and my awe for vintage Panerai, that sort of led me to look at vintage Rolex. Back in 2009, I actually found vintage Rolex to be quite old fashioned looking and rather small. But fast forward to today, I can’t seem to fathom why I would even think that way when vintage Rolex today is to me the perfectly sized watch for me. Though vintage Rolex wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I knew back then that there was something timeless and classic about its design.  In 2010 as i was in midst of getting myself a proper job, I decided I wanted something that could fit comfortably under the cuff. And that was why I picked a vintage Rolex (and subsequently a modern GV Milgauss). 

I eventually chose the ref. 1680 red Submariner with mark IV dial. The watch came with 90% box and papers (only missing an anchor and 1-2 non essentials). Back then, I wanted to choose a dive watch that was classic, iconic and had important significance to Rolex history. To me, the sub came before the SD so that to me had historical significance. When one thinks of Rolex, the sub naturally comes to mind over the sea dweller therefore I deemed it to be a classic and picked the sub over the SD. Next, as money was to an extent a constraint, my "limits" were somewhere within the 60s-70s era, which I considered to be interesting and still attainable. Eventually I went with the red sub, as the red text was simply just iconic and hard to ignore. In the language of vintage Rolex, people speak mostly about the nuances. So amongst the mark I to VI dials, the IV was made available (for less versus the I to III) so I picked it. Eventually, in the next 2 years or so, I picked up another full b&p ref. 1675 with matt dial as the GMT ref. 1675 to me was another extremely iconic watch, with the bi-color bezel insert and it’s significance to the aviation industry.

Nevertheless, back to the red sub, I became emotionally attached to it over the years as I soon became friends with another vintage Rolex nutcase. He eventually became one of my best friends, and I became godfather to his son subsequently. When we first got acquianted, he too, happened to own the exact same ref. 1680 red sub mark IV dial circa 1971 as I would. To this day, we continue to own this reference. Over the following years I would go on to buy more vintage Rolexs, which my best friend always had a hand in it. Another piece of provenance that is special to me is the dealer who sold it to me. Let’s just say, I got lucky, and whatever controversy that happened after only just made it more interesting for me. I always think that the stories that come with our watches carry a lot of meaning with it. Otherwise, a watch in its intrinsic form is merely a culmination of labor in the forms of technology, engineering and design. 

A few shots of my Mulholland red Sub: 

So what’s your first vintage Rolex and what is your story?

HAGWE
G