a crown for every achievement: what's your rolex story?

[Rein]

I have fastracked my path... i just got a HULK in advance of my first kid... =P

Rein, you are on the right path. For me I try to find special occasions to buy a ROLEX....and you've got many
many years ahead of you. Don't forget to get one for your wife too...when she gives you your first kid...lol!

[mi_tanza]

All the stories here are touching indeed. Same reason for me to leave behind a memento. Recently bought a ladies datejust for my wife, and an Explorer 2 for my eldest son who graduated recently. I never appreciated the rolex until recently. While in europe, a friend of mine bought a yellow gold/steel GMT 2. Since, with the benefit of price difference, I ended up buying the watches. However, my eldest son did not fancy the Exp 2 and wanted a Milgauss with the green glass which I bought recently. Will reserve it for my 2 son who will be home next month on holiday from Mel. 3rd son preferred a TAG which I bought recently. Wife too prefer a different model which I ordered and hope to get it by end of next month. She would like to reserve the current datejust for our future daughter-in-law.

[angsu]

Rein, you are on the right path. For me I try to find special occasions to buy a ROLEX....and you've got many
many years ahead of you. Don't forget to get one for your wife too...when she gives you your first kid...lol!

very nice thread indeed

i bought my first rolex this year at 31+

when i have my first kid i will buy another!

[sunny_blue]

I'm not rich, my daddy didn't give me any nice watch or monies... I got my 1st rolex 2 years after my divorce... basically I lost everything family, no cash, no flat (HDB needs to be sold with major lost as then 2005 was down period), had to sold my normal car etc... started-off my new life with only that month salary... told myself that 1 will pull thru and 1st will be to get a rolex to mark my new life... well i made it... once I recovered my normal life and saved all the while then I got a white face roman letter DJ full SUS, it's used but in very good condition it the most basic model but I love it at 1st sight. This watch also brought me great luck and wisdom as from then on I learn to save and do more wisely in terms of buying and decision in life. Now I have many other watches omega(used), tudor(new), just ordered a new panerai based model but nothing beats my rolex DJ. Everytime I look at my DJ I have the kind of warmth and motivation to push ahead to clear all obstacles. Now I have moved on in life, got a new family so my next rolex will be for my wife, well she doesn't likes the normal rolex and am only interested in the vintage leather strap ones so it posses a challenge which I believe I would be able to clear soon... I guess for every rolex there are some form of story behind. I will never sell my DJ and it will be pass on to my next generation...

[Rein]

very nice thread indeed

i bought my first rolex this year at 31+

when i have my first kid i will buy another!

[zidaneong]

chanced upon this so i'll share mine.
and a regretful story the earlier part of it.

my first rolex was when i was 16 and a student.
it wasnt exactly a gift but it belonged to my father.
base on his memory, he bought it when he was about 28-30.
i chanced upon it in his drawer and asked if i could have it.

without blinking much of an eyelid, he passed the watch to me
it was an oysterdate 6694
i wore it for some days and realised that it was running super slow.
as a kid, i could not afford to have it repaired at anywhere except by an old man at beach road.
he replaced a tiny gear (original part sealed and numbered in rolex packaging) and charged me $60 for it.

unfortunately, the watch did not last more than a few weeks before it started to run slow again.
i had no more money to spend on repairs and
being a stupid young punk, i sold it for $300++ at a shop at golden landmark, i couldnt even remember the name of the shop.
with the money i bought a spanking new Tag quartz which i wore more proudly to school than the Rolex.
that was more than 20yrs ago.
the Tag accompanied me for a good 5yrs.

some time before the mid 90s my grandmother passed away and gifted each grandchild with $2000.
in memory of her, i bought an omega speedmaster automatic for $1800 from Sincere and wore it dearly until graduation.
shortl after i also bought a lady constellation for my gf, now my wife, as kind of a match to my speedy.
a year into my first real job, i decided that a Submariner was going to be my watch for good.
so i got one and handed the Omega to my Father. sort of a compensation for taking his Rolex, i thought.

i wore my Sub through thick and thin and it was the only watch (not counting a swatch) i had.

i acquired a lady datejust from watchpalace for my girlfriend then, now wife, for valentines in 2003 as i thought she deserved a Rolex too.

8 yrs after the Sub, in 2006 i bought an Explorer2 polar usd3600 from overseas as i thought it could be a good idea to hv a white face Rolex since i have a black faced one and also to give face to a friend who just opened a new watch shop. and in the same year i bought a very prized Daytona from watchpalace for $17,800 to mark my second successful promotion.

the sub and exp2 sat in my drawer for months untouched ad the Daytona quickly became my daily beater.
feeling sorry for the explorer for basically sitting in the drawer for 3yrs i made another stupid decision in 2009 to sell it.
a decision which i came to regret a year later only to buy back another exp2 albeit an older series.

then came a slew of datejust, and DD head, which soon parted with me.
then got poisoned by the folks here into goldies and bought a solid gold gmt2c + a DD 18238.

i have learned my lesson through all this.
andthe lesson is dont sell a Rolex unless your life truly depended on its sale.
nowadays i still drool when i see Rolexes, despite the fact that PPs, APs, VCs and the likes are well within my reach.

i dont think i will ever buy another brand as Rolex has somehow been there over the years.
but as Bond would say it, never say never....

I also make similar mistakes as well.

[angsu]

Behind every successful man....there is a ROLEX ! Great Story Throttle...

[Oceanklassik]

Good story you have shared.. tx

[jonchar]

Mine is simply, "You want to buy you better buy before the house come" then i went "orh" and i bought

[Chunster69]

All very touching stories...shows that the "5 match stick" is indeed some sort of yardstick for success...

For me, I got my 1st Rolex when I was 26, to mark the year I got married (and my better half is wearing that one now). Have since been buying/eyeing other brands as well...but my rolexes remain my fav watches.

[biboy]

hmmm. about 3 years ago, i said that i will never,never buy a rolex watch! too expensive. but i do spurge for my brother, my sister and my mom. tried to be a good son, a good brother and a responsible provider.
through savings, i was able to built a modest sized abode- everyones dream... am sure! then for no reason at all.....
we were strolling in a shopping center and found myself inside a ROLEX store. one thing led to another . read infos about rolex... from this forum and other forums . then made a decision what i will buy..... in the near future!
however, my mom and sibling actually encouraged me to buy. their reason.... I am working, earning, a good provider to them. so i must also be able to enjoy the fruit of my labor! so goes the story..... i have 2 rolex watches now. both simple i believe. 369 blk arab with w/g bezel. perpetual and 14060m, cosc- sub no date.
happy??? yes!!!! plan to buy again??? YES!!!!! but not for me!!! for my mom and my sister!! ( they will be happy with a second hand but they insist that it is not necessary)
does anybody noticed my rolex? not really! except for those with rolex or other expensive watches too.

[Archie42]

Hello,
I have read many posts on this board in the last few days & I thought I would like to tell my story. I have read postings of 16 year old kids getting a Rolex from Dad and I wanted to post this story so other people do not think this is the norm. I think if you have had to struggle - it makes you appreciate the rewards more. Getting a gift from daddy or mommy does not cut it for me.

Then the 16 year old kid wants to talk about investment. I give you investment after working 2 years in taxi after normal job. Investment is something the theives in banking stole from most of us in superannuation funds.

I have owned a Rolex since I was 18. I bought a Rolex Explorer and gifted my quartz Omega to my father - so much for daddy buying me a watch! I then did not think much about it until I started to love watch in about 1997. I remember I bought (of all things!) a Cartier Octagonal Santos in Steel. I loved that watch so much but parted with it as I wanted another watch. I am not rich enough to keep everything! In 2001 I purchased my first Patek - ref 3919 but had it sell it as money was tight - this was after the dot com bust! (do a google search about that disaster if you are under 20!).

In 2007 I fell in love with a couple of holygrail watches. I wanted 1 but did not know which watch to choose. I started driving taxi to help me save for the watch. I remember doing my income tax return and seeing the evil government take most of my meager takings. I tried and tried. I slowly saved my money - not eating lunch from shop - taking brown paper bag to work each day.

Then I got my dream Patek - White gold Calatrava. I had to sell most of my watch collection to pay for this watch. I remember feeling sad after selling most of my watches to afford the Patek. It was a struggle. Driving taxi and having rude obnoxious customer. Customer who laugh at me for being middle age and drive taxi. I remember a staff from work took my taxi and laugh at me at work for my low job.

After I got my Patek I really have bad feeling about only having 1 other watch. I kept my explorer 1 watch with lug hole. I yearn for my other rolexes. I was madly in love with white dial explorer II. I buy this beauty 2nd hand. I save save money. It hard struggle - no easy money or daddy for me. I can not afford AD to buy from - I get from used dealer / pawnshop (I think you call loanshark shop) and I pay cash and use my credit card. I love Rolex but I not pay 20% a month loanshark charge. My Explorer II not new - it from ealy 90s - no box no papers. I still love my Explorer II like my wife.

I then buy Omega Speedmaster from used dealer. I love the classic chrono. I save slowly. No easy money from daddy.

My Vacheron was very hard to pay for. She cost big money and need service and polish. I think I never sell her. She is from 1960 and is the first thin movement from Vacheron in the 1950s. Vacheron is good name with Geneva seal K1001 movement.

I love my 2 x rolex equally. I can not ever not have Rolex. I wear Rolex the most. Patek is on leather and a scarced to damage white gold. Vacheron is for special occassions only - not waterproof. Omega is cool and I love but not same as Rolex. I buy my wife Rolex 69174 - Steel DateJust with white gold bezel. I think she understand my love for rolex now!

I hope you can see the struggle I have to endure for my watches. No easy daddy or mommy to pay for it. If you are a sugarlady - I happy to befriend you! Stuggle make you strong. Strong is like my Rolex.....

Please tell me your struggle to get a rolex!

[lefty]

First Rolex was a GMT back in 2003 which i traded off just after 1 year for a Graham Chronofighter (sheeshh... ). The significance of the Rolex really didnt mean much to me then as I was shuttling between a Panerai, Brietling, GP and an Oris - all of which i eventually offloaded as well.

It took me a good 7 years later - 2010 - before i laid hands on my 2nd ever Rolex - the Sub C LV. This time with much greater significance as i bought it to mark the birth of my second child. And yes, this one is for keeps.

[redneckk]

mine too! 21st birthday. present from my gf. next one will be for my graduation. heh heh.

[hmsg]

wow, great memory for the watch - bought it to celebate your birthday!