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A Man And His Watch

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semperfi55

A Man and His Watch

This is the book that most collectors would have read, or at the very least, heard of.  My friends quickly bought me this book last year, in the hopes of silencing my incessant horological ramblings.  

UNrNv.jpg

I'll be honest, I haven't read the book at all. I have only browsed the eye candy, using the watch shots as backdrops for my review pics. The brilliant thing about this book is the variety of brands and types of watches featured. The author exercised due diligence in seeking out diverse personalities and their watches. Each owner--each watch, tells a story. A story of shared horological passion with a father, a story on hardships and adversity, a story of celebrating milestones, and a story of mourning. The story of each owner, alongside their individual tastes and personality, determines what they want from a watch. The watch encapsulates what this person stands for and what the watch means to them.  The watch is a symbol of what the owner strives for.

 

 

And for me, well shiiit, I was just here for the eye candy. Watching watch porn on my down time.

I am a simple man.

 

That said, I am sure we all have certain watches that are extra special. The ones we inherit and the ones we buy for milestones (great excuses  ). The rest of the collection-- heck it's a freaking Rolex(or going for half price on DHgate), of course I'm buying!

 

So welcome to this little exercise of mine. I will be showcasing each and every watch in the book. We'll learn a little about the person and the watch. For each watch featured, I will suggest an equivalent(s) from my collection. If my equivalent has a story attached, well you're in luck for story time. I think it is a fun little activity and gives me a chance to reflect on a significant portion of my collection. The equivalent watches may be an exact match to the featured watch (e.g. 1680 Sub for 1680 Sub),  matching in story (e.g. inherited), or matching in principle (e.g. aesthetic, category, complications). You, the reader, can also share what you think is your equivalent. It is fine if you don't wish to give the back story. A photo and a one-liner is always welcome. 

At this point I am still uncertain of the format. I tried summarising the Owners' stories but felt that summaries completely rendered the stories soulless. In the end, I decided to include their stories in full, identified by the Italic font. 

I will be doing this on a semi-regular basis, going through 1-2 watches featured in the book at a time. Let's see how long this will last!

 

Matt Hranek Preface

Matt Hranek is a Brooklyn based photographer and...... lifestyle writer? First personality, the author himself and I'm stumped .  I am not cut out for the writing and fashion world. It's hard to summarise what he does, but basically he is an editor for Condé Nast Traveler (lifestyle mag) and created The WM Brown Project (his own lifestyle mag). Hodinkee did a podcast with him:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/hodinkee-radio-episode-32-matt-hranek

He wrote this book we're talking about, that's all we need to know. Onto the watches!!!! Now!!!!!

UX35E.jpg

What is he wearing there?

 

1) Rolex Datejust

------------------------------------------------------------------------Mr Hranek's Story------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have my father’s watch. It’s a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust, stainless steel with a black dial. I remember the day my father came home with it on his wrist. He was so proud, and I was so happy for him, because I knew the watch was more than just a new timepiece; that Rolex marked his first successful year in business for himself. 

When I was a kid, my father was always pointing out to me well-designed and well-crafted things: cars, motorcycles, architecture, and, of course, watches. When he died suddenly—I was only eighteen­—I was given his watch. Or maybe I just took it.

All I knew was that I needed to have that watch. I needed him with me—and that watch kept me connected to him. It still does every time I wear it, every time I look down at it. I now own other, more valuable watches, ones that are more impressive to collectors, but nothing can replace that Datejust. It remains such a powerful representation of my father. I couldn’t bear not having it in my life.

For many men, watches seem to have a deeper meaning than just keeping time. Watches mark special occasions, they tell the world a bit about who you are, and they can, if you’re lucky, connect you to the people in your life who matter most.

I was always a “watch guy,” but it wasn’t until my recent role cover­ing the watch market as a magazine editor that I started unearthing these amazing stories—historical anecdotes from the major watch brands, or more personal ones from friends, colleagues, and collectors with whom I began to cross paths in the watch world. There’s a powerful thread uniting these stories and these men—whether they’re alive or dead, wealthy and famous or clock-punching everyday guys. Watches are objects that start conversations among men who notice them. I began to realize that the watches worn on the wrists of the men I knew often had great emotional significance, or represented some deep connection—the watch had been given to them by a relative, it marked a major life event, or maybe it allowed them to be the version of themselves they most wanted to be. This book tells some of those stories.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Watch

It is only fitting that the author has first dibs on showing off his watch, this being his book and all. And we have....... the Rolex Datejust.

UXjb2.jpg

That it? The most ubiquitous luxury watch ever?

 

That's ok. We'll play along. Which reference is this then?

 

Nope just Rolex Datejust  :finger:Fuck you we're transcending references here.

The author does not mention the reference anywhere in the book at all, to spite me.

Absolute rubbish. I cannot leave a watch out here without its reference number. I figured I knew a thing or two about Datejusts and could try to guesstimate the reference. It has a stainless steel case with engine-turned bezel, black dial with stick hour markers, simple minute markers and T SWISS T at the bottom. It is hard to determine if it is a pie pan dial or a later flat dial.

With what we can see in front of us, surely we can speculate the reference then?

 

This is where we acknowledge the Rolex Vintage Trap.  As a highly popular brand in vintage circles, Rolex reference numbers and lineages have been widely documented. The Rolex reference system is appealing; it has order. Certain numbers denote the bezel design, later models have a higher number, and a new range will have an additional digit to the old reference. 

Before everyone engages in a circle-jerk on how great this is, this is only half the story. Rolex reference numbers are messy. The system changes in the 1960s, going from 6xxx references to 1xxx references. Even then, references are not the be all and end all. There are huge feature variations between models of the same reference. Looking up Submariner dial variations within the same reference (1680) is enough to drive hobbyists mad. Coronet shape, Dial fonts/colour/size, depth ratings, lume sizes, second hand sizes, chapter rings and the "SWISS" bit. To add to the clusterfuck, Rolex may introduce service dials to replace the original dial, muddying the cesspool further.

There is no complete guide on vintage Rolex variations, much of is shrouded in mystery because it is a mass-produced watch with no expectations of meticulous record keeping. The odd reference progression and feature variations tell us the organic growth of a model and the brand. A brand making it up as it goes along, trying what works and what flops. 

So what am I waffling on about? Given how vague Rolex is about vintage, trying to make sense of all the variations is a fool's errand. We can pay attention to the differences as references progress, but we should not scrutinise too hard, lest we go insane. This is my perfect disclaimer for when I inevitably get details wrong further down the line.

 

I speculate that Mr Hranek's Datejust is a reference 1603 or 16030. Mr Hranek was born in 1967 and from his story, his father died when he was 18 (1985). So we have a Datejust bought sometime between 1967 and 1985. The Datejust of 1985 is a very different beast to the Datejust of 1967.

But first let us go back to basics. The full name for the watch is the Oyster Perpetual Datejust. The Oyster came in 1926 when Rolex released their first dustproof and waterproof watch.

UXKR3.jpg

An early Rolex Oyster.

 

UXZTt.jpg

Swimming with the fishes.

 

It became an Oyster Perpetual in 1931 when Rolex patented its self-winding mechanism.

UXoBS.jpgUXWTJ.jpg

The famous Rolex Bubbleback 3131, and the Oyster Perpetual movement with its groundbreaking rotor.

 

UX5Dk.jpg

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 3372 circa 1940s, pre-Datejust.

 

In 1945, the Oyster Perpetual Datejust was born, a waterproof automatic watch with a date complication. They first came out in yellow gold. The steel, two tone and rose gold versions were rolled out later on. The Jubilee bracelet was also introduced alongside this watch.

UNzEF.jpg

The first Datejust, reference 4467. Note the coin edge bezel, at the time, there were no fluted bezels yet. The jubilee bracelet also makes its debut here. There is no mention of "DATEJUST" on the dial yet.

 

Note that there is no cyclops on earlier Datejusts. The date magnifier was later introduced in 1954.

This is here where I will deftly avoid discussion of the movements. Many sources are shy about this topic and tend to muddle through it. The big difference between the 16xx models (which use calibres 1560 and 1570) and the 16xxx models (which use calibre 3035) is that the 3035 has a quickset for date. Hence my speculation that the Datejust featured above is either a 1603 (non-quickset) or 16030 (fun date-setting times).

 

My Watch

UXHBn.jpg

Yes, yes, I am flogging a dead horse here. This watch has been featured many times in different threads. My father gave me this Datejust 16220 on my graduation. He had bought it in the 1990s but never really worn it. Where I grew up, it was foolish to wear a Rolex out in public.  I was very excited then. it was my first Swiss watch. Before that, I had a G-Shock, Casio chronograph, and a Fossil watch. My top piece then was a Junghans quartz chronograph which I babied.  

 

UH2zS.jpg

I wore this whenever I could. But my interest in watches did not really start there. In keeping with public opinion, I thought that was it. After all, Rolex is King and I would not need other watches. Rolex died for our sins. Rolex created the universe with its own two hands (hehe) in seven days. Then one day, a classmate complimented my watch. I was surprised to find that this old friend was into watches. Gracious guy, he owned a lovely vintage Calatrava and never even mentioned it before. That was when I learned about other Swiss brands. I realised that Rolex was not the most luxurious brand, nor the most technically impressive. You can see where I'm going here.

First, Rolex is King.

Then, Rolex is overhyped shite, there are other glorious Swiss brands for TRUE collectors.

Now, actually Rolex is pretty good for something mass-produced and YET still has a waiting list. They must be doing something right!

 

As I return to appreciating Rolex, I also come to appreciate the engine-turned bezel on my watch, something that is out-of-production. The Oyster bracelet, while abnormal on a Datejust, allows me to wear it to more occasions. 

I am fortunate to have received a Rolex to start my collection. However, that completely skews the collecting baseline :facepalm: . Perhaps that is why I do not have a strong love for Seikos, I never went through the early Seiko collection phase.  Regardless, it is still the watch that I wear the most, and the most scratched up of the lot. I am forever grateful for the gift and  managed to return the favour to my dad a year after graduation with another classic. We'll look into that on a different day  

 

For collectors that have been in this game for long, this is a rather boring watch to start on. Almost everyone has a Datejust. It is the only watch you will see in many ADs (hah). The design is too boring and not as glamorous as the Steel Sports models. At least those were my initial thoughts. However, as I continued researching and writing, I think Mr Hranek has got it right. The Datejust introduced many features that are now standard across many Rolex models. It is incredible that after seven decades, one can still easily see the aesthetic similarities between the modern Datejust and its ancestor, its timeless design undeniable. Its ubiquity is common ground between collectors; a watch many would have known about.

 

What better way to start a Collection of Stories?

 

 

What is your first watch? Or the watch that started your collecting frenzy?

 

 

Resources

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-datejust-review

https://beckertime.com/blog/stainless-steel-rolex-datejust-compare-1600-1601-1603-vs-16000-16014-16030/

https://monochrome-watches.com/watchtime-wednesday-history-rolex-datejust/

https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/discussion-rolex-movements-since-1950.html

https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/difference-datejust-date-oysterdate.html

https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/vintage-week-rolex-bubbleback-3131.html

https://bespokeunit.com/watches/rolex/datejust/#evolves

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GingerApple

I fucking love this!!!!! I fucking love YOU man!!!! Subscribed!

I'm a bit concerned about potential copyright issues however. What does the forum think about copyright infringement......?

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KarmaToBurn
44 minutes ago, TheGingerFerret said:

I fucking love this!!!!! I fucking love YOU man!!!! Subscribed!

I'm a bit concerned about potential copyright issues however. What does the forum think about copyright infringement......?

Copywhat?

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RussP
25 minutes ago, KarmaToBurn said:

Copywhat?

On a REP forum, is that the only thing worrying you, GB?

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RussP

@semperfi55

I got presented this very book for my birthday in late October.

I believe@NCRich

also has a copy in his possession.

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semperfi55
1 hour ago, TheGingerFerret said:

I fucking love this!!!!! I fucking love YOU man!!!! Subscribed!

I'm a bit concerned about potential copyright issues however. What does the forum think about copyright infringement......?

Thanks :)

Took me a while to figure out what you meant! I guess you mean the actual photos from the book and the excerpts?

On a replica watch forum, I forgot about the book’s copyright. Fair point.  

@Glaude What is your opinion? Should I alter the pics/edit the excerpts?

 

 

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GingerApple
15 minutes ago, RussP said:

On a REP forum, is that the only thing worrying you, GB?

My comment might have been slightly sarcastic....

12 minutes ago, semperfi55 said:

Took me a while to figure out what you meant! I guess you mean the actual photos from the book and the excerpts?

On a replica watch forum, I forgot about the book’s copyright. Fair point.  

@Glaude What is your opinion? Should I alter the pics/edit the excerpts?

 

 

I was kidding! Sheesh, people need to ignore me a lot more often!

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Glaude
20 minutes ago, semperfi55 said:

@Glaude What is your opinion? Should I alter the pics/edit the excerpts?

Not an issue at all

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Theviking

Haha copyright.  @semperfi55 you are a treasure. If RWG is a rabbit hole, you are fast becoming our white rabbit, watch in hand.

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Flinnt

I want to subscribe to this thread, and given the effort of OP I thought I’d take a little effort myself and take up the invitation to post a watch with a story somehow related to the above story. 
 

So I choose my first watch, which my father gave me.
Looking back I had an unknown to me habit of asking for presents which were the more expensive option when I thought I was asking for the least expensive option. In this case it was my 6th birthday and I wanted a watch. Being 40 years ago, electronic stuff was generally expensive. Digital watches were electronic so to my mind must be expensive. Quartz watches took a battery, so electronic and they had Quartz in the name which was some shiny crystal, must be like a diamond to my mind, so must be really expensive. 
So manual wind must be cheap watches and I loved the idea of the tiny clockwork all powered by a spring. This is what I decided to ask for and asked dad for a watch with hands that winds up, not the battery kind. 
Years later I realised digital watches could be had for a few dollars and quartz watches were cheaper than manual wind ones in general. Oops. 
So dad bought me a Swiss manual wind watch. It was amazing to me. The finish was great. It had lume! A big deal to a 6 year old. Genuine leather strap. 17 jewels! Damn I was rich, 17! Incabloc - now I had heard of Incas, amazing technologically advanced people from ages ago so to have one of their blocs must be very special. Ancient technology! And I knew the Swiss made the best watches in the world. I had the best watch in the world. 
To top this, it was a Valiant. My dad had a mad muscle car which I loved, though admittedly not as much as him. It was a Chrysler Valiant Charger with the powerful Hemi engine. So my watch was somehow related to the car. 
A Valiant Charger:

86-C05592-38-EF-4-E50-AC17-3962-E538-E5-

So the watch is not special at all in the world of horology, but it was the most special watch in the world to me as a 6 year old and will always be special to me for all of those reasons, and most of all because my dad gave it to me. 
Anyway enough reminiscing. Here’s the watch today, quite a bit worse for wear but I still have it. 
1304-D964-848-F-4553-BFC8-D118-D7-EA2-A7

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GingerApple
5 hours ago, Flinnt said:

It had lume! A big deal to a 6 year old. Genuine leather strap. 17 jewels! Damn I was rich, 17! Incabloc - now I had heard of Incas, amazing technologically advanced people from ages ago so to have one of their blocs must be very special. Ancient technology!

This is basically how I still think of watches. Awesome story, thanks for sharing!

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RussP

A Valiant watch ?

NOW, I've seen and heard everything.

Thanks for sharing your story with the forum.

@Flinnt

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Not Quite Dead

So extending this thread in a forward direction, timewise. My grandson who will be two on Monday is into my watches and we have to check whatever I am wearing and alter the bezel and light up the lume with the LED torch. So I want to get him his first watch and would also like it to be mechanical so he can add to this thread in 25 years about the ace watch that his grandfather bought him, now just need to find something small enough so open to suggestions. I still have my late father's watch which is a Timex from the sixties with a leather rally strap. It is in a box in bits but even if I have to replace the movement, glass, case and strap I will get it working again. I have bought all of my children watches to mark 18th or 21st birthdays and whilst they were nothing too grand they are treasured and make me smile as they get brought back for strap adjustments, battery changes or putting the marker back on the dial.

Getting a four watch winder box from said children was also a nice Christmas moment, it means I have a spare slot. 

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MAJ75

Great idea for a thread @semperfi55, I too am a proud owner of the book.

Just as an initial contribution & hopefully closely aligned to your Rolex DJ musings, I remember handing over the cash for my first foray into the genuine Rolex market back in 2016.

I researched for a period before purchasing & eventually decided on buying an entry level 34mm 1978 6694 Oyster Perpetual. Nothing can describe the feeling of wearing that piece for the first time. In many ways the £1500 it cost is insignificant to many, but for me it was representative of a lot of hard work & at that point the cachet of the brand represented some form of achievement or arrival.

I couldn't afford to have too much sentimental attachment as trading this piece at a profit 2 years later enabled the purchase of my Day-Date, I still do love the simplicity of this classic reference.

Here is the timepiece in question:

Full-Size-Render-36.jpg

Just as an aside literally a couple of weeks after buying the piece above, I scored a bargain 6494 on the bay for £850 & used that as a later trade towards my GMT Master.

Check out that dial, untouched & so pretty!

ROL0808.jpg

I look forward to making more contributions as the thread evolves.

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semperfi55
23 hours ago, RussP said:

@semperfi55

I got presented this very book for my birthday in late October.

I believe@NCRich

also has a copy in his possession.

Hehe I think it is the go-to birthday present for us, short of actual watches :lol:

13 hours ago, Flinnt said:

Looking back I had an unknown to me habit of asking for presents which were the more expensive option when I thought I was asking for the least expensive option.

Innate classy taste there! Thanks for sharing your story there. I'm amazed the mechanical watch wasn't destroyed by the time you were seven.... Love the car-watch match as well :thumbsup:

6 hours ago, Not Quite Dead said:

So I want to get him his first watch and would also like it to be mechanical so he can add to this thread in 25 years about the ace watch that his grandfather bought him, now just need to find something small enough so open to suggestions.

Tricky one for a 2 year old.... but a very nice idea.

If Timex still had mechanical watches.

What about new Chinese watches? Some of them can be relatively small 36mm and mechanical.

https://www.good-stuffs.com/Watches-clocks_c_1.html

Then again, a watch for a kid would need to be able to take a beating too!

Good luck on the search and keep us updated on what you get!

6 hours ago, MAJ75 said:

I researched for a period before purchasing & eventually decided on buying an entry level 34mm 1978 6694 Oyster Perpetual. Nothing can describe the feeling of wearing that piece for the first time. In many ways the £1500 it cost is insignificant to many, but for me it was representative of a lot of hard work & at that point the cachet of the brand represented some form of achievement or arrival

Thanks for sharing mate :) I like the simplicity of your Oysterdate, classy piece! The "PRECISION"  allows for some surprisingly tasteful space on the dial, compared to the SCOC.

6 hours ago, MAJ75 said:

I look forward to making more contributions as the thread evolves.

Thanks for participating :) Looking forward to more!

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FoxWilde

I’ve got this book!! I’d beat it in a heartbeat if I was an illiterate shite :D

 

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GingerApple
7 hours ago, Not Quite Dead said:

My grandson who will be two on Monday is into my watches... so I want to get him his first watch

Seriously!!?!

That's a bit weird imo. Lovely, but weird. That's way too young for a proper watch. For any watch! Even a toy one! Are your serious?

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RussP

Here's my copy to share with this thread:

48975634523_b4f404cbb9_b.jpg

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stormtooper4

Here you go gents

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NCRich
4 hours ago, TheGingerFerret said:

Seriously!!?!

That's a bit weird imo. Lovely, but weird. That's way too young for a proper watch. For any watch! Even a toy one! Are your serious?

Its a grandson.  Logic does not apply.  Are you daft?

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NCRich

You know,  you guys can post all the contents of this book and that don't feed the bulldog.  The coolest thing about this book is the feel, smell, and just the absolute coolness of having this on your coffee table.   I'm not a coffee table book kinda guy, but buy this one.

IMG-6119.jpg

yeah that is my coffee table.

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Glaude
31 minutes ago, stormtooper4 said:

Here you go gents

Did you checked and downloaded that yourself ?

Because so far, it's full of malware and scam links on this shitty dailyupload website

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stormtooper4

Yes worked fine I wasn't able to upload the file directly, unfortunately, 

try this Mediafire   or Zippy

 

 

Edited by stormtooper4
added link
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Glaude
17 hours ago, stormtooper4 said:

Yes worked fine I wasn't able to upload the file directly, unfortunately, 

try this Mediafire   or Zippy

Thanks a lot !

I've also uploaded the .epub and a pdf version on mega for sake keeping :

https://mega.nz/#F!az5nEYoJ!Ce_BueSRMgPfucpwfKd1Ew

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Not Quite Dead
On 04/01/2020 at 02:26, NCRich said:

Its a grandson.  Logic does not apply.  Are you daft?

Spot on and I am going to let him have an old lego watch that needs to be constructed and I have never opened but it may still have to wait for a litle wrist growth. Get 'em addicted young and they can have a lifetime of misery dribbling over the next watch. 

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