And there it is, the words I've been trying to conjure up. That's a perfect way to put it.
I admire vintage Rolex but as parts get scarcer I wear them less and less. And I wonder, what would it have been like to go diving with an old Submariner? When they were new, nobody thought anything of it. Now, nobody in their right mind would do it.
What was it like?
So I embarked on the Big Gonzo project with the intent of using it as a contemporary dive watch, straight off the shelf and straight to the ocean, circa 1958. Strap it on and use it like a tool.
Now I can tell you firsthand what it was like. There's a certain carefree laissez-faire feeling to being able to run into the ocean with your "contemporary 1958 dive watch" and not even think about it. Just like an original buyer would have 56 years ago. Then you're out swimming, take a deep breath and head for the bottom, glance at the watch, and marvel at how readable the dial is. Try rotating the bezel with salty wet fingers and see why the knurling on the coin edge is so shallow. Then roll your wrist a little and see how the refractions of the domed crystal work underwater. It all fits together and you see the thinking behind the design.
Look down at your incredibly valuable vintage watch (if it was real) under 10 feet of water, and think "Yeah, so this is what it was like".