RobbieG

The vintage pursuit is definitely next on the agenda. Looking forward to it and I think I'll take your advice. Thanks again.

Thanks. Coolest GMT I have ever had as well. The pushers jump the hours forward and backward, but the real cool thing is the datewheels move forward AND backward across midnight so when traveling west on a red-eye you never have to re-adjust the date after setting the time. Plus what is cool visually is the watch looks great with a suit or with shorts and a T. I never feel like I really need to bring more than one watch when I travel with it - but of course I still do. lol...

After catching up on those it looks like the only reps they really came close to doing right was the chronos no? The MMDs like mine don't look so great after all - unless there is some exclusive dealer that has the good ones I don't know about?

Here is a first for me. I have the gen of this, but I can't find the images I shot of it at the moment. Anyway, I thought I would post what I had that spurred me to buy a gen YM way back when... A piece of RWG history of sorts. TwoTone has this one now, and has had it since year one of RWG I believe.

...and it will stop right there.

Another +1 for Lugers and Carnegie Deli. Though if you go to Lugers bring cash. They don't take credit cards. Just letting you know so you don't have to wash dishes... Also, I don't know where you are staying but for some cool hotel experiences that are first class and a break from the ever stodgy Plaza, Carlisle, Waldorf, etc. try The Hudson or 60 Thompson. The Mandarin is always great and not all agree with me but I have had only one bad experience with a W and that was in Lauderdale. NYC, Westwood, Dallas, etc. have all treated us well. In NYC I prefer the Lexington and Union Square hotels to Times Square. Then again there isn't much about Times Square that appeals to me. Stay at the nicest hotel you can possibly afford. Hotels you typically stay at elsewhere that are "fine" are sometimes not so fine in NYC. You get what you pay for and unfortunately in NYC what you pay for always costs more than anywhere else. You kind of have to bite the bullet and go by what you know and not by price. Just my .02...

This one...

...and an abstract sunrise from the same day...

A sunset and rising moon I shot in Sedona, AZ...

Agreed. The best GMT I have ever owned also. The best part is the date wheel jumps forward and backward across midnight so you don't have to reset dates on those longer trips. Works as a dress watch and a casual watch also which makes it ideal for business or personal travel and when combined you don't feel like you need to bring more than one watch..

Thanks TJ. Man, you have a lot of beaters in the list. lol! And don't get me wrong, the MMD is superior to the YM in many ways to a purist watch collector. It is a substantial piece and a nice size in the "big" category. Quite thick and heavy. I still think its dial layout and "look" is probably cooler than the YM if I am to be objective. It is just that comfort and familiarity seem to be winning my favour. It is a subconcious thing to be sure that was probably always there. I'm just now choosing to listen to it. My categories: Dressy sports watch light dial (YM) Casual sports watch dark dial (Pending - probably Sub or Sub II) Casual sleeves watch (DJ - Oyster Bracelet) Dressy sleeves watch (DD - President Bracelet) Casual Chronograph dark dial (Ti Aquatimer) Dressy Chronograph (Pending - VC Patrimony Chrono Lemania 2320 or Lange Datograph splurge for either...ouch $$$) Formal Watch (VC Traditionelle Handwind) Travel Watch (UN Big Date Dual Time)

You are probably right. I guess I have high hopes visually. I will say that the IIc really impressed me in terms of quality as the fit and finish is a step up. No real difference in comfort. Same deal as always and the size is right. Since I know I want a black dialed sports watch to fill that category (as I haven't abandoned the represented category theme - just added comfort and classic design), maybe I ought to grab a regular Sub now as a hedge. If I love the SubII I'll have no trouble selling and if I don't I'll just keep the original Sub. Food for thought...

Speechless - which is something I'm usually not. You are the Michael Jordan of Frankencraft. Humbled by your presence...

Yes, I will check that out. The last Ubi thing I saw was his PO which I provided the bracelet for. And I meant to tell you I LOVE the albino project. It must have been hard to hunt that stuff down. You really pull the rabbit out of the hat on these things...

Thanks Freddy. Of all people, you have inspired my journey and true appreciation for all things Rolex most of all. I have been busy with the shiny new stuff and that has given me all I need for now, but one day soon I'm gonna let myself go down the vintage path as well. Looking forward to it...

It is coming. I need to dust off the camera and get my sh*t together. I also have to re-install PS on my laptop as it got corrupted somehow. I'll try to get back to taking some pics real soon. I think that one is going to photograph really well, though pale blues as you know can be a bit elusive...

This one today. One of my favorites for casual weekends...

Thanks Coolfire. Yeah, I just keep coming back to them and I guess I'm there to say. Rolex's in your collection? I know you have a Sub (gen I think?)and I forget what else. Don't know if you have a YM, DJs or DDs. The Rolesium YM is the current star as it is summer so I'm wearing short sleeves a lot. The Day Date & Datejust doesn't get any short sleeve wear. I like the YM for its versatility and also comfort-wise something I didn't mention - The solid platinum bezel and dial do add a significant amount of weight to the watch. But that is a good thing as the bracelet is still light but the PT all at the top sort of settles the watch on the wrist and balances it, again without needing a tight bracelet. Many people think the PT is an insert because it kind of looks like it would be at a glance, but the whole bezel is one piece and the top is simply relief carved. Anyway, it is more platinum than people would think and it really does add to the comfort. Though Rolex pisses me off in that platinum has come off its highs by nearly half (I should know - we trade it...) and yet they keep raising the prices. They make out like bandits especially on any watches with platinum in them - not to mention having their own foundary to boot. Man, I would like to have a piece of that company. If they ever went public their common would trade higher than Berkshire A shares. lol...

I haven't posted in a while and as you all know I have had some health problems. Recently I sold a couple genuine pieces on TZ and some pals here were a little concerned that maybe I had lost my passion for watches. I thought I would try and start an honest thread and at the same time bring you up to speed on what I have been up to... People have said I made the UN MMD famous on the rep boards and others have even said the pics of my watch posted here sparked interest from the factory. I doubt that, but in any case I'm glad they made such a great rep of it. Recently I sold that watch as part of a campaign to continue to shrink the collection to those pieces I will constantly wear. At my peak my genuine collection was well over 50 pieces and though it is probably old new, most already know that I sold off all but five by the time I got sick. From there I did add to that by purchasing a few of my grails and replacing a few watches previously owned that met a "new" most important criteria - more on that later... The critera for that supposed "final five" was a departure from buying anything that I thought was visually cool, to just having one watch from each of five categories that was visually cool to me. What has recently changed is I have discovered that no matter how cool I think a watch looks or "is", if it isn't extremely comfortable I just won't reach for it. I found that I had to force myself to wear a couple of the remaining pieces in my collection and it was really starting to bother me. Most recently I sold two watches that I never thought I would sell, namely my beloved UN MMD and a 42MM PO on rubber (Ubi got the bracelet!). Why? Because for me each was just not comfortable enough for me and when I wore them I found myself constantly adjusting and messing with them while wearing. In the case of the MMD it is the size and the too flat caseback (although the bracelet is still the best in the class). For the PO it is the opposite. The caseback relief carving annoys me. So I guess what I wanted to say about all this is that I have developed a new most important critera which goes beyond looks and that is comfort. The second most important criteria for me is also something new and that is the watch must fit my perception of "classic" in terms of design. This is where the ode to Rolex comes in. Funny. Like most I came to these boards by way of the Submariner and discovered this whole secret world and community. Rolex is where it started actually long before these boards with a genuine Sub which I then replaced with about a billion reps before abaondoning reps for the perfection of gens. When I moved away from Rolex it was for the same reasons that most do. I felt that the brand was almost too iconic and everyone either had one and/or everyone thought they were all fake and/or they weren't "the best" - whatever that means - in comparison to all the other brands out there. And as I said I experimented with everything but Rolex and bought and sold a small fortune worth of them specifically avoiding Rolex with its flimsy bracelets and "boring" movements. But after coming full circle I have come to love and rely on my Rolex watches above all else. They are like a warm blanket. The familiary and quiet design is what it is all about for me. Those flimsy bracelets are the most comfortable after all for me and something about the shape of the cases just melt into my wrist. The movements are scary sturdy and the fit and finish is flawless. And for me the look is just off the charts as well. Not just the designs and how classic and perfect they are in that wonderful "boring" way, but the metal. Oh, the metal. I don't know what is so different about Rolex steel, gold, and platinum, but like I always say, "Nothing quite shines like a Rolex watch". I love that though they experiement with new designs they don't rush into anything and keep the old designs as they were. Very slow and deliberate and resistant to change. It just makes sense. They just don't need to be upgraded. I think the industry suffers greatly from the better moustrap syndrome. Companies nail designs and yet very few have the sense to know when they have something that need not be changed. The whole giagantic watch explosion is a great example. It got to the point where everyone was just ignoring everything that makes watches so elegant and practical just to make the biggest most obnoxious design and capture market share. I love that Rolex refused to chase that and prove the core of the market didn't care to chase it either by continuing to make the Day Date the biggest seller at 36MM. And when they did respond to demands of customers for bigger dress watches, they only went to 41MM which is the same basic size as the classic sports models. In short, Rolex is one that really knows itself and I have really come to appreciate that. I strive to be that way in my own business and refuse to chase the latest "in" thing. But again, above all the comfort is king for me. I reach for them and when I put them on I don't even know it is there until someone says, "Hey, nice watch - what is that a Rolex?". I can honestly say in all my years of collecting I have never drawn more attention or more compliments from any watch more than my Rolex watches and it is never a sacrifice to what feels perfect and familiar to me. So I guess I have come full circle. Back to Rolex and really appreciating all that they are. Iconic. Comfortable. Rugged. Simple. Familiar. Home. Perfect... So what is new with the collection? Not much but a few key new pieces and a few old ones: -I had orginally sold my PT/SS Yachtmaster to replace it with the rhodium MMD. Similar style - the sort of fancy sport watch category. I bought another a while back and kept the MMD, but of course I would always reach for the YM and just recently sold the MMD. Great watch but now that I have had the enjoyment of photographic it, there is no use having it just sit there. -I still have my IWC Aquatimer in Ti. The most comfortable and cool looking Ti watch I have ever found. I love the rugged look to it and it is my #1 casual wear watch. Perfect with jeans or shorts and T-shirts. -I still have my travel watch - the UN Big Date Dual Time. I love the bi-directional date wheels, home time display and push button jumping hour local time setting. It is also great for travel to not have to bring multiple watches as it looks at home with shorts and T-shirts or with a tux and everthing in between. A unique piece I doubt I would ever sell. And yes, very comfortable case shape. I don't even know it is there. -I aquired a fine pure dress watch finally. A Vacheron Patrimony Traditionelle handwind in white gold. 38MM of perfection in every way. Worn only with suits for special occasions - like getting married... -I still have my rhodium roman dialed Datejust 36MM with smooth bezel and oyster bracelet. This is the watch I reach for a lot when wearing shirt sleeves but casually. I wear french cuffs a lot and it is just a dream with those. Just so comfortable. -And finally, I sprung for one of my ultra-grails. A LOT of money but you only live once right - and maybe not as long as you think. lol. I finally got a platinum Day Date 36MM with Glacier/Ice blue roman dial, President bracelet and smooth bezel. It is just insane. It is so comfortable I can't even tell you and that pale blue just has to be seen to be appreciated. It is very subtle. Just a hint of color really but just enough to set it off in the light. Funny, but the massive weight of the platinum on all parts actually makes the watch more comfortable as it keeps it from moving around on the wrist without having to have the bracelet too tight. Same deal, only worn with long sleeves like the DJ. And a word of advice on this: These watches look plenty big at 36MM even on big wrists (mine are 7 1/2") but only with long sleeves just above the watch. With short sleeves they look too small on the arm. Kind of an optical illusion but you will really notice it. So that is it guys. I can't see adding much other than I have been waiting for a black ceramic bezel Sub so I will grab one of those when they launch. I had the GMT for a while and loved the feel of it but the large indices and GMT bezel isn't my thing visually. I much prefer the Subs smaller indices on the dial and bezel. Oh, and you all know how much I love fine column wheel chronographs so at some point I will buy probably either a Vacheron Patrimony Traditionelle Chronograph or a Lange Datograph. So there you go. A massive wordy post in classic RobbieG style. You are all probably asleep by now. Anyway, just wanted to give a plug to Rolex and this board for sparking my horological journey. I came here owning a Rolex watch and through reps discovered many other brands which eventually became gens and now I am back to where I started with my orignal tastes in tact. Thanks for accompanying me on my journey guys. It has been loads of fun. Peace, RG

Should go through now. I just had to clear out old messages...

The very one indeed. It may even be indirectly responsible for the factory deciding to make it after seeing it on the boards on patrol - at least that is what one dealer told me once. A great watch for sure. I'm just out of my big substantial braceleted steel phase I guess. Doing more in the way of comfort and smaller understated elegance these days. Still the best looking in its class though. I will never dispute that... How you been brother?

Been sick brother so I haven't had a lot of time or energy for the forum. How have you been doing? What is new watch wise and personal wise for you these days. Still got the Ingy?