TeeJay

I've been a fan of the 16800 for some time, and even attempted to convert a budget 16610 last year, but it didn't go quite to plan... Since then, I've become rather fond of the GMT II, and would like to do something like an early 16800, but with the added function of the GMT Equally, I might have another crack at converting a 16610 when I'm next able

Nice piece

I don't buy watches with the aim to re-sell them, so to me, re-sale value is irrelevant... I'm not in a position to buy gens, but even if I was, I wouldn't do so. IMHO, paying $$s for a 'prestige product' isn't showing class, it's nothing more than being able to pay the price of admission, and nothing more than getting ripped off by a corporation...

Beautiful I need one of these for my collection...

Tasty

That's a fine collection The only thing I'd say it was missing (other than a DateJust ) is either a PN Daytona, or a pre-Daytona chrono, other than that, I'd say you have all the bases covered

As promised, here're some pictures of the Twins... Sadly, I can't seem to find my camera, so only a couple of quick and dirty iPhone snaps, I'll post some better pics when the camera turns up The Executive: The Playboy: The Pair:

Wow, that really is a beauty, I can see why it holds a permanent place in your collection

I don't know why, but there's something about the Turn-O-Graph, which I just can't seem to take to... If I really had to think and give an answer, I would say it's because (in my mind at least), fluted bezel and jubilee means Executive Suite, cigars and brandy, but the feature of a timing bezel is 100% tool watch functionality... But what does the Executive actually need to time? For me, that incongruity between the two areas of use sets up a kind of mental block... I know it's just my own issue about the watch, but like the DSSD, it just doesn't quite do it for me

It definitely sounds like your collection is complete, in which case, a DateJust might be redundant... My jubilee DateJust rarely sees wrist time, as I can't shake the feeling that it's a bit 'showy' for my everyday style, where although I originally thought I would reserve the oyster DateJust for 'shirt and suit' wear, it has become a firm favorite, and I have to dress very casually before I feel it is too much... Equally, while they are indeed occasion watches as gifts, they also make great watches to wear for occasions like weddings etc, where they will look smart, but not overpowering

Fantastic watches, I think you've illustrated perfectly that there is indeed a DateJust for every taste

Thanks I agree they could very much be considered an 'entry level' watch, maybe because of how the DateJust strikes me as a watch that someone might be gifted, maybe as a birthday or graduation present, rather than a personal purchase, but I think they do have a ubiquity which attracts a collector to purchase for them self, possibly as a reward for getting that first Big Job... Ironically, I purchased my jubilee DateJust not only as a birthday present to myself, but also as a piece for an 80s costume, and I don't wear it very often, where the oyster DateJust my mother got me (albeit by making me order it myself and picking up the tab) is the more universally wearable and now seldom leaves my wrist. Have you ever thought about picking up another? I used to like the +40mm watches, but have come to appreciate the subtlety of a DateJust, even though they are not as easily readable as say the Omega Planet Ocean or even a Submariner... Of course, I'm talking solely about reps rather than gens, but I figure for the purposes of my musing, the aesthetics were more important than the purchase price

Glad you enjoyed it It was written pretty much on the fly before watching a program, so I didn't have time for photos, but if I can find my camera tomorrow, I'll try and post some shots of the twins

We've all done it: Declared our favorite watch our beater, only for it to be superceded by the latest purchase. I'm certainly guilty of having done so. Tastes in watches are a very individual thing, as are an individual's requirements in a watch. Do they need it to be functional? Do they want to convey a particular image? Do they want to fly under the radar and not have anyone notice? I think that the Rolex DateJust might just be the ultimate Everyman Beater: Clear dial, slimline case, understate elegance, the DateJust has it all. And it's not just one model either... There are variations in dial color, different bezel and bracelet options, varied styles of dial markers. It all just depends on one's personal tastes. The fluted bezel and jubilee bracelet are immediately recognizable as Rolex-styled. The jubilee is in my opinion, the most comfortable of the Rolex bracelets: It is the most light weight, and most flexible, so gives the best conformity to the wrist. It is the style worn by the likes of John James Preston and Patrick Bateman. It is what I call the Executive Model. Sure, it can be worn with things other than a business suit, but it never stops being an 'upper-tier' watch, it never loses that razors edge. Then there is the smooth bezel and oyster bracelet... This is what I would consider the 'work horse' of the DateJust line. Less eye-catching, more subdued, but by no means the 'poor cousin'... This is a piece worn by the Rupert Campbell-Blacks and the Lysander Hawkleys of the world. The men who make husbands jealous... The guy you don't trust around your wife or your teenage daughter, because even though he's your best friend, you know that given the opportunity, he'd do them both. At the same time. This is an aesthetic combination which works just as well in casual or formal attire... In the office, it's slim enough to glide under a cuff without snagging and still looks efficient and elegant, something that the Submariner-wearing Desk Divers can never aspire to. On the polo field or golf course, it looks fine with short sleeves, still functional, still classy, but tough enough to take whatever the game throws at it. Combining the smooth bezel with the jubilee bracelet creates another option: Still clean and elegant, but somehow 'richer', more matured. Still as good for play as for work, but probably better suited to the boardroom than the squash court, or more accurately, the watch which the guy in today's boardroom wore on the squash courts in his youth: The smooth/oyster is timeless, the fluted/jubilee is very much the watch of the 80s... Is the DateJust a model which a man only receives as a gift from a woman in his life, be it his wife, his mother or his mistress, or is it a piece he buys for himself? I can't answer for everyone, but have both received a DateJust as a gift, and bought one for myself. Do I wear the Oyster more than the Jubilee because it was a gift from my mother, or do I wear it more because aesthetically, if fits my wardrobe and lifestyle better? To be honest, it's the latter option... Sentiment takes second place to practicality for me in this instance, even though by description, both watches are identical: Stainless Steel cases with silver sunburst dials with stick markers. The Oyster just fits better with casual clothes, so it sees more wrist time. If the wardrobe drops to a certain level of casualness, then it's time for something else, but for the most part, it is appropriate, and dresses up with a suit without being too ostentatious. That's not to say that the DateJust is a watch fit for all needs... If you need a rotating bezel to time something, this is not the watch for you. If you need a watch you can wear to the ocean floor, this is not the watch for you. If you need to tell the time half-way round the world, guess what? This is not the watch for you either. For all those needs, Rolex provides models better suited, such as the Explorer I, the GMT Master and the Submariner. That's not to say that a DateJust is a poor watch because it cannot do those things, it just means that it knows its place, and excels at it. During the day, the dial is clear, clean, and easy to read, but at night, the DateJust employs design wizardry: Reflecting light from small luminous dots against the rehaut to create a glow almost as large as the daytime markers and thus readable. Genius. While this may not be a watch for all eventualities, it is certainly a watch which should be in every collection, and even though everyone's aesthetics are different, there is indeed a DateJust for every taste.

Kingston upon Thames isn't main London (barely even qualifies as 'suburbs' ) Your best bet is to find a Premier Inn

Just to throw you another option, had you considered putting it on a tropic-style silicone strap? It would suit the 70s aesthetic of the watch much better than the contemporary one it's on now

Reading this makes me feel physically sick That watch is a forum icon, and for some thieving cunt to steal it in transit, well, as folks've said above, it's a really low act, I hope the fucker gets hit by a bus or something. The thing that fucks me off about this the most, is that a postal worker who steals doesn't just do it the once, they do it frequently, so his light-fingered shenanigans will have affected the lives of several. What a mouthbreathing scumbag. Probably had to go door to door informing neighbors when he last moved

I love my quartz sub, and although I rarely wear it, when I do, it can stay on my wrist for ages, but for the most part, I just stick with my customized GMT II Nothing whatsoever to do with the time-keeping ability though, just purely aesthetic choices

Yes. Even the budget reps I purchase have a good weight to them, and 'feel' substantial. Things to consider: Rolex bracelets feel 'rattly and cheap'... The leaves of the clasp are thin, stamped metal which feel very flimsy. Rep bracelets feel exactly the same, so don't be fooled into thinking that the rep bracelet feels like junk. The only real difference in the bracelets, is that rep bracelets can need oiling to give the same smooth movement of the links. Reps are only a fraction of the cost of the originals, so don't expect every detail to be 1:1, but if you have reasonable expectations, and are happy to have 'a nice watch', that's what you'll get

I think FxrAndy and Panerai152 summed it up... If you were buying parts from someone (was this a private seller or a business seller?) and they weren't sold with the description of scratched up, then that's definitely not cool of the seller to do, and definitely not something which builders tolerate, unless specific flaws were described and okayed prior to sale... I hope you manage to get things fixed up

I just use a small screwdriver when removing bracelets, and the edge of a pocket knife blade between the strap and the lug if removing leather or rubber straps

I wouldn't roll it, I'd smoke it like this pimp

Pot's illegal in the UK, and I'm no law-breaker Couldn't afford it even if I wanted to That said, if it was legal, and I could afford it, then I probably would smoke it

Yup, not on the ingredients list any more though

Why not? It used to be available at pharmaceutical grade, and I think legal... As with weed, it should be decriminalized, regulated, rather than being cut with drain cleaner or whatever else they use, then taxed and the money put into health services. If people can't afford it, it would be no different now to a junkie who can't afford their fix, and to those who can afford it, then good times... No different to Mr Big being able to afford to drink expensive cognac, while the guy on the street might drink cider or generic beer, and further down the ladder, some alkie scrub has to drink meths