Gen 1680 on the wrist

[mactower]

Hey Folks,

My buddy at work has a gen 1680 with the single red Submariner on the face, plexi is all scratched and I don't think it's ever been serviced, ever. In any event, I'm comfortable wearing the PAM fiddy or the rad black seal and I think they're a good fit on the wrist. I tried on the 1680 and noticed it is a lot thinner and quite small on the wrist.

I don't mean to be inflammatory, just an open discussion. There seems to be a huge following for these watches, what's the attraction besides the heritage?

Cheers,

M.

[chefcook]

Actually it is not small. It is just the right size for a sports watch and a lot too big for a dress watch, which should be around 36mm for men.

[mactower]

Ah, that's good to know. These large PAM's don't look too big on my frame, just the right size, I just thought the Rolli looked a touch small was all.

Thanks!

[FxrAndy]

I am sure that feels nice to wear, particularly with 40years of smoothing behind it

[Toadtorrent]

It's true...the Rollis are small relative to the current fashion for large watches. Their value is in the history of them.

Check out Red Watchesfor some really interesting reading.

[mactower]

Yeah, the watch has a very nice feel to it, it's a shame about the servicing. I almost want to pay to get it serviced, it's amazing the thing is still running after all these years! It was a father handing his watch down to his son thing, so it has tremendous history for my friend.

[Nanuq]

It might be the son is worried that a service will "break" it or something... maybe he doesn't want to lose the look and feel of the wear/wabi it acquired from his father? I know I wouldn't.

Time to introduce him to the world of WIS and people who enjoy a "well loved" watch. If he's careful he can have it serviced and it will come back clean, but otherwise externally unchanged. And it will last another 40 years, easy.

If he sends it to an AD or RSC, they might either refuse to service it, or they might swap out parts for new "service replacement" parts, and that absolutely MUST be avoided.

He needs to have it serviced by a private party that's known to do good work. Stick around here and you'll come up with a short list of people he could trust to do this.

Personally, my gens will never see the inside of an "authorised service center". Mine are placed in the hands of watchmakers known to me, who have proved themselves. And I treat those guys like gold.

Just my $.02 Let's see some photos!

[HauteHippie]

Hey Folks,

My buddy at work has a gen 1680 with the single red Submariner on the face, plexi is all scratched and I don't think it's ever been serviced, ever. In any event, I'm comfortable wearing the PAM fiddy or the rad black seal and I think they're a good fit on the wrist. I tried on the 1680 and noticed it is a lot thinner and quite small on the wrist.

I don't mean to be inflammatory, just an open discussion. There seems to be a huge following for these watches, what's the attraction besides the heritage?

Cheers,

M.

What's behind the attraction to anything? The attraction to Rolex as a brand is fairly straight forward, and the vintage pieces carry premiums due to shortage, etc. Then of course there is a lot of irrationality that drives up prices. I think the thrill of the chase might outweigh the thrill of ownership to a certain degree when it comes to the older models. But, as for size, yes I agree the 1680 feels small on the wrist. I had one and sold it. Very nice to look at, and I loved the vintage tritium patina. But for me, it did just feel a bit small and lacking in overall presence. It's a personal thing.

[Nanuq]

Dang, Chief ... I completely ignored the part about "what's the attraction" when I saw that his Red Sub hasn't been serviced.

So, what's the attraction? Simplicity of design and its heritage. Rolex sport models have "been there and done that" more than any other brand.

(putting on NOMEX suit)

[panerai153]

Nanug,

I agree. they have been there, done that".Another thing in the past (Although some of the contemporary designs don't bear this out!!), Rolex has been a very evolutionary company. they have made small steps, subtle improvements over the years, but staying with basic design. While lots of watch manufacturers have gone all out to introduce new "edgy" models, obsoleting their previous models every year or two, Rolex has plodded along, making changes that improve the performance and durability of their watches, not paying much attention to "Style" as much as performance. Look at the Submariner and Sea Dweller. If you put a 1967 model next to a 2006 model, the basic style is pretty much the same. Cases look alike, bracelets are alike, dial and hands are alike, but there have been lots of changes. Newer movements, Luminova instead of Tritium, better steel, better gaskets, seals, crowns/tubes. All in all a better watch, but one that is in keeping with the traditions of it's predecessors. What I like about them is they have put their money in improving the watches, not introducing "New" watches.