Without distracting from the Korth post, it seems this
is an issue with some. I got a timex HS grad '68
it lasted till '70 in the jungle. Got an Omega, jungle
killed it too. Got a Seiko lasted five years till I puked on it .
Have had many others since, still have a nice Movado museum my girlfriend (Tue will be our 25th anniv) now wife bought me 30 yag. I used to swim and dive a lot. I bought my Rolex Submariner in 98, wear it everyday never been sent back for adjustment.
It's not bling, it's quality.
Drive what you want and can afford.
Live your life within your means.
Who cares? Splurge once just because you can. Or not.
"Ya pays yer money and ya takes ye choice"
Take a long hard look before you become judgemental

cell phone

Seems reasonable to me.

People like different things. One guy spends his bucks on cars, another on cameras, yet another on rare books.

Most of us here spend more money on guns than most folks think makes a lick of sense. If high-end watches are what you like and can afford, enjoy!

I bought a Rolex in 1971, I still wear it, I intend for it to see me out. The price at the time was about $270. Like rimfired I had gone through a number of watches which did not last and someone advised me that a Rolex was a rugged watch. Mine is plain SS, definitely not the Diamond studded type.
In perspective I think that a new S&W 27 would have been about $200 at the time.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

Love my rolex oyster. Wife gave it to me in nineteen eighty four, the year my boy was born. It'll be his one day, and his son's some day. Worth more now than she paid for it.

Watches are now just another piece of jewelery unless you don't own a cell phone.
Plus the cell will always be more accurate. Sad really.

Indeed, I've spent more on a gun.

When your cell signal disappears you can use your sundial.
Sad really,

Nothing ever wrong with a good watch, There are certin things that are just, well just worth doing.

My wife bought me my Gold and Stainless Datejust for my 40th Birthday.. 24 years ago.. I wear it every day.. been for service twice.. the last time, because I chose to send it to Rolex to get the dial changed..and I had chipped the crystal..

No the refurb was not cheap.. but it came back as new..And as someone said it will be my Grandsons some day..

I will be the first to agree.. A Rolex is not about telling time... but it does it soooo well..

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I bought an Oyster Perpetual in 1968. I wore it until 1982 and by that time the maintenance cost more than the watch. Cost vs performance I'd choose a Seiko anytime. Prestige wise the Rolex has no peer.

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

My wife just bought me a Goldexa Platinum Blingata with a diamond studded bezel and white tiger skin band. I wear it because it is functional. Never loses more than an hour a day.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Now thats what we're talking about, tools!
He's sucha...........

I had one of tose in '68... Traded it for a REAMEX on 125th street

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I wear a rolex as well, a yellow gold oyster day date with the presidential band.some people notice it on occasion but mostly not. I bought the watch not to impress anyone, but for my own pleasure,I really don't care if anyone thinks I spent too much on my watch.it will go to my middle son someday as my other sons don't care about "dads watch"

I keep a pretty close eye on where my money goes (meaning I don't just throw it around). That said, I've never regretted owning a Rolex. As with many fine things, in the end it's one of those items that if you have to ask why, you probably wouldn't appreciate it anyway. There's no wrong or right in feeling that way. It's just simply the way it is.

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FCSA Member
NRA Benefactor

My Seiko divers watch that is excellently cared for just decided out of the blue to gain 6 minutes a week. I sent it in for calibration. They want $323.82. Seiko will never see another dime of mine. My friend has a Rolex and I asked him why, as he is not a flashy guy or a guy that you would think would wear a Rolex. He said "I use it every day and it works." Makes sense to me when you look at it in that light. I don't need or want the Grand Wizzerdoo, just a plain one that is kinetic. Anyone got any idea what one of those will cost?

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Go big or stay home

I like Omega, I have a Speedmaster Automatic. My wife was PO'd when I bought the second one a few years ago about spending so much for a stupid watch. Finally I agreed to return it - after she sold her diamond rings.

She's never mentioned the price of my watch again.

Happiness is not caring what time it is.

AMEN!
Since I retired I (usually) couldn't possibly care less what time it is. There's clocks all over the place for those unusual times.

The Outside Air Temperature on the other hand

I should be wearing a thermometer

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In dog years I'm dead.

While I appreciate a Glock for it's accuracy and consistency, I appreciate a Timex for the same reason.

However, I also appreciate a fine S&W double action revolver the same way I appreciate a fine Swiss Automatic.

Today I wore my everyday watch, A Boschett Reef Ranger, while sailing....

Check with a company called Golden Isles jewelry in Brunswick Ga. I sent my Seiko to him a few years ago for new seals ,cleaning and crystal very good price and fast service

The S&W revolvers I've bought in the last 2 years or a Rolex?

Easy decision: S&W revolvers, Rolex never entered my mind and I certainly wasn't thinking of a Roladex either.

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S&WHF 366

I've had an Omega Speedmaster, the so-called Moon Watch, for the last 18 years. I don't wear it daily, but it runs well and looks good, and as an aviation and space enthusiast, I appreciate the historical connection.

In the last 10 years of my FD career, I wore a Victorinox Swiss Army Officer watch for work. I abused that timepiece in every way imaginable, from dropping it, to immersing it, to scraping and scuffing it, to exposing it to extremes of temperature. (It actually burned my wrist one time when it conducted heat through my turnout coat.) The only thing I ever had to do was sent it back to Victorinox periodically when the battery died.

About two years ago, five years after I retired, it stopped working, and I noticed the crystal was fogged. I sent it back to Victorinox, and they informed that the case and crystal were worn out, and it needed everything but the bracelet replaced. Since the bracelet was battered and scraped, I went ahead and had that replaced too. I now have what is essentially a brand-new watch, and the cost was $125.

Yeah, you get what you pay for...and then there are some really good values out there. :-)

The problem with a cellphone, like a pocket watch, is you've got to dig it out of your pocket to see the time.

You can just glance at your watch.

I allus sez, if`n you cant go first class, dont go!

Buy what you want, wear what you want. My passions are fine firearms, watches, and believe it or not, sewing machines. I just like something that is properly crafted and does what it is supposed to. My fanciest watch is an early 60's Bulova self winding radium dial that belonged to my grandfather. Homeland Security will probably have issues with it, but I happen to really like it. Rolex are nice watches. Rolls Royce are nice cars. Nothin against either.
I drive a Ford pickup.

I've worn my stainless with gold bezel Rolex Oyster every day since my wife bought it for me in 1974.

It was $700 then and I had a cow that she spent that much on me... but that's worked out to be a nickel a day since then. I guess I'm worth it after all.

I generally try to buy what I want if I can afford it... then stay happy with it for a long time. Nothing is much worse in my mind than a fast case of buyers remorse, or constantly turning over items in search of what you really want.

I've always bought German "luxury" cars new (not the top end models though)... and kept them for an average of 14 years. That has worked for me and unlike some folks, I'm never lusting for the next new "it" car.

Rugged, waterproof, years of faultless everyday service - check.

Ability to impress - near zero.



Any tool that works for years becomes an item of value, I'm currently mourning the loss of a small Swiss Army Knife that cost about $14.00 many, many years ago. Darn new pants with funky pockets!

Going through life, doing what you want as long as you don't hurt anybody else - priceless.

Cue Trailer-Park-Accented bleached blonde:

"I got rid of my husband years ago, but I still have my Seiko."

I looked closely at Rolex because Luscious thinks I deserve one (Am I the luckiest guy on the planet or what?!) but honestly all of them looked too large on my wrist. Nothing wrong with having one, though.

I am a descendant of Irish immigrants...

An Irishman has no need to tell time. All we need to know is when the pub opens and closes.

All joking aside, I cannot stand wearing a watch on my wrist- I'll stick to my Hamiliton, Ball and Waltham pocketwatches.

My 992B is my everyday carry.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

I buy 'em used and keep them awhile. I bought my wife a '00 MB ML320 in '05. It looked showroom new and had ~45K on the clock. I paid less for it than I would have a base Ford Taurus. It's around 130K now, and she'll drive it a couple more years before it gets handed down to our daughter. My ride is a '92 300E with 219K. I paid less than $2000 for it a year ago, and plan to drive it at least three more years. You can't buy an American car with over 200K on it and expect to drive it for four years.... I wish you could.

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Insert short witty words here

I bought a used Rolex Datejust for $200 in 1972. Wore it every day until about 2003. It needed an overhaul, and a new band. Est was north of $1000 for the update. Instead I traded it even up for a brand new Tag Heuer diver, with the 18K bezel. Keeps 100% accurate time, built like a Rolex tough, heavy, waterproof to 200 meters, was listed at $1500 at the time. No regrets.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I bought a Rolex Submariner in Hong Kong while on my second extention tour R&R in 1969. $250.00 for the watch. The last time I had it gone through and the saphire crystal and bezel replaced, it cost $750.00. The price of a new one is in the neighborhood of $5,000.00......

Rule 303

I got my latest watch out of a plastic hamburger type basket full of watches in the pawn shop.
My choice $5.00.
If and when it craps out, I reckon I can find another one.
I figger over the last 30 years, I'm out at least $30.00

Two guys that I work with are very much in to very expensive watches. As an electrician, I have never wore a ring or any other jewelry. I have always wore a wristwatch that is all plastic, non-conductive with no metal, except the back. My favorites were the Casio F15? models that were so sinple they did not even have a backlight. At christmas time you could get them in a package that included a simle hand calculator, both for $9.95. I bought several at a time and threw them away when the band broke, a new band cost more than the watch and calculator!
I asked one of these two co-workers what time they had, then I said thats exactly what mine says! All kidding aside, what ever floats your boat, just not my thing. Frankly, I have too many hobbies and must choose which one to spend the money on. Perhaps when I retire I will get a Rolex, or not!

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NRA Endowment member

I have a plastic Timex that just wont quit. It's been through a lot... from basic training to SERE to Iraq and Afghanistan... and now I wear it daily working in the HVACR field.

Being that I work with my hands (both hands that get dirty and are often occupied) I'm not about to try to rely on my cell phone for the time.

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- The Federalist #46 -

I almost forgot that I have Rolex!

This jewel was purchased from a fine young gentleman who I happened to meet on the sidewalks of Ensenada Mexico. He told me that he had inherited this Rolex from his grandfather who was a rich man. The only reason he was selling it was to get some money to feed his hungry children and for his mother who needed medical surgery to save her life.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I like them all, from the Timex to Rolex. My wallet does not permit top tier brands but if I did my style preference would lean more towards an IWC Big Pilot or Panerai Luminor Marina than Rolex.

IWC Schaffhausen | Fine Timepieces From Switzerland | Collection | Pilot's Watches | Big Pilot's Watch

Officine Panerai - Laboratorio di Idee


Even though my budget may be small I still enjoy the ones I can afford.
I like the plain and simple military styled three handers the best. Mechanical or Quartz, Swiss or Japanese.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Rolex Seadweller 1996. Treated myself after a really big case. As it turns out a pertty good investment as I could sell it outright today for more than I paid for it.
I like automatic watches. Period. Even though quarts is more accurate I like the idea of not having to buy a battery.

Plus, believe it or not, clients (at least in my area of expertise) look for things like that-Two lawyers side by side, they're going with the one who is wearing the rolex Maybe I shoulda expensed it out as a tool of the trade on my taxes

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Forum consigliere

I have a Seiko watch my late mother bought me back in 1977. Works fine for the $275 she gave for it. I never wear it. The neighborhoods I go in has people that will kill you for a Timex.

The only time I do wear it or any other jewelry is when I am in court. I learned a long time ago that juries look at the way lawyers and experts dress.

I carry a cell phone. It gives the time. No need for two time pieces. I drive a vehicle, it has a clock in the dash. About anywhere I go, there is a clock visible.

My father was a building contractor and he always wore a nice Bulova watch. It is now about 70 yrs old. I inherited it when he passed away along with a lot of other things I do not need. I still have it but it has not been wound in 20 yrs or more.

MSN did an article a few days back on how watches are no longer as popular as they once were.

Also have you ever noticed that someone will look at their watch and you immediately ask them what time it is and they have to look at it again to tell you. People wearing watches will get into a habit of looking at their watch, not to tell time but just from habit.

Bought my first and only Rolex, an Explorer II, in 1976 wore it daily it looked good and kept good time right up until I lost it "combat Tubing." I haven't bothered to replace it yet. But if everything goes according to plan 2012 will be the year to get a nice, read expensive watch or a M-27 3 1/2".
So here is your chance to sound off ladies and gentlemen, which to I get the watch or the revolver?

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Always Stay Strong!

The only time I do *not* wear a watch is the few minutes per day I'm in the shower. Since February 2007 the piece most commonly on my wrist is a titanium Citizen Skyhawk JR3060-59F. Citizen Titanium Skyhawk Eco-Drive Flight Chronograph JR3060-59F I purchased it lightly used for $238 shipped and it arrived without papers or even a box.

I recently purchased my first mechanical watch, an Orient Snorkeler. (Example here: SOLD FS: Orient Automatic 2ER00001B Black "Snorkeler") Orient is a poorly-kept secret, reportedly being Japan's largest manufacturer of mechanical watches. I thought the Snorkeler would mostly relegate the Skyhawk to the dresser drawer, but it hasn't. The automatic nature of the Snorkeler holds little attraction when the Skyhawk is solar-powered and will keep time for up to three years in total darkness. (It has very aggressive power saving.) Owning and wearing an automatic has made me appreciate even more the ridiculous accuracy of the Skyhawk.

Both watches greatly exceed their published accuracy specs. My Orient loses about 5s/day, which is world-class accuracy for any mechanical watch, let alone one that only cost $130 shipped. But it pales in comparison to the Skyhawk, which varies from official U.S. timekeeping by only about 15s/year. No, I didn't mistype that; it's really that accurate, and has been for 4.5 years. I have gone well over one year without altering its time, which I've done only a handful of times, and one of those was when I inadvertantly "rebooted" the watch and I had to reprogram the time.

I like watches. I'm a regular lurker on Watchuseek.com. For the past six months I've been reading about watchmaking techniques, about the history of clocks and watches, about the technical details that govern accuracy. I've read the debates about whether Omega or Rolex or Tag or Breitling is better, which makes the Patek Philippe guys chuckle because in the greater gamut of watches, Rolex and Omega are entry-level luxury. I like all of the entry-level luxury watches (Rolex, Omega, etc.) I admire the quality of the manufacturing, and I marvel at the jewelry-like fit and finish of those timepieces. (Comparing the Orient to a Rolex under a loupe would make that clear.)

If you want a watch with lots of moving parts, high craftsmanship, a jewelry-like finish, and a connection to watchmaking history, a Rolex and its ilk are what you seek. But if you want an *accurate* watch, well, quartz (even cheap quartz) sits undisputed on the throne, and so superior is he that he has fired all of his secret service for lack of threat. (Ah, but King Quartz knows his time is limited! Right now NIST and others are working on miniaturized atomic timekeeping. They can make it small enough, but it guzzles power and costs a fortune. I suspect that time and effort will solve these problems.)

I suppose my Citizen Skyhawk is a lot like my M&P9.

My Skyhawk...

... Uses modern technology (quartz with integrated circuits) to keep time. Even its movement is modern, as it uses three independent stepper motors to move the second, minute, and hour hands.
... Is constructed of modern materials whose strength and weight are superior to more traditional materials.
... Has magnificent accuracy despite being mass-produced.

My M&P9...
... Uses modern technology to fire bullets. (Spring-loaded striker means no hammer.)
... Is constructed of modern materials (polymer frame) whose strength for its weight is vastly superior to nearly all metal frames. (Scandium might give it a run, but when cost is factored, the plastic fantastic wins.)
... Has magnificent functionality and accuracy despite being mass-produced.

Oh, all the snobbery in the watch world about quartz, and the use of electricity to keep time! That's not a REAL watch! Such snobbery is easily duplicated here: plastic frames, MIM parts, and hammerless firing, OH MY! That's not a REAL gun!

When I go to the range, I spend most of my time shooting my M&P9. Just like when I look down at my wrist, it is my Citizen Skyhawk that I see. If you want a Rolex and can afford it, buy it because you want it. But is it really better?

Smoke em if you got em. I like good stuff and it always pleases me to see my friends enjoy the finer things in life.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

Stiffle those tears, please.
Where I choose to live there is no cell coverage.
I can drive east and get a signal in about 40 miles, south about 20 miles, east about 15. Can't drive north but it'd be a couple days walk.
I do have a range in the back yard tho. And I do use my watch regularly.
I'm not sad.

JT

I say if you like it and can afford it, buy it and enjoy it. It is only too much if you can't afford it.

My passion is early "assault type" rifles. They are expensive, but I like them. So far I've accumulated 2 HK 93s, a FNC, a Galil, and a Beretta AR 70. Were they expensive? Heck yes! Am I happy I own them? Heck yeah! Did everyone tell me I was crazy when there are better rifles out there? Heck yeah! But to me they are worth every penny. They are all in mint condition, and one of the 93s is unfired.

My point is this: if you like it and can afford it, who cares what other folks think! Everyone has a hobby or penchant for something that others think is ridiculous. If you can afford a Rolex or other high end watch, enjoy it!

I for one like Seiko. That's just my choice.

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Un-Reconstructed Southerner

old bear ...

"which to I get the watch or the revolver?"

How much fun have you ever had shooting a watch?

M27 3-1/2" ...

I love my IWC Fliegerchronograph, and my Bell & Ross Vintage 126.

I understand that quartz is more accurate than any mechanical watch, and much more economical. But the same appreciation for finely crafted mechanical devices which attracted me to firearms also attracted me to luxury automatic watches.

Plus, while mechanical watches are quite capable of running accurately for 30 or 40 plus years without any maintenance at all, quartz watches obviously will stop running after 5 or 10 years without a fresh battery. It's my understanding that even the inertia powered or solar powered quartz watches will need their batteries replaced sometime in the 10 to 20 year time frame...if you care about that sort of stuff.

Tim

Rolex submariner (stainless). Its been on my wrist since I got it 15 years back. I am not into jewelery but like functional precision equipment. As a toolmaker by trade I REALLY have a special enjoyment for quality and despise junk.

A ****** pic but by meat hook showing how NOT to discharge a CRT tube (inside joke).

I have a Rolex Gmt Master from Hong Kong 1967 for $185.00,wore it diving,farming and it never failed.Completely refurbished to new specs for ca$600.Now worth $3500 or more.similar story with Submariner and gold &stainless GMT Master.I wish my other investments were so good.