mjb goes to NYC and does some shopping...

[m j b]

We went to NYC for our wedding last week, and while there I took my (at the time) future bride shopping in the diamond district. We started by looking at sapphire, but I ended up buying her a nice tanzanite ring instead. While there I wanted to show her the smurf. We stopped at one store, and he didn't have a smurf but he did have an 116613LB, which I fell in love with. For those (like me) who don't have every model memorized, this is the blue face/blue bezel with ss/gold bracelet. And some more gold on the crown, bezel, hour markers, etc. Retail is around $13K I think, and this guy was, after much negotiation, going to let me have it for $10,800. I was tempted, very tempted, as that is a very decent price especially since he would take a credit card and ship it to save me the sales tax. I checked that night, and TRF sellers seem to be in that price range, but they all want wired funds.

But since I wasn't actually shopping for that and wasn't mentally prepared for it, I demurred.

The diamond district is interesting. You can spot the "real" wholesalers versus the folks who (I presume) do sell wholesale but seem oriented toward retail. Either way, you've got to be educated on what you're doing, because prices are all over the place. My problem is that I know a lot about diamonds, but not about other stones, so I was at a disadvantage on the sapphire shopping.

Thursday we were out and about, and my girl was tired and went back to the hotel, so I spent some time on Fifth Ave., stopping in at the Armani store (the salesman had a GMT) and Bergdorf Goodman (holy smokes!) and Tourneau. There I did get to look at the smurf (lovely) and spent more quality time with the LB. I liked the sunburst dial on the LB more than the comparatively flat looking dial on the 116619. I love the weight of the gold timepiece though.

I also stopped in at the Omega store, and the (very nice) guy gave me the full court press on the new Jimmy Bond edition Aqua Terra. It's a nice watch, but you pay (I think, best I can remember) something like $1700 more for the Bond stuff over the standard watch. It would make a great collectible, but not if you wear it and get it all scratched up. And for me, I like to wear my watches, not just put them in safe. Nothing wrong with that, if that's your thing, but it's not my thing. The Omega was nice, but doesn't excite me like the LB does. At twice the price...

I wore my sub the whole week, and not once was I robbed, assaulted, shot or stabbed. So that's good. And I didn't leave it in the bowl at the TSA checkpoint like I did once before. Do that once, and you tend to be more careful.

So, what's keeping me from buying the LB? Well, aside from the ten grand, quite frankly, I think it's just a smidgen flashy. The gorgeous blue is quite eye-catching, and the gold on the bracelet is not exactly subtle. This is why I stopped wearing Breitlings - they are just a bit too flashy for me now. On top of that, I'm one of the highest paid people at my job, and there are some here who resent that. I don't need to add to that by flaunting my superior wealth. FWIW, I'm not wealthy nor rich, nor do I make a lot of money. It's just that most everyone else here are clerical types who make no more than $60K. And I don't go out to the theatre or fancy dinners often enough to have an expensive watch just for those special occasions. The wife thinks the watch is lovely and I have her permission, so that's not an issue. She's a sweetie.

I'll probably buy one before the year is out, but it's going to take some rationalization. Or if I hit it big in the market.

I stole this picture off of the Internet...

[Evad3]

"I wore my sub the whole week, and not once was I robbed, assaulted, shot or stabbed. So that's good."

Haha fantastic! So youre saying is NYC certified Rolex safe?!

But I think you're doing the right thing thinking on it, it's only just came on your radar :)

[kilyung]

Treat yourself to it.

[yld2rob]

If you are looking for a sunburst blue dial in Rolex SS look at the YM. I think its a little less flashy than the two tone sub you are looking at. Either way, treat yourself!

[kunlun]

Listen to your instincts and don't buy something that's not right for you, even if it's beautiful.

[SemperFi]

The hunt for the right watch is half of the fun so enjoy it...and a big congrats on your wedding.

[ap1]

add it to your sub collection - nice threesome

[1995akcoop]

just by it

[1995akcoop]

buy

[ec51]

I'm glad you made it out of NYC alive...

[schwartz914]

i say go for it. You only live once. Great looking watch

[Eric Chan]

I would say, go for it as it sounds like you really do want the watch and it is not going to set you back finanically. Everything else that matters when it comes to a watch purchase is covered as far as I am concerned. All that appears to be holding you back is your work situation. It can be fully appreciated that often times, workplace conditions can dictate what we wear, but in all honesty, it's your money, you worked hard for it, why can't you spend it on something that you like?

[tkerrmd]

well it is a great watch!

[m j b]

Wow, good thing I didn't start a poll! yld2rob - you have a good suggestion, I had a platinum YM and sold it after a year. The blue is nicer, but the polished bracelet gives me the same concerns as the polished gold, still a bit flashy. Next time I'm at an AD, I'll give them both a look again.

[CWIN]

Sounds like you really love the watch. Buy it and don't worry about what other people may think. YOLO

[WS9D]

I had the same "flashy" concerns before I got mine. I said the heck with it I work hard and I live to impress myself. So I got it. I never paid attention to people with gold watches before as I was a SS guy. After I got bluesy, I started noticing the gold on others. My conclusion:

Well let me give a disclaimer that I am by no means a watch snob or look down on others for their horological choices. I realize most people can't afford a PP, AP, ALS, Rolex etc. I commend the man who chooses a Fossil over an apple iwatch.

With that said, I have seen some blingy/flashy haniltons, nixons, invitcas, etc with gold, and to each is own. What I realized is bluesy is classic, sophisticated, and conservative flashy piece.

Buy to impress yourself and not worry about others. Even if they have a negative thought about it, and hour later they won't even remember. The MOST IMPORTANT piece to this puzzle is that your other half has signed off on the deal! That's the biggest hurdle of them all. Cash in before she changes her mind!!

You may have lost that other deal, but check out Davidsw.com, a very trusted seller on this forum. I just check and he has one for $10,975. I love my bluesy and don't care what others think of me when I wear it. I worked hard to be in a position to have it. Get it why you can and you will love it. I love mine so much it's the one watch I will not part with, so much, that I had the case back engraved with a little note for my son when it one day becomes his. Nothing else in my collection has that honor as those pieces may be flipped in the future.

[Lpugliese]

sent you a PM

[watchwatcher]

Go on...do it. You love it, it's a great watch, you can afford it, you've got the wife's blessing...sounds like all systems are GO.

In all seriousness, it is one of my favorite modern Rolexes. One of the best, IMO.