Hello!

[MikeTysley]

Hi from Bristol, UK. Thanks for having me.

I was lucky enough to be able to purchase my first Rolex last year, a Datejust 41, Fluted, black face, Oyster bracelet.

I have loved Rolex from a young age. People that I looked up to wore them and I saw them as a sign of success and achievement. I remember a friend of my dad's having an Oysterdate from the 70s and telling me that wherever he was in the world it would be worth what it was worth, enough to get him out of trouble and there would always be a buyer. Like an international currency.
I knew I would have to own a Rolex one day!
In 2005 I saw a black stainless Submariner non date in the window of my local AD. Even back then it was rare to see on display. I had just enough money in the bank to buy it, but I had just been paid and it would have wiped me out for the rest of the month. I really wanted a Submariner date, so I decided against buying it. Regretted it ever since! Then the rest of life started happening,  buying a house, moving, holidays, getting married - this is when I next could have bought one, but there was nothing available at the time so I settled for a Speedmaster, which I still have and love. Then more moving house, children, divorce etc.
So I finally got to the point where I can afford to buy the Submariner date. I have never spent any time building a relationship with an AD, because I didnt know when I would be in a position to buy a watch, and I don't like to waste peoples time and I would have died if I was offered a watch that I really wanted but couldn't afford it or justify it at the time!
So in September last year I went to my local AD to 'get on the list' for a Submariner, just after the 41mm was launched.
Met a great SA at the store and explained my story and although he didn't actually say so, I quickly understood that I could be waiting a long time with no purchase history. We started looking at some Datejust's they had a black and a white smooth 41, I tried them on and loved them but they weren't quite doing it for me. He then came back out and produced the black fluted bezel. Apparently it had only come in that day and been offered to somebody who wasn't local and couldn't make it in to collect it?
As soon as I tried it I fell in love and purchased it immediately!
I also got my name down for the Submariner and a BLNR whilst I was there.
I had hoped that buying this watch would satisfy my desire and I could live happily ever after with my Rolex. Wrong. All it has done is fuelled the fire, and now I want them all!! I've been saving hard ever since and now have enough to buy both the Sub and the BLNR. I'm just waiting for the phone to ring or hoping I'll get lucky on my visits to the AD. It feels as though I'll be waiting for a while though!
And now I can't stop looking at Daytona's! I never really liked the model before, I felt the shape and size were a bit wrong or out of proportion? Well now I want one of those as well!! I think that will be forever out of my league though!
This is going to be a very expensive lifelong addiction,  and I hope that I can add to my collection soon!
I am not interested in buying from the grey market. I hate what the flippers do and the way it ruins it for people who just want to buy a watch to enjoy and keep. I could do it and get what I really want, but I don't think that it would ever feel quite right, almost like a fake!!
Anyway that's me. I love reading all of your posts, seeing your awesome watches and gaining knowledge. Thanks.