Introduction to Rolex forum...

[grizzlymambo]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to post this because of a post I made in another thread, and I realized it is important for me to establish a social presence here and a lot of people don't know me, and it would take a really long time to post everything in many different threads until people felt comfortable, so I will try to shortcut the process and then iterate from here.

I have been in the watch internet community since 1997, with a strong and well-known presence on TimeZone.com. I was an active trader, and my main shpiel was criticizing Rolex for their awful bracelets (hollow, nasty clasps). My motivation was that I knew Rolex was reading TimeZone.com and if I made a big enough stink consistently, I believed that because I was well known that I could make them change. So of course I was delighted when they did indeed bring out solid braclets and made the awesome glidelock. Mission accomplished as far as I was concerned.

That period was between 1997 and about 2005. During that time, I still liked what Rolex represented so I "caved", and bought a Seadweller (and then sold), and Explorer 2 white then traded for an Explorer 2 black. My feelings about the bracelet and other things were correct, and I couldn't live with the failings.

From the early naughties (I can't remember when), TimeZone sold their soul to Antiquorum and Antiquorum went full tyrant mode on the forum and no-one could criticize anything any more. Brands were allowed to be mediocre and gradually people got so fed up and left to other forums. It took me a few years, but eventually I stopped contributing altogether for about 10 years from about 2005 to 2015. Since 2015, I only really contribute now and again, but everyone is so split up now, I just don't have any reputation anywhere, so I'm just another nerdy kid in their basement as far as anyone is concerned.

However, my interest in watches has returned now that my kids are more grown up, and Tudor has really stepped up in what they're offering. Rolex to me is now something entirely different: a luxury commodity. I am okay with that because I have 2 of them (2010 Sub, 2022 Explorer I) and it's not a bad thing to have things that are valuable to other people. However the fun of watches is a little lost to me when it comes to Rolex, but Tudor has stepped up and become that enjoyable brand. A big reason why I love Tudor is because of my great respect for Rolex and what they have done - in particular, staying independent and having the biggest service network in the world. I am confident that no matter where I am in the world, my Rolex/Tudor can be serviced, unlike say, a JLC.

To me, mechanical watches are redundant/obsolute and purely aesthetic objects. They romanticize the passing of time, and are not for the measurement of time or for any true practical purpose. When I want to go out for some activity, I like to pick up a watch that helps me enjoy that activity more. As such, I gravitate in particular to watches without a date. For someone who has many watches, having a date is a nuisance and runs counter to the idea of picking up a watch to help enjoy the moment more - the date makes the moment feel less whimsical. Plus, I really really dislike the fact that the date cutout ruins the dial. Part of the reason why I am really loving Tudor so much is because so many of their great watches don't have a date - they feel to me as objects for enjoying the moment.

Also, I stand by my argument that no-one needs a date on a mechanical watch. The astronauts didn't need it on their Speedmaster, the world doesn't need it on the Daytona, and I don't need it even though my job requires me to keep track of schedules with team-members in different timezones. Cellphones and laptops are the practical devices for that, mechanical watches are there because they are enjoyable.

As for watch criticisms, my main bear right now is the coaxial escapement. It is a highly flawed invention that trades long-term accuracy for wear and tear on the escape teeth. When coaxials are serviced, the entire escapement is replaced because Omega can't figure out how to prevent the teeth from wearing out even after a short 5 years. A lever escapement by comparison can be over 40 years old without any visible wear and tear on the escape teeth. It is really too bad, because Omega deserves that second place in my heart next to Rolex, but instead that second place is solidly Tudor because of that stupid and unnecessary coaxial. Still, I wonder, how great Omega could be if they only just used a lever escapement - think about it, they could have longer power reserves, better accuracy, better longevity - there are no downsides and lots of upsides, it's so stupid to me how they insist on making everything coaxial just so they can put that text on the dial.

What irks me the most about the coaxial though, is that every time I bring it up, Omega fan boys and watch influencers will just shrug their shoulders. No-one seems to care that the stupid escapement has to be replaced every 5 years like a battery. To be fair, I've heard that it's the same with Rolex 32xx movements and their mainspring barrel (though I don't know how long it takes before that needs to be replaced).

Anyway, that's all from me for now.