My first Rolex(es), and a question

[scott22]

Hello,

First, I'd like to compliment everyone on this forum for their great posts, helpful advice, civility, and sense of humor. I try to visit rolexforums.com as frequently as I can and always enjoy browsing the posts.

I posted once or twice late last year, before becoming a Rolex owner. Since I'm now a Rolex owner, I figured it was my responsibility to post.

Last year, I fell in love with the LV Submariner (green is my favorite color), and began to search local dealers for one. I also had a trip to Las Vegas planned for December, and originally thought I would have a good chance of finding one there, but then learned that they were pretty rare there.

In late November, I was visiting a local authorized dealer in Maryland, and while the dealer didn't have an LV (and indicated that they had only been receiving a small handful each year), they did have a black Submariner Date. Before I knew it, I was trying on the black Submariner and noticed that it was smiling back at me. (Or maybe I was smiling at it, and I was seeing my reflection.) I distinctly remembered reading advice on these forums to buy the watch that smiles back, so I began justifying to myself that although the LV was great, it wasn't as practical as a black one, which could be worn with anything, casual or formal. And it was a fine looking watch. One that was in stock, on my wrist, and that I could walk out of the store with.

You can guess what happened. I walked out of the store beaming, wearing my first Rolex, a watch I had wanted most of my life. I still liked the LV, but I knew I wasn't going to regret buying the black Submariner.

Here's the obligatory picture:

watch1.jpg

Now, fast forward a couple weeks. I'm on vacation in Las Vegas, and casually stroll by the Rolex store at the Wynn. Just as I expected, they did not have an LV in stock. (Although they had plenty of other Rolexes in stock!) I was glad I hadn't waited, as I would have been setting myself up for disappointment thinking that I would leave Las Vegas with an LV.

Later during the trip, I was walking through the New York New York casino/hotel, and as I was about to go up the escalator, I noticed a watch store in the distance with a Rolex sign in the window. "What the heck," I thought. "I'll walk buy and see what watches they have in the front window."

You might see where this is going! As I walked up to the store, I saw a Submariner sitting front center in the window. As I got closer, the green bezel became more and more visible.

"Ahh, crud," I thought, as I stood outside the store staring at it for a few minutes.

But I knew I would eventually come across an LV, and when I made the decision to buy the black Submariner, I was confident I would never regret that decision. It was my first Rolex, and it was a beautiful watch that would last for years and years. No regrets.

I went back to my hotel, but couldn't help but feeling a little depressed. I wasn't depressed that I had bought the black Submariner -- I was just a little depressed that I didn't also have the LV. After seeing it in person, I thought it was more beautiful than pictures. And there it was -- sitting in the window, like a rare four leaf clover that suddenly appears unexpectedly after much fruitless searching.

I had no intention of buying a second Rolex anytime soon. Two in less than a month? Crazy. Completely impractical and fiscally irresponsible. Initially, I didn't even entertain the notion of buying it, but then I started to wonder how much I would regret passing up the opportunity. Then, suddenly, I thought: "what the heck?", and I headed back to New York New York. My thinking had turned the corner: I was now seriously prepared to buy it. But as I walked to New York New York, I began to fear that it had already been purchased. After going through the anguish of deciding to buy it after all, I knew I would be doubly depressed if it was no longer there.

A wave of relief passed me as I walked up to the store and saw it still glistening in the display case. I nervously asked the salesperson "how much is the Submariner LV?", knowing full well what the price was, but stalling as I continued to struggle in my mind whether I was actually going through with this. The salesperson offered the LV for retail (no surprise there), saying that Rolex doesn't allow dealers to charge below retail (well, not sure about that, although I also paid retail for the black Submariner.) The salesperson said the LV had arrived that morning.

Finally, I decided, "I'm buying it," but then came the next dilemma: Las Vegas charges a steep 7.75% sales tax (vs. 5% in my home state), and 7.75% of an LV is not an insignificant chunk of change. The store said they could mail the watch to my home address to avoid paying sales tax, but otherwise I would have to pay tax. This decision took a good 15 minutes. I felt nervous having the watch shipped home, although the store promised it was safe to do. And, with the watch so close to my grasp, I really wanted to have it on my wrist as I walked out the store -- we all know what a great feeling that is. So, I hesitantly decided to pay the tax to walk out with the watch right then and there. It did cost several hundred dollars for that pleasure, but you know what? It was worth it.

And I don't regret getting the LV, either, or having two Submariners. I wear each with pride. If you think logically about it, it's a little silly to pay so much for a watch that is so much less reliable than an inexpensive quartz watch. But to me, Rolex represents a rich history and legacy of clever engineering, and logic rarely plays a role in these kinds of decisions. I enjoy wearing the watch, and that's what matters. I have stared at it, studying all of the small details. I wish I could see all the gears turning as it tracks the time, but knowing that they're in there is enough.

Some pictures of my LV:

watch2.jpg

watch3.jpg

Now that I've described how I came to own two Submariners in less than a month (in great, excruciatingly verbose detail!), I have a question to pitch to those still reading.

Umm... Basically, my LV has started squeaking. Not in a terribly alarming or annoying way, but I would rather that it *not* squeak.

The squeaking seems to be coming from the first link (most notably at the six o'clock position, although sometimes to a lesser degree at the 12 o'clock position), generally from the area pointed to by red arrows:

watch4.jpg

If I bend that link back and forth, I can hear the squeaking sound. When wearing the watch, if I move or flick my wrist quickly, I can also hear the squeaking sound. It really sounds like it needs a bit of oil.

I don't know if the sound is coming from the metal brushing against the metal, or if a speck of dirt got in that link, or what. It's something I can live with, but I'd rather it not make that sound (and the black Submariner doesn't have this problem at all). The LV only started doing this recently.

Any thoughts or tips?