My conversion to Rolex

[ro1098s]

Hi forum, I thought you might be interested in the story of my own conversion to Rolex.

I always wanted a nice watch, so when I finished college, one day in 2007 I stopped by a shopping mall and got a Tag Heuer Carrera. I was fascinated by the beauty of the dial and also the size made me feel I was wearing something special and expensive.



When I moved to the USA I left my watch back home. I started seeing videos on YouTube about watches and found a guy that made reviews and criticisms of the whole watch industry. This guy was pretty critical about Tag and I felt stupid for owning that piece. I felt ignorant and like a wannabe, and I learned that a good watch goes beyond the case; the movement and heritage make the brand.

So I wanted to get a new watch to upgrade my collection; soon I started looking at videos and websites, and found a lot of stuff on Rolex. I knew the brand before; who doesn’t—it is everywhere-- but at first I wasn’t impressed. Then I got interested in Cartier and began looking at the Ballon Bleu and Calibre.

But one day I stopped by a Rolex dealer downtown and looked at the Submariner (2011) for the first time in person. The salesman was talking about it and the watch started working on me; he used the James Bond history to impress me, so I thought that wouldn’t be a bad buy and the brand is reputable. Still, I wasn’t totally in love with it. Another thing that stopped me was the price at 8,000 usd plus the sales tax. That is a lot of money compared to the 3,000 usd Tag Heuer.

And also the salesman told me that Rolex was planning to raise the price by 10%. So I came up with the idea of shopping outside of the state to avoid the sales tax. The closest city out of state was 1.5 hr away—not too far. I also thought of paying cash to get an extra discount, so I took cash to the out-of-town dealer, and bought my first Rolex Submariner 116610LV with 5% off and no sales tax.



I was very happy with it-- the green dial was distinctive and less common than the black one. Then I realized what a Rolex watch is: the watch felt different, very well made, they look great, so I came up with the idea to buy more and develop a collection. Not necessarily Rolex watches only; I wanted to have a mixed collection and add a Breitling Navitimer and a Cartier Ballon Bleu.

Well, I saw the Breitling in person, a nice dial, but I wasn’t sure about the quality and movement. Again this guy opened my eyes—Aluxury—who started talking about them like they were Tag Heuers, without an in-house moment and over-sized pieces.

Now I agreed with him. I saw some of the models and they looked bad, cheap; the hands were not aligned with the marks on the dial, they had a quartz movement, a poor finish for the bracelet—all that pissed me off. Not only that, the discount that the salesman offered me, without my asking for it, was 20%. Those were signs that made me think that maybe that brand was not so great.

So again I bought a Rolex, this time a Datejust II 116364, with a nice looking blue dial and Roman numbers, and I loved it.



Now, though, I began to feel like my collection was not balanced and I needed to have more to be complete; I thought about having a mix of colored dials. In fact, instead of another steel piece, I thought about gold.



What else was there in the Rolex collection: Explorer, GMT-2, Daytona and Day-Date. I didn’t like the Explorer because it looked ordinary and boring; the GMT-2 was like a Submariner with an extra 24-hr hand, the DD was too expensive because it’s made only of precious metals , and so that left only the Daytona.

In the end, I decided to get a white dial because I didn’t have that color yet. Also I wanted to get a good deal-- I read on the forum that a lot of the members got discounts as big as 20%, so that made me jealous.

I talked with my regular dealer, and they didn’t want to order that piece just then because they already had one; one with the panda dial. They offered me a big discount also for that; but I didn’t take it. I kept looking around until I found one in a local luxury mall, talked with them and negotiated the price. I got the same deal. They shipped it; when I got it I examined it more closely and found that the watch bracelet was rubbed, and there was a scratch on the back of the case, almost all the plastic was gone, there was no warranty card and the watch had a V serial number.

This had never happened before with my regular dealers; they had always sent me a brand new and current model. Apparently that watch had been there for a long time and gold is very delicate, so it must have been mishandled. I took it back and got my money back.

Well I didn’t buy any watches for a while. I decided to put my Tag Heuer up for sale. It was very hard to sell it; people offered me 1,000 usd, and ridiculous amounts like that. The pawn shop offered me the same money. But finally I sold it for 1,400 usd, not bad, but I was looking for 1,800 usd.

Now that I had got rid of my chronograph, I decided again to buy a Daytona, but not a two-tone, an SS, because gold scratches easily and also the SS version keeps its value better.

Again I went back to my regular dealer and they got my watch in two weeks, but without a discount. I was really pleased: the watch was in perfect condition, like the other two I bought from them.



Now I realize how big The Rolex brand is: luxury, high quality, name, technology and lasting value. True, the Rolex name goes beyond their limits; it is not the best one, but it has such a great reputation that the name has put it on the same level as holy trinity.

So anyone who buys a Rolex won’t be disappointed; it will keep its value and it will look great forever.

Well, that’s my story! Just a final word: If you want to buy more than one watch, buy them more or less at the same time and stick with one dealer and develop a good relationship to get the best prices.

[gwalker]

Great write up. Quite a story you had to share. IMHO that Tag was a very nice watch and Tag makes some great peices. If you listen to what people say on YouTube you better sell all your Rolexes too because there is plenty complaining about them on YouTube,LOL. I'll tastefully disagree with the take on Brietling as well. Yes some of their line is lower than some rolex models but remember Brietling also makes a few watches that cost more than any Rolex And it's not because of added bling either(not saying theyre better just pointing it out.) dont forget Rolex used ETA movements for years and many of the super valuable Rolexes are ETA mvts. Rolex also made quartz watches forever and many on here have one and love them. The idea that no one but Rolex makes a good watch is what gives merit to the stereotype that all Rolex owners are stuck up a-holes. Again thanks for taking the time to write that up!!! That's a very nice collection you started there.

[up2nogood]

Dont know about keeping their value or the Breitling comments (and I don't mean that as a criticism) but you have hit the nail on the head in every other respect. Great choices, I'd say enjoy them but there seems no point, as you obviously are already!

[SS Oyster]

Great collection!

[zhiunit]

aluxury is a troll, but a very entertaining one haha
u got some nice watches there, wear in good health!

[Atomant]

wow you have some great selections there, enjoy them in good health

[Monte Cristo]

Thanks for sharing and you have a very nice collection indeed. Enjoy.
I agree with Rolex it's hard to go wrong, but I think once you start exploring north (ie. VC, PP and AP) vs south (Tag, Breitling) of Rolex you may be pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer...not knocking any house or saying one is better than the other, just mentioning common thought out there.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by Monte Cristo

Thanks for sharing and you have a very nice collection indeed. Enjoy.
I agree with Rolex it's hard to go wrong, but I think once you start exploring north (ie. VC, PP and AP) vs south (Tag, Breitling) of Rolex you may be pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer...not knocking any house or saying one is better than the other, just mentioning common thought out there.

Nice speech !

HAGW

[Adam K.]

Honestly...I love "ALuxury"'s scathing, sometimes ridiculous, often contradictory, nearly always profane, and invariably hilarious diatribes on the pompous luxury watch scene and its related paraphenalia. Don't always agree with take, but am nearly always entertained when ending up in the Twilight Zone of YouTube...the guy is definitely a character! (even if he has been banned from nearly every forum imaginable)

Anyway to get back on track, congratulations to the OP on that new steel Daytona. Your reasoning is quite sound for the acquistion, all in all, and that's certainly one chronograph you really can't go wrong with.

[up2nogood]

Originally Posted by Adam K.

Anyway to get back on track, congratulations to the OP on that new steel Daytona. Your reasoning is quite sound for the acquistion, all in all, and that's certainly one chronograph you really can't go wrong with.

Unless you need to know what the date is......

[kymwatchlog]

Thanx for sharing your journey!

I used to hate Rolex, thinking they were meant for old uncles. My love for Rolex began last yr when I got myself my 1st, a preown SD. The rest is history. Maybe becos I am turning an "uncle" myself or maybe becos I am maturing in my view in watch collection, or probably both :)

Now I love my Rolex to bits. But I still kept my very 1st expensive watch - Tissot Le Locle.


And I never forget the ones that got me serious - the Seiko divers. I still keep my once sought-after grails - the Omega Speedies.

I guess direction, focus and themes change once in a while, this is where the fun is!

[Adam K.]

Originally Posted by up2nogood

Unless you need to know what the date is......

Yeah yeah!

[Bangel]

Thanks for sharing your horological conversion.

Being a fan of the late, great Ayrton Senna, I'll always have a soft spot for Tag Heuer and the Mikrotourbillon S they're coming up with sounds interesting. I certainly understand where you're coming from though.

[RyanJames]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Great write up. Quite a story you had to share. IMHO that Tag was a very nice watch and Tag makes some great peices. If you listen to what people say on YouTube you better sell all your Rolexes too because there is plenty complaining about them on YouTube,LOL. I'll tastefully disagree with the take on Brietling as well. Yes some of their line is lower than some rolex models but remember Brietling also makes a few watches that cost more than any Rolex And it's not because of added bling either(not saying theyre better just pointing it out.) dont forget Rolex used ETA movements for years and many of the super valuable Rolexes are ETA mvts. Rolex also made quartz watches forever and many on here have one and love them. The idea that no one but Rolex makes a good watch is what gives merit to the stereotype that all Rolex owners are stuck up a-holes. Again thanks for taking the time to write that up!!! That's a very nice collection you started there.

x2 on that there's nothing wrong with ETA movements and I admire Tag as they offer a nice robust watch at a very affordable price point.

Lovely collection too.

Ryan

[HL65]

Nice collection and story...

[dddrees]

Great story and you have a very nice collection. It does seem as though you have caught the bug and have a passion for real nice watches.


Enjoy your stay and take a look around the forum a bit.

[travisb]

I like the 3 you have chosen.
The 116610LV is a favorite of mine.
Wear em well!

[tranny]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Rolex also made quartz watches forever and many on here have one and love them.

Patek Philippe also made quartz movements for a while (70s, 80s).

[paverman]

Nice story. Something tells me that this isn't the end of the story. There will be a sequel.

[TSW]

Nice story!

[DiamondJack]

Great story and interesting read. Thanks for sharing

[ro1098s]

Originally Posted by Monte Cristo

Thanks for sharing and you have a very nice collection indeed. Enjoy.
I agree with Rolex it's hard to go wrong, but I think once you start exploring north (ie. VC, PP and AP) vs south (Tag, Breitling) of Rolex you may be pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer...not knocking any house or saying one is better than the other, just mentioning common thought out there.

Thanks, I’m not going to explorer Patek,Vacheron or Piguet, I don’t want to spend more money right now. I bought my collection in 4 months, I need a break lol

[ro1098s]

Originally Posted by paverman

Nice story. Something tells me that this isn't the end of the story. There will be a sequel.

Yes, unfortunately I need an extra Rolex watch, but I will wait a while because it is more expensive. I was thinking about getting a Day-date yellow gold with a white dial and Arabic numbers :P.

[novan3]

Cool story, bro.

Different story, same conversion.. Yet to look back.

[Tudor66]

Originally Posted by novan3

Cool story, bro.
Different story, same conversion.. Yet to look back.

Very Similar Story Here- I've had this Tag since the 80's, made the leap to Rolex last year, haven't looked back:

[Reu]

Interesting account!

'ALuxury' as he calls himself though, is an absolute knob.

Some time ago, initially, he was entertaining, but the more videos and advice he gave the more obvious it became that he is a complete pleb.

[Goose]

Originally Posted by Monte Cristo

Thanks for sharing and you have a very nice collection indeed. Enjoy.
I agree with Rolex it's hard to go wrong, but I think once you start exploring north (ie. VC, PP and AP) vs south (Tag, Breitling) of Rolex you may be pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer...not knocking any house or saying one is better than the other, just mentioning common thought out there.

Agreed.
Great thread starter with that OP. Enjoyed reading it.

[Hairdude1]

great story!!!

[ro1098s]

Thanks

[ersnyder]

Nice story, welcome to the club!