Purchasing a Rolex for my father but...

[B. Doggy]

Something realistic to think about- make sure your father does enough physical activity to keep the watch wound. What a great gesture!

[troyus]

Originally Posted by B. Doggy

Something realistic to think about- make sure your father does enough physical activity to keep the watch wound. What a great gesture!

Gave a automatic to my pop a month ago. He cant get it working as he dosent move enough.

[Johndoe]

Curious... How did he earn his living assuming he is retired? I'm wondering if he would be more likely to appreciate more of a mechanical watch such as an explorer or a GMT with the 24 hand (especially if he enjoys traveling) or an aesthetic classic like the good old fashioned date just. Best of luck

[rolexsweep]

same with my father, not a watch wearing person... i say go for it, something simple timeless and class.

[DG123]

Oyster Perpetual model #116000.

Originally Posted by vshin

... he's not a watch lover like I am.

His 70th birthday is coming up and this is traditionally a major celebration in our family. He's never owned or worn a watch that cost more than $80 so I was planning on getting him a Rolex, which is probably the only brand he would recognize.

However, I'm not sure how he would respond to this once-in-a-lifetime gift. I know he would say he loves it at first, but a part of me thinks he'll just go on wearing the beater while storing the Rolex in the back of the closet. Has anyone here ever gifted a Rolex to a relative that may not fully appreciate the significance of the watch? Any stories or advice would be very helpful. Thanks.

[boogiebot]

Originally Posted by vshin

The man has everything that would make him happy at this point in his life. There is literally nothing else I could give him that would be more meaningful (except grandchildren). These are the worst kind of people to buy gifts for in my opinion.

Anyways, I could take a trip to the orphanage but I think I'll just get him the watch and just let it be.

hahaha....are you married? if not get married and give him the grand kids. since he has everything else than you answered your own question. plus you get the enjoyment of making them...lol

[snog]

I don't know how active one has to be to keep a Rolex running? he may be still very active now but it is worth keeping in mind for the future,having to keep setting a watch can be tiresome, another option might be a vintage manual wind Rolex,either way unless you can't think of something of a like value your dad would enjoy more,even if he never wears it I am sure he will appreciate the thought behind it and understand it's worth.

[vshin]

Just an update:

I chose a SS submariner 16610 because he enjoyed recreational diving when he was younger.

As I hoped, he absolutely loves the watch! Turns out he's always coveted a Rolex but could never bring himself to actually buy one. He wore crappy watches all this time because he felt that if it wasn't a Rolex, then it didn't matter what he wore. This was a bit of a surprise to me because he never ever talked about watches as far as I can recall.

In any case, I just wanted to offer some closure to this old thread. If there are others out there thinking about doing something similar, I hope my experience will give them a positive impression.

[Thoreau]

Get him a datejust or Airking, chances are that he will wear it more than the fashion watches that are bigger. Every older gent that I see with a bit of money wears a Datejust, OP or Airking, Datejust being the most common. I once chatted with my local AD and he said most people who are not into watches but want an understated and reliable one go for the datejust and never regret the decision

[JC316]

I recently gifted my father of 62 a watch. Just a couple of days ago in fact! From the way you describe him, he seems a bit like my father except his "beater" watch was much cheaper! I can tell you that my Dad loved the gift. I ended up getting him a TwoTone Datejust with a white face and gold Roman numerals. I can also tell you that it hasn't left his wrist since he put it on and he can't stop looking at it.

Originally Posted by vshin

I'm not sure how he would respond to this once-in-a-lifetime gift. I know he would say he loves it at first, but a part of me thinks he'll just go on wearing the beater while storing the Rolex in the back of the closet. Has anyone here ever gifted a Rolex to a relative that may not fully appreciate the significance of the watch?

If he puts it in the back of the closet and continues to wear the beater, it's probably because he finds it too precious of a gift to wear. If he starts to do that, remind him that it joys you to see him wear it. I haven't had this problem with my father yet, but other gifts that I have given him in the past have often ended up in the back of the closet.

Any gift you give your father will be fully appreciated. The way he appreciates it may be different from what you expect.

Here's my post. Hope this helps! Good luck on the gift!
http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=210685

Oops! Just saw the update above! Leaving this here. Hope it helps someone else later on!