PM Rolex vs. Patek/AP/VC/etc. for milestone birthday gift

[dannyboy2233]

Hi forum!

My father is having a milestone birthday soon, and my family would like to celebrate by purchasing him a nice watch. He is interested in watches and is relatively knowledgeable, but currently has no high-end timepieces. For reference, I know a decent amount about watches (though not nearly as much as your average TRF member) and the rest of my family cares little about the hobby, so picking this piece falls almost entirely to me (yay!).

I've spent many hours speaking with my dad about watches over the years, and I know his biggest pet peeve is watches that go unworn, so our goal is to buy him a grail-esque piece that he can wear every day without worrying about damage. It's also worth mentioning that he is an understated and humble guy, so ostentatious watches (diamonds, Serti dials, etc.) are off the table.

He's always coveted the Submariner (especially recent iterations), so my first thought was a 116619 Smurf (white gold with blue bezel); it's a beautiful color combination, it's precious metal, and it's far more understated than yellow gold. Plus, it doesn't carry the same price premium as the similarly-understated platinum models. In this same vein, I would also consider a recent-model BLRO GMT in white gold, or a 228238 (or similar) Day-Date in white gold.

Once I began considering Day-Dates, I realized that the classic yellow gold Day-Date is in a league of its own, which made me wonder whether I was wrong in excluding all yellow gold models from consideration.

I also realized that, if we were spending $20k+ on a watch, we were approaching Patek territory. My dad has always thought highly of the brand, but my uncle has a Nautilus that never impressed him much. I felt silly looking at watches in this price range without considering Patek, but I wasn't sure what to search for. My dad has always thought the Aquanaut looks comical, and the Calatrava is too dressy to be a daily driver (my dad wears a dress shirt to work every day, but doesn't wear suits often).

Ultimately, my question is this: for the price of a white/yellow gold Submariner, GMT, or Day-Date, is there a similarly wearable and timeless option from Patek, Vacheron Constantin, AP, etc. that is worth looking at? Also, is the yellow gold Day-Date as ostentatious as it seems, or can it be worn subtly? While I'd love to make this decision on my own, I feel I should probably consult those who have actually owned some of these pieces :) Thanks in advance for your responses!

Dan

[zjd168]

I would pick the DD if I were you.

[2001jesper]

You cant really go wrong with the 116719 BLRO imo

[Sarosh]

WG Sub. Can’t go wrong with that watch! It’s certainly grail worthy!

[ap1]

Dd

[Bigsoftee]

DD all the way. Classic and a daily watch. I wear mine as part of a weekly rotation and it’s my favourite by a mile. Sometimes it’s the only watch I wear for a couple of weeks, a true classic

[Emoney11]

For a every day watch a smurf or WG BLRO would be a great choice. Very hard decision you have coming up

[GreatScott]

VC overseas dual time so it is the perfect travel watch as well, not as common as Rolex, not as known so he won’t be asked a ton of questions by coworkers since he seems like a humble guy. On bracelet of course, blue dial.

[soundserious]

Day date 36 in yellow gold. The quintessential men’s watch.

[Jp28]

If he always wanted a sub (go this route) and you do not want a ostentious watch (then a DD is out in almost any form) and you want PM, PP nautilus are beyond the budget, then really the only option surely is the WG sub.
DD are great (I have one) but then are not under the radar type watches (even on strap).
Go WG sub or if your a bit more glitz YG sub.

[CoveWatch]

You should sneak in a conversation to see what PM your dad prefers and go with that.. will narrow down your choices also

[Easy E]

Have you considered a WG Daytona?

WG Sub, WG BLRO, WG DD are all killer pieces. The WG DD, Blue dial, mmmm fine, fine, fine.

The Smurf & the BLRO may be a bit loud.

E-

[Jmbarrack]

Personally, I'd go day date. It's the ultimate luxury Rolex IMO. You can also get it in 2 very good sizes 40/36 which helps to keep it an everyday watch. Sometimes, depending on wrist sizek, the sport watches can be cumbersome... White gold also keeps it under the radar as opposed to the other PMs.

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[GolfPunk]

Have you considered a 116509 White Gold Daytona?? It’s my only watch now and it’s also my favourite.

Forget steel watches from other brands, there’s no comparison to gold.

Here’s mine for reference, it is beautiful, 18k gold and not too big either. Perfect in my opinion.

[AK797]

Look at the YG Sub if YG is on the table, has a nice sunburst blue dial as well and not as loud as the DD due to ceramic rather than fluted bezel.

[MonsterSS]

DD for me too....

[DocHorton]

With the new SS Pepsi out, the last PM watch I would ever consider is a BLRO.

Like others, I would vote DD...either WG or YG. The president bracelet stands above all others.

[sensui]

From what you described. Day date for him....20-30k won't get you as far in the Patek world of which your Dad doesn't seem to love.

[superstarmar]

Originally Posted by AK797

Look at the YG Sub if YG is on the table, has a nice sunburst blue dial as well and not as loud as the DD due to ceramic rather than fluted bezel.

Agree with Neil....
The YG Blue Sunburst dial Sub C is simply beautiful and my First choice!
If that is a no go then the WG Blue Sub or WG BLRO GMT would be
my other 2 Choices... Check out the new Blue dial BLRO WG, it
looks very nice in pictures, haven't seem one in the flesh yet.
Good luck and keep us posted...

[AK797]

Originally Posted by superstarmar

Agree with Neil....
The YG Blue Sunburst dial Sub C is simply beautiful and my First choice!
If that is a no go then the WG Blue Sub or WG BLRO GMT would be
my other 2 Choices... Check out the new Blue dial BLRO WG, it
looks very nice in pictures, haven't seem one in the flesh yet.
Good luck and keep us posted...

[dannyboy2233]

Thanks to all for your suggestions and beautiful watch shots! In response to some of your ideas:

I spoke to my dad (subtly) about PM watches over dinner tonight, and it's clear that white gold or platinum are his preferred metals. This means yellow gold is basically off the table, and platinum as well since the price is a bit steep for this purchase. So, we are left with white gold.

As for the Daytona: while I'm a huge fan, my dad uses the dive bezel on his current watch pretty often, and he's expressed to me that he finds the tach bezel on the Daytona useless. Would he like the watch? Almost certainly. But he's expressed disinterest in the bezel on so many occasions that I think he'd subconsciously view it as ignorance on my part if we went with a Daytona.

I also spoke with my mom tonight, and she seems more on board with a white gold Sub than a white gold DD. Fundamentally, my dad leans more toward "tool watch guy" than "luxury watch guy," so this makes sense. Regardless, I love the white gold DD, so I'll keep it in mind.

Ultimately, I see my dad growing into a more luxurious watch after this purchase; maybe ten years down the road he decides to pick up a DD or a Calatrava or something of that nature once he's gotten accustomed to a nicer piece. I'd hate to push him in that direction too early, though.

Thanks again for all your suggestions; I can't wait to hear what other ideas you've got, and I'll make sure to keep you posted with an "incoming" once we make a final decision :)

[City74]

I would STRONGLY consider you look at ALS. I believe they are the finest watches in the world

[marcusp23]

[s14roller]

Seems like if he wants a Sub, is more subtle and wants to wear something without needing to worrying about it, a SS Sub seems to be the right watch.

As nice as a Smurf is, I'm not sure I'd wear it 24/7 just because it's PM. I wouldn't worry about working in the garage with a Sub...a Smurf I'd think twice about.

[superdog]

Not much of a diplomat huh?

[kilyung]

Get him a PM Sub

[Vipes]

Another vote for the DD

[turborolex]

Smurf ticks all your boxes


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[MrWeha]

Here is what I would do:

1) Create a shortlist of 3-5 watches that you would think he would like
2) Show him the shortlist under some vague pretense and gauge his reactions.Maybe tell him that YOU are looking for a new watch and would like his opinion on that matter.While discussion the watches sneak in a question like: "If it were up to you, which one would you take ?" or even go as far as to straight up asking what his grail watch is.

[Hard_Six]

I like the white gold Daytona on oysterflex. Or even the yellow gold Daytona on oysterflex. That strap will keep it more understated imo.

If not the Daytona, WG BLRO would be hard to beat too.