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Post by rw16610 on Aug 29, 2013 14:10:57 GMT -6
I enjoyed a nice day out shopping  Had it not been for the insane traffic on the DVP (Don Valley Parkway that goes into downtown Toronto) I would have went to the Rolex AD that has the largest selection in Canada  On the Rolex site it claims the AD at the mall I visited carries them but not yet, apparently  I tried on the Ceramic Planet Ocean and it looked very nice  They did not have the Chronograph one in stock I posted about before though as it recently sold. The guy working there told me he used to work for Rolex and showed me his Datejust with diamond hour markers. Oddly enough after chatting for a while about the Rolex brand and various sellers in Toronto he told me I should buy the Submariner  The good thing is my choices are being narrowed down gradually! The thing that keeps me coming back to Rolex is how versatile they are for my wrist size etc. The Explorer II seems to look amazing no matter what I'm wearing. Polo shirts and board shorts or more dressy. At Tommy Hilfiger after when I went to get a few t shirts and this pair of pants some distant wrist shots were taken that show how well this piece goes with what I'm wearing:    No need for a "dress watch" in my opinion! On a sad note, I ran into a girl from high school there and we chatted for quite a while. It was so sad to find out that two people we went to school with there (2000 - 2004) died One girl of cancer (she had two kids and was a year younger, born in 1987...) and the other who was the same age as us she did not know the cause of death. It truly put everything into perspective and goes to show how we must live life to the fullest, no matter what and enjoy the things we love and more importantly spend as much time with those near and dear to us. |
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Post by Baco Noir on Aug 29, 2013 14:59:51 GMT -6
Very true Rommel, on both the living life to the fullest and the classiest of the EXP II. Sounds like a great conversation at a watch dealer with someone who appreciates more than just what they are trying to sell you!  |
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Post by rw16610 on Aug 29, 2013 15:06:37 GMT -6
For sure! It felt so nice for once to have them actually understand and not force a piece on you. I guess as a watch person himself too it was more obvious what a big choice it is. My flipping days are over and the next watch or two I buy will be life long keepers so it's very important I go through this long, hard process first  I have to say though, Omega came a LONG way in comparison with the two watches I owned previously! These new in house movements are lovely, pictures do them NO justice! A Submariner / GMT and eventually the Planet Ocean Chrono would keep me satisfied, for life. |
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Post by iceman on Aug 30, 2013 3:21:25 GMT -6
Great 3 you selected :-) my business partner has just got a new Planet Ocean(posted some pics b4). It's not a chrono, but a stunning piece. I loved mine(old model) but was to heavy for me, old sports injury to the wrist made it uncomfortable to wear on its bracelet. The Sub & GMT are both great watches too. Having owned a GMT IIc I can see why you go for it, I'm just not a fan of the cyclops that's why I flipped it for a new Sub ND. This is a keeper for sure unless I'm flat broke & need some cash! As you say it fits the bill as a sports watch & also scrubs up well as a dress watch.
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Post by rw16610 on Aug 30, 2013 12:58:34 GMT -6
Great 3 you selected :-) my business partner has just got a new Planet Ocean(posted some pics b4). It's not a chrono, but a stunning piece. I loved mine(old model) but was to heavy for me, old sports injury to the wrist made it uncomfortable to wear on its bracelet. The Sub & GMT are both great watches too. Having owned a GMT IIc I can see why you go for it, I'm just not a fan of the cyclops that's why I flipped it for a new Sub ND. This is a keeper for sure unless I'm flat broke & need some cash! As you say it fits the bill as a sports watch & also scrubs up well as a dress watch. Sorry to hear about the old injury but I guess it only made your choice easier in the end! The only problem I have with the new Planet Ocean (the Chronograph especially) is how high it sits on the wrist. Normally that won't be too much of an issue but after a while it can get caught on things like your jacket sleeve or shirt and is harder to tuck away. It's more the type of watch to have as a pair or part of a collection for variety in my eyes now. The watches I find that look best with anything over all other than Rolex are Aedumars Piguet, but some of those are MASSIVE and over the top too. Not liking the cyclops would make my life SO much easier, but I love it  Especially the ones on the discontinued pieces that do not have the anti reflective stuff. It can be a bit harder to see but the glare can add such a nice pearly look to the watch. This was posted in another topic as well, but it goes to show why you went for this watch! A watchuseek member posted this:  Absolutely stunning, both the older version and the new! I'm all for my choice of watch being able to do everything (for the price of these things they should be able to!!). Timeless designs never fail and fashion has changed so much yet these still look good with anything somehow. Some brands are giving DVD's with their watches and other digital media etc but old school is best in my books. The thought of having a really nice watch that will last generations that not only has booklets but DVD's and other forums of digital media is not at all my cup of tea. Technology changes SO fast and the nice thing about watches that we all love is the fact they for the most part remain unchanged throughout time. Thinking back just over a decade ago, to the year 2000 is a good example. It would be like a watch company giving out a floppy disk with media on it. Today if there was even a way to access that it would be so dated. I noticed this even from 2007 with the digital camera I took to Florida compared to the pictures now. Anyway, for this and many other reasons is why I'll keep it simple and traditional, always |
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Post by Nicko on Aug 30, 2013 14:12:48 GMT -6
Great post, pics and story. The great thing about Rolex it it holds its resale value-not that we are all flippers-but it's nice to know you can always get you purchase price plus more sometimes especially if you buy preowned. Now, I'm über biased, get the Sub man! I can't say much more except I hate green, but then again I don't have to wear it, as long as its a Rolex Submariner you can't go wrong, you will never want to take it off. Now, once you've owned and wore it for some time then you can think about adding more Rolex to your collection and really cause need for therapy. Funny story, last night my wife takes my phone and sees snapshots of a package with Rolex on the customs lane and insured for a nice amount and she just shakes her hear and says "I don't wanna know." I did tell her I turned a profit and her face changed and she smiled a bit, today she went shopping, I didn't ask Ok, got off topic, I can only say just buy the one you love and you really can't go wrong with a Rolex.  |
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Post by carl on Aug 30, 2013 20:07:14 GMT -6
Hi Rommel, Great to see all your posts and threads on the forum again! That Explorer II, I must say, is a beauty. If I was to get a Rolex again, that would likely be the one. What's not to like about it? I really appreciate how they made the lug width just a shade wider, to 21mm, amazing that 1mm would make such a difference. Sorry to hear about your school friends. Very young, too. At almost 64 years of age, I have to constantly remind myself how fortunate I am to still be able to enjoy so many things in life, and in good health. My flipping days are pretty much over. My Speedmaster is at a very reputable watchmaker and seller of preowned watches, on consignment. The only thing I might do is bring it back and keep it if it doesn't sell fairly soon. It's almost not worth selling it in a way. At $4400 MSRP, some ADs are selling them for around $3300 - a 25% discount - so it makes resale pretty dismal. Good thing that you are really considering hard about your next purchase, and a good plan to keep it. I will look forward to your updates on which watch(es) you settle on. Cheers Carl |
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Post by rw16610 on Aug 30, 2013 22:51:12 GMT -6
Great post, pics and story. The great thing about Rolex it it holds its resale value-not that we are all flippers-but it's nice to know you can always get you purchase price plus more sometimes especially if you buy preowned. Now, I'm über biased, get the Sub man! I can't say much more except I hate green, but then again I don't have to wear it, as long as its a Rolex Submariner you can't go wrong, you will never want to take it off. Now, once you've owned and wore it for some time then you can think about adding more Rolex to your collection and really cause need for therapy. Funny story, last night my wife takes my phone and sees snapshots of a package with Rolex on the customs lane and insured for a nice amount and she just shakes her hear and says "I don't wanna know." I did tell her I turned a profit and her face changed and she smiled a bit, today she went shopping, I didn't ask Ok, got off topic, I can only say just buy the one you love and you really can't go wrong with a Rolex. Exactly, Rolex is the total package when it comes to this. Every aspect of the brand from availability of parts online, the most accessories to collect, a decent worldwide service network, many achievements throughout history and the burning desire people have for them makes it VERY easy to sell not to mention shoot up in value. These are just a few of the many things they for some reason seem to do better than a lot of other watch companies in my books. When it comes to the LV I feel more than ever that the bezel would be changed to black if one did end up in my possession. Not just because the green inserts are near impossible and VERY costly to find but to me it's also a better all around watch. Green is a very nice colour but for me personally not one I would want to stare at every day for the rest of my life when glancing at the time. One of those would be more for the sake of having it, if for example the watch could be purchased and just put away. There is no way I could have one of these and actually wear it:  A member of various watch forums (Bert I believe) posted this of his set. This is the type of thing that would be kept in the safe and taken out sometimes just to look at. When my wrist was sprained a valuable lesson was learned, and it was quite obvious. Life is too short and the true joy with these watches is in wearing them. That reminder of your passion each moment you glance at the time... This relates more to the folks I see locally who have just 1 Rolex and are almost afraid to take it out of the safe. How much fun could they be having? Preserving a piece for the long run because of the value or handing it down to another generation is understandable but more so if the individual has another watch they love wearing. This watch obsession (regardless to the brand) is a way of life.  It's nice how your wife has accepted the inevitable and enjoyed herself out shopping Hi Rommel, Great to see all your posts and threads on the forum again! That Explorer II, I must say, is a beauty. If I was to get a Rolex again, that would likely be the one. What's not to like about it? I really appreciate how they made the lug width just a shade wider, to 21mm, amazing that 1mm would make such a difference. Sorry to hear about your school friends. Very young, too. At almost 64 years of age, I have to constantly remind myself how fortunate I am to still be able to enjoy so many things in life, and in good health. My flipping days are pretty much over. My Speedmaster is at a very reputable watchmaker and seller of preowned watches, on consignment. The only thing I might do is bring it back and keep it if it doesn't sell fairly soon. It's almost not worth selling it in a way. At $4400 MSRP, some ADs are selling them for around $3300 - a 25% discount - so it makes resale pretty dismal. Good thing that you are really considering hard about your next purchase, and a good plan to keep it. I will look forward to your updates on which watch(es) you settle on. Cheers Carl Thanks, Carl One thing I LOVE about the Explorer II is the lack of a rotating bezel. The look of rotating bezels is amazing and my next watch will have one for sure but after my first mechanical Swiss watch and two Omega's from 2006 - 2010 all had the dive watch look with those bezels it was a nice change. Not to mention the watch is easier to clean! My bezels were never used and after a while the soap film and dust seems to build up under there and make it hard to rotate. The solution was when cleaning it to run warm water over the watch and rotate the bezel a few times. Since 2010 though I have been using a little Sonic cleaner from eBay that I suspend parts of the watch into without letting it touch the bottom. The only manual cleaning done after is with watch spray and a brush to get off any soap film from the vibrating cleaner. Some diluted dish soap works wonders as a first step We're all very lucky, indeed! On a smaller scale this gets proven anytime something has us under the weather. You instantly see how the number one thing allowing these hobbies to be fun is the fact we have the gift of our health to enjoy all of the things life has to offer. This has to be tough! I know the Speedmaster was a piece you valued greatly due to the sentimental attachment / memories. My first Seamaster was purchased new from an AD here and was sold for half of what was paid with the over 20% discount I was given. A great buyers market for those watches pre owned but not exactly a flippers best friend! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to hsve experienced the Omega brand and have no regrets but no doubt that being 1000% sure before purchase is the best way. As time goes on it gets easier as the process of elimination naturally sorts this out. There's no sense in trying to deny the fact that the Rolex bug has me infected, for life |
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Post by rigsby on Aug 31, 2013 1:49:41 GMT -6
I agree with the others about the pictures and story in this thread Rommel, also sorry to hear about your friends.
I love the Sub date, but I'm not a big fan of the LV.
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Post by rw16610 on Aug 31, 2013 15:47:23 GMT -6
Nice! Another vote for the Submariner date It seems to be slowly winning me back and that video of the watch guru that Roscoe posted seemed to fuel this a bit too. With the history behind it, what's not to like? The more I see it, the harder it becomes:  From - philadelphiawatchcompany.com/It's not easy to pass up one of those |
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Post by Nicko on Aug 31, 2013 18:05:20 GMT -6
Nice! Another vote for the Submariner date It seems to be slowly winning me back and that video of the watch guru that Roscoe posted seemed to fuel this a bit too. With the history behind it, what's not to like? The more I see it, the harder it becomes: From - philadelphiawatchcompany.com/It's not easy to pass up one of those What a great looking Sub! |
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Post by rw16610 on Aug 31, 2013 19:48:42 GMT -6
Pictures like the one above along with the history and demand for the Submariner makes me feel it will be amazing to wear and of course double as a nice little investment for the long run. Many were produced but there are so many variations and many who aspire to owning this particular watch. Thinking back many years, it seems my obsession with the Submariner or watches that looked like it came from James Bond... As a kid I would watch the movies with my dad on TV and loved them. At the time had no idea about those watches but for some reason ALWAYS had this burning passion for Black dialed, black bezel dive watches. Every watch I had prior to the Explorer II had something in common with the Submariner in that sense.
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Had it not been for the insane traffic on the DVP (Don Valley Parkway that goes into downtown Toronto) I would have went to the Rolex AD that has the largest selection in Canada 
On the Rolex site it claims the AD at the mall I visited carries them but not yet, apparently 
They did not have the Chronograph one in stock I posted about before though as it recently sold. The guy working there told me he used to work for Rolex and showed me his Datejust with diamond hour markers. Oddly enough after chatting for a while about the Rolex brand and various sellers in Toronto he told me I should buy the Submariner 
I have to say though, Omega came a LONG way in comparison with the two watches I owned previously! These new in house movements are lovely, pictures do them NO justice! A Submariner / GMT and eventually the Planet Ocean Chrono would keep me satisfied, for life.
Especially the ones on the discontinued pieces that do not have the anti reflective stuff. It can be a bit harder to see but the glare can add such a nice pearly look to the watch. 
