It took me a while, but I have finally found “my” watch. It is a Rolex.

[Nav01L]

Welcome to the tale of an almost ten year long search for the perfect watch, which finally came to a conclusion this morning. Of course with a Rolex. How could it be any different?

When I was a kid, had you asked me what I wanted to become, I would have told you one of two things: either a naval officer (whether on a destroyer or a civilian high seas tug boat, pulling drill rigs into position) or a helicopter pilot (again, preferably off the back of a ship). Having grown up in landlocked Switzerland with fairly bad eyesight, neither did of course ever materialize. The biggest I have flown is an R44 and I have never sailed anything longer than 11 meters.

But these aspirations have very much translated into how I approach watches.

Back in 2012, when I had reached a financial situation stable enough to justify the purchase of a fine watch, the first destination I landed at combined wings and an anchor. And so I finally got to purchase the watch I had dreamed of all my childhood, a Navitimer.

But as time progressed, I came to realize pretty quickly that wearing a Navitimer is very different to dreaming over the pictures in the Chronolog. While it is a wonderful watch, it has one major flaw: the people it attracts. Indeed, the company you’re entering into with this watch consists mostly of retired dentists, desperately clamoring to what little notion of youth and coolness they can still find in Ray-Ban shades and aviator jackets. All while generating needless amounts of radio chatter instead of actually taking their Pipers anywhere useful.

So, while I will always keep it for sentimental reasons, it had to yield its place on my wrist pretty quickly in favor of something else: a Rolex GMT (116710LN). Can you believe I actually got a discount on the CHF 7,500 it cost me back then?

This watch, I have worn a lot. And I thoroughly love it. But from the get go, it was always mildly small for what would truly have looked good on my fairly substantial wrists.

So when the opportunity came along, I added bigger watches. A Panerai (which I have had to sell on my wife’s insistence, as it bore the name of an ex-girlfriend on the dial) and an Explorer II (216570Polar).

That Polar was a much better fit in terms of size, but in the end, was a bit too “pale” for my liking. My wife also never really liked it aesthetically.

I eventually substituted it as my daily wearer with a white dial 150years LE IWC Pilot Chrono. This watch has remained my daily watch until yesterday. It is a wonderfully practical and unpretentious watch with just the visual presence the Explorer II was lacking in my eyes. But it’s leather band meant I have always tried to substitute it with something bracelet borne. This lead to brief intermezzos with a Pepsi (126710BLRO) and a blue Vacheron 4500V, both of which I liked owning more than I liked wearing them. I was also fortunate enough to acquire two beautiful Lange 1s, but those are obviously not daily wear watches.

So eventually I always came back to the IWC and the fundamental issue that the metal bracelet you could mount it onto isn’t great by any description.

That is until yesterday, because yesterday, I got a call.

Back in 2017, my wife and I had attended a Baselworld event at the Rolex boutique. We had originally gone mainly to see the steel Skydwellers, but it was another watch presented at the occasion that truly rose from the pack.

At the time, reason prevailing, we concluded it was too similar to the 116710 I had had for so long, at least from across the room. We also had a bit of a particular period financially as we had just made some big investments into our future. So the time was not right, but the watch was, and it never really left that little realm it had so vigorously conquered in my mind.

Fast forward to earlier this year, when time had come to celebrate the birth of our son. An excellent opportunity to purchase a new watch in my view. One that would actually get worn, one that would be with me every day from now on reminding me of the nights of toothing, the wonderful feeling you get when the baby smile into your face and the mountains of diapers I have become an expert at changing. It could not just be a watch among others in the collection, not another super fine high tier piece of art you take out only on occasion like the wonderful Lange I had the good fortune of getting married in. No, it had to be the perfect watch for me, and I knew exactly where to find it.

Luckily, I have a bit of history with a Rolex AD which, quite probably, is the best in the world. It’s certainly one of the oldest, and they are among the few who still truly uphold the idea of a crown for every achievement.

After a brief wait, they came through quicker than I would ever have expected.

And so here I am, in my ears, the furious battering of the waves of the North Atlantic. I’m my nose, the salty breeze of the sea. And on my wrist, with its imposing case eliciting images of the hulls of heavy tug boats and a line of dial text as red as the tower on an oil rig, a watch capturing all of that seafaring spirit that had been so inspiring to me within its surprisingly elegant proportions.

Its lugs, much slimmer than on the GMT, are finely balanced against the broad endlinks of its bracelet. Its substantial height is cleverly contained under its deep caseback, aptly disguising its visual heft. Its full graduation adds detail and refinement to the impressive dimensions of its bezel and its brushed center links underscore its strong purposeful nature. But first and foremost, it fits my wrist as if it had been made for me.

The watch in question is of course, the 43mm Sea Dweller and I could purely and simply not be more happy with a watch.

I know, this was a bit long winded for an incoming post, but I just had to share the joy.

We should never say we’re done, as we all know we’d be deluding ourselves. But what I can say is, this is my watch, finally, after close to ten years of searching, the watch I needed, the watch that fits me, and it celebrates one of the most precious events ever to happen in my life. It will be extremely difficult for anything else to take its place on my wrist for the foreseeable future, so much is for sure.

[Seddyspaghetti]

Congrats. Pic?

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by Seddyspaghetti

Congrats. Pic?

I have to figure out how to post one, all the webapp will allow is tiny resolution.

[brandrea]

Congratulations Fred, enjoy it

[Aquinas]

Beautiful story - however, one thing I don’t get: if your issue with Breitling was the people the brand attracts, then how in the name of all that is unholy can you wear a Rolex?

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by Aquinas

Beautiful story - however, one thing I don’t get: if your issue with Breitling was the people the brand attracts, then how in the name of all that is unholy can you wear a Rolex?

Fair point indeed, but the thing with Rolex is, and especially with the more held back professional watches that don’t sit at the spearhead of the hype, everyone wears them. Yes, there is the annoying instacelebrity, yes, there is the local drug dealer around the corner and the pimp across the street, all the war criminals. But there are also millions of perfectly fine average accountants, veterinarians, law enforcement officials, post office clerks, etc. So not exclusively retired dentists :) I guess a Rolex feels a bit less desperate in some regards? I mean when you see a certain senator from Texas in his Navitimer, is that the image anyone is going for? Entirely regardless of one’s politics.

[le_baron]

Originally Posted by Aquinas

Beautiful story - however, one thing I don’t get: if your issue with Breitling was the people the brand attracts, then how in the name of all that is unholy can you wear a Rolex?

Agreed. Anecdotally, I've had the Navi 01 LE (same as OP) for 7 years in NYC and it hasn't brought any unsavory interactions. For 3 of those years, I had a Rolex (two tone Datejust) that did bring a handful of unsavory interactions.

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by le_baron

Agreed. Anecdotally, I've had the Navi 01 LE (same as OP) for 7 years in NYC and it hasn't brought any unsavory interactions. For 3 of those years, I had a Rolex (two tone Datejust) that did bring a handful of unsavory interactions.

Haha, yeah, that clichee is of course not fully accurate, but I do have a few folks in my personal and professional surroundings that veer into that direction and those really do match up fairly consistently with the few Navitimers I ever came across in the wild. It is after all a fairly uncommon watch these days.

In NYC things are probably different. After all, some really cool folks do seem to wear Navitimers there. Jerry Seinfeld for one, or yourself it seems. So please don’t attribute too much gravitas to a remark that was first and foremost intended to be amusing to the reader and conjure up an image everyone has no doubt seen before, even if it very clearly isn’t representative of everyone wearing Navitimers out there.

[kieselguhr]

Congratulations

[Robf52]

Big congrats. Love mine and agree with your assessment of it.

[TimeAZ]

Awesome story and great watch. A true perfect match and keeper for life. Congrats!!

[Chester01]

You mention the “people ” the navitimer attracts? Having owned a navitimer, it is and by far one of the more important chronos ever created and far more significant than many others that get credit…for what I have no idea (yep, the Daytona comes to mind). As far as the "people" it attracts aspect, I’m not sure what "people" Rolex attracts these days and in many cases is may be people that really know little of watches and only see $$$...an aspect im Increasingly uncomfortable with and I’m some areas can be quite dangerous. But aside from that, I can relate to the fact that we grow and so outgrow certain watch’s or evolve if you will. So enjoy the new watch…for now anyway. The navitimer has something that your “new” watch will take many years to replicate and that’s meaning.

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by Chester01

You mention the “people ” the navitimer attracts? Having owned a navitimer, it is and by far one of the more important chronos ever created and far more significant than many others that get credit…for what I have no idea (yep, the Daytona comes to mind). As far as the "people" it attracts aspect, I’m not sure what "people" Rolex attracts these days and in many cases is may be people that really know little of watches and only see $$$...an aspect im Increasingly uncomfortable with and I’m some areas can be quite dangerous. But aside from that, I can relate to the fact that we grow and so outgrow certain watch’s or evolve if you will. So enjoy the new watch…for now anyway. The navitimer has something that your “new” watch will take many years to replicate and that’s meaning.

Oh please don’t get me wrong, that Navitimer holds a place in my heart that cannot be taken from it. I attach countless valuable memories to it that cannot be substituted. But the other folks whom I’ve met with Navitimers were not the kind of people I identify with. I have no doubt that most of them were wonderful people, no judgement whatsoever (obviously the dentist clichee was meant to be tongue and cheek). I also have no doubt that other folks with Navitimers don’t fall into that clichee at all. But as one rarely sees Navitimers in the first place, those who do stick out even more.

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by Nav01L

Oh please don’t get me wrong, that Navitimer holds a place in my heart that cannot be taken from it. I attach countless valuable memories to it that cannot be substituted. But the other folks whom I’ve met with Navitimers were not the kind of people I identify with. I have no doubt that most of them were wonderful people, no judgement whatsoever (obviously the dentist clichee was meant to be tongue and cheek). I also have no doubt that other folks with Navitimers don’t fall into that clichee at all. But as one rarely sees Navitimers in the first place, those who do stick out even more.

I see, I’m not sure Identify with most Rolex owners these days, so I know what you mean lol. Well hopefully the new watch gives you what the navi cannot and balances out your collection.

At the very least, you have two great watches in the collection. I owned a navitimer (and will own another !!$ and due to the water resistance and leather strap certainly not as versatile as my sub. I think the Rolex/navitimer combo is a great way to go.


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[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by Chester01

I see, I’m not sure Identify with most Rolex owners these days, so I know what you mean lol. Well hopefully the new watch gives you what the navi cannot and balances out your collection.

At the very least, you have two great watches in the collection. I owned a navitimer (and will own another !!$ and due to the water resistance and leather strap certainly not as versatile as my sub. I think the Rolex/navitimer combo is a great way to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The thing with me is that I’m essentially a one-watch-guy, with the nuance that I don’t tend to sell what I move along from (unless I really have to in order to pay for whatever is next) because these things do have a lot of sentimental value to me. The SD43 ticks all the boxes I had been wishing for with all of its predecessors. So it will be “my watch” going forward. The others will of course have their occasions, and among them the Navi certainly will.

[Bizcut1]

Congrats

[Chewbacca]

Congratulations Fred

[Beto737]

Great story and a great watch. If my wrist could handle it, that piece would be in my collection with heavy use.

[StillTrying]

Wonderful story and congratulations!!

[SDGT3]

What a wonderful and eloquently written post. I wish you many wonderful years with your "Moby Dick" of watches. It certainly a timeless piece.

[m j b]

Great story, and amusing perspectives.

Maybe it's just me and my general "leave me alone!" persona that I radiate, but watches of any kind that I wear don't seem to attract anyone, be it dentists, drug dealers or other criminals.

LOL

[Nav01L]

So here we go, finally figured out how to properly post a picture.

[DJ2020]

Originally Posted by Nav01L

So here we go, finally figured out how to properly post a picture.

That's a beautiful and handsome watch, congratulations!

[Malum]

Congratulations Fred , the SD43 is an awesome watch . Enjoy !

[rfs]

Congratulations!

[TheVision]

I've owned Tag/Breitling/Hamilton and Seiko divers. The Breitling got me the most compliments from randoms. I had the superocean chrono on the pilot II high polish bracelet and it really stood out with the 3 panda sub dials.

And I wore the heck outta it for 4 years before selling it. Other than Rolex, Breitling is my next favorite brand for good reason. Built like tanks.

[JoseR]

Congrats and enjoy..Nice pic..

[kilyung]

Great choice

[ndrs63]

Let me guess: ex-girlfriend’s name was Marina?


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[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by ndrs63

Let me guess: ex-girlfriend’s name was Marina?


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You’re right, it was not really Luminor :)