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[Beyonder]

Hi all. I've read this forum on and off for information, but I recently purchased my first Rolex, the Batman with a jubilee bracelet (which apparently some call Batgirl), and figured it was the right time to join. Look forward to learning more as I go down the rabbit hole.

[Urosfan]

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[Beyonder]

Originally Posted by Beyonder

Hi all. I've read this forum on and off for information, but I recently purchased my first Rolex, the Batman with a jubilee bracelet (which apparently some call Batgirl), and figured it was the right time to join. Look forward to learning more as I go down the rabbit hole.

To follow this up and provide some more information about my history. I've always liked nice watches, and when I was younger anything like a Rolex was so far out of my budget that I considered Rolex something that seemed like a ridiculous waste of money. I had a couple of decent watches but they were brands I don't even remember, but to put it in perspective there was a Raymond Weil parsifal with a black diamond dial and diamond bezel that I really wanted but could never convince myself to buy it. Years later, however, the first "nice" watch I ever bought was a Baume & Mercier Malibu with a diamond dial and diamond bezel, although it was a quartz movement.

Over time, though, as age and incomes increase our perception of money and value also changes. I bought several "nice" quartz watches over the years along with the Baume & Mercier, and then decided to make the jump to automatics. The automatic watch that I found that I liked the most, and considered for a long while before finally buying, was, oddly enough, a Raymond Weil; the phase de lune semainier which became, and still is, my every day watch. I also bought a couple of watches from a start up watch company and got one of the very first watches they made, and their second watch I actually got a prototype with my name inscribed in it which was pretty cool. They moved more towards "sport" watches and so I stopped at two of their watches.

By that time I had reconsidered my view on Rolex, and had learned enough about watches to appreciate the intricacy and craftsmanship of nice watches. I started to research Rolex and ask questions. I go to Las Vegas two or three times per year and would sometimes go into one of the many AD there and just end up viewing their beautiful empty cases. I started to look into Rolex watches to see what I would like and after looking at them the one I liked most was the GMT II Batman, but I preferred the jubilee bracelet. Not knowing anything about the availability I saw the price on the Rolex website and called up my closest AD and asked them if they had one. The response, and the tone of the person's response, told me that they immediately knew that I was new to this Rolex thing and didn't know anything. Then I learned they had absolutely nothing in stock and that the wait is in years.

That's when I started looking into this forum and reading about those issues and "gray market", the overwhelming prevalence of fakes, etc. Knowing my choices were either to wait who knows how long to possibly get an AD to sell me one, or pay the huge gray market increase I eventually found the watch I wanted and took the plunge recently, price be damned and I'm thrilled I did.

[ShamRockNRoll]

Thanks for providing this context. I find myself in a similar position, having started to explore my interest in these watches, fell in love with the Pepsi GMT a few years ago, and then learned how difficult it was to actually secure one.

I haven't taken the plunge yet on purchasing on the grey market, but I'm considering it.

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