I have enjoyed every second of Rolex ownership

[tropical sunset]

Hello Friends. This is my first post. Please allow me to introduce myself and my watches. My name is Derek and live in the North East of England.
I am a Master Mariner and bought my first Rolex whilst working on Cruise Ships. We had just spent several days at Sea en route from Tahiti and made landfall on the Hawaiian Islands and I went down the gangway in Lahaina, Maui to go for a stroll. l walked along the seafront with no intention of buying anything but ended up walking out of Chadwicks with a white faced Rolex Date. I had not given a Rolex any consideration before this point but I loved its simplicity and clarity and Easy to read Arabic numbers. That was in 1998 and cost $2525 and I have worn it virtually every day regardless of activity and it has spent many days scuba diving and building sandcastles with my daughter on the beach. It is a T series and has the "T swiss made T" at the six o'clock position which I believe from this forum refers to the tritium luminescence? I used this watch many times as a Chronometer for Navigation and after 13 years is gains 1.65 seconds/day. Very Impressive.
In the year 2000 I retrained a further 5 years to become a Marine Pilot and I presently Dock Ships daily in my home port. For work I take off my Rolex and wear a Rip Curl Rincon Oceansearch watch given to me by my Girlfriend as it very accurately predicts the tide for me however as soon as I get home the Rip Curl comes off and the Rolex Date goes back on and I love putting it back on my wrist. It has given me great pleasure over the years.
In May this Year I decided to buy a new GMT Master 2 and got the two tone 116713LN (G Seies). I bought in the UK for £5850 just prior to the increases and keep this one for special occasions. I simply got a Rolex Brochure and picked the one I liked best out of the book. It really was as simple as that. I'm Really pleased with my 2 purchases and not influenced or swayed by fashions or trends. The funny thing is my white Rolex has flown covertly under the radar for 13 years and only once can I recall anyone commenting on it however the GMT hasn't had much time on my wrist but definitely flies ON the radar and I have noticed more than one person staring at it or doing a double take so my my GMT and I are just getting used to that. It is a different watch altogether and I love it too but will remain my Dress watch for now and feels very special to put it on my wrist.
Anyway my introduction turned into a short story! Here's the photo's... Kind Regards. Derek