Did you become a WIS before of after you bought your first Rolex?

[mretzloff]

Did you become a WIS before of after you bought your first Rolex?

I started getting into watches (not just Rolex) and then thought I'd start off my collection with a Rolex.

[toph]

SORT OF- i always loved watches, i had two breitlings, a tag, and a cartier and then i bought a rolex, joined this forum and became absolutely fascinated with rolex and watches.

[jdc]

Had and have vintage Bulova & Omega before buying a vintage Rolex

[ASH]

Rolex has always been my grail watch. I have owned a TAG, have 3 Breitlings, a Panerai before my first rolex purchase a DSSD.

[SLS]

I had wanted a Sub for a really long time, when I finally ended up with a SD, I did not know what the hell a WIS was! It wasn't until a friend told me about another watch site that got me hooked into this crazy hobby. I was never really into other brands, I do have an Omega 321 Speedy Pro, but that's it. I have looked at Panerai, but I have not taken the plunge yet.
~Scott

[vzmax]

Always wanted a rolex. My wife bought my first one last year for our wedding. I became a total WIS after finding TRF a few months ago.

[Baptistman]

I started to enjoy watches, when I was given a manual wound Sekonda as a boy in the seventies, and my Fathers gold Eternamatic and Majex were beautiful imo. i was so proud of those watch's, I then went through the digital watch period, preferring Seiko Digital watches.

[BigHat]

Had a number of nice watches before considering a Rolex

[taylor]

Back in high school, I purchased a Tag Heuer with my first paycheck. I always wanted a Rolex though, and I am friends with the owners of an AD. After about 10 years I finally purchased one. Long story short, I blame this website for my addiction.

[chicagowatchman]

I Fell in with ROLEX in 1982!!!!

They have been a part of my life since...............

[Trurolexer]

Originally Posted by toph

SORT OF- i always loved watches, i had two breitlings, a tag, and a cartier and then i bought a rolex, joined this forum and became absolutely fascinated with rolex and watches.

Toph, you have Cartier & Breitling? C'mon show us some pics!!!

[Trurolexer]

I have 2 Subs, 3 Dressy & 2 Pannie right now.

[Dan Pierce]

Before, but, Rolex made it a hell of a lot worse and made me a much more focused WIS.
dP

[karmatp]

No, I was into vintage military watches for a few years and fell in love with mechanical watches during that time. When I decided to buy a nice everyday modern watch I went looking at some Panerai's and Rolex's....Rolex won

[Chris B]

Always liked watches had Seiko, Omega, Tudor before Rolex, then the WIS thing really kicked in.

It was probably just laying dormant in all of us

[East Bay Rider]

I had a wind up Timex when I was a kid. Wish I still had it. As an adult I had a very generic wish; I wanted a mechanical watch. Nothing specific about it. My favorite jewelry store was an AD. I would look at the Rolexes in the case and the guys there would tell me about them. I'd go home and tell my wife the cool things they had and what I saw other people buy. For my 15th wedding anniversary she surprised me with my very own GMT.
I don't consider myself a WIS yet, more of a WIS in training. There's way to much to learn.

[Bisquitlips]

Absolutely! I drooled 15 gallons of saliva over AD counters in 15 countries before I purchased my YM. What can I say? I am a Watch Idiot Savant extraordinaire!

[GinGinD]

I don't consider myself a WIS, I'm not knowledegable enough. The fascination with watches came about while shopping for my Rolex. I like to know as much as possible about what I'm purchasing in order to make an informed decision, so I stared researching watches. The more I learned about mechanical watches, the more I liked them.

Jeannie

[GradyPhilpott]

Time and it's measurement has been a fascination of mine since I was a child. My favorite clock is in Ft. Collins, CO.

I'm not sure how WIS is defined, but I've had a nearly irresistible urge to buy watches for several years now that led to my first purchase of a Rolex a couple of weeks ago.

I used to think that affordable watches were superior to expensive watches, but I must admit that my Rolex has made me look at watches in a completely different way.

I'm not sure what the outcome of this will be, but my fascination with time and timekeeping has been quite an evolution.

[rolex_addict]

Originally Posted by mretzloff

Did you become a WIS before of after you bought your first Rolex?

I started getting into watches (not just Rolex) and then thought I'd start off my collection with a Rolex.

Me Too!

[Dylan Wade]

Joined shortly after purchasing my 1st Rolex (Sub date).

Wanted to learn more about the watch and what others thought of them etc and BINGO I landed on this site and its been a bugger getting off since...............:

[Art161]

I'm not a WIS. Any WISiness I have comes from TRF. I bought my first Rolex in 1971 because I wanted a decent watch. I didn't particularly care what brand it was. I didn't really want to know much about it. I just wanted something that would be reasonably rugged and tell time accurately.

I recently had occasion to wear that watch for a little over a month while my DJ was at SF RSC for service. I don't think the 1971 watch has been serviced for 30 years or so. Over the course of the month it gained approximately one minute. So I guess I lucked into a decent watch.

[kcmo]

I have been a WIS for as long as I can remember! Since I was a little girl! I tried many brands and bought my first Rolex about three and a half years ago......since then I've sold all the others!

I discovered this site a year and a half ago and it's certainly helped to fuel my Rolex passion even more!

[Lisa]

I've always liked watches and got my first as a fourth-grader. It was a Sears manual wind, red with a red leather strap. I don't consider myself a WIS because I'm not too much into the technical stuff, but I'm definitely a fan of watches. It wasn't hard to turn my head when a friend started talking about Rolexes to my husband and me. I'd had my sites set on a Tag Heuer as my first "nice" watch, but with a little persuasion opted for Rolex instead.

[C. Davidson]

Originally Posted by Lisa

I've always liked watches and got my first as a fourth-grader. It was a Sears manual wind, red with a red leather strap. I don't consider myself a WIS because I'm not too much into the technical stuff, but I'm definitely a fan of watches. It wasn't hard to turn my head when a friend started talking about Rolexes to my husband and me. I'd had my sites set on a Tag Heuer as my first "nice" watch, but with a little persuasion opted for Rolex instead.

Newbie question....

How do you say/pronounce "WIS"

• Wise?
• Wizz? Like fizz*
• Weeez? like freeze

*my guess.

[oztimelord]

Started with Tag then JLC, had Franck Muller Stunt, then Panerai.

The moved to Patek and bought and sold a few Rolex, missed the suckers so gone Daytona mad.

Now all I own are these.

Patek collection




Rolex collection




Still kicking myself on how lucky I am.

[Spark]

A long time before.
I hated Rolex and all it stood for.
I loved watches from an early age and had my first watch at 4 years old.
I got my first Rolex at 30 and it was after a lot of learning to appreciate the marque.
I had many many other vintage and modern before.
Bulova, Longines, Omega, Tag heuer, Tudor and many other lesser brands, but all great watches.
Infact I still own some of them.

[Spark]

Originally Posted by oztimelord

Started with Tag then JLC, had Franck Muller Stunt, then Panerai.

The moved to Patek and bought and sold a few Rolex, missed the suckers so gone Daytona mad.

Now all I own are these.

Patek collection




Rolex collection




Still kicking myself on how lucky I am.

That's it Rene.
You know how to make a man feel small
That is one fantastic collection you have mate.
I WILL own a complicated Patek one day.
I sold my vintage Patek 18 months ago, but I am saving for another

[Jedi]

Owning a Rolex or being a member of TRF does not make a person a WIS in my opinion. Tongue in cheek definitions notwithstanding, being enamored with one's Rolex collection does not really qualify one as a WIS.

I personally see the term as a lighthearted jab at people who obsess over watches in general, and such people are typically collectors. Being a Rolex fanboy hardly qualifies one to speak about watch collecting in general. I personally do not use the term.

[jaeger]

Originally Posted by jedi

owning a rolex or being a member of trf does not make a person a wis in my opinion. Tongue in cheek definitions notwithstanding, being enamored with one's rolex collection does not really qualify one as a wis.

I personally see the term as a lighthearted jab at people who obsess over watches in general, and such people are typically collectors. Being a rolex fanboy hardly qualifies one to speak about watch collecting in general. I personally do not use the term.

+1