Rolex Wearer Protocol

[mailman]

Originally Posted by astcell

Telling a guy "Nice watch" is perfectly fine. It is like telling a woman "Nice hair."

Originally Posted by Launch Mini

If your a midget, this is not always a good thing to say

If I were a midget I would much rather say "Hi baldie"

[Gedanken]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Yesterday, I was at lunch and a guy over to my right had a Sea-Dweller, then I looked and unbelievably a guy over on my left had a double red Sea-Dweller and then over the way a guy had a white 1680 sub, I couldn't believe it all in one place at the one time..........

I thought I should say something....I did...."It's great we organised this Rolex lunch get together."



I then proceeded to hit each over the head when they weren't looking and now I have several new Rolex watches.

Seriously, I hardly ever see anyone with a Rolex, and even then chances are it is a fake so I tend to keep my mouth shut.

Speaking of which, where's the photo you took of all the watches? I think everybody in the room was watching us.

I really don't see what the problem is about saying something to someone about his watch. If it's a fake, it says more about him than about you, so why worry?

[Lol-x]

Originally Posted by Gedanken

Speaking of which, where's the photo you took of all the watches? I think everybody in the room was watching us.

Yeah it was pretty embarassing Anyway, the photo is in my telephone. I will try to download it tomorrow night as I don't have the hardware to do it today.

I think asking someone or complimenting someone unknown can be subject to the wrong idea such that a person could easily think "Its just a watch...this guy must be a little weird".

[Gedanken]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Yeah it was pretty embarassing Anyway, the photo is in my telephone. I will try to download it tomorrow night as I don't have the hardware to do it today.

I think asking someone or complimenting someone unknown can be subject to the wrong idea such that a person could easily think "Its just a watch...this guy must be a little weird".

Yeah, the waitress came up to me and asked if the watches were on sale. I said, "Yeah, this one's five bucks but this other one will set you back a tenner".

As for striking up conversation, I suppose it's a matter of how extroverted one happens to be. I think that if you make it clear that the watch is a conversation piece, only really paranoid people would give you a poor reception. I've done that a number of times, and once I struck up conversation with a fellow wearing a TT Blue Sub while chilling out in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. We spoke shortly about watches, and went on to other topics. It turns out that this fellow was an ex-Australian SAS officer who's since moved on to producing movies and running a vineyard in New South Wales, and he had some interesting stories to tell over a bottle of wine (his shout).

On the risk of talking to someone wearing a fake, I'm usually able to spot a fake quite easily, but there was one time I came across two fellows wearing what appeared to be 1680s, only one of which was real. I took a close look at the fake and pointed out the features that identified it as a fake, while the owner of the real 1680 whinged about his watch being out by 30 seconds a day, so I gave him the ins and outs of regulation. By the end of our chat, the real 1680's owner thanked me for the information and said that he was impressed with my level of knowledge. No harm done.

[jac67]

I seldomly see people wearing Rolexes, and find it difficult to open the conversation.

But if and when I do comment, I try to make them feel comfortable and not like I want to rob them.

I don't have a problem with people commenting on my watches, but I must admit it does make me feel a little awkward initially.


John.

[Earl]

Originally Posted by Launch Mini

If your a midget, this is not always a good thing to say

why does this mean you have been looking up and she wasn't wearing panties and didn't shave?????

[astcell]

Originally Posted by Earl

why does this mean you have been looking up and she wasn't wearing panties and didn't shave?????

Because sheep don't wear panties? Right JJ?

With Rolex I would not say anything unless someone said something to me first. Most of these watches are not bought by "watch people" so it would most likely be a waste trying to strike up a WIS conversation. With the right brand (something more likely owned by a WIS) I might say something depending on the person in question.

I once complimented a guy on a vintage DJ in the automotive lights aisle in Canadian Tire. He was very excited to talk about his watch. Althought not a WIS by any stretch, he was happy to point out he'd had it for 35 years and it's still going strong.

Twice I've said 'nice watch' to guys wearing SMPs. The first time the compliment was reciprocated and we had a semi-WIS conversation. The second time he said 'thanks' and looked at my PAM and I guess cuz he didn't recognize it, didn't say much more.

I'm still waiting for my first PAM sighting (on someone I don't know).

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by astcell

Because sheep don't wear panties? Right JJ?

Mine do....and I'm not a midget!!

[C.J.]

If it's someone I bump into regularly or at least someone that's familiar, I'll shoot them a quick "very nice" pointing to their watch. If it's some freak I've never seen before, no, I wouldn't bother

[jac67]

I posted without reading the above posts - oops!

Our GTG on Monday wes great. Nice to put a face to a post!

I think the guy opposite us thought we were DORKS! Maybe we are. But we're dorks with Rolexes.

Nice lunch, great venue, thank you Ivan, and all the attendees. Must do it annually/bi-annually and get many more other Rolex dorks from around Oz.

Post the pics. I hope they turned out.


John.

[Lol-x]

Originally Posted by Gedanken

Yeah, the waitress came up to me and asked if the watches were on sale. I said, "Yeah, this one's five bucks but this other one will set you back a tenner".

That's awfully nice of you to implicitly value my Tudor Chrono as worth twice as much as your SD

[Lol-x]

Originally Posted by jac67

I think the guy opposite us thought we were DORKS!

There you go... that's what I mean you can talk to most people about watches or Rolex and they are like..."Yeah whatever!" Try explaining to someone your passion, and 99% will not understand. It does have an emotional content as well as an appreciation for an outstanding mechanical device.
Anyway, it was a great initial GTG, and hope we can do it again bigger & better.

[Gedanken]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

That's awfully nice of you to implicitly value my Tudor Chrono as worth twice as much as your SD

Shoulda looked more carefully, Stephen - your JLC was the one going for a fiver!

[Gedanken]

Originally Posted by jac67

I posted without reading the above posts - oops!

Our GTG on Monday wes great. Nice to put a face to a post!

I think the guy opposite us thought we were DORKS! Maybe we are. But we're dorks with Rolexes.

Nice lunch, great venue, thank you Ivan, and all the attendees. Must do it annually/bi-annually and get many more other Rolex dorks from around Oz.

Post the pics. I hope they turned out.


John.

It was an absolute pleasure meeting you too, John! Sorry I had to rush off but things at the office were crazy that day. We've definitely got to have another get-together some time soon!

[BruceS]

I used to, but having had such a mixed bag of reactions, most of them uncomfortable, I don't anymore.

[haakon59]

I used to do this whenever I saw someone wearing an "elite" brand. Most of the people who wore Rolex were, in my experience, proud of their purchase.

I remember talking to a guy about his IWC Mark XV, asking him how he liked the brand, etc. He told me he had gotten the watch as a gift and didn't think it was particularly "valuable" because he had assumed it was just a department store brand--the guy told me he was waiting for the battery to wear out "any time now" because he had worn the watch two years! It took me awhile to explain what an automatic movement was and how the watch would never need batteries. He seemed a little impressed that I considered the brand to be a nice one.

Then I met a gentleman who had a very nice Jaeger LeCoultre Master Grand Taille. I commented on what a beautiful watch he had. At a distance, I couldn't quite see it fully, so I asked if it was Stainless Steel or White Gold. The guy got really mad at me and snidely told me it was white gold, of course. Then he looked at me and said: how do you know the Jaeger LeCoultre brand, isn't your suit "off the rack". That was many years ago now and I have never asked since then. You meet all kinds of people. I should say that I also talked to a guy who had a Vacheron Constantin dress watch and when I commented that it was one of my favorite brands, he told me it was his too and he was very polite and we talked about watches until I had to get off at my stop. But this was before I met the JLC guy.

[Goodwatch]

Mmmm, I will see tomorrow. There's an engineer stationed at our plant who wears a 16610 on his right wrist. Has been all over the world, his last commission was in Dubai. He's in his fifties and a easy going guy (he has seen it all). I'll just say: "that looks like a Sub, am I right?". The setting permitting, I always try to strike up a conversation about a person's watch if it's special. Our Financial Director received a nice IWC for his birthday, a present from his two sons. I noticed it right away. “That’s quite a handsome IWC you’ve got there Ger”, I said. He looked surprised, as if I caught him doctoring the books. That’s because we Dutch aren’t quite used to that sort of things, expensive watches. The IWC is inconspicuous to the average Joe and thus he thought he could get away with it. I told him to relax and enjoy his watch, life is too short to worry about that.

[G&T Master]

If you see someone wearing a fake Rolex... call them on it.

I was in a briefing when I noticed another fellow wearing a blue/red GMT. Of course, I had on my black bezel GMT II, so I moved closer. His was a fake.

Being the subtle Bstrd that I am I slap him on the back and said "Hey, nice Rolex, how do you like it?" Everyone in the room looked right at him. Well, he couldn't find a hole to hide in fast enough!

If we allow these fake Rolex wearing wanna be's to strut their crap in public without harassment don't come complaining to me when every noob on the street is sporting one.

It's been six weeks and I haven't seen the guy wear the watch since.

One less fake out there to bug me.

[astcell]

That tactic worked because the guy knew what he was doing. Here in my office the boss gives me the deer in the headlights looks and insists that he saved $6000.

[nko51]

I hate when people ask if that's a Rolex. Because you are quickly labeled as being rich. I have only been on 3 vacations in the past 17 years, the only enjoyment I have is driving 3 hours on weekends to Delaware to fish. Most of the asker's could afford Rolex's, but choose to buy overly expensive cars, houses, go on expensive vacations, $300 jeans etc. Excuse me I'm about ready to barf!

[Prince]

I comment on people's watches all the time, and they are always willing to discuss them. At my bank, there is one female teller who wears a DJ, and we struck up a conversation about watches (her husband has a TT Blue Sub), and now she always wants to know which Rollie I have on that particular day.

I find it to be a nice way of breaking the ice with most people.