My first Rolex

[FLTRI]

Hi All;

Great looking forum you have going here.

Well, I splurged today and bought my first Rolex! I've wanted one for as long as I can remember, and today was the day. There is a jewelry store in my neighborhood that I've done business with in the past. I went in a few weeks ago to get a piece repaired, and started chatting to the owner about his fine collection of Rolex watches.

He had a 1959 (the year I was born) Oyster Perpetual Date in stainless in perfect condition that caught my eye. Made a couple of trips back, and today we settled on a price...

Now for the novice questions... How rugged is this watch? Can I wear it every day, or should I leave it in the drawer except for special occasions? Is it water proof, water resistant or not at all?

Thanks in advance...
Dan

[Rubenonfire]

Congrats on a really cool vintage watch, and welcome to the forum!
Did the dealer indicate to you when the watch had last gone in for service? Chances are if he moves a lot of watches or has an on-site watchmaker the watch was well-taken care of, but you never know. Generally speaking, you should have no trouble wearing your OPD every day, especially if it's been serviced recently.
I wouldn't submit it to a LOT of strenuous activity, nor would I swim or shower with it, as a Rolex service on a watch that old could you set you back some serious cash , but for your basic, every day use...go for it!!

[BiG JeEzY]

Congratulations on your purchase of the 59 Oyster Perpetual Date!

To answer you questions:

All Rolex Oysters are very rugged watches especially if they have been serviced properly; your watch will handle daily wear very well. It is water resistant meaning you can splash it, shower with it, etc. I just wouldn't recommend diving with it. Before you subject the watch to any kind of water related activity just to play it safe, make sure that the watch has been serviced recently. With vintage timepieces, I recommend that it be serviced every 5 years or so depending on usage because the water gaskets that prevent moisture from going into the watch may be wearing down over time.

Enjoy your watch to the fullest and do you have any pictures of the beauty?

*Im sorry how foolish of me to forget but welcome to the forum! I am a newbie here myself but I can say that I've been enjoying it so far!!

[FLTRI]

Good advice, thanks! I don't shower with my watches, but I do often swim in my pool with them on. I'll just have to be careful to take this on off before I dive in...


This shop specializes in Rolex's and they do their own service and repairs. He has 40-50 Rolex watches in his case at any one time. (I had my eye on a Yacht Master with platinum bezel, but it was out of my price range...)

Now for another novice question:

I just finished reading the informative sticky under FAQ. In reference to setting and winding, my watch appears to work differently. First of all, there is only the winding and time set detent once I unscrew the crown. There is no third position to set the date, so I just advanced the time two days until today's date clicked over. Secondly, neither the minute nor second hands stop when I pull the crown all the way out.

Is this due to the watch being 47 years old, and having a different mechanism than a new(er) Rolex? Or, (getting concerned) is there a possibility that this watch is something other than Rolex inside???

[Tools]

Dan,

Great watch.. Congratulations.

If your watch has had a good service in the past decde or so I would not worry about it at all.

I only say that because it is 50 years old. Just like us, some of those parts are worn and may not mesh like they did when new, however, if a service was done, those worn parts were replaced and made "good as new"

If you're a collector, put it in a nice display box.. If you're not, wear that bad boy, that's what it was made for. It will last for another 50 years if given a nice cleaning and oiling every half decade or so...

[Dan Pierce]

Dan,
I'm also a Dan and also born in 1959. Congrats on the Rolex. But I've got bad news. A severe addiction is likely. Symptoms include: starring at your wrist, visiting TRF for an inappropriate amount of time, and the need to scratch the Rolex itch.
The good news: you've already got many friends here and we understand.
As for the answers to your questions, well that's for greater minds than mine [and there are many here].
Congrats and wear that Rolex in good health,
dP

[Robb]

Welcome Dan. Its great to have you here and congrats on your watch!

[FLTRI]

Here's a pic of the old girl. Bet she has a story...

[Robb]

Beautiful!!!

[Gaijin]

Wow! That Baby is in great shape!!

[Dan Pierce]

Very nice. I'm a big fan of the smooth bezel.
dP

[JJ Irani]

Congrats and welcome to TRF. What a beautiful classic time piece you have there!! Well done.

JJ

[BiG JeEzY]

Wow that watch is in great shape!! Absolutely stunning timepiece. The bracelet looks so shiny too. Just goes to show that "No measure is too extreme for Rolex."

Thats a 48 year old watch and it looks just like how it did was 48 years ago. Do the math on that and that watch has ticked 1,509,580,800 seconds since then. It will tick another billion seconds and then many more in the future!!

Enjoy that watch to the fullest for many years to come.

[Colin Howkins]

Originally Posted by FLTRI

Hi All;

Great looking forum you have going here.

Well, I splurged today and bought my first Rolex! I've wanted one for as long as I can remember, and today was the day. There is a jewelry store in my neighborhood that I've done business with in the past. I went in a few weeks ago to get a piece repaired, and started chatting to the owner about his fine collection of Rolex watches.

He had a 1959 (the year I was born) Oyster Perpetual Date in stainless in perfect condition that caught my eye. Made a couple of trips back, and today we settled on a price...

Now for the novice questions... How rugged is this watch? Can I wear it every day, or should I leave it in the drawer except for special occasions? Is it water proof, water resistant or not at all?

Thanks in advance...
Dan

Dan,

I know a lot of people buy a Rolex to look cool. I am in the process of buying my 2nd. Read my posting - "The maths of an old Rolex"

Colin Howkins

[Alcan]

Hi Dan, welcome aboard!

Originally Posted by FLTRI

There is no third position to set the date, so I just advanced the time two days until today's date clicked over. Secondly, neither the minute nor second hands stop when I pull the crown all the way out.

Looks like you have a wonderful example of an early OP Date there. The hacking feature (second hand stops) was introduced circa 1972, and the quick set date feature circa 1977, so the operation of your watch is correct for it's vintage.

[rolexsubuk]

Beautiful watch dan welcome to trf enjoy

[Andad]

Nice watch Dan, looks in excellent condition.

Enjoy wearing it.

[erasuretim]

Nice watch - good to see another vintage fan among all the fresh out the box sparkling new stuff.

Next you will want a fresh out of the box sparkling new Sub!! [ the madness never ends!]

Regards

Tim

[roadcarver]

OPs are rugged, but with a watch dating 1959, it will most likely have an acrylic crystal so it can get scratched easily.

The good thing about acrylic is that it won't show much finger prints compared to acrylics.

Like what the other folks have mentioned, gaskets on this may be original and it will need replacing in order for it to be water proof. It can set you back 800-1000 bucks for a complete servicing of the watch (movemment disassembly, lubrication, dial change/hands), crown tube and crown etc.

If its just a regular service and if the watch is in good condition it will probably be around 400-500 bucks and you're set.

If you think you are going to keep it, get it serviced, else wear it first since you'll loose big $$ if you do decide to sell it.

[Mort]

Great looking vintage Rollie. Also welcome to the best watch forum on the web. Stick around, you will be amazed in how much information and nice people are on this forum

[colemanitis]

That's one thing I love about Rolex watches, you can have a watch from '59 and it looks just like a modern day Rolex... truely timeless! That's a great looking Date, wear it in the best of health.

[Rockrolex]

Let me add my welcome to TRF, Dan. That's a beautiful vintage watch you got there. With proper servicing and a little bit of care, it will last you several lifetimes.

And wear that baby daily. Don't hide in a drawer. It's rugged enough to take any normal beating you can give it.

Keep posting and enjoy yourself here.