My Rolex story. Episode 1

[LSU-MOOSE]

My journey with Rolex started when I was 17. I enrolled in a dive certification class to become an advanced open water diver. It was the summer of 1980.

I grew up in south Louisiana. We were middle class. My early childhood was spent in apartments.

We moved into our first house when I was 8.
No one in my family wore nice watches. Watches were functional.

My mom had 6 siblings and my dad had 7.

My appreciation for the nicer things in life was usually focused around family time, automobiles, trucks, music and food(south Louisiana has a pride in its food). Many of my family on both sides were about cars. That created a love of cars in me which I still love today(more on that at a different time).

I was into sports and cars but not fashion. Boots, blue jeans and a tee shirt was my style. Sports were year round for me and in my junior year focused on wrestling and baseball.

The summer between my junior and senior year is when my Rolex journey began. I turned 17 in July and I started dive certification in August. My teacher wore a Submariner. I began to notice the watch during training.
One day after class I asked him about his watch. He set the hook. He went on and on about the craftsmanship of Rolex. I did not know you could own a watch that did not need winding or batteries and was also waterproof to 300 ft. He talked about the quality and longevity of the brand. He told me of the function of the bezel. He explained how the bezel only rotated counter clockwise for bottom time which is extremely important when diving. I was in love.

I went to the library to begin researching what I did not know(way before internet). What I found out was amazing. I decided that I needed to own a Submariner.
A kicker to the story is my intern job in my senior year in high school I worked for an engineering firm. The owner of the firm also wore a Rolex. He wore a President Day/Date in all gold. I noticed his watch because of my divemaster’s watch.
I was set to go to college and get my engineering degree and then get an MBA. My interest in engineering was a natural entry into automatic watches. My journey with Rolex begins.

Episode 2 coming soon.

[George58]

[Number3]

Nice. Looking forward to the next episode.

[1William]

Ready for Part 2.