Remembering the first time you slapped on a ROLEX!

[DonRickles]

I fumbled around, slid it over my wrist, I didn't know about the double lock clasp, couldn't close it....tried to set the time, advised against setting on the wrist.....it was a real fiasco!

Then finally walked out, as proud as a new father, with my first, a TT Blk dialed Daytona from an Authorized Rolex Dealer!

[bestkepttime]

I tired one my fathers 1655 explorer II when I was about 13 i had no ideal what i was holding or doing ended up just hanging of my wrist

[DJ2020]

I was about 19 or 20. Surf shop in Miami 5513, Never seen or heard of it before. I just like the dial and bezel, So I paid the man the $300 for it. (c1980)

Wore it for several years (rough on it) Went threw several bezels, crystals, band repairs Etc.(diving and cave exploration are rough) But it served me well during that time. Enjoyed it. Never knew at the time that Rolex was something special.

[Tim Plains]

I bought an Omega Seamaster 300m from a jeweller last year, 42mm, black dial, bracelet, and tried a Submariner Date they had on display, can't say for sure which reference, it was very under inspiring compared to the Omega and felt like a cheaper watch. The 126610LN I have now is great.

First GMT II fondling experience was a display model at a boutique earlier this year, BLNR, oyster, I didn't like how mushy the bezel was and using the crown felt like sand in the movement. I still want one. lol

I later went back to that boutique and looked at a Daytona, black dial, TT, I thought they were a tad overrated before I handled one and liked them a lot less afterwards. Overall, too small, trying to read the time was difficult, pointless having screw down pushers on a chrono. I don't get the obsession with this watch. Glad I got to play with one as it completely killed any desire to own one.

[omar-rye]

First time was when I purchased my 6694 Oysterdate. I hadn’t handled a Rolex prior to that

[brandrea]

I remember it very well.

[cdm765]

I remember putting on a 16570 Explorer 2 and being massively underwhelmed by the bracelet vs. my Speedmaster. Not romantic, I know. The 6 digit models are built like GD bank vaults and give me a different feeling.

[tifosi]

I do! I was VERY underwhelmed. Tried on a new 14060M and thought "what the heck are all these people on about? This thing feels cheap".

[SLWoodster]

GMT BLNR before the world knew it as the batman.

My first Rolex. Heavy. Hard to get used to. Sourced by my now wife and my best friend. It’ll always embody family and friends to me. Not this stupid hype-chasing-insta-influencer-flipping-market-price BS.

[Pop Art Suzy]

When I got my first Rolex, it was my vintage 1966 34mm Oysterdate, and tbh I was very disappointed. I thought it would be bigger on me when I purchased it (bought on eBay, so I couldn't' try it on beforehand), so when I tried it on for the first time, it felt small and light. I just assumed an actual Rolex would be heavier. So I was kind of sad because I had always wanted a vintage Rolex from this era, so for me, the hype was gone. It just felt cheap. Unfortunately, I never wear it.

Then I got my 36mm SS Datejust, and I fell in love. I knew once I put it on that I would love it and wear it everyday (which I do). I'm glad I went for the bigger size, even though it's not that much bigger than my vintage Rolex, but it just felt better. I can't explain it. It didn't feel cheap like my vintage Rolex does.

[B2 Stealth]

I was always a "watch guy" but never appreciated Rolex. The Air Force BX sold them but I was a poor Lieutenant with two small kids in base housing at Minot AFB, ND flying B-52s. My brother had a Sea-Dweller which I never appreciated and couldn't try on over my massive wrist. In 2017 I had a revelation and purchased a Submariner the day my granddaughter was born. Been a fanboy ever since!

[-dustin]

5 digit Exp II. First Rolex to see up close, first to put on. Previous watches included a Pelagos on bracelet and 2500 Planet Ocean on rubber with deployant.

The Exp II was underwhelming. Dial was smaller than expected, hour markers were small. I wasn't stoked. The bracelet, especially, was disappointing.

(traded up for a 6 digit Exp II and that was everything I had hoped the 5 digit to be)

[StanGMT]

September 1967, in Watches of Switzerland, Liverpool, where I bought my 1675 GMT as a 21st birthday gift to myself. The SA adjusted the bracelet for me and it just seemed to 'sit' right on my wrist. I'd already done some research, so I had no issues with winding, setting the time, etc. I wore it straight out of the shop and rarely took it off after that.

Postscript - the next night I was out clubbing in The Cavern club (of Beatles fame) and wore my new GMT. No chance that I would do that these days!

Stan.

[JMGoodnight369]

The first time I wore a Rolex was back in 2017. A little late to the game than a lot of folks here. I had gone through a few different brands like Omega for a couple years prior but always found myself drooling over Rolex but I just couldn’t justify the spend yet. I stumbled across an ad on Craigslist selling a mint 114270 Explorer. Guy was asking 5k. I got in touch with Bobs watches to get an idea for what dealers were paying wholesale and sent the seller an offer. Which he originally turned down the 4k but I told him if he changed his mind I’d buy it. About a month later he emailed me back and I met him at a jewelry shop to authenticate. It was sized perfectly for me right out of the box and that first time the cold oyster bracelet hit my skin was magic. It’s not just a watch. I wore that thing through some serious adventures. Now I’m on number 5 and although it’s always special putting a new one on the first time nothing will beat that actual first time.

[speedracer5.0]

My first time was some time in the early 70's, I tried on my Dad's DJ. I was a little kid, but it started my love for watches.

[WatchGuy1966]

Dad got an OP 1500 in 1979 and explained to me what "Oyster" meant as well as "Perpetual". I was old enough (13) to remember mechanical as the world was moving to quartz watches. He explained to me the reliability and accuracy and how a mechanical watch works and why Rolex is considered a tool watch. I knew someday that watch would be mine (turns out it was more than 40 years later - he gave it to me while he is still alive so he can see me enjoy it). I fell in love with the idea of a Rolex and finally got my own 36 years later. It was the Explorer 214270. My best friend bought it from me (to help me fund the Bluesy) and he wears it proudly.

[Laostuh]

When I was 25 bought a Day Date. I will admit at the time I had no idea what I was buying or what "AUTOMATIC" meant I thought it was battery operated.... I called my jeweler telling me he sold a bad watch LOL!

[Rolex.Journey]

Went to LA Jewelry district. Asked a guy to try on a blue DJ thinking it would be a couple grand. Told me 7k and I almost threw it back at him. “You think I’m some kind of fool”!!!! Lol

6 years and 8 watches later…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wee-Willie]

February 1986.
I had walked past Corrigans Jewelry in a Houston mall & always liked a watch I saw in the window. On that date I went in to see it up close....LOVE..it was an Air King, TT Yellow gold, Jubilee, fluted with white dial & black Romans. Got a 20% discount, got it sized & walked out wearing it.

[S.Explorer]

Dad's Datejust in classic 1990s configuration. Loved the bling, bought an old Explorer though.

[Harry-57]

16610LV. Flimsy, rattly, IMO not worth the MSRP. That was my first try.

[Ferrari308]

Ok, so right after high school (1987) I was on a trip to Asia. On our way back we stopped in Hawaii for a few days. Down at a shopping center a guy offered me one for I think $20 bucks. It was obviously a replica (Day-Date), but I wore that thing all the time. I had known all those years ago that I wanted a Rolex, but I was a high school kid with bigger dreams than a bank account.

Fast forward and in 2013 a buddy of mine had acquired a beautiful Daytona. I absolutely loved it and fawned over that piece. Well, he knew I liked it so much that he gave me a replica GMT. Yeah, I wore it for a while and still have it.

But it was about 2017 before I really handled a real Rolex. I wanted a Sub-date and was on the verge of getting it, but was due to retire from the military and needed to hold out and use the money for all that goes along with moving and setting up a new house.

In March/April of 2021 I had reached the point where I could really get a Rolex. My wife told me that I could get whatever I wanted as long as I was happy with it. We talked about how the statement is "Every Rolex has a Story" and that if I purchased a new Rolex, then it would be my own story - not someone else's story that picked me up along the way. So, I made the leap and bought my 116503 Daytona. I will never forget the day that package arrived - bought new from DavidSW. It was unworn, no stories, with a warranty card that was stamped only a few days prior. It was one of the most perfect things I had ever seen. That was the first time I REALLY put on a Rolex.


PDG

[MONTANTK]

It was an OP39 grape dial at my local AD. I absolutely loved it but couldn’t afford it. Around a year later I got my first but it wasn’t the grape dial

[inadeje]

When I was around 19 an Italian friend had a 5513 sub. He needed money so he pawned it to me. I think I gave him 50,000 pts (living in Spain at the time) which would have been around 250-300 bucks in today’s money. I wore it for around a week until he showed up with my 55,000 pesetas

Yes, I was already charging interest even back then.

[DonRickles]

TTT