I can finally call it a collection, even though it is
composed of the minimum number of items—three. Perhaps it
is like flowers where you need at least three for a bouquet
[to living people ;D]. I decided to review the three
watches, focusing on what makes each one special to me.
The sub non-date was my first watch. I was new to the game,
so I entered a shop, asked for a Daytona and got the
well-known answer. Finally I understood that the only thing
that I could find (and afford) that day was the sub
non-date, so I decided to go for it. My first reaction was
that it felt perfect. It embraced my wrist in a unique way
and the weight was perfectly balanced on it. By looking at
it, I thought: wow there is all this hype around Rolex,
although this is a very “simple” watch. Only after buying
the Daytona had I realized that the simplicity in design was
what made the sub no-date such a unique and beautiful watch.
The more I looked at it, the more I liked it, and that is
true for all the models I have. The sweeping hand is
something I absolutely love. The only thing that I’m not
too keen on is the non-smooth bezel. Overall, it was a
great choice for my first watch and a good introduction to
the subject.
Then came the daytona. I entered a shop asking for one,
almost giving the keeper the answer myself, but I was
wrong—there was one in stock. Black dial, exactly what I
was looking for. After buying it, my first reaction was:
damn, this is a complicated dial. I couldn’t even read the
time on it—the hands were difficult to see. This is when
I realized the beauty of the sub non-date: simplicity.
Next, the bracelet had a “TT look”: polished & brushed which
I didn’t like much. The watch was totally different and it
took me some time to get used to it. Thus, my reaction
wasn’t so glorious about it as opposed to the hype of buying
it. However, the usual story kicked in rapidly: the more I
looked at it, the more I liked it. Every day you discover a
nuance and detail of the watch that you never noticed before
and you start loving the watch even more.
Unfortunately, there is no sweeping hand on the Daytona, but
you can keep the chrono going. The most practical use I
found of the chrono was mimicking the behavior of the GMT
master. When 8am in London, start the chrono to get
California time. The bezel is smooth and I do like that.
The extension link is a great idea, although I never ended
up using it too much. The new clasp is much more elegant
too and I prefer it to the old one. Its 72 hour life also
makes quite a difference, especially if you do not go out on
the weekends and do not wear your watch at home. I’m a lume
fan, and the lume is low on the daytona, although its looks
& design are much more elegant. Also, there is no lume on
the seconds hand, so you can’t see the “moving lume” at
night. I love the 12 o’clock crown and the pentagonal markers.
Overall, it is a great watch, and the best one in
my collection. I think that the white gold model cures the
only [slight] problem that I have with the daytona: it
doesn’t have the “TT-like” bracelet. [In fact, the WG
Daytona is currently my favorite rolex.]
Last [for now] came the Submariner LV. I’ve always “hated” this watch,
so the hype of buying it was low. However, after buying it,
I had the opposite reaction of the daytona and my first
impression was: I love this watch. The green is a weird
green. Depending on the light, it is a different green.
Thus, in one picture you may like the watch, but not in
others. The maxi dial is awesome, especially when it comes
to lume. When the sweeping hand passes one of the lumes,
it’s like a solar eclipse.
My first reaction on the cyclops was: wow it serves a
purpose. The magnification really helps, and the number is
magnified in a “perfect” way: it does not become distorted
nor too big. I’m not a big fan of the cyclops, and in fact
think I am in the sea dweller league [ironically]. There
also is much reflection on it, making it hard to read at
times. I noticed that dirt gathers around it, probably
because that area doesn’t get cleaned well when I pass a
cloth on the crystal. The date is useful, although I still
need to remember looking at it—I’m still too used to the
Daytona & Submariner no-date and forget that I have a date. There
are two differences between the LV and the sub no-date for
which I prefer the no-date version. First, the height
between the dial and crystal [where you now get
rolexrolexrolex] is greater in the LV—i prefer the
non-date. Second, it seems like the seconds hand is
“shorter” in the LV because it doesn’t overlap with the
markings—I liked that in the non-date. That said, the LV
is really is a great watch. If you don’t like it, buy it.
That’s what I did, and it only took me 5 minutes to realize
that my opinion (dislike) about the watch was wrong.
What I like about rolex is perfection, or at least, their
attempt in reaching it. I like when people take care, and
care in detail. Simple things such as the crown being very
smooth to turn make the difference. The other thing I like
most about rolex is their “usefulness”. There is no
feature on the watch that is pure aesthetics—everything
serves a purpose. For example, the hologram [which I always
kill] is studied so that the serial number gets removed with
wear, i.e. indicating if the watch is new. I am ready to
pay for a company which I know will put thought and care in
making their product. Very few companies try to produce a
perfect product—most only are interested in making
something that will merely “sell”.
Since I’ve seen discussions on this, as a last note, I’ll
say that I wear my watch to the gym. It’s a perfect time to
look at it. First, the largest boredom of the gym is
waiting for the next set—look at your watch instead!
Next, you can look at it from the mirror, and you will
notice how different it looks from third person vs. first
person; for example, the reflections are totally different.
