what is on your wrist today?

[sshark]

Theoritically the newer rolex should be tougher More durable due to technological advancement in metalurgy,mechanical design& chemistry. Unless they cut corners.

now i know why those hard as nails explorers wear Rolexes... it's light, comfortable and totally "bashable" and "forgetable" on the wrist. Dunno if i can say the same for modern Rolexes.

[terrenceterrence]

well the new rolexes are more heavy and with PCLs.. looks more dressy mar 

[sshark]

polished doesn't not mean soften... just the surface

[landyshah]

now i know why those hard as nails explorers wear Rolexes

Well, Its advertising to make you beleive so.

Except for chosen ones who get free watches sponsored by Rolex, no one in their right mind wears one in adventure/exploration work. I'm in that line, and in 15 years of outdoor/jungle/expedition work all over the world, never seen one fella use a Rolex or Omega or whatever. I'd say 95% use  the standard adventure watches like G shocks, Timex Expedition, Promasters or Suuntos.

You get built in barometer, compass, altimeter, alarm, dual time etc, instantly at the press of a button without fumbling with crowns and bezels. Everything needed is on the wrist. Repairable anywhere. Cheap and no stress if you lose it or break it, and not a "thief magnet" in the lesser developed parts of the world. In such a real world scenario, a RM 20k watch (of your own money) doesnt make sense. In fact, since space is a premium, what I have on my wrist (and every other piece of gear I carry) must be muti functional. To wear a 20k watch in the jungle just to see the time is a bit ridiculous. On top of it ill be too worried if it gets lost or stolen. Dont need that stress.

Its a well known fact that the manufacturers really over-sell and over-hype their watches to the point its a joke. It's all well and good if its given free, with publicity, free replacement, repairs etc etc....but actually it is totally unusable in the real world.

However, if Rolex were to sponsor me one, I'd be happy to thrash it and see how it lasts 

Anyway, the same goes for all other manufacturers, they sell based on a "heritage" (eg astronaut (Omega), pilot (Breitling/IWC?), yachtsman (Corum/AP?), racing driver (TAG), diver(most of them)  which everyone aspires to be. The real users mostly end up with digital simply becuase it is way  more useful and accurate - ask any diver, pilot etc.

Ah well, thats capitalism for you, what the hell, we all love to dream. Im a victim also 

My 2 cts

[chrisyen]

Well said landyshah

but No problem for pilot to wear a big pilot or breitling...

F1 driver been sponsored to wear the RM is ok

Datuk lee been sponsored to wear a watch also ok

MHorn been sponsored to wear pam in his extreme adventure is ok

some amateur did wear their rolex for diving

I used to wear sinn u1 for outdoor games, expedition, swim...

So not many will pay for the expensive watch n willing to expose it risk?

Alot of ppl here pay rolex a sport watch n wear it to social ocassion n do business, as symbol of their success right?

[landyshah]

So not many will pay for the expensive watch n willing to expose it risk? Alot of ppl here pay rolex a sport watch n wear it to social ocassion n do business, as symbol of their success right?

I doubt many, like you say, the watch is a symbol for most people of their status. Its a very Asian thing, like driving a Mercedes 
Very few use it to the max...how many dive to 1000m? - so we just dream on about the advertisements,  but thats ok, as long happy 

[Coco]

[kinson]

@Coco: How come the date part of the watch is darkened?

[chrisyen]

So not many will pay for the expensive watch n willing to expose it risk? Alot of ppl here pay rolex a sport watch n wear it to social ocassion n do business, as symbol of their success right?

I doubt many, like you say, the watch is a symbol for most people of their status. Its a very Asian thing, like driving a Mercedes 
Very few use it to the max...how many dive to 1000m? - so we just dream on about the advertisements,  but thats ok, as long happy 

no human being can survive diving under 1000m

[Coco]

This one can be used for real  
I don't care whether it's cheap or expensive, as long as it make me feel happy.

[Coco]

@Coco: How come the date part of the watch is darkened?

It's just the angle or the camera/eye sight 
The cyclop just block it.

[JPSP]

match my green underwear today (kidding)...

[landyshah]

no human being can survive diving under 1000m

Haha,  yes. So I wonder why we have 1000m rated watch? Its only for our ego 

[kinson]

Well, Its advertising to make you beleive so.

Except for chosen ones who get free watches sponsored by Rolex, no one in their right mind wears one in adventure/exploration work. I'm in that line, and in 15 years of outdoor/jungle/expedition work all over the world, never seen one fella use a Rolex or Omega or whatever. I'd say 95% use  the standard adventure watches like G shocks, Timex Expedition, Promasters or Suuntos.

You get built in barometer, compass, altimeter, alarm, dual time etc, instantly at the press of a button without fumbling with crowns and bezels. Everything needed is on the wrist. Repairable anywhere. Cheap and no stress if you lose it or break it, and not a "thief magnet" in the lesser developed parts of the world. In such a real world scenario, a RM 20k watch (of your own money) doesnt make sense. In fact, since space is a premium, what I have on my wrist (and every other piece of gear I carry) must be muti functional. To wear a 20k watch in the jungle just to see the time is a bit ridiculous. On top of it ill be too worried if it gets lost or stolen. Dont need that stress.

Its a well known fact that the manufacturers really over-sell and over-hype their watches to the point its a joke. It's all well and good if its given free, with publicity, free replacement, repairs etc etc....but actually it is totally unusable in the real world.

However, if Rolex were to sponsor me one, I'd be happy to thrash it and see how it lasts 

Anyway, the same goes for all other manufacturers, they sell based on a "heritage" (eg astronaut (Omega), pilot (Breitling/IWC?), yachtsman (Corum/AP?), racing driver (TAG), diver(most of them)  which everyone aspires to be. The real users mostly end up with digital simply becuase it is way  more useful and accurate - ask any diver, pilot etc.

Ah well, thats capitalism for you, what the hell, we all love to dream. Im a victim also 

My 2 cts

Very well said. Being a techie I guess it's always at the back of my mind that a RM100-200 casio digital watch can probably "beat" any of the expensive watches out there in terms of features. But I guess we all still love the watches we wear and it's a sense of style. I've always had this thing that my Seiko and my girlfriend's TAG have trouble telling us the time in a dark environment (i.e. when watching a movie), but a RM100 (or below) digital watch has a LED :p It's quite frustrating sometimes. Maybe a divers watch would solve that, though? I read that in order to be called a true divers watch, it needs to be able to maintain xx luminescence in dark conditions or something, lol. GF is wearing a Aquaracer  though..*confused*.

[mnazri.tan]

no human being can survive diving under 1000m

Haha,  yes. So I wonder why we have 1000m rated watch? Its only for our ego 

yeap...i guess...i always wonder why we are so crazy about divers watch...i am not divers at least but i have 3 divers...i think the others are worst than me...hehehe

why we need 1000m???

[sshark]

300m is divable. I wonder y they make a watch tat is 1000m resistant and beyond? maybe they foreseen in the next century, we can do dive that deep without gears

So not many will pay for the expensive watch n willing to expose it risk? Alot of ppl here pay rolex a sport watch n wear it to social ocassion n do business, as symbol of their success right?

I doubt many, like you say, the watch is a symbol for most people of their status. Its a very Asian thing, like driving a Mercedes 
Very few use it to the max...how many dive to 1000m? - so we just dream on about the advertisements,  but thats ok, as long happy 

[terrenceterrence]

well hark back to the days before digital watches. what other watches that is as bulletproof as a Rollie?

it's worn by ppl whose very lives depends on precise timing. the astronauts were given speedmasters by NASA by most of them bought GMTs with their own money and wear them for training missions. also not to mention the RAF men got their own AirKing on credit from Wildorf himself.

Yes, there were instances that Rolexes were given to these explorers like Costeau, but it's mostly for them to do field testing on it's reliability and also because the Calypso crew have profound trust in Rolex' quality and build.

I think most of us would know the story of the infamous USD66K sub in ebay by now. it's bought by a diver for his duties.

I do not baby my watches and i wear them when i cycle, jog, vacation, work and gym. scratches and dings are part and parcel of life.... it;s not that digital watches can't do the job..but i jsut prefer a sweeping second hand to time my intervals.

i look poor and scruffy enough for ppl to think my watches are fake so i don't have a worry that ppl would rob me.

coming back to the modern era...i agree nothing beats a digital watch in the do-it-all category. and a Seiko is as good as any other high end watch. as the prices of watches escalates, how many ppl can really afford a swiss watch other than desk pushers? so the natural transgression would be towards more bling for these desk pushers to have something shiny poking out of their sleeves as status symbol.

so modern rolexes are gyrating to PCLs and SELs because of the pressure by these ppl. And most of the ppl wonder why it took Rolex so long to implement a SEL bracelet. I myself was also wondering about this until i got myself a very basic ND sub. Compared to a SEL watch which is more hefty in weight, the hollow links are by far more comfortable and "bashable". it's until you ran miles and sweat bucket loads with both a SEL and light hollow linked watch you'll know the difference.

just my 2 sen

[landyshah]

But I guess we all still love the watches we wear and it's a sense of style

Yes, I think theres three types:

Those who are emotional, not rational - this applies to the bulk of the buyers. Therefore the heritage/ego/sentimental thing tugs at their hearts (and wallets). Maybe the 1000m diver is designed for these people 

Those who are really users and need a pure timekeeping tool, they go digital. No emotion, just purely practical.

Then theres the middle ground, those who choose a watch for emotional purposes, then use it practically. But I believe this is a minority due to the costs involved.

Maybe WIS's are all three rolled into one, thats why they have so many watches 

Sorry, diverting from OP

[maximillian]

i concur with terrenceterrence 

iv seen people wearing patek's for swimming,rolex for yardwork and omega when hiking..dings and scratches are a part of life i guess..and a watch IMHO is meant to be worn,not to be put in safes in the bank

i think rolex are tough as nails and i guess its up to the owner whether or not to baby their timepieces..but if its me i couldnt care less..if it has too many scratches,send it back for servicing+polishing..easy..if its broken and cant be fixed,move on..get another timepiece..

[TheHobbit]

i concur with terrenceterrence 

iv seen people wearing patek's for swimming,rolex for yardwork and omega when hiking..dings and scratches are a part of life i guess..and a watch IMHO is meant to be worn,not to be put in safes in the bank

i think rolex are tough as nails and i guess its up to the owner whether or not to baby their timepieces..but if its me i couldnt care less..if it has too many scratches,send it back for servicing+polishing..easy..if its broken and cant be fixed,move on..get another timepiece..

Tudor Snowflake used and loved...



After some tender loving care by RSC...



Items changed...

The crown
The stem tube
New spring bars
New crystal
The winding rotor (due corrosion)
The 'rehaut', the metal piece between the crystal and the dial
The hack mechanism (balance stop lever)
The balance pivot
The minute wheel
The pallet lever
The barrel (yes the barrel and the spring inside)
The barrel bridge
The hands
The bezel insert

[kinson]

i concur with terrenceterrence 

iv seen people wearing patek's for swimming,rolex for yardwork and omega when hiking..dings and scratches are a part of life i guess..and a watch IMHO is meant to be worn,not to be put in safes in the bank

i think rolex are tough as nails and i guess its up to the owner whether or not to baby their timepieces..but if its me i couldnt care less..if it has too many scratches,send it back for servicing+polishing..easy..if its broken and cant be fixed,move on..get another timepiece..

Tudor Snowflake used and loved...



After some tender loving care by RSC...



Items changed...

The crown
The stem tube
New spring bars
New crystal
The winding rotor (due corrosion)
The 'rehaut', the metal piece between the crystal and the dial
The hack mechanism (balance stop lever)
The balance pivot
The minute wheel
The pallet lever
The barrel (yes the barrel and the spring inside)
The barrel bridge
The hands
The bezel insert

How much did it cost to actually do all those servicing?

[TheHobbit]

RMxxx and the first number is not 9,8 or 7.....

[kinson]

RMxxx and the first number is not 9,8 or 7.....

Ooo, RM6xx and below isn't too bad. I saw the Omega cost like RM1300+ to service in an earlier post. Just trying to figure out how much it generally costs to service a watch. Never knew service centers could do such a good job. 

Sounds like a fair deal, especially if you're dealing in those expensive watches like Rolex Omega etc

[sshark]

quite a good deal considering RSC handled ur watch. it is like 1/3 of what u paid for a rolex

[TheHobbit]

Or this watch. Bought in 1960s and have been worn since that day until I got it about 2 years ago. The watch has been out to sea (yes it is not a divers watch), up on trees, down man-holes, been in the river, crashed while on a motorbike, slept with, basically everywhere the owner has been. It has had a rebuild by RSC in the early 80s, have gone through 3 bracelets (I have all 3). Now in semi retirement.