...My Cheap Rolex Watch Model 15000

My Cheap Rolex Wrist Watch

My 金撈

Swiss Made

 

I have decided to show and tell my beloved wrist watch. This is my brief story of my Rolex watch.

 

Like many egoistic people around the world, I am also one of those who loves to have a Rolex wrist watch wrapped nicely around my skinny wrist and in 1987, I managed to get one for myself.

 

The story of my watch was that I got it as a gift (I know, I have no shame and not to mention cheapskate too). I started looking for one back in 1986. My initial choice was a hand winding Rolex watch with no date as this was then the cheapest one I was aware of. However, at the time of my research, I was unaware if Rolex was still making such watches. I have seen someone owning one, but I did not try to visit a local Rolex retailer to see for myself. In those days, the Internet was not available to the public, and I cannot search to see if the watch was still available then. I am one of those people that unless I was ready to buy one, I would not step into a shop, pretending that I was going to get one.

 

I then ruled out getting one that needs to wind it up every day. You see, Rolex watches all come with a screw crown for waterproofing and to keep out any dust getting into the watch. The screw crown was first introduced by Rolex in 1926, and imagining if I have to do that 24/7, the daily winding rituals will eventually wear out the thread on the screw, and then I would have to send my watch in for a service and have it repaired. Besides, I find this a bit inconvenient too. I used to own a mechanical winding watch when I was a kid, but then the crown was just an ordinary one and not with a screwed thread type. Don't get me wrong, as I understand that all Rolex watches are recommended to have it serviced every 10 years or so, but as I know myself, I would not submit my watch for a service unless I have to, as if it has stopped working or is damaged.

 

So, eventually I settled for the one next up, which is the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date. To many Rolex owners or followers, this is an entry level Rolex watch.

 

As I said this watch was bought in 1987 brand new for $1,700. I found out some years ago that based on the serial number (#8792285) of my watch, it was made in 1985 (see below table). On the bracelet, it has the details of K10, Steelinox (stainless steel) and the reference no 78350. Since I got this watch, I wore it almost daily and in the mid 1990s, I accidentally chipped a bit off the Plexiglass. The chip was very visible to the naked eyes but not exposing the dial to outside air. I then took it to the nearest Rolex authorised repair center for a service. In those days, it cost me $300, but I do not believe it was a full service. After having it serviced, the watch somehow was not the same again as it used to be. Before that, the power reserve was at least 2 full days as I only wear it on weekdays and not during weekends. After the service, the watch stopped working after 24 hours or so, and that was very disappointing. Also, the accuracy on the watch was gone too. So, I decided to stop wearing it for a while.

 

 Rolex Watches Serial Numbers

courtesy of Precisionwatches.com

 

Around the late 2000s, I started wearing my Rolex again. I wore it during one of my overseas trips and while traveling on a bus, I realised that the watch had stopped working. Not sure why but when I tried to adjust the time, nothing happened as neither of the hands moved. By then I knew something was damaged or broken inside or perhaps some movement parts had been disconnected. Obviously, as it was broken, I stopped wearing it again. When I came back from my overseas trip, I then contacted the local Rolex Service Center and was told that the quote for a full service would cost me around $1,000 plus any major parts that need to be replaced. The service time is around one month. The reason they told me was that for a full service, they have to take the watch apart and to check the parts for wear and tear and replace them with a new one if need be. Because of the cost, I decided to put on hold as for that kind of money, I can get myself another reasonably good new watch, perhaps not another Rolex, or not even for a used one.

 

After leaving this watch for more than 10 years, I decided to take my Rolex for a full service and have it repaired. I took my watch for repair in late March 2021 and because of the pandemic and our on and off lock down, I did not get my watch back until 03.11.2021. After 226 days, I finally got my watch back. The total cost for the repair was $1,865.50. Apart from the service and repair, they also changed the dial and all the three hands of my watch. The reason they gave me was that the luminous part of the dial and hands do not glow any more at night. Personally, I would not have agreed to change them, but since they have recommended it, I decided to go along with it. The dial cost $545.45 and those 3 tiny little hands were $114.09. They also replaced the Plexiglass crystal which is already included as part of the service cost. It is the policy of Rolex Service Center that they get to retain all the parts that they have replaced, including the O rubber ring that they use to seal the case/gasket. Therefore, I have no idea what they have replaced apart from the Plexiglass crystal. However, I do believe that they would have replaced the crown, the O rubber seal ring and perhaps a few other parts too.

 

For this model, I must say that I was a bit disappointed that the watch does not come with a sapphire crystal. Rolex first introduced sapphire crystal in 1970 to some of their selected models. The M15000 was not part of it and I understand that later models made in the early 1990s are all fitted with sapphire crystal. As for my watch, and it was not designed for that, they can only replace it with a Plexiglass crystal instead. 

 

One of the reasons I like the Rolex watch is the cyclops lens. I believe Rolex is the only watchmaker that has this patented to themselves. I have seen one other brand of watch that had a similar feature but the cyclops lens was more like a magnifying glass, built underneath the crystal and not on top. The Cyclops lens was introduced in 1953, and was named after the one-eye giant of Greek mythology. As we can see the Cyclops lens is placed on top of the date aperture, acting as a magnifying lens to show the date by 2.5x clearer to those who might have problem in seeing small numbers. The story goes that this idea was introduced by the Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf's wife after she complained that she can hardly see the date on her watch. Little would she expect that this is now one of the main features or icons of the Rolex brand.

 

Many people today know that Rolex SA is a watch manufacturing company based in Geneva Switzerland. But did you know that it was originally started in London, England? Rolex was founded in 1905 and was then called Wilsdorf and Davis by the two founding members Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis (relationship brother/brother-in-law) in London. The company imports watches and parts from overseas and then sells them to local retailers. In 1908, it registered the brand name Rolex and then became Rolex Watch Co Ltd in 1915. In 1919, it moved its operations to Switzerland after the British government introduced import duty on all luxury goods and parts to raise revenue because of the great world war that ended the year earlier.

 

To the Chinese (Cantonese) the slang name for a Rolex watch is called 金撈 (gam/kam lou). The word 金 means gold, and 撈 means to earn a living. In Mandarin, it is pronounced as ''Jin Lao''. The only thing is that mine is not a gold Rolex :-(.

 

My watch

Rolex M15000

 

As you can see, the model of my watch is the M15000. It has an Oyster steel case and I believe the Oyster diameter is 34mm. Yes, I do have a rather skinny wrist (just skin and bone) and that is why I wanted this medium size watch, and not one that is 40mm+ or more. It comes with the Oyster bracelet and it has the caliber movement of 3035 automatic. The dial reference for my watch is 15008, Roman numerals of 1 to 12 are added to the dial. I am aware that some other Rolex 15000 models do not have Roman numerals on them. This watch has a self-winding mechanism called the Perpetual rotor, a semi-circular plate that rotates either way to wind up the watch. This self-winding mechanism is very common nowadays and you can find them on many self-winding mechanical watches, including those cheap or common and well-branded watches available in the market. The date is located on the 3 o’clock position and this automatically changing date was first introduced by Rolex in 1931. The watch has a smooth bezel.

 

Rolex M15000 with original box

 

After 34 years, I still have the original box, the receipt, booklet and all the bits and pieces that came with the watch when it was first purchased. The Rolex retailer that this watch was bought from is still operating, and has been in business since the 1960s.

 

According to Rolex’s website, all brand-new watches have a time accuracy of between -2/+2 seconds per day. This is almost as accurate as a quartz watch. 

 

I believe that today, a brand-new Rolex watch for a simple model would cost around $7,000+. A second hand of the same watch of mine would be around $4,500 to $5,500 or even higher depending on the condition. Imagine, after 34 years, the value of my watch has appreciated and not the other way round. I am aware that they are people who collect second-hand watches and if you are one of those that solely go for the Rolex brand, it must have cost you a fortune, unless you are also one of those who would also sell them for a profit. I must also mention that Rolex watches are not the best or most expensive in the world. There are also other brands of watches that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but then how many ordinary people can afford those overpriced watches? The price of a Rolex watch may be expensive to many ordinary people but it is also within the reach of many people too, unless you are talking about those high-end Rolex watches.

 

Today, wearing a watch is more of a personal fashion icon. Whilst the main purpose of a watch is to tell you the time and also the date or perhaps also remind you what day of a week, a mobile phone can do the same as well as many other functions too. Nowadays, almost everyone owns a smartphone. The smartphone is now more of an essential personal instruction and some may even consider this equipment a ‘must’ have to have even when you are at home. It may not cook you a nice meal or serve you a nice glass of wine, but it can order one for you in less than 30 minutes. Unlike a mechanical watch, the main drawback for the smartphone is that it will become a useless object when it runs out of battery, while my watch still continues ticking as long as I continue to move my arm around.

 

packing materials for delivering the watch back to me by secured express post

 

Like all good brands of watches, there are still fake or replica watches in the market. As I know nothing about fake Rolex watches, I will not comment further here.

 

So, why do I like to wear a Rolex watch? Have I made it? My answer is - no! If I had, I would be wearing one that is more expensive than this one I have, like a Submariner Date or a Yacht-Master ll etc. Am I successful? Again no! Have I got taste? Yes, I do have good taste, like many people. Who does not want the best things in life for themselves? However, owning one is more of a personal ego as Rolex is an excellent product and the watches they made are just stunning and beautiful.

 

Now, as you would be wondering what currency value I was referring to in this post. I will let you guess and if you are a Rolex enthusiast, you would most likely know the answer by now. 

 

If you are a Rolex owner, please feel free to share your experience and comments here. Thanks 

Here is a quiz for those who are still wearing a wrist watch. If you are given two similar designs of watches. One is an automatic and the other one is powered by a battery. Without closely examining both the watches, can you tell which one is a mechanical one and the other one is a quartz?