Rolex Tiffany GMT Master II

This Rolex GMT Master 2 reference 16710 is special not only because it is a FULL KIT but because it is also accompanied by a Rolex letter confirming that it was delivered to Tiffany in 1989. Rolex very rarely puts anything down in ink and occasionally does so for issued models like Milsubs and Comexes but I've never seen it done for a Tiffany piece in the last 10 years! The date codes on the back of the guarantee in addition date the delivery to July 1989 and there is also an accompanying Tiffany service invoice. I don't think I'll ever find a similar watch with such rock solid provenance! It has only been worn lightly and still has the green sticker on the caseback and will be a keeper for sure.

Omega Military Clearance Diver Seamaster

Having an interest in issued watches, I naturally jumped on this one when it came along. The owner was a Royal Navy diver who also had in his possession nos 001 and 007 (he wouldn't sell these!) of an edition of 150. The watches were commissioned by the unit and have an exceptionally beautiful logo on the caseback which is protected by a saphhire crystal. The watch itself has a nice blue dial although I think black would've been a better choice. Nevertheless, I think it goes well with the RN SM300 and has a special place in my collection.

Rolex Military Submariner

This watch really needs no introduction and is considered by many to be THE Grail in any investment grade Rolex collection. It is the only Rolex model that has specific modifications to all major components, ie, case, caseback, dial, hands and bezel insert and in full specification, is one of the most striking of Rolexes. These were tool watches and used in the most extreme of conditions and few have survived in complete original condition. I suspect the majority are now in the hands of private collectors.

This particular example is in mint original condition and has been fully serviced by Rolex Bexley with the now impossible to obtain Hudson letter verifying date of delivery to the naval base. I obtained this watch from the original owner who bought it off an ex naval diver in the 80s and remember in vivid detail the pure thrill of holding it for the first time.

Heuer Super Professional 1000

This is truly a transitional watch in that Heuer was acquired by TAG during the mid 80s early in it's production run. As such, the majority of these watches are labelled TAG Heuer as opposed to just Heuer. This example is in very good condition and correctly signed Heuer on the dial, caseback and bracelet clasp. The Heuer version is particularly hard to find these days and is probably the best value professional dive watch in terms of cost per metre of depth rating. There are not many watches which are depth rated to 1000m!

Tudor Prince date UAE armed forces presentation watch (SOLD)

This is a very unusual Tudor Prince Date presentation watch with the crest of the UAE armed forces. It has a beautiful white dial with raised silver hour markers and the UAE crest is printed with crisp lines. I've yet to see another example.

Rolex Explorer II 1655 aka 'Orange Hand' (SOLD)

Another iconic model, the Rolex Explorer II 1655, has enjoyed a fairly significant rise in collectibility too. This watch is the earlier version with mark 2 bezel and straight seconds hand. I acquired this piece in LA and took the opportunity to visit Universal Studios where I spotted the original Magnum PI car!

I no longer own this particular watch but hope to acquire another in the future as I do like the big orange 24 hr hand.

Rolex Double Red Seadweller 1665 (Marks 4 and 7) (Mark 4 SOLD, Mark 7 SOLD!)

The DRSD is another cult model which has seen a meteoric rise in collectibility of late. Pictured are the versions with Mark 4 and 7 dials, both with correct casebacks and serial engravings on the inside. The mark 7 was probably the most time consuming project in that I had to fly to Geneva both to deliver and collect the watch following servicing! (Something which I will not do again!). I didn't want to send it by post and deal with customs issues so decided to visit the spiritual home of Rolex. I did treat myself to a nice steak dinner at http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/

The Mark 4 belonged to an ex commercial diver who purchased the watch in Singapore in the mid 70s and is accompanied by a Rolex Singapore stamped booklet, Rolex Service Guarantee and a very rare Rolex letter confirming that history of the watch.

Both watches have now gone to good homes and I hope their new owners will cherish their new double reds as much as I did.

Rolex Explorer 6150

The Rolex 6150 is the earliest Explorer produced and is one of the rarest models. This is the 'Precision' variant although there are some with 'Explorer' on the dial (presumably later watches). The serial dates this one to around 1953 and it is featured in a VRF post. The Rolex Explorer remains indelibly associated with Sir Edmund Hillary's conquest of Mount Everest in 1953. I particularly like the rare pointed gilt hands which are incredibly rare to find today.

Rolex Red Submariner (open 6)

The Rolex Red Submariner is a cult watch and no collection can truly be complete without it! I particularly liked this piece because it was produced during my birth year. It has an open 6 dial with corresponding 2.95 million serial. I purchased this from a pawn shop in Chicago.

Rolex Lumi Red Submariner 1680 (SOLD)

This is the end result of a Red Sub restoration project. I bought a beat up Red Sub (3.6 million serial) with severely damaged dial and thought it would be a 'fun' project in that the lumi red replacement dial was quite a novelty then and had only been recently 'discovered'. The process entailed sending the watch to Rolex in Geneva at great cost and risk for the restoration. The service invoice reflects that they exchanged my damaged red dial for the new one. This wasn't one of my sounder financial acquisitions but I like the novelty factor.

Rolex Explorer 6610

One of my favourites, a truly mint Rolex Explorer 6610 with almost flawless gilt dial and matching gilt hands. It was acquired from the son of an ex Navyman aboard the USS Kittyhawk. He promised to send some provenance for the watch but I'm still waiting in hope!

Rolex 6202 Turnograph

One of my 50s watches which is extremely comfortable to wear because of the expandible riveted bracelet that fits closely to the wrist. It has a mint radium gilt dial with matching hands and all original bezel and insert. I daresay a nicer specimen will be very hard to find as most of them would have lost either their inserts or gilt dials. This watch dates to 1953/1st Q 1954 and is thought to be the forerunner of the Rolex Submariner.

Rolex GMT Master 6542 with bakelite bezel

This is one of my safe queens acquired from a collector in Singapore. It struck me as an honest watch in that it was nicely aged but in an unmolested and original condition. Fortunately, the bakelite had no full thickness cracks but exhibited only crazing. In a moment of foolishness, I sent it for servicing in the UK knowing full well the risk of fracturing the bakelite during bezel removal. I asked to be rung when the bezel had been safely taken off the watch. I was eventually called after a week to say that all was well:)

I don't think I've ever had such an anxious moment regarding any other watch and I would certainly not do it again!

Rolex Submariner 5508 (Chapter Ring)

This one always brings a smile to my face. It came from a motorcycle collector from Eastbourne. He was a good looking fellow and apparently had been a body double for a famous actor in his youth! He lived in a fantastic modern house and showed me a small part of his motorcycle collection (the rest were in a warehouse). Some were even limited editions complete with serial numbers which I found amusing. He wanted yet another bike and his wife incredibly tried to persuade him to keep the watch! (now she would've been a keeper :)

Rolex Submariner 6205

An early Rolex Submariner 6205 with gilt pencil hands which was featured in a Japanese collector publication. Interestingly, the dial is depth rated in white and some will say that it should be non depth rated. I therefore approached a very well respected collector who said that it was probably a transitional variant. After all, not many dials will have feet that fit an A260 movement - something which my watchmaker verified. The original bezel insert would've been one without the 15 min markers.

As they say, anything is possible with Rolex!

Tudor Monte Carlo Chronograph 94300

I was never a huge fan of the exotic dialed Tudor chronographs until this fabulous Ref 94300 came direct from the original owner in Edinburgh. I caught a train to meet the gentleman who was a Fireman and wanted to sell it because he didn't have a son to pass it on to. He did have a young daughter but felt she wouldn't really appreciate it:) I must admit I didn't quite feel the connection initially until closely examining the dial. The mixture and play of colours is so reminiscent 70s designs and I just fell in love.

Rolex 'Red' Syrian Submariner 1680 (SOLD)

This is an interesting one from a London collector. It has the words 'Hafiz al-Asad' in red on the dial. He was an ex Syrian President who was in office for around 3 decades. This Submariner 1680 has been serviced by Rolex London and is accompanied by a HH letter documenting it's Middle Eastern history. It is also featured in a VRF post.

Royal Navy Omega Seamaster 300

The deal took place a good few years ago at a patisserie in Covent Garden where I was shown a handful of the things by my friend and colleague M West from Plymouth. Little did I realize then that these would eventually become one of the 'Grails' in important military watch collections. I picked the most tidy of the bunch and only many years afterwards sent it to Omega for verification. The Royal Navy Omega Seamaster 300 is now almost legendary in status and in correct specification is very difficult to source these days. They are widely faked and commonly the movement serial numbers do not correspond to a SM300 case. The misconception that they flooded easily and had movement swaps was confirmed during a conversation with an ex-MoD watchmaker (they were decomissioned in entirety when rendered unserviceable). This will be a keeper!

IWC mark 11 (SOLD)

My IWC Mark 11 (now sold to a London collector) accompanied me on a trip to Munich where I had simply the most delicious breakfast overlooking the Marienplatz. It's a beautiful watch and I'm happy it's gone to a good home. It had full IWC authentication papers and they certainly do a very good job of it!

Tudor Chronograph 79270 Pre-Tiger aka Poor Man's Daytona (SOLD)

This watch was restored completely requiring a new dial (oysterdate), hands, bezel, movement and crystal. It came to me with the crystal and bezel missing with the dial and movement smashed in. I suspect it was intentionally done as a result of a domestic quarrel?;)

In any case, it certainly didn't make financial sense to emabark on such a project but sometimes you have to follow only your heart. As you can see, I have given it a fair amount of wrist time! Along with vintage watches, I do have a passion for the sea and old Porsches.

Rolex Explorer 1016 (R serial)

The Rolex Explorer 1016 is an understated sports watch which has a timeless and classic design. The second picture was taken on a beautiful Summer's day when I inadvertently stumbled upon a farmhouse bakery on the way home after sending in my BMW Z1 (now sold) for an MOT. The Z1 became my dream car when I read about the concept in Time Magazine when I was about 16. I hope to own another in the future and look back fondly to those very special days:)

Tudor Marine Nationale Submariner

My interest in Tudors and special issue pieces continued when I made contact with the original MN Tudor specialist Saad Zinai. I was lucky enough to acquire this watch which is in mint condition and complete with decommissioning papers. I remember the day it arrived in a large cardboard blue box with styrofoam cushioning pieces. Like the majority of my collection, I had it serviced by Rolex London and have stored it since.

Tudor Chronograph 79170 aka 'Big Block'

My first venture into Tudors was prompted by the collector who sold me the 1665. He told me that certain Tudor chronographs (Monte Carlos, but this term and also 'Big Block' hadn't been coined then) were quite collectible but a more affordable variant with plastic crystal was still fairly readily available. And so I made a 3 hr drive to meet a man selling his Tudor Chronograph because he preferred wearing his TT Submariner instead. The 79170 is NOS with caseback red sticker still intact and in mint condition. I didn't have the heart to wear the watch and it has been stored since. Subsequently, I bought a complete set 79270 pre-tiger chrono but sadly sold it to a Belgian dealer. I regret that decision to this day and restored another truly beaten up 79270 which I still wear today.

Rolex GMT master 16753 Arab crest

What I treasure most are the memories associated with each piece and again, this Rolex GMT master 16753 with Dubai emblem has an interesting story behind it. I met the lady selling the watch at a Sainsbury's in Hertfordshire. She said that she was the sister in law of the Head Groom of Sheikh Maktoum who owned a nearby horse racing stable. The watches had been gifts to the staff and I suspect stainless steel versions had also been given out to lower ranking staff. The GMT came with an inner and outer box and also the original hang tag with serial number. I had it serviced by Rolex London who confirmed that it had been originally delivered to an AD in Dubai in 1978. The eagle emblem is of impeccable print quality and the dial is completely mint with matching gilt tritium hands.

This watch is also featured in a post on VRF.

Rolex Seadweller 1665 aka 'Great White'

The Rolex Seadweller 1665 (5 million serial) was my first 'serious' vintage acquisition. I made contact with a collector in London via TZ and met him in a car park in Surrey to complete the transaction. The interesting thing is that he had agreed on a sale but then changed his mind and offered me 100 pounds to cancel our deal. I also remember him saying that he always took this watch off before washing his hands:) I wanted to point out that it was actually depth rated to 2000 ft and he needn't have been so paranoid! The mint tritium dial has perfectly matching tritium hands and has the early mark 1 version short 'F'. The crystal is the older domed version and I was pleasantly surprised when Rolex said they would retain it after servicing.

Rolex Domino's Air King 14000

I found watches particularly fascinating if they were used for a special purpose or had a commemorative dial. This 1994, S serial, Rolex Domino's Air King 14000 has a modification which I've not seen on any in that the bracelet clasp is finely engraved with the Domino's logo. The watch came as a complete set with both boxes and Rolex guarantee papers dated 1994 by Schlanderer and sons. The caseback is engraved with presumably the award recipient's initials and there is also an accompanying congratulatory card from Domino's.

Rolex Submariner 5512 (SOLD)

This is the watch which started it all. After graduating from university, I was in the process of acquiring a 'decent' watch and toyed with the idea of either a Rolex or IWC. I was flipping through a Rolex catalogue one sunny afternoon and was immediately attracted to the Daytona 16520 in white. As the model was trading at a considerable premium on the grey market in 1999, I decided to settle for a black Explorer II 16570 which I purchased from the AD in Iceland during a weekend getaway. I probably wore the Explorer for a few months before chancing upon this 1966 metres first 5512 in excellent condition from a dealer in Munich. At this point, I had discovered a vintage Rolex forum (Turf) and decided that I much preferred the vintage look. Hence, the Explorer was consigned to my local watchmaker and I took the 'vintage plunge'......and have never looked back since! This Submariner has been serviced by Rolex in London and been worn occasionally since.

A short while later, I did acquire another 5512 (now sold) off a TZ dealer and remember waiting rather anxiously for the Fedex package to arrive on the front porch of a very quaint New Orleans Victorian guesthouse.