Nature Boy
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Rolex and Handgun Shooting
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Mosin77
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A properly adjusted mechanical watch shouldn’t be damaged by guns of reasonable recoil. I’ve heard that the cumulative effects of Africa-level magnums can be pretty bad on the human body. They won’t do your watch any favors either (although probably nothing that can’t be fixed by a service.) A jackhammer or a badly vibrating motorcycle also may not do your watch any favors (or may be just fine, depending on your luck.)
An improperly adjusted watch or vintage watch may be affected by the recoil impulse, but it’ll likely just result in the watch running slow. I knew a man with a Patek who was fond of opera... he was mystified why his watch always lost time, when it kept perfect time for his watchmaker. Turns out, when clapping after a performance, every clap caused his watch to skip a beat. Repeat for a while and the loss was noticeable. Usually this sort of thing can be fixed but it’s a fiddly adjustment.
An improperly adjusted watch or vintage watch may be affected by the recoil impulse, but it’ll likely just result in the watch running slow. I knew a man with a Patek who was fond of opera... he was mystified why his watch always lost time, when it kept perfect time for his watchmaker. Turns out, when clapping after a performance, every clap caused his watch to skip a beat. Repeat for a while and the loss was noticeable. Usually this sort of thing can be fixed but it’s a fiddly adjustment.
Show off!
Just having fun. I've been wearing Rolex watches since the early 1980's mostly as a diver.
Zaydok Allen
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Good foot wear is one of the keys to avoiding chronic pain when you walk, hike, or just stand a lot. Your buddy obviously does none of those things on a regular basis, or he would know.
Working in the woods for a career taught me this lesson when I was 24 years old. If you go cheap on your gear, you will wear it out faster and replace it sooner. A sale on a quality item is a good value if it performs well. A sale on a cheap piece of junk that will be ruined quickly is not a good value. It's just throwing less money away than if you'd paid full price, but in the end, you may have still spent your hard earned money on garbage. Old Dog mentioned boots. I'll mention active gear as well.
The first time you go cheap on boots when you work in the woods, and you have a rain shower come through and completely soak you at 9:00 in the morning, and then you realize you have to work until 5:00 pm, is the last time you ever go cheap on boots.
And they are wrong on 95% or more of products out there.
I will never buy a Rolex unless I fall ass backwards into money, but I will never fault anyone who chooses to buy quality, so long as it's real quality and not just a name. But even if they choose to spend their money on a name, it's their money, so I don't really care.
It's only showing off if you are intentionally showcasing what you have with the intent of evoking envy. For that reason, I've never really understood the phrase "pride of ownership". What does that mean exactly? I save money to buy what I want because it will facilitate an activity. It doesn't evoke pride. Saving money is something any adult with a decent job and life circumstances should be able to do. It's a life skill. Spending money is just spending money. I take pride in my accomplishments, not in material goods I own. It's just stuff. Stuff that helps me do what I want.
That being said, I want my stuff to last a long time. So I try to take care of it.
bob97
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One of my brother’s buddies has one with the green crystal. It looks very fancy.
I can afford a Seiko.
el Godfather
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I have a Daytona, BLNR and a President. I have shot wearing all of them. No problem. In fact I wear my watch on the right hand - no issues.
I've never even had one comment when wearing a Rolex, and I don't care. Some of us are into watches like some guys are into cars.
Zaydok Allen
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Exactly. You aren’t a show off.
John Joseph
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FWIW I knew a crop duster who once owned a Rolex.
This was when dusters flew old Stearmans with huge P&W radials up front.
The Rolex lasted one year.
Constant vibration killed it, he said
This was when dusters flew old Stearmans with huge P&W radials up front.
The Rolex lasted one year.
Constant vibration killed it, he said
Redwing boots are worth the money. So are Duluth Trading clothes. Still wearing Carhartt Bibs that have to be getting close to 30 years old. Admittedly they're not every day, but that's still pretty good.
Now, back to Rolex. I wish I had one. But probably never will.
I could see that happening.
Hopefully he sent it back to Rolex They are guaranteed for two years. I thought that those radials were made to run smoother than inline engines, I also wonder why the vibrations would transmit so severely to the stick. I think he should have the engine balanced.
sgt127
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I just thought I’d show off.
I also wear it at work, eating, doing dishes, cleaning guns, taking out the trash.
It may further bother you that I carry that gun in my original post, in uniform every day. It’s a Wilson Master Grade 130 I had built in 1989 and, is worth more than the watch.
Try wearing that Timex while working in a diving saturation system at 200 meters and see if it is still ticking. Most of the guys I worked with either had Rolex or Omega watches and when you are doing that kind of work the cost is not really that big of a deal. Some of the Diving companies issued Rolex Seadwellers to each diver; unfortunately not mine. Certain pieces of equipment have purpose other than showing off. My first Rolex Submariner was $250 used and I wore it for quite a few years as well. They do cost a bit more now.
buddyd157
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why would i want to work under water?
buddyd157
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pfft...it doesn't even have the day, just the date, you got ripped off
Speedo66
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Is it showing off if you just want one of the best items in it's field? An item that will outlast many lesser brands? An item you can rely upon to keep working when the going gets tough?
Sometimes it's also just nice to have nice things. If you can afford them without taking away from family needs, who's to say you shouldn't have it?
Someone mentioned pride of ownership. Why not? Do you need that new Python when a Charter Arms or other lesser brand might suffice?
In the watch world, a Rolex can do all of the above. A tool watch with cache. And you can shoot with it. lol
Sometimes it's also just nice to have nice things. If you can afford them without taking away from family needs, who's to say you shouldn't have it?
Someone mentioned pride of ownership. Why not? Do you need that new Python when a Charter Arms or other lesser brand might suffice?
In the watch world, a Rolex can do all of the above. A tool watch with cache. And you can shoot with it. lol
Mosin77
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Both “sides” have valid arguments. Before the quartz watch was invented in 1970, a Rolex was the best watch you could buy, if you needed it to go through hard service (diving, military/spec ops, etc) with great accuracy and reliability. They’re engineered well to be water resistant, tough, and the mechanical movements are well made and robust, very accurate for their day, with technical features that made the wristwatch practical, like a date display and an automatic movement so you don’t have to remember to wind your watch every morning. These features were all either invented or perfected and popularized by Rolex.
They still have that heritage today and they’re even better now than in 1969.
But quartz technology does exist today, and other companies have figured out also, how to make tough, reliable, very waterproof watches (both quartz and mechanical.)
So while the Rolex is sexy, if I were going to trust my life to a watch, I’d wear a G-shock. A good mechanical watch like a Rolex will keep time to a few seconds a day. A junky quartz watch will keep time to a few seconds a month.
But Rolex watches are undeniably status symbols and fulfill the role of jewelry for men, whom society judges as “without class” if they choose to wear an arm full of gold bracelets. The nice watch is a way to show that they have enough income to wear a few grand on their wrist, and it’s an undeniably good looking, and high quality, watch too. Because every child knows the name Rolex and that it’s “expensive,” it appeals to both the guy wanting to show off, and the connoisseur who appreciates the quality. Other expensive brands are less well known and will appeal to the watch aficionado but would probably be unrecognizable to the general public. Many of these brands are more expensive, have more “hand craftsmanship” but are probably less durable and accurate in the real world than the Rolex.
Full disclosure: I am a watchmaker. In a past life I repaired many watches, and have serviced thousands of Rolexes. I still work in the industry. I have a Rolex and wear it sometimes. I wouldn’t pay a bunch for one (because I was raised by frugal old-school scotch parents) but I do think they’re a good value in the world of high end mechanical watches. I sometimes think of selling my Rolex and buying a few nice guns with the proceeds. Then I remember that if I were designing a watch to be just about as good as a mechanical watch could be, I would basically be designing a Rolex.
They still have that heritage today and they’re even better now than in 1969.
But quartz technology does exist today, and other companies have figured out also, how to make tough, reliable, very waterproof watches (both quartz and mechanical.)
So while the Rolex is sexy, if I were going to trust my life to a watch, I’d wear a G-shock. A good mechanical watch like a Rolex will keep time to a few seconds a day. A junky quartz watch will keep time to a few seconds a month.
But Rolex watches are undeniably status symbols and fulfill the role of jewelry for men, whom society judges as “without class” if they choose to wear an arm full of gold bracelets. The nice watch is a way to show that they have enough income to wear a few grand on their wrist, and it’s an undeniably good looking, and high quality, watch too. Because every child knows the name Rolex and that it’s “expensive,” it appeals to both the guy wanting to show off, and the connoisseur who appreciates the quality. Other expensive brands are less well known and will appeal to the watch aficionado but would probably be unrecognizable to the general public. Many of these brands are more expensive, have more “hand craftsmanship” but are probably less durable and accurate in the real world than the Rolex.
Full disclosure: I am a watchmaker. In a past life I repaired many watches, and have serviced thousands of Rolexes. I still work in the industry. I have a Rolex and wear it sometimes. I wouldn’t pay a bunch for one (because I was raised by frugal old-school scotch parents) but I do think they’re a good value in the world of high end mechanical watches. I sometimes think of selling my Rolex and buying a few nice guns with the proceeds. Then I remember that if I were designing a watch to be just about as good as a mechanical watch could be, I would basically be designing a Rolex.
CraigC
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Yep! This conversation could really be about virtually any consumer product. Be it watches, guns, dress shoes, suits, cars or optics. Many of the things that some folks buy just to show off were originally intended for some severe duty purpose. Like Rolexes. "Why" someone buys something is up to the individual, their personal preferences, wants, desires, budgets and priorities. How someone chooses to spend their money is no one's business but their own. Whether it's the guy who treats himself to a nice watch, a fancy car, a bespoke suit, custom shoes or tops their rifle with a Swarovski scope for a dream hunt. Or just shoot shoot deer on the farm. Or just because. There is certainly no shame in it. I've treated myself to various things, in every category I've mentioned but I also worked hard for it, made sacrifices and was careful with my money. I didn't spend nearly $6000 on a custom Ruger because that money was laying around in piles with nowhere to go. So it always baffles me why people feel the need to comment on and judge things other people do. Folks that turn up their nose at someone wearing a $20,000 Rolex, driving an expensive car, wearing a custom suit or shooting a high dollar shotgun. You don't know how hard they had to work to get it. As I said, I don't own a Rolex but I sure as hell don't begrudge anyone who does. I just buried my 36yr old cousin. Life is short and you never know when your name will be called, live a little while you're here.
Nature Boy
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I got tired of replacing watches so I stepped up and bought a Tag. I’ve worn it everyday for the last 13 years. It still looks good and hasn’t missed a tick.
Sometimes, you do get what you pay for
Sometimes, you do get what you pay for
You have obviously missed the point of my post or are making fun while ignoring it. You work underwater for pretty much one reason only, it pays very well.
At any rate enjoy your Timex as much as I enjoy my Rolex.
Unless your name is James Bond, it doesn't matter about a few seconds. I got tired of quartz watch batteries going out at random inopportune times. I'm often gone for a few days on business or hunting/fishing trips.
Mosin77
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No argument from me. I often wear a Seiko diver that’s accurate to more like 15 seconds a day. What that means in the real world is that every month or so I set it 5-6 minutes fast. By the time I do it again it’s 5-6 minutes slow. I could probably correct that if I wanted, but why bother? I usually don’t need to agonize about 5 minutes.
But in the old days the selling point of a high grade watch was basically “this one is worth twice as much because it’s accurate to 3 seconds a day, whereas yours is only accurate to 10.” And today many people will claim that it’s stupid to spend $thousands on a watch when their wal-Mart watch keeps perfect time. Which is a legitimate point. The fact of the matter is, today with cellphones most people are wearing a watch because they want one, not because they “need” one.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
And it's not like having to adjust your watch every few weeks or few months is that big of a deal. I have a bunch of watches but work from home and only put one on when I'm getting up from my desk for the day. So I'm setting my automatics every time I put one on. Not a big deal. If keeping accurate time was the only requirement, I'd have one watch. I wouldn't care what it looked like and it would probably be something like a G-shock. Just like with my guns, I want a little more out of my watches than to perform the most basic tasks.
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