Aged and proud of it
By Straight-Six, published on 18 October 2009
What follows is a response to a post we published a few days ago, asking whether it could ever make sense to trade in a diverse collection of practical watches for just three vintage – and rather similar – pieces. Here, Straight-Six, the man who did exactly that, explains why he did:
Pleasantly ironic when applied to us maniacs who collect timepieces, this malady now permeates every nook and cranny of our society. It appears that being time-worn is no longer a badge of honour, no accumulation of hard-won wisdom and physical experience but instead a ghastly reminder of just how vulnerable we really are. And it scares us silly.
A former defender of the age-defying abilities and mechanical perfection of today’s watches, it took less than 72 hours and two weighty, espresso-fueled conversations with a vintage watch dealer for me to undergo nothing less than a conversion. An entire modern watch collection, lovingly built up over five years, was traded for two vintage timepieces, the youngest of which is almost 30 years old. Oh, and a wad of cash is also due by Xmas.
So, what the hell happened? And why?
Simply put, I had the eye-opening pleasure of discovering the roots of my watch-collecting passion and the seminal pieces that gave birth to what glints and gleams from the shop-window or LCD screen today. You know: the pieces accessible to anyone with sufficient cash or credit.
But seeking affirmation of oneself by virtue of owning a watch you’ll see hundreds of times a year on the wrists of others is a short-lived and shallow thrill. A necessary first step, yes, but something to move on from.
I wasn’t looking to buy a watch that Saturday when I sat down with the vintage dealer. This was to be a gentle introduction to the inner sanctum of watch collecting. A sneak peek. I had looked at vintage pieces before, but never had the time or interest to really absorb what they were all about. Besides, I has just picked up my immaculate 1985 Oysterquartz 17000, and my watch lust was definitely satiated.
Taking his time, the dealer proceeded to lay out a couple of pieces on the table – DRSD, Red Sub, original GMT w/tropical dial and a 6536/1 – each time explaining the particularities of each and how that made them more, or less, collectable. All of these wonderful, aged and collectible pieces in one place.
It was the 6536/1 Sub (originally on his wrist) that caught my attention. Its delicacy, golden patina and uniqueness unexpectedly and absolutely seduced me. This 60 year-old treasure spoke to me in a way that nothing had up until then. Where I had been struggled to come to terms with my “collectible” Daytona for many years, this wonderful, battered Sub spoke to me on terms so honest and true that everything that had come before felt like artifice.
We struck a deal and the Daytona left me that same afternoon. I went to pick up the Sub (which had its original riveted bracelet) 10 days later with its striking black NATO strap.
And then something really unexpected happened. That damned dealer pulled out a 1980 Maxi Dial 1665 Sea-Dweller with a gorgeous bezel insert patina. You can guess what happened next, but the remainder of my watch collection left that very afternoon. I didn’t hesitate to rid myself of them for something that was more by virtue of being less.
A word to the wise: the depths of vintage are endless and it is populated with many bizarre and downright dangerous creatures. As always, you buy the seller not the watch. And even then, it’s possible to get burnt. So, learn first, buy later. Contrary to what I did! No matter, it all gets chalked up to experience.
I won’t seek to defend the incestuous nature of owning a vintage Sub and Sea-Dweller. But over 20 years separate them. The golden glow of the 6536/1’s dial and hands reflect those years of difference, just as the eggshell patina that now coddles the 1665 differentiates it from the glacial immutability of modern dials and the hands that sweep over them. All of it somehow frozen in time.
I have no regrets. It’s all so much clearer now…
Aged and proud of it
What follows is a response to a post we published a few days ago, asking whether it could ever make sense to trade in a diverse collection of practical watches for just three vintage – and rather similar – pieces. Here, Straight-Six, the man who did exactly that, explains why he did: We’ve become obsessed [...]
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18 Responses to “Aged and proud of it”
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Huib
18 October 2009
As a fellow vintage watch collector I can only say: well done; great watches. My guess is you won’t stop after these two (plus the quartz one).
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Straight-Six
19 October 2009
Huib,
Speed will only be determined by disposable income! Otherwise, the vintage ship has sailed and I’m firmly on it.
This said, I think there’s room for an AP 15300 and Froggy Sub in there somewhere too…:)
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I know him. He won’t stop. Nor will he stick to vintage. There are definitely more purchases on the horizon…
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[...] no understatement to say that Straight-Six had been fretting somewhat since last month when he spent the kind of money that most people lavish on a new car on just two very old looking timepie…. His vintage Rolex Submariner was the one he was most concerned about. Was the bezel original? Had [...]
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Roots and shoots « The Prodigal Guide
20 December 2009
[...] blame that fateful discussion with a trader several months ago that saw me trade in 5 lovely pieces of modern watch-making (and a fistful of euros) for a Rolex Submariner 6536-1 and a 1980 Maxi-dialled Sea-Dweller But the [...]
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[...] trading in his entire watch collection for just a couple of old Subs. We questioned his sanity. He retorted and has been waxing lyrical about vintage ever [...]
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[...] watch strap we have ever worn. Ever. In fact, the original metal bracelets that came with Straight-Six’s Sea-Dweller and Submariner have been laying in his watch box gathering dust. The NATO strap is light, perfect-fitting, [...]
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[...] 1530 by Straight-Six Once you’ve made that first, fumbling and utterly fantastic jump from modern to vintage timepieces you eventually settle into a phase of information and contemplation. Yes, it would be almost [...]
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[...] expensive purchase is actually losing 15 minutes a day. Or, like me, you hear a rattle from within your 1980 Rolex Sea-Dweller that doesn’t sound healthy. At [...]
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[...] Rolex Sea-Dweller, rolex vintage by Straight-Six The Prodigal Guide’s love-affair with vintage Rolexes took a slight turn for the worse recently, when Straight-Six heard a rattling sound inside his 1980 [...]
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[...] everyone get that? Yes, Straight-Six paid lip service to that same advice when he traded in his entire collection for two vintage Rolexes, but they were both recently declared completely kosher by a Rolex Service [...]
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[...] heading over there today to order a special something for my vintage Rolex 6536-1, while a friend is lugging his Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Geographic to replace the reedy [...]
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[...] in for servicing by Rolex Belgium. And there’s only so many times he can wear his precious 6536-1 while awaiting his new, delicious strap from the masters, [...]
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[...] That’s what the Prodigal Fool has taken to calling Straight-Six since his acquisition of a vintage Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller in less than a week. And instead of challenging the Fool to a round of drunken fisticuffs, [...]
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[...] other as we pontificate at length on the various attributes of a vintage Breitling 806, Rolex 6536/1 or why the Explorer and Explorer II are the only two watches worth a shit in the current Rolex [...]
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Oz ain’t in Kansas, he’s in Texas! Vintage Rolex sent to a wizard… « The Prodigal Guide
23 October 2010
[...] very long and arduous journey began last year when Straight-Six purchased a 6536/1 Submariner from the late 50s from a trader. For good measure, [...]
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The Prodigal Sub returns… « The Prodigal Guide
9 February 2011
[...] saga began almost 18 months ago, when a trader flashed an elegant, if aged, Submariner at Straight-Six as he was getting his hair [...]
A Prodigal team member trades in his entire watch collection for two vintage Subs and a Swatch: Admirable or insane? « The Prodigal Guide
18 October 2009
[...] UPDATED – 18 October 2009: Straight-Six has just posted his explanation. [...]