Horological Meandering

Ares501 - Mr Green
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POTM - March - Subexplorer

Dear friends
Another month...another Purist...another continent
After Europe and Asia we move to America precisely South America
don't worry we will cover continents
So let's sit back relay and hear what our friend from Pampas has to say

Yours
D


1. Please introduce yourself!

My name is Abel and my nickname at PuristS  is Subexplorer which encompass two of my favorite Rolex models.

I´m 68 years old and live in Argentina. I´ve been married to my wife for 43 years and I´m father of two children

which had gifted me with the blessing of four grandchildren. I´m a CPA and for the last 40 years

I work at a family owned company established by my late father-in-law 65 years ago.

2. How did you discovered WatchProSite and what it means for you to be one of PuristS?

I discovered PuristS around year 2008 while searching the internet for info about Rolex. At first I was rather shy

to join and participate because I was amazed by the high level of knowledge of the participants and I was a complete rookie

beginning the exploration of this marvelous world of watches. Thus I only read and enjoyed the place for about three years till I finally joined in January 2012!

 I will never regret that! I discovered a group of nice guys who generously donated time and knowledge to share

with me and helped me to open my eyes to new models and brands I had never thought before about having on my wrist.

I feel honored to be able to meet personally some of these nice persons who warmly and kindly treat me as an old friend in spite of the distance between our real homes.

 I feel PuristS is an special place with a unique spirit which stands out among the many Watch Forums in Internet,

a retreat to find some rest, enjoyment and understanding of our passion for these little mechanic marvels we all love. I feel honored to belong.

3.    What watch are you wearing today and how you choose watch “of the day”?

Today I´m wearing a Rolex 6238 (a.k.a. Pre Daytona) steel case and silver dial from 1962.

I find this watch so charming and understated. I really love it and it is one of my favorite watches.

I don´t have any specific plan of rotation of my timepieces. It all depends on my mood, my humor,

a sudden desire or just the feeling that this or that watch is asking me: take me for a ride!

I usually change of timepiece once every two or three days, but sometimes I change of watch in the same day!

4. What is your favorite watch/brand/complication?

My favorite brand is Rolex, and my favorite model is the Submariner.

The love for Rolex was instilled by my dad who was a big fan and admirer of the brand though he only owned just one: a Datejust. 

My first serious watch was a 5513 gifted by my Parents for my 18th birthday in 1966.

It was my grail! Regrettably that watch was stolen at gun point some years later and immediately

replaced by my Submariner 1680 bought brand new in January 1977.

I still own that 1680  and it was almost my only watch (or at least the watch I wore 95% of the time) till I begun collecting watches in 2008.

My favorite type of watches/complications are Divers and Chronographs.

Though I always liked watches, up to year 2008 I only owned my Submariner and three or four other watches

(two of them were Rolex too) but as I told before, the Sub was on my wrist 95% of the time.

In 2008 I was reaching my 60th birthday and I decided to gift myself a watch: an Explorer ref 114270 so

I searched the internet looking for reviews of that model which I finally bought.

At my 60th birthday I was also gifted a book about Rolex History. I feel that the book, the new Explorer

and the discovery of PuristS was a very dangerous cocktail which fired my first steps along

my meandering road as collector of watches.

6. What element of the watch is for you make it or break it factor?

Dial and case size are important factors to me.

Dials are the first thing that calls my attention! Also: I don´t feel comfortable with watches with cases larger than 40 mm. May be 42 mm in some few watches.

Panerai is the exception which confirms my rule as it is the only big size watch I like, love and feel comfortable with, may be it is so because that big size is part of their DNA.

I also don´t like very formal and thin watches. I tend to prefer sporty or casual timepieces.

 But most important, the piece has to „talk“ to me and I say this with the risk of those who read this thinking I´m definitively mad! Sorry I can´t explain it!

But definitively there are watches which I would never own no matter its brand and others which make me feel

I would die if I can´t get one for me right now! These are the ones which talked to me and asked: Take me to your home!

You surprised me with this question as I never thought before about designing a watch myself.

I prefer sport watches, steel case of no more than 40 mm diameter and a transparent case

back to view a nicely decorated movement. I like both manual and automatic winding.

I guess it would look very similar to a Submariner, or a JLC DSA or a Polaris!

That´s not easy for me. I tend to get very passionate and attached to the different objects

I collect which I do with  some obsession and a bit of madness.

I know that´s bad, but I feel uneasy when I´m asked: what if you were to own just one of your xxx object??

To own just one example of anything could be something terrible for the collector of objects I am!

Anyway...  I would say that my Submariner 1680 of 1977 and the gold Date gifted by my wife more than

30 years ago would be the last ones I would surrender. The Submariner in special tells a lot of things about my life and passions.

I shared 50 years with a Rolex Sub! I definitively feel it is my signature watch!

 I hate all the bling and the big size race of last years.

My favorite brand Rolex now polishes their cases so bright instead of maintaining the classic „brushed“ finish

of vintage models and increased the case diameter of their classic models like the

Day Date which went from 36 mm to 41mm! Other brands offer watches so big and tall on the wrist!!

What I love?: the trend of some brands like Tudor paying homage to their classic models, e.g. the Black Bay.

I also applaud Omega for keep offering a classic model the Speedmaster. And I  love when a brand launches

a new model which I have been expecting for long time. It doesn´t happen often, buy it happens some times! Lol!

 I  started collecting Rolex watches: Bubblebacks first, Explorers, Submariners and GMT´s later.  Then I focused in chronographs.

PuristS fellow members opened my eyes to other Rolex models I´d never had paid attention before, as well as to other watch brands I never thought to own before.

Most of my horological education I owe to PuristS members and their passion for different brands and models.

 I feel that the connecting line among the pieces of my present collection are the sport models,

but my evolution came through the discovery and appreciation of other brands other than Rolex:

I learned there is an awesome world beyond! Though I still love the brand and I´m specially fond of their

vintage pieces, I presently own a nice collection of Omega, JLC, Longines, Panerai, Zenith and other

brands, and developed a true love with Speedmasters.

My future as collector for the next years: I feel I need to depurate my collection. I need to reduce the quantity.

I need to mature as collector to have the inner energy and courage to let go some pieces which do not fit in the overall spirit of the collection.

 I am not a sportsman but have been very fond of scuba diving since I was 16.

I have witnessed the evolution of sport scuba diving since the mid 1960's to the present. This has a deep connection with my love for the Submariner and for diving watches in general.

I collect vintage diving gear and statuettes of deep sea divers.

I have been a passionate collector of antique firearms and knives for more than 40 years,

and I´m author of five books about Knives published in Spanish. I´ve written articles for magazines

in Brazil, USA, Spain and France. I love to shoot both pistol and rifle at the range.

I also love photography and to travel abroad with my wife and we try to arrange a couple of trips per year when my job allows.

Discovering new places or returning to our favorite ones, and meeting friends in foreign Countries is a big big pleasure and reward.

12. Your life motto and life philosophy is…

 You surprise me again with this question! I never thought about a motto!

I feel that ¨Life is Good“ could be a good one! I guess my philosophy is very simple:

to work hard and share and enjoy my time and my interests with my Family and friends

wishing to make feel happy those who are near me. I hope to earn a simple epitaph when

I´m finally called to the Big Collector´s Club in the Sky: ¨Here lies a good guy“.

Cheers!

Abel.