Comments:
Wish I had been that forward thinking, Tony.
It will require a service before you give it to him.
And you are right about the difficulty in deciding when to bestow this gift. Its significance will grow with him, but you want it to be looked after.
Please revisit this story in the future, even if it is a long wait.
Warm regards,
Andrew
Age of consent
A friend of mine, a novice when it comes to watches, would like to offer his son a watch to mark the latter's age of consent. He asked me which would be the appropriate watch for such a memorable moment in a boy's life.
There are lots of options around, for all sort of budgets but we can only think of two leagues: the "affordable" and the "ideal" one - Patek Philippe for me. My friend's budget is in the range of 8.000 Euro (10.000 usd).
My recommendation went to a Rolex Datejust II for the following reasons:
- It is a classic and an evergreen.
- easy and relatively cheap to service, tough, suitable for the lifestyle of an early 20s young man.
- very versatile, easy to wear with shorts, jeans or a suit.
- it is a good entrance in the world of upscale watches.
- it is a...Rolex - the benchmark in terms of accuracy, durability, reliability for many aficionados.
A Speedmaster came close to my list.
What do you think of my recommendation? Which would be yours and why?
Best,
R
This is the kind of watch he will not be willing to trade for a more expensive one
So, in my opinion, forget the " upscale Watch ".
Then, this Young man would not like to look like an old guy, so the Date Just is not the funnier one, nor the best.
A Rolex GMT, or Sub, or Explorer may fit the bill better, IMO, once again.
But not only.
Why not a good old one, a vintage?
Why not another brand? JLC offers different options, as well as Blancpain, with the FF, or GP, GO? ...
It also dépends on the lifestyle of this Young man. Too many parameters...
Best,
Nicolas
Right about one thing!
A Sub, a GMT or even an Explorer would fit better.
As for the other brands, with all the love I have for some of them and the appreciation for all the other, I believe that a young man will have to grow and "discover" them. A Blancpain or a GO is, in my opinion, not enough of a statement, mostly coming from a novice to an even bigger novice, judging from the perspective of the whole full age context, of course.
Thank you for your reply, Nicolas!
R
Not wrong, not wrong. How many of us had the virus after buying their first watch...
Which was a ... Rolex?
Best,
Nicolas
Why not...
Have the Sub or GMT? I think it might suit the receiver better than DJ. Just my opinion.
Regards,
Robin
I agree!
Thank you for your answer, Robin! I admit that any of the watches mentioned by you are better options. In my proposal, I was a bit biased towards the DJ due to my preference for the new Day-Date, the new one, with colored straps.
i bought my son a speedmaster for his 21st birthday
it was the 1998-2001 1957 ' replica ' which is very different from a standard black dial, black bezel speedmaster and he loves it. it looks like a vintage with the advantage of the 1861 calibre and bomb proof case and bracelet although he doesnt wear it for work as he's a mechanic.
what i think you have to be careful of is his group of friends. if he mixes with people who dont have a lot of money then a Rolex may be a bit of a cliche. no doubting that it would be a great choice for longevity, but do you want his mates taking the p*** when he wears it?
its just a thought that may not apply in his circumstances, but certainly would in my sons circumstances.
a datejust would of course be something that he is unlikely to want to change in the future.
best
Graham
what i think you have to be careful of is his group of friends. if he mixes with people who dont have a lot of money then a Rolex may be a bit of a cliche. no doubting that it would be a great choice for longevity, but do you want his mates taking the p*** when he wears it?
its just a thought that may not apply in his circumstances, but certainly would in my sons circumstances.
a datejust would of course be something that he is unlikely to want to change in the future.
best
Graham
A Speedmaster was my second choice.
But it took me a while to decide.
Thanks for the answer!
R
As with the others - a Sub, Explorer or GMT.....
....I plan on giving mine a Submariner.
cheers Tony
In fact, I already have it, bought it when he was born, the warranty card is dated for his date of birth.
It remains complete with all of the protective stickers attached, and has never been really worn (no links removed), and has only been on his wrist for a few photos.
The biggest decision now, is at what age he'll receive it...
cheers Tony
That's a fantastic strategy ...
Wish I had been that forward thinking, Tony.
It will require a service before you give it to him.
And you are right about the difficulty in deciding when to bestow this gift. Its significance will grow with him, but you want it to be looked after.
Please revisit this story in the future, even if it is a long wait.
Warm regards,
Andrew
Thanks Andrew, your right about the service.....
It was one of the difficult decisions to make:
- keep it lubricating by occasionaly wearing it - not a good idea for me, I tend to wear watches as tool watches.
- wear it so that he gets as a true 'vintage' condition - again no point, because at some point, he'll end up with by 16600 anyway.
So finally, I decided to keep it as new, and as you say, get it serviced just before he gets it.
and yes, we'll have to see how he grows up and matures, to define the actual age that he gets it!!
cheers and thanks.
Tony
I've given this some thought
At least 25 years old. Somewhat arbitrary, I guess, but... no 'child' should be given a fine watch.
This message has been edited by Mostel on 2013-10-13 11:10:43
Although Obama has made 27 the new non-child, I suppose! (As a child can stay on their parents health plan til 26.)
I'd go Explorer 1
At the age of consent, how more appropriate can one get than to Explore. Explore life. Its a watch that is simple to service, highly reliable, it has discretion so doesn't stand out..... yep...Explorer 1
I think Rolex is a perfect choice
As to the model there really is a broad range from Submariner to Datejust as you noted.
The beauty of a Rolex is that almost every collector either started with a Rolex or has one in his collection so it makes for a great starting point in the life of a young man.
Best
Bill
PS My old trusty Rolex 666 - He could always opt for a vintage - Better start with a new Rolex.
The beauty of a Rolex is that almost every collector either started with a Rolex or has one in his collection so it makes for a great starting point in the life of a young man.
Best
Bill
PS My old trusty Rolex 666 - He could always opt for a vintage - Better start with a new Rolex.
Not to be a language Purist, but...
"Age of consent" generally refers to the age at which a young person can consent to sex with another person, without the other person being potentially guilty of child abuse or statutory rape. "Age of majority" refers to the age when one legally becomes an adult for most purposes. Not always, but frequently, the age of majority is higher than the age of consent.
In any case, regarding which watch to get. I think there are countless good options. Rolexes are fantastic watches, but they give off a certain message to the uninformed masses that a young person, in particular, might wish to avoid, as others point out.
I might look toward a first-rate brand that the boy would appreciate, as would everybody who enjoys fine watches, but is a little more discreet. For example, I would suggest, in no particular order, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Glashuette Original, or Zenith. All of them make some robust watches suitable for an active lifestyle.
Regards,
Jon
This message has been edited by Whirling on 2013-09-29 20:13:53
In that case...
... something from Svend Anderson would be appropriate 
[just a joke, no offence intended to the OP or anybody else]