Watch showcase – Rolex 曬曬手錶 ~勞力士
Last week in my watch showcase, I shared my Omega which was an inheritance from my mother. This week’s showcase is also an inheritance, from my father in law.
今次要曬曬的手錶跟上次介紹的亞米茄，同樣都是親人留下。勞力士是國際知名品牌，香港人俗稱三支火柴頭或是簡單一字”撈”。”撈” 在廣東話代表有生意，賺到錢，所以廣東人說”有得撈”是一件好事。而星加坡在新年也有一道菜叫”撈起”意思都是發大財。 多年前老公及家中姊妹想買禮物孝敬父母。老人家最愛好意頭，而且手錶又夠實際，所以就買了一對勞力士給兩老。公公過身後手錶就留給家中唯一兒子。
The people in Hong Kong have this funny relationship with Rolex because of the sound of the name. In fact, if you have any Chinese friends, you’ll probably hear them say that the Chinese love number 8 because it sounds like ‘make a lot of money’, and that we don’t like number 4 because is sounds like ‘die’. Anyway, I’ve digressed, but the point is that we are quite sensitive to how words sounds with regards to our surroundings. ‘Ro’ sounds similar to a Cantonese word which means ‘in business’ or ‘working’. So to have a Rolex sounds like you’re in business and have money rolling in all the time.
Many years ago, my husband and his siblings wanted to buy a gift for their parents. What better than to get them a high quality watch with an auspicious name? My father in law wasn’t a tall guy so we got him a mid size watch instead of a standard large size which would look rather odd on him. After he died, my husband being the only son inherited his watch. Since my husband is a lot taller than his father, the mid size watch was too small for him. I became the recipient instead.
THE BRAND
Rolex is an international quality brand that that is recognisable by many around the world. Even if people aren’t into watches, the liklihood of one knowing this brand is pretty high, and definitely much higher than the other luxury brand watches such as Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Zenith, Panerai and IWC etc. If you’re into sports, you would have seen them at major international events such as the Formula 1, Wimbledon, The US Open and The Masters to name but a few.
Unlike most other watch brands, Rolex is privately owned, and they focus on making watches only. In fact they do a very good job of that. They focus on quality which is the prime ingredient for a good watch. This is reflected in the stainless steel they use, a grade called 904L. 904L steel is much harder than other steel, and more rust and corrosion resistant, thus also more expensive and difficult to work with. The other thing with the manufacturing process is that nearly everything is made in-house as that ensures authenticity and quality control.
THE WATCH
My Rolex is the Oyster Perpetual DateJust 26 and is one of their classic models. It described by Rolex as
The aesthetics of the Oyster Perpetual models set them apart as symbols of universal and classic style. They embody timeless form and function, firmly rooted in the pioneering origins of Rolex. The simplicity of an original.
The DateJust was first launched in 1945 to celebrate Rolex’s 40th anniversary, though it seems a bit ironic given that it was during the WW2. There are variations to the model with different dials and markers, and a range of size from 26mm to 39mm. Mine is the smallest 26mm.
THE SPECIFICATION
- Brand : Rolex
- Model: Oyster Perpetual Date Just 26
- Movement : Calibre 2231 self-winding mechanical movement
- Case : Oystersteel monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown
- Diameter : 26mm
- Glass : Scratch-resistant sapphire
- Dial : Silver
- Numerals : Roman markers
- Strap : Oystersteel bracelet
- Clasp : Oysterclasp
The beauty with the Oyster Perpetual DateJust is its versatility. With this particular white dial and stainless steel bracelet , it suits any gender, any age, and any occassion. I can wear it everyday with my casual clothes, I used to wear it to work and it would not look out of place at formal events, because, just because its a Rolex.