Rolex Submariner 14060M Men's

The Most Common "Luxury Watch" on the Planet

By Jimmy  Jul 2, 2006 | 3 out of 4 found this Rolex Submariner 14060M Men's review helpful

Pros: Recognizability - this watch gets the "Oooh, is that a Rolex?!?!" response with great frequency.

Cons: Finish - the finish is a bit rough on some parts of the watch, notably the lugs

Why Am I Reviewing This Watch? Because it's there. Because, of all of the reviews we have on TimeZone, nobody has bothered to write one on the lowly Rolex Sub, probably the most common "luxury watch" on the planet. Because it was my fir...st love... The Hunt: I had wanted this watch ever since I was a boy. I was sold on it when I read "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." For many years, I said to myself, "self, someday I'm going to buy you a Rolex." But, through my college years, and afterwards, I could never quite justify paying such an exhorbitant amount for a watch. I mean, quartz watches actually seemed to keep better time, were more robust, and were cheap. My frugal engineer's soul just couldn't make the leap to buying a "luxury watch." Years later, I found myself in Hawaii, on my first real vacation in over a decade. On a whim, I wandered into a watch store along the main tourist drag in Lahaina. There it was, sitting in the display case. The Rolex Sub. And there was no earthly reason for me to not buy it. Well, actually, there was. No Rolex dealer on the island was willing to negotiate at all on price. That sounded fishy to me, so I decided to wait until I got home, out of a tourist trap, to buy the thing. Sure enough, upon my return, I walked into the Rolex dealer down the street, and managed to negotiate what I thought at the time was a decent enough deal, about 13% off. I walked back home, happy as a clam, secure in the knowledge that I was wearing the best timepiece money could buy... Unfortunately, after several weeks of enjoying my watch thoroughly, I had the misfortune of discovering TimeZone while searching for some technical information on my new pride and joy. You can guess the rest of the story... My descent into madness had begun. Am I still happy? I've become very ambivalent about this watch. On one hand, it was my dream watch since the time I was a kid. On the other hand, I've come to feel as if I've been ripped off. As I've learned more about the world of watches, I've discovered that this Rolex watch certainly doesn't display the same level of design and craftsmanship as other watches available in its price range. Cheaper, more functional alternatives exist. Its bracelet is quite uncomfortable, and has some serious aesthetic and functional drawbacks. And I've grown to beleive that the house of Rolex is just resting on its laurels, cynically exploiting its history and brand recognitions. However, it is a quite robust watch, and keeps excellent time through thick and thin. If purely functional issues were my main concerns, though, I would have stayed with the G-Shock... Read more Less