The Rolex Oyster Perpetual

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is, by any measure, a timeless classic. The onepictured on the right was my first Rolex, given to me by my father, and given tohim by his father in 1965 as a high school graduation present. I wore it in highschool myself, unaware at the time of the social connotations associated with Rolexwatches. I knew Rolexes were considered good watches, and I knew I got a lot ofcomments on it, but to me, it was simply an unobtrusive, ***, accurate, dependable,and very tough watch with a little bit of family history. I think I can safely attribute my obsession with automatic watches (as opposedto digital quartz watches, which are an entirely different obsession of mine) tothis particular Rolex. It doesn't get a lot of wrist time anymore primarily becauseit's a little on the small side for a men's watch these days, but I still throwit on occasionally, and after a little bit of winding, it keeps time every bitas well as my much newer Rolex GMT Master II. The bracelet could stand to be replaced,and the acrylic crystal is plenty banged up from the all the punishment I threwat it in high school, but mechanically, it's perfectly sound.The Rolex Oyster Perpetual sold for all of $125 in 1965, or at least, that's whatmy grandfather paid for it. That's about $750 in today's dollars. A new comparablemodel (another Oyster Perpetual or a Rolex Air-King) would sell for about $3,000today. Despite steady price increases, Rolex watches are in such demand now thatyou're likely to pay full retail for a new one, and you may even have to orderthe exact watch you want.So why do I use the cliche "timeless classic" to describe the Rolex Oyster Perpetual?There are three things about Rolexes that make them timeless.Quality. Rolexes are one of the highest quality watches inthe world. Although there are plenty of comparable and probably even a few superiorbrands out there, in a fair fight, a Rolex can hold its own against just aboutanything. Design. Other than the size of the Oyster Perpetual, I'd say it's just about as fashionable today as it was in 1965. The look of Rolex watches doesn't change much over time which means they will not only function for additional generations, but they will still look like relative modern automatic watches rather than ancient family heirlooms.