What an amazing story .. This makes so much sense.. My dad was an instructor in the Royal Marines .. we knew he visited Hong Kong in 1969 and whilst there bought a Rolex Submariner which he wore throughout his life .. I remember playing with it as a child and twisting the bezel round and round, listening to the clicks. He was so proud of the fact it self wound, it told the date and was crazily water proof! We never knew exactly where he bought it from but knew it was somewhere linked or owned by the navy .. This would definitely have been the China Fleet Club as that sounds so familiar now having seen this. Dad passed in 2008 and sadly the whereabouts of this special sentimental time piece is now unknown as it went missing assumed stolen. On a positive it’s lovely to hear this wonderful story as it reflects dads experience in almost every way except he dived in water opposed to flying in the air. Lovely to think that two servicemen a million miles apart who dedicated their lives for the safety and freedom of others shared the same space around the same time and enjoyed their journey of life reflected in the ownership of a special beautiful watch .. this is what owning a Rolex or other meaningful watch on your lifetime is all about. Thank you David for sharing your wonderful story and Bobs watches for bringing it to us. Great job. From the UK.
When I was in the Navy in 1973, a shipmate of mine bought his two-tone Rolex Date on a Jubilee bracelet in Hong Kong for around $300. I think I was wearing a Gruen Precision at the time that I paid $35 for. I thought he was nuts, but he said he'd never have to buy another watch again. Thanks now to Facebook, I was able to reconnect with him and he still has the watch to this day. I guess he was right after all. As to the GMT, as most people know, it was designed for airline pilots so they could tell the time in another time zone, specifically Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, duh!) or as we call it in the military, Zulu Time. As a Naval Aviator myself, I relied on the clock on the instrument panel. It had a stopwatch feature and was easy to manipulate while wearing flight gloves. With my left hand working the throttle and my right hand working the stick, there was no practical way to use a wristwatch while flying, especially landing and taking off from a carrier! I never saw combat, so I have no doubt that applies there even more. An airline pilot, however, could afford the luxury of using his wristwatch. Now of course, a wristwatch isn't necessary at all in aviation. I love hearing the history of the watches people bought so many years ago, especially one from a fellow aviator who still has his GMT to this day.
I have a 1967 Rolex GMT1 Pepsi 1675 that I paid $187 at the Naval Support Facility in Naples Italy. It had the riveted bracelet that’s rather loose now.
Wish you had guy into his Fast FAC role as a Misty Pilot - those guys where an incredible breed of pilots with an extraordinarily dangerous mission set
I am a retired Airman also, a Missileer. I purchased my GMT Master in 1989 for $1200 from a buddy that was buying the new GMT Master II, Coke. It was my daily wear and I kept them and keep all my GMT hands set to Zulu time. It is a very useful complication for more than just the aviators. Love David’s story. Would have like to have heard some of the things he and his watch went through. Cheers, Jock
JD, David is old school through and through…as any professional Military Aviator, he’s not going to say a word about any mission flown. I love how he deflected the question and answered with how he damaged his watch exiting the aircraft…Classic
Unfortunately it's not a tool watch anymore. Now it's a watch for rich ones. No fight jet pilot could buy it anymore due to the waiting list and to stupidity increased prices... the real history is gone...
What an amazing story .. This makes so much sense.. My dad was an instructor in the Royal Marines .. we knew he visited Hong Kong in 1969 and whilst there bought a Rolex Submariner which he wore throughout his life .. I remember playing with it as a child and twisting the bezel round and round, listening to the clicks. He was so proud of the fact it self wound, it told the date and was crazily water proof! We never knew exactly where he bought it from but knew it was somewhere linked or owned by the navy .. This would definitely have been the China Fleet Club as that sounds so familiar now having seen this. Dad passed in 2008 and sadly the whereabouts of this special sentimental time piece is now unknown as it went missing assumed stolen. On a positive it’s lovely to hear this wonderful story as it reflects dads experience in almost every way except he dived in water opposed to flying in the air. Lovely to think that two servicemen a million miles apart who dedicated their lives for the safety and freedom of others shared the same space around the same time and enjoyed their journey of life reflected in the ownership of a special beautiful watch .. this is what owning a Rolex or other meaningful watch on your lifetime is all about. Thank you David for sharing your wonderful story and Bobs watches for bringing it to us. Great job. From the UK.
Thank you so much for sharing, what a wonderful story.
When I was in the Navy in 1973, a shipmate of mine bought his two-tone Rolex Date on a Jubilee bracelet in Hong Kong for around $300. I think I was wearing a Gruen Precision at the time that I paid $35 for. I thought he was nuts, but he said he'd never have to buy another watch again. Thanks now to Facebook, I was able to reconnect with him and he still has the watch to this day. I guess he was right after all. As to the GMT, as most people know, it was designed for airline pilots so they could tell the time in another time zone, specifically Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, duh!) or as we call it in the military, Zulu Time. As a Naval Aviator myself, I relied on the clock on the instrument panel. It had a stopwatch feature and was easy to manipulate while wearing flight gloves. With my left hand working the throttle and my right hand working the stick, there was no practical way to use a wristwatch while flying, especially landing and taking off from a carrier! I never saw combat, so I have no doubt that applies there even more. An airline pilot, however, could afford the luxury of using his wristwatch. Now of course, a wristwatch isn't necessary at all in aviation. I love hearing the history of the watches people bought so many years ago, especially one from a fellow aviator who still has his GMT to this day.
Thank you, Jim, so much for tuning in and sharing your story. It is amazing to hear about your reconnection from the Navy. Best to you!
I have a 1967 Rolex GMT1 Pepsi 1675 that I paid $187 at the Naval Support Facility in Naples Italy. It had the riveted bracelet that’s rather loose now.
Wish you had guy into his Fast FAC role as a Misty Pilot - those guys where an incredible breed of pilots with an extraordinarily dangerous mission set
I am a retired Airman also, a Missileer. I purchased my GMT Master in 1989 for $1200 from a buddy that was buying the new GMT Master II, Coke. It was my daily wear and I kept them and keep all my GMT hands set to Zulu time. It is a very useful complication for more than just the aviators. Love David’s story. Would have like to have heard some of the things he and his watch went through. Cheers, Jock
JD,
David is old school through and through…as any professional Military Aviator, he’s not going to say a word about any mission flown. I love how he deflected the question and answered with how he damaged his watch exiting the aircraft…Classic
Thank you so much for sharing, and taking your time to watch our video, Jock. Your story, as well, is incredibly meaningful
Outstanding story, of true hero’s.
So true! Thanks for tuning in😀
Century series pilots were very bold! Would have been interested in you asking him about the Glycine Airman use.
2:55 The bezel appears to have a service insert. Nice watch though!
Great stories and nice share
Thank you so much for your support, Craig!
Unfortunately it's not a tool watch anymore. Now it's a watch for rich ones. No fight jet pilot could buy it anymore due to the waiting list and to stupidity increased prices... the real history is gone...
Now, sadly these watches are a symbol of hype, purchased by posers and douchebags to “flex” around others. “Yo, check out my PePsI bro!”
As a retired military pilot, this makes me sad. Hypsters have ruined it...