Just a normal guy looking for the perfect watch at a reasonable price.
Feel free to email me with suggestions or even offer a watch for review.
alastwatch@icloud.com
In order to help out the channel I have added Amazon links where available to some of the watch reviews. Please don't feel obliged to use them but clicking the links will take you to the relevant UK or US store where you can carry on browsing for anything else you might wish to buy, the channel will receive a small commission on your purchase, in turn this will go towards more watches for review.... Many Thanks.
Warning!! Do not buy anything from Nivada! I purchased two watches from them, an F77 and Chronomaster, the Chronomaster developed an issue with its chronograph within two weeks. It was sent for warranty repair. Just before I get to the point, their service department is an absolute joke! Good luck getting a response from them! They just ignore your emails! So I’ll cut to the chase……. 1 month later I receive a parcel supposedly with my repaired watch…. It’s an empty Nivada box and no watch inside!!! the case is with PayPal….. Be aware they are fraudulent!
The best g-shock period. In order to have a complete Casio collection you only need three watches to be a God F91 - Slim, cheap, iconic, low profile GW-5610 - Solar, atomic time, best looking shock imho. Probably the best bang for your buck watch period. LCW-M170TD-7AER - Its solar and atomic like the 5610 but is an all titanium analog/digital watch that wears incredible and can be dressed up and down.
I'm waiting for my green dial to come in the mail. Correct me if I'm wrong.And I love citizen watches. But the watch they're calling Yellow looks more like a light colored pumpkin to me.!! This is yellow.😮
Just ordered the SRPE61, with the brushed bezel and cheap NATO strap. With a new two-piece I also ordered (for nearly the price of the watch, which I got very cheap) it's going to be a killer. Can't wait!
Rolex is even more scarce here in Australia but I got the call 5 months after ‘expressing interest’ in 3 watches, including the Explorer 40. 2 visits, 2 phone calls to the very polite and respectful salesman. They want to ensure you’re not a flipper (or a*hole!). I’m surprised how completely entranced I am with it!
Love the video. I put my name and my 7.5 inch wrist on the "list" with my local family owned jewelry/Rolex AD almost 12 months ago. No purchase history, just a watch guy. Frankly, i was a watch guy who previously had been turned off by Rolex and was intent on building a collection without the brand. I guess i was turned off by the many non-watch guys who bought Rolex's because they were status symbols and those guys had money. Then the 40mm Rolex Explorer 1 started to pique my interest a little over a year ago, something about it's incredible versatility and the beautifully simple and refined design language. Another random development happened around that time, my father's cousin had been doing research on our family tree. My father's mother's maiden name was Shakelton and there was always a family intrigue whether we we related to the great explorer himself. Turns out my grandmother's grandfather was Sir Ernest Shakeltons fathers older brother and there was a fairly solid lineage of our family. While i won't pretend to carry on any sort of greatness myself, its a tremendous boost of pride to have such a relation. That sealed the deal for me, i was going to be patient and acquire my Explorer whenever i received the call. A month ago i decided to play the game. My 7th wedding anniversary is coming up and i had had a good year financially, so i went to the AD and purchased a very nice jewelry set for my wife. Black sapphires and silver, to match my explorer, should i get that call. Not coincidentally, after purchasing a little over $3k US in fine jewelry for my wife, two weeks later i received the call! Ive had it for 5 days and i can say, this is the perfect watch. Which isn't to say everyone must love it, or other watches are somehow bad or wanting. But, this particular design, with the beast performance a Rolex has-- is A perfect watch for those who appreciate it. There are certainly other perfect watches out there (looking at you blue dial Overseas date). But this is one of those perfect watches. Cheer's 🍻
My AD is a family jeweler who builds multigenerational relationships. It’s a pleasure to give them my business, and “Yes, I happily purchased my Rolex Explorer from them”.
Interesting, I always thought the hole was just for air to get in and not allow any moisture to build up into the box. Never thought of it for charging cables, you learn something new.
Rolex executives are brilliant and understand the market better than any one of us. However, the rapid pivot from accessible to a long waitlist (/impossible to buy at an AD) may have somewhat backfired on Rolex. I purchased a GMT-Master II 116710LN in 2012 from my local AD for a price 20% below retail (tax included), when ADs were able to do this for Rolex clients. Luckily, I am still able to get ahead of the line since I am a long-term customer of the AD and have not flipped any watches purchased from this AD. That said, a rather wealthy friend who is new to watch collecting has expressed interest in buying a Rolex (and this person can afford anything he wants, and I mean anything). He waited for 3 years before he could get his Daytona but bought a Vacheron Constantin fifty-six, Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, and a Czapek while waiting (and spending about $90K CAD on those three watches combined). This $90K could have all been in Rolex's pocket if they obliged his thirst for many of their sport models. He may be only one person, but think about the hundreds of thousands of people that have the money to spend like he does- Rolex surely would have won the biggest share of the market if they were willing to sell to them.
So he spent 90k on watches elsewhere but still managed to get a Daytona from the AD after only 3 years. Was he buying from a sister store to the Rolex AD or totally unconnected
Wear one every day @ work. Great watch, great value, just perfect! At first I thought the "plastic" brace was disappointing but now I take it as a plus because it lasts and lasts and is oh so light.
2 months is quick. I visited my local rolex AD in January and put my name down for the 40mm explorer and finally got the call in July and purchased the watch. Most watches are still selling above retail in grey market but not as high as a couple of years ago. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 6 months to a year. Never know you might get a batgirl at retail (wishful thinking).
Big deal. So he feels great because they allowed him to buy a watch? That’s nuts. Just walk away guys, come back in a few years and let’s see who’s the boss.
I got ‘the call’ for an Explorer 40 after only two weeks. I have a wee bit of history with the AD, but this was my first Rolex - the market is definitely turning.
@@LastWatch Ha it's a fun place, the Venetian is the best casino, not the Lisboa. However, there are a lot of ADs near to the Lisboa. Just email all of them and ask for the models you want. They will tell you if it's available for purchase. They don't mess around. I think the reason for it is it's a holiday destination and not somewhere to live. No one is going to be building a relationship with an AD there, and of course there is a lot of money flowing around with the casinos. For that reason, there are always timepieces available for immediate purchase. I found having visited ADs all around the world that it is the smaller cities with either lower footfall, or heavy tourist population but a low local population, where the AD is more likely to sell you a watch as a walk-in. Also visiting independent ADs and not those who are part of a big chain e.g. Bucherer and WoS. Oh and prices are lower since there is no VAT. My EX1 40mm was £6,200, however, I had to use my debit card with a 2.99% fee = £6,385 plus a small Visa FX markup, so basically the same price as in the UK.
@@LastWatch I have a 16613LN and 116613LB, both purchased from AD’s. Last time I wished to purchase a Rolex, a 126660, Lister Horsfall of Halifax UK pretended to put me on a non existent list (obviously for twats like me) then forgot about me. Small world where I come from as they offered a tradesman the desired watch, a gate fitter, if he could do a job for them quickly. He did the job, bought the watch, and then our paths crossed, hence I know what happened. He didn’t even particularly want it, and I’d been waiting a couple of years😡 Then not long after that, the Rolex boutique in Manchester wouldn’t even allow me in the shop, so fook em! I’ve since realised that Omega, VC, and Breguet are more than happy to take my money and know how to treat me appropriately. As I wrote, Rolex……fook em!
I wanted a 39mm explorer, but they were discontinued before I could buy one from my AD. I ended up getting a 124060 from them in November 2021. I just purchased a 224270 in February 2024 from a friend at retail pricing. I can't yet pick a favorite between the two of them. I want a Pepsi GMT, but I don't know if I will ever be able to buy one from my AD.
Not quite the same in the States. I was recently on a short trip out of town for baseball and stopped in to the local AD. I was wearing one of my cheapest easiest to replace watches because - I’m on the road and don’t want to chance something bad happening. The sales rep asked what I was wearing and I shyly said “a cheap on the road watch”. He asked about how many I had (36) and what my top piece was. I said “value or sentiment”? He said value. I said a white dial Explorer II. His eyes glazed over and he immediately pulled out his iPhone and began to check his email or whatever. I moved on to looking around at it he watches with my wife rather pissed and then we left.
Our local AD (in Canada) is fairly polite as well. I almost want to visit one of these snob ADs just for the novelty and to get the full rolly experience haha
