Watch Box Stories: Wesley’s Rolex, Patek Philippe, And Omega Watches

We asked you to share your watch box stories, and the entries have been overwhelming! Last week, we covered Christopher’s story, showing his prized possessions, and in this article, we have a very impressive lineup of watches from Wesley. He has been an avid watch collector for many years, and he picked five watches from his collection to share with you.

After we share all the stories, we will raffle off a Peli case and a few other accessories among the contributors. So far, I’ve seen some very interesting contributions, and I am excited to share them here on Fratello in the coming days and weeks. Without further ado, here’s Wesley’s story about what’s in his watch box.

A reader’s collection — Wesley

I’ve been pondering about which watches I’d like to share with you on Fratello. Do I pick the watches that I think look the best, or do I share the watches I love the most and tell the stories behind those? I decided to do the latter, of course. Selecting five watches wasn’t easy, though, as most of the watches I own have a nice backstory.

Rolex Yacht-Master 116622

Back in the day — now over 20 years ago —I just had one watch, a Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 (I now own the 116600, which I think is the best modern steel sports Rolex). At that time, I was also in love with the Yacht-Master 16622 in steel and platinum. It had just come out a few years earlier in 1999, and it was really hard to get at first. Prices for this model were ridiculous too (like today, basically), so I had to wait for them to drop to finally get one.

It was very different from all the Rolex Submariner and GMT-Master watches everyone seemed to have. I owned the Yacht-Master 16622 for a few years, but somehow fell in love with a Panerai Radiomir Composite Marina Militare 8 Giorni and decided to sell the Yacht-Master to fund the Panerai. After acquiring the Panerai, I quickly realized that 47mm was too large for me, and I started craving a Yacht-Master again. Every time I saw it on someone else’s wrist, I realized how badly I wanted it. I ended up with the Yacht-Master 116622 and will not let go of it ever again.

Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1A

I was already familiar with Patek Philippe in 2006, of course, but I had never looked into the brand because I didn’t like classic watches at the time. I did like the Aquanaut 5065A, but to me, a Nautilus was a luxury sports watch for old people (no offense). But then Patek presented the new models for the Nautilus’s 30th anniversary, and the chronograph just blew my mind. I thought, “When I go for a Patek Nautilus, it will be that one!”

A few years later, I had the opportunity to purchase a Patek Philippe 5960P, and I did. While I thought I could go with the Nautilus instead, this one was in platinum and had an annual calendar. But that Nautilus Chronograph (5980/1A) kept calling me, so when another opportunity came, I sold the 5960P to purchase it. A few years later, the whole Nautilus hype began, and I started to dislike that a lot. I like having a watch that isn’t “mainstream,” and it is getting more dangerous to wear watches like the Nautilus. It’s a pity. But every time I wear this Nautilus Chronograph, I do think it’s one of the best-looking watches out there. It’s perhaps even better than my other Patek, the 5070P.

Rolex Daytona 116506 in platinum

To me, this platinum Daytona is the Rolex endgame. I chose this one specifically for that reason and not so much for the sentiment or story. This watch came out in 2013, and I was on a holiday in the United States at the time. I was constantly checking the internet for the new Rolex models, and this Daytona was the best thing I saw. The platinum combines so nicely with the brown ceramic bezel and the ice-blue dial, one could even say it was quite controversial at the time, especially for Rolex. Back then, it seemed that most people just hated that watch, which I couldn’t understand. Now it seems that it has grown on more people, although everything Rolex seems to be in high demand these days. Luckily, I bought it well before the hype started.

Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary

I have to admit that I didn’t look at Omega in my earlier days of collecting. I did know all the stories about the Moonwatch and enjoyed all things space and space travel as a kid, but for some reason, to me, the brand to have was Rolex. But then I saw the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday “Tribute to Alaska III” for the first time on someone’s wrist. When I had a closer look and tried it on, I fell in love with the Speedmaster. I knew that I had to have one!

A few months passed, and I was reading everything there was to know about the Speedmaster. One day, I was walking in the city and saw the Speedmaster 60th Anniversary from 2017 in the display window of the local Omega dealer. I went in and left the store with the watch. I quickly discovered that Omega is really a nice brand too, and I enjoyed wearing the Speedmaster so much. The size, comfort, and aesthetics of that watch were just spot on. Thanks to this watch, I started collecting Speedmasters and met a lot of Speedmaster enthusiasts (also at the Speedy Tuesday event I attended). That’s why this one is so special to me.

Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary

This is my last entry for this article and also one of my most recent watches. It’s the Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary edition. As most of you know, this one is difficult to get, even by Rolex standards. So I had this watch on my mind for a while but didn’t focus too much on it due to its unavailability. But last year, on my birthday while in Spain with the family, my parents dropped by for the celebrations and brought me a present. They handed it to me during our dinner. It was a very nice new sweater! But wait…

On the bottom of the bag that the sweater came in, there was also a little pouch. I opened it, and there it was — the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary! Wow! It was such a nice present from my parents that I absolutely did not see coming. And after receiving this watch in the presence of the people I love (my wife, kids, and parents), it will always stay with me. My kids also really love the watch, especially after I showed them the little rocket on the case back. They now always ask me to show them the rocket once more when I am wearing the Speedmaster Snoopy. It just makes me smile!

It wasn’t easy for me to come up with this selection of five, and I could probably go on about some other watches as well. I hope you enjoyed my stories about these watches, and I am looking forward to reading yours.