On The Wrist: My Father’s Rolex Submariner

A Generational Wristwatch, From My Father’s Wrist To Mine.

This post has taken me quite a while to write, I’ve started, I’ve stopped, and I’ve come back to it during moments of inspiration. There is so much to say about the Rolex Submariner that passed many years on the wrist of my Father, and then found its new home on mine. This watch has seen and been through so much in its 30 year history, that to try and contain its story in one post is incredibly difficult. Much like the starting and stopping of the automatic mechanism inside this stunning piece, its story will continue to be told after me.

My Father purchased this Rolex Submariner Ref. 16613 from a boutique in Ottawa, Canada in 2001. He was not the first owner of this piece, as such, part of its story will always be lost to time. He absolutely treasured this watch, and for the first few years he would allow it to rest in its green leather case all week, and put it on only on Sundays while sitting in our living room, accompanied by classical music that would drift lazily from our sound system. As time passed he started to wear it daily, and over the course of the next 12 years, it followed him wherever he went.

In 2013, my father passed the watch onto me, to celebrate my final year of University. I wore it dutifully, an unexpected and invaluable gift. I knew that I had in my possession an object that would undoubtably outlast me and pass onto my children. However, by 2020 the watch was in dire need of service. Years of faithful ticking, a loose bezel, missing 12 o’ clock pip, and malfunctioning crown pointed me in the direction of an authorized Rolex service center in Montreal. I received the watch back in incredible condition, with everything repaired, albeit with a poetic surprise. My Father had never known the original production year of the watch, and the technician confirmed to me that it was in fact produced in 1991, the year of my birth. I, as well as my Father, were nothing short of blown away by this news. In that moment the watch took on an even greater meaning to me. It was the same age as me, and the thought that this mechanical device had been ticking for as long as I was alive was truly incredible.