I've had a hankering for something slightly blingy since early summer; during a visit to the Apple Store in Covent Garden I noticed what I could have sworn was the duo from one of the Patek ads. Wealthy middle-aged father with son in his late teens; both looking very smug in a very mittel-European sense. The son was wearing a highly polished Rolex with an oyster case - could have been either a 34mm or even a 31mm case but it looked absolutely fantastic. I'm not likely to have the money for a new Datejust any time soon so I've had a little project at the back of my mind since then and when the right Tudor Oysterdate came up on Ebay I jumped at it. It was a fairly easy sale and it's an honest little watch; definitely worth the modest outlay.

I popped into Rolex St James' and, though they say that the Lost and Found register no longer exists, they will normally agree to put the serial number into their system to see if anything comes up; they've told me in the past that they get some kind of pop-up if the number cross-checks to a stolen watch. It turns out that this watch had been dropped in to them for a service 10 years ago but was refused; probably on account of age.

It's the one on the right



It's the dial that does it for me; a nicely textured linen finish.










Anyway I've decided that I'm going to get myself some polished centre links on the Tudor bracelet and Paul (Gingerboy) is going to do them for me together with a refinish of the case and a light refurb on the Rolex bracelet that I have it on at the minute. I'm hoping that the shimmer on the silver-grey linen dial and the PCLs will achieve precisely what I'm after.