I’ve been collecting watches for a long time, and over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to own some pretty extraordinary pieces. Some stand out because they’re rare. Others have unusual dials, interesting details, or a condition you don’t often come across. But the watches that stay with me aren’t always the ones with the biggest names or the highest values. Often, it’s the story behind the watch that makes it special.
That’s one of the things I’ve always appreciated about vintage Rolex. Every watch has a history, even if you don’t know all of it. Sometimes you’re fortunate enough to hear the story directly from the person who owned it. Other times, you only get pieces of it.
I wanted to share that side of collecting when I started thinking about NOT FOR SALE: A Private Collection of Vintage Rolex Watches. The book features 134 watches from my personal collection, but it’s about more than showing people what I own. It’s a chance to share the history, details, and stories that make these watches worth preserving.
From a Private Collection to a Book
The idea for sharing the collection actually goes back about 10 years. Originally, I wanted to create an exhibition and give people the opportunity to see the watches in person. We envisioned something that could travel to places like Los Angeles and New York.
That exhibition never came together, so a book became the next best way to share the collection. At the time, the collection included more than 200 watches. And it wasn’t exclusively Rolex. There were Patek Philippe, OMEGA, Tudor, Breitling, and other interesting pieces. But as we started thinking about the book, it became clear that trying to include everything would make it too large and difficult to enjoy.
Eventually, we decided to focus on Rolex watches. It was the largest part of the collection, and it gave the book a clearer direction. Even then, narrowing it down wasn’t easy.
Why We Chose 134 Watches
We started with more than 200 watches and gradually narrowed it down to 134. Brandon Frazin, our Director of Vintage, and I spent a lot of time going through the collection and deciding what deserved a place in the book. We looked at rarity, condition, patina, dial variations, and all the little details that make vintage Rolex so interesting.
But there was another consideration: the book itself. It weighs about nine pounds. We wanted people to be able to pick it up, sit down with it, and actually enjoy looking through it. We could have included more watches, but that wouldn’t necessarily have made it a better book.
Some difficult decisions came up along the way. I could have included another half dozen Paul Newman Daytonas alone. There were also exceptional watches from other brands that we ultimately had to leave out.
That was probably one of the hardest parts of the process. When you’ve spent years collecting, you can find something interesting about almost every watch. But we had to think about the collection as a whole and what would make the most compelling book.
And finally, this is a real, personal collection. These are the watches I love. The numbers don’t add up neatly, and there isn’t a reference from every year. There are probably too many Rolex GMT watches and Submariners, but I can’t get enough of them. Clearly.
That’s what makes collecting so special. There’s no such thing as a perfect collection, or a complete one. It’s personal. It’s generational. And it’s beautifully imperfect.
The Stories That Stay With Me
One thing I wish I’d done better over the years is document the stories behind the watches I acquired. When you’re buying a watch, you’re often focused on the watch itself: its condition, its originality, its history, and whether it’s the right piece for the collection. You don’t always think to sit down and record everything the previous owner tells you.
Looking back, I wish I’d interviewed more of the people who sold me watches and kept detailed notes. Even something as simple as an index card with the owner’s name and the story behind the watch would have been valuable.
Fortunately, I still remember a few stories very clearly.
A Gift to Celebrate a Pilot’s License
One story involves a woman named Carol, who lived in Canada. She purchased a Rolex for her husband after he earned his pilot’s license. It was a gift to celebrate something he’d worked toward for years.
Her husband served in the Canadian military, and he swam every morning. He would take the watch off and hang it on a hook underneath a towel. He did that for 20 or 30 years.
Eventually, Carol and her husband brought the watch to me in Southern California. They actually made the trip to deliver it in person. After we completed the transaction, Carol remembered something else: she still had the original paperwork. She went back and found it, which was a wonderful addition to the watch’s history.
It’s a great example of why I enjoy collecting vintage watches. You’re not just acquiring a piece of Rolex history. You’re getting a glimpse into someone’s life and the experiences that made that watch important to them.
An Inherited Submariner With a Difficult Decision Behind It
Another memorable watch was a Submariner reference 6200. The seller inherited it from his grandfather, who kept it in a safe deposit box for decades. He had three young children and was considering selling the watch to help fund their college savings.
I never wanted someone to feel pressured into selling a watch, particularly one with that kind of family history. We spoke about it, but I didn’t push him to decide. Six to nine months later, he came back. He thought it over and decided he was ready to sell.
The reference 6200 is a very rare Rolex Submariner, and it’s an important piece in the model’s history. But what made this particular watch memorable to me was the story of how it became available. It had been passed down through a family, carefully put away, and eventually sold as part of a decision about the next generation. That’s a lot of history for one watch to carry.
The Daytona With a Tiffany Dial
I also remember a vintage Daytona that was originally purchased at Tiffany & Co. in New York in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The original owner didn’t want the Tiffany name on the dial, so he replaced the dial. But he kept the original Tiffany-signed dial.
When the watch came into my collection, I was able to restore that original dial. It’s an interesting detail because the dial was removed, but the owner kept it all those years. Without that decision, an important part of the watch’s history could have been lost.
Stories like this remind us how much can be preserved when people recognize that an old watch is worth keeping together, even when they don’t necessarily know what its future significance might be.
A Rolex That Survived a Plane Crash
Brandon also brought some great stories to the project. One of my favorites is about a watch that belonged to a military pilot. The pilot purchased the Rolex at a military exchange in Germany. About a year later, he was involved in an emergency during a test flight and had to eject from the aircraft. The plane crashed, but the watch survived.
He kept the original box, papers, and receipts, so there was plenty of documentation with the watch. Brandon remembers it having a radio dial, and the story behind it made it particularly memorable.
It’s a different kind of history from the family stories and special-occasion gifts, but that’s part of what makes vintage watches so fascinating. You never know what a watch has been through before it finds its way into your hands.
The Watch on the Cover
When it came time to choose the cover watch, I knew which one I wanted: a Rolex Daytona reference 6241 with a black Paul Newman dial.
Collectors often call it the John Player Special because its black-and-gold color combination recalls the livery of the Lotus racing cars. It’s one of the standout watches in my collection and a particularly special Daytona. We also dedicated the book’s final pages to it.
Choosing a cover watch for a collection like this is not easy. So many incredible pieces could have represented the book. But this Daytona captures what I love about vintage Rolex: the design, the history, the rarity, and the details that make a particular example stand apart. It felt like the right watch to introduce the collection. And truthfully, I just wanted to stare at it every day.
What Does NOT FOR SALE Really Mean?
The book’s title came from my son-in-law, and I thought it was a great fit. Of course, the book itself is for sale. The watches aren’t.
At least, that’s the idea. I’ve occasionally parted with luxury watches from my collection, usually when another collector comes along and makes an offer. But most of these pieces have stayed with me, and many have spent their time in a bank vault. Every once in a while, a watch comes in, Brandon brings it into my office, and I immediately label it “a keeper.” There are watches that I would have a very difficult time letting go of. Some are so rare or special that I would rather keep them than accept an offer, regardless of the amount.
I also approach buying for my personal collection differently than I do when I’m purchasing a watch for the business. If there’s a watch I really want for myself, I’m willing to pay what I believe it’s worth. I’m not buying it with the intention of turning around and selling it. I want to own it and enjoy it.
That’s an important distinction for me. Collecting isn’t always about what a watch might be worth later. Sometimes it’s simply about finding a piece you love and wanting to keep it, rather than thinking about selling a watch for a profit later.
The Watch I Wear Every Day
With all the watches in the book, people sometimes ask which one I actually wear. The answer might surprise them. It’s a Rolex Submariner 16610 I purchased in 1998. The bezel has faded to a light gray-blue, and it’s not necessarily one of the most valuable watches in the collection. But it’s comfortable, familiar, and easy to wear. It’s the watch I reach for when I’m traveling or going about my day.
I had some friends of the brand, former customers, and watch enthusiasts choose a watch from the book to quote. Of all of the high-value watches in the book, my daughter’s father-in-law chose this watch because he knows what it represents. This is the first Rolex I ever purchased. It was to commemorate the birth of my second child. For that reason, it will always be priceless to me. It will be his one day.
That’s another thing I’ve learned from collecting. The watches that are most interesting to look at aren’t always the ones you want on your wrist every day. There’s a difference between appreciating a rare piece and finding a watch that fits your life.
Sharing the Collection
Putting this book together took a tremendous amount of work. Brandon and I spent countless hours making selections, discussing details, and deciding how best to present the watches. It also took a team of people working behind the scenes to photograph, design, write, and bring everything together.
I’m proud of the result, but what matters most to me is the opportunity to share these watches with people who appreciate them. A collection is personal. You spend years finding pieces, learning about them, and deciding which ones are worth keeping. But watches also have a history that extends beyond the person who owns them at any given time.
The 134 watches in NOT FOR SALE represent years of collecting, but they also represent the people who owned them before me and the stories that came with them. I hope that by putting them in a book, more people will have the opportunity to appreciate not just the watches themselves, but the histories behind them.
