Have you ever bought or been given a piece of equipment that became a token, a talisman, a piece of your personal history?
In 2009, I walked into a small Rolex service and resale shop and bought a Rolex Submariner. The things we carry can tell part of our story, and my watch — the nicks along the bezel, the single small chip on the sapphire face, a ding along the housing, and the worn stainless-steel finish — sure tells mine. Each mark of “damage” contains part of my story, turning a tool watch into a memento.
Special operations warfighters have had a close tie with the watches they wear for nearly a century — from Rangers climbing the cliffs at Normandy to SEALs thigh deep in the Mekong Delta to Special Missions Unit operators in the mountains of Afghanistan — and I wanted to be a part of this living history and carry it forward.
My model 14060 Rolex Submariner has no date on its black dial; it’s utterly simple, slim, and tough as hell. It has been with me on 30,000-foot HALO and HAHO jumps and on nuclear submarines performing SDV manned submersible opera-tions. It has been with me in the mountains of northeastern Afghanistan, and it has broken the sound barrier in an F-18. It has been covered in the blood of mountain goats and coastal brown bears. This is its story, which is part of my story....
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Greg Tingle
I've sped read this story of Trevor's, 'The Sub', the Rolex, damage et al, over my morning coffee and am impressed. As a former Australian Army Reserve (Comms and Weapons) I get it, at least to a significant degree, despite this being my first acquaintance with this story. The magazine title, Coffee or Die Magazine, already had me searching for more Intel. Time keeps ticking, damage occurs, and the battle, inward, outward and external marches on. Significant events happen and are endured on and off the sub, and the Rolex and the mind takes note. This is my first, but not last reading. Earns a plug via our Media firm and associated Cafe News Media arm. Second shot of coffee coming up and I continue to adjust to war stories, while also trigging my own account of serving. Swimming, not drowning. Much respect COD.
