Chronotriggered destroys watches… #5
So, it has been a hot minute since #4 with our guest editor Edge168n. Apple Watch or a Hublot Big Bang - you all decided to destroy the watch, and as a result the watch you were also wearing. Disappointing for a watch community, I’m genuinely ashamed of 70% of you. The Hublot is shipped to Apple, God knows what they will do with it, but I’m beyond caring now.
So, #5, and just one to save or destroy, and it is probably one of the only chances to discuss an actual unique watch. In the current climate of watch production and quality control, it should see that watches that hit the market are tip-top and error free… right?
Behold… the Rolex Air-King 116900 “Double Nine”
You may have heard of this one… an Air King that instead of 3-6-9 on the dial, somehow made it through all the levels of manufacture and QC with a 9-6-9 dial. Watchfinder did a video on it, many articles exist about it, it is real. It is a unique piece, but should it even exist?
There are two proposals to consider - (a) no, it’s a defect that should never have made it to the general public. It is an embarrassment for Rolex. The fact that it does means that a watch that cost €5600 at retail is now worth whatever the right collector is willing to pay (estimates say €20,000+), and slightly more publicity for an average Rolex model that doesn’t necessarily deserve it.
Or (b), yes, it’s unique, this sort of thing happens, it is embarrassing for Rolex, and a watch that cost €5600 at retail is now worth whatever the right collector is willing to pay, and an average Rolex model gets a little more exposure. Well played Rolex…
Maybe this is a cynical marketing ploy? It’s hard to imagine such a mistake occurring but it seems to be real.
What do you think? Should it even exist in the first place?
You know the drill…
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Chris
You have woken me from a particularly good dream…
London
Member since
Last active: 16 min ago
7.50” / 19.05 cm
It needs a drill.
It needs a drill.
If all are in favour it will get one.
I believe it shouldn’t even exist. It’s a manufacturing defect, so it shouldn’t even be in the wild. The fact that it wasn’t “fixed“ once apparent is hugely suspect to me (again I’m being hugely cynical).
Annoyingly, I would love to have it 😂
If all are in favour it will get one.
I believe it shouldn’t even exist. It’s a manufacturing defect, so it shouldn’t even be in the wild. The fact that it wasn’t “fixed“ once apparent is hugely suspect to me (again I’m being hugely cynical).
Annoyingly, I would love to have it 😂
Same, I am a bit skeptable myself.
There are no winners here. We may stamp this one out but another dumb Rolex hype watch will take it's place
Still, though the cause might be hopeless, one must oppose evil wherever it is.
Manufacturing abomination I consign thee to hellfire!
Watchfinder video
just for reference 👍
There are no winners here. We may stamp this one out but another dumb Rolex hype watch will take it's place
Still, though the cause might be hopeless, one must oppose evil wherever it is.
Manufacturing abomination I consign thee to hellfire!
I still want it.
I am suprised this hasn’t been Pagani’d yet…
It should be broken down for parts. We collect watches due to historical importance or high horology developments. A manufacturing defect is not an advancement in any sense.
When I'm cooking and burn a dish, I don't praise it for it's quirks. I dump it and do a new one.
It should be broken down for parts. We collect watches due to historical importance or high horology developments. A manufacturing defect is not an advancement in any sense.
When I'm cooking and burn a dish, I don't praise it for it's quirks. I dump it and do a new one.
Interesting take
how about if it could live in a museum or in their offices as a reminder?
Yeah the only thing that's interesting: the statistical probability that such a watch could be made. I'm a stat guy myself and would be fascinated by examining their processes and calculating the odds. But not a museum piece, I mean who's cares. Except stat guys.
“partly fake“ or not, it’s definitely controversial, and therefore probably worthy of a slot in the series. I’m not 100% convinced either, to be honest despite my thinking it doesn’t deserve to even exist, BUT IF it’s real, I want it. If it’s not, it doesn’t deserve such a platform. The fact it’s in the collective mind means that this is very much a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, real or not, it’s fabled.
I was worried about this instalment as I hoped not to be accused of “phoning it in”, but it’s a tough one isn’t it?
I agree, the pinnacle for replicas or the nadir of the Rolex QC. I want it destroyed, but I also desire it so much, why is this so hard 😂
Keep it. It is a glorious mistake. The coin and stamp collecting world have these, why shouldn't watches?
The symmetry fools the eye.
I was worried about this instalment as I hoped not to be accused of “phoning it in”, but it’s a tough one isn’t it?
I agree, the pinnacle for replicas or the nadir of the Rolex QC. I want it destroyed, but I also desire it so much, why is this so hard 😂
I legitimately spent the past 15 minutes looking for a replica of this watch because I think owning a replica of a stupidly QCd watch would make me so oddly happy
Museum piece as well as future case study analysis for MBA programs.
Interesting take
how about if it could live in a museum or in their offices as a reminder?
Yes, head of Rolex QA can have it as a paperweight.
AFTER the insides have been slagged and fused to the case
The psychology behind this is at once fascinating and pathetic: Rolex totally blunders and makes one of its most ”valuable” pieces and watch collectors everywhere take the bait….hook, line, and sinker.🤦🏻♂️
The psychology behind this is at once fascinating and pathetic: Rolex totally blunders and makes one of its most ”valuable” pieces and watch collectors everywhere take the bait….hook, line, and sinker.🤦🏻♂️
I think that’s a good snapshot as to why this one made it off the cutting room floor…
Can I just say, 60 votes in, this is so much tighter than I thought it would be, and the general consensus has waivered, another difficult round.
It's so rare that there is anything interesting about any Rolex that I'll take what I can get. Never mind that it is on a model almost nobody even knows exists.
Voted to keep this one (unlike the apple watch which was heading for the chipper) irrespective of whether it's clever marketing, or an actual mistake.
Either of those possibilities represents something exciting from the brand, unlike the usual:
If the insides are a genuine Rolex, I'll keep it. Do you know how expensive those things are? Destroy it? Shudders
If the insides are a genuine Rolex, I'll keep it. Do you know how expensive those things are? Destroy it? Shudders
This is the hypothetical here - it survives or dies… This is the whole crux of the series. #1 goes into the whole backstory if you are interested, it is a shameless rip-off of a recent Channel 4 (UK TV) show, and I was thinking of it could be applied to watches somehow, and not just “here is Hitler’s watch, should it be allowed to be sold on the market”. I wanted to try and make this horologically-interesting enough, and maybe cover some areas that might not be so common, or to at least gauge some opinions on some long-running controversies.
It is, for #5, for all intents and purposes, and as much of the coverage would tell you, a genuine Air King with a 9-6-9 dial.
This is the hypothetical here - it survives or dies… This is the whole crux of the series. #1 goes into the whole backstory if you are interested, it is a shameless rip-off of a recent Channel 4 (UK TV) show, and I was thinking of it could be applied to watches somehow, and not just “here is Hitler’s watch, should it be allowed to be sold on the market”. I wanted to try and make this horologically-interesting enough, and maybe cover some areas that might not be so common, or to at least gauge some opinions on some long-running controversies.
It is, for #5, for all intents and purposes, and as much of the coverage would tell you, a genuine Air King with a 9-6-9 dial.
glares at the mean man
"There, there. They're just jealous because you're a special Air-king. Who's the special boi? Who's the best boi? Yes you are, yes you are!"
- Dugong cooing over the Rolex Airking 9-6-9.
As a philatelist, we get excited about collecting errors - I mean come on some of the most valuable stamps in the world are because of errors made in production where only one sheet got away.
Keep the watch and use it to humble Rolex. Rolex should purchase the watch and put it out on the factory floor to remind their workers that they need to be more careful. Oh yeah - there are no workers just robots and machines making the Rolex watches...hmmm...can a robot be humbled?
I vote to destroy it because it is the laziest gimmick ever. But we dumb monkeys spend a lot of money for stupid ideas, so a dial that looks like it was a reject from quality control would of course cost a lot anyway.
Unless 969 is some obscure gang code somewhere in the world, I don't get the point of this watch.
As a philatelist, we get excited about collecting errors - I mean come on some of the most valuable stamps in the world are because of errors made in production where only one sheet got away.
Keep the watch and use it to humble Rolex. Rolex should purchase the watch and put it out on the factory floor to remind their workers that they need to be more careful. Oh yeah - there are no workers just robots and machines making the Rolex watches...hmmm...can a robot be humbled?
They can't, and shouldn't, do you wanna risk the robot uprising??
It still has the 5 which drives me nuts (not 05 to better fit the dial like the new one has).
If we are actually going to hold Rolex to a higher regard to match the prices, we really shouldn’t accept this.
However, it’s kinda cool. But surely worth less than the correct model. Why would you pay more for a fucked watch? You’ll complain about Seiko alignment, then pay out the ass for this.
I voted to keep it because the Air King isn't important enough to make me care if it exist no matter what numeral happen to adorn its face.
Destroy it. I've never seen a watch with mixed numerals that I have liked. Including this one.
It should be broken down for parts. We collect watches due to historical importance or high horology developments. A manufacturing defect is not an advancement in any sense.
When I'm cooking and burn a dish, I don't praise it for it's quirks. I dump it and do a new one.
Most tropical dials would be considered defects, spider dials, tritium lume patina, I get the spirit of what you're saying but it's a little too black and white. It's clear using baking powder instead of baking soda will ruin a dish but accidentally using the wrong seasoning shouldn't automatically disqualify something as defective, which isn't what you're saying here but just wanted to throw out one person's defect is another's "highly collectable"