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The Three Best Rolex Watches to Wear for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is just around the corner (yes, already) and this year November’s fourth Thursday falls on the 28th.
Second only to Christmas as America’s favorite holiday, the 400-year old tradition marks a time to gather with friends and family to express our gratitude for all of life’s blessings. Or, failing that, to stuff down unholy amounts of food, scream at NFL players and mentally prepare ourselves for the Black Friday sale riots the next day.
But there are other Thanksgiving institutions where owning a luxury, and more importantly, accurate watch are a must.
To that end, we have put together a short list of the three indispensable Rolex models to help you through the day.
The Rolex GMT-Master II
Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and as such it has become one of the peak travel days of the year. Incredibly, some 55 million Americans travel on the holidays with most heading to a parent’s house to partake in the traditions. Statistically, the next most popular destination is visiting aunts and uncles, followed by the homes of cousins and then friends.
Of course, there are also a healthy number of people who travel to get away from family but regardless, the upshot is an awful lot of folks are either on the road, the water or in the air.
For those venturing across country or even further afield, a GMT watch becomes an extremely useful tool for both combatting jetlag and keeping track of the hour back home. And if you are after the definitive specimen of such a watch, then Rolex’s GMT-Master II is it.
Initially released as the GMT-Master in 1954, it was among the very first of its type ever made. Created at the request of, and in conjunction with, Pan Am Airways, the beauty of its operation is in its simplicity. By combining a rotating bezel marked with a 24-hour scale and an additional hour hand which revolves around the dial at half the speed of the regular hand, the watch can display two time zones simultaneously.
It has been in constant production since its debut, and the industry leader all those years too, thanks not only to its utility but also its styling. That turnable bezel has, more often than not, been issued with a twin color scheme, giving rise to a host of nicknames as famous as the watch itself.
From the original red and blue livery known colloquially as the Pepsi, collectors have gone on to label the red and black as the Coke, the brown and gold as the Root Beer, the black and green as the Sprite, the blue and black as the Batman and so on and so on.
Today, it remains the quintessential luxury travel companion and arguably one of the most iconic watches from any genre.
The Rolex Daytona
There’s no getting around the fact that Thanksgiving is a bad day to be a turkey. Notwithstanding that single lottery winner and its a presidential pardon, some 46 million of the unluckier ones will make the ultimate sacrifice for the holiday.
Why turkey has become so synonymous with this time of year is up for debate. There’s no specific mention of them at the first Thanksgiving, and they did not really become the traditional meal centerpiece until the 19thcentury—probably because they were relatively plentiful by then and so fairly cheap.
Whatever the reason, the day really isn’t complete without one and due to their size they tend to need a lot of cooking. Depending on the weight, a turkey can take anywhere from 2 ½ to 6 hours, and so even something like a dive watch with its 60-minute timing bezel is not much use. This is where a chronograph comes into its own and fortunately, Rolex happens to make one of the very best.
The Daytona is perhaps the most famous and most sought-after elite chronograph watch in existence. Unveiled in the 1960s, it would not start its upward trajectory until the end of the ‘80s when it gained an automatic movement for the first time. But since then…
It is the model credited with making the watch collecting industry what it is today. Rolex could not meet the demand for that self-winding second generation fast enough and when impatient customers, out of desperation, turned their sights to their underperforming predecessors it awoke an all new appreciation; not hurt in any way by its association with a certain Paul Newman.
From that point on, the Daytona has been at the top of its particular tree and there are no signs of it coming down.
Originally designed to be the perfect race day tool, it can be equally useful making sure the turkey is roasted to its succulent best. Its three sub dials—a small seconds counter at the six o’clock, 30-minutes at the three o’clock and a 12-hour totalizer at the nine—mean it can track cooking time with ease.
Possibly the classiest kitchen assistant you can buy, the Rolex Daytona is a legendary achievement.
The Rolex Submariner
So we have a watch to accompany you on your travels, another to help you make dinner—why would the world’s favorite diver feature in our Thanksgiving plans?
Well, first of all, it is one of the toughest timepieces around, meaning it can stand up to the knocks, whether they come from the bustle of the kitchen or the pre-dinner football game.
It is also massively waterproof, so spilling whatever beverage might impair your motor skills on it is no big deal.
Mostly, however, it has the bracelet equivalent of ‘turkey pants’.
If there’s one thing we know for certain about Thanksgiving, it’s that we are going to overeat. Those of us who like to plan ahead will have invested in some trusty, extra stretchy items of clothing with enough give to accommodate a grotesquely swollen midsection that doesn’t know when to quit. Sometimes, turkey pants are the only thing which can ensure we don’t wimp out after second or even third helpings and lets us to go on and on until we truly rival Mr. Creosote.
But, it’s not just our bellies that get bigger; it’s more of an all-over thing. Factor in the inevitable meat sweats as well, and pretty soon even our watch starts to feel too tight. This is where the Submariner unexpectedly comes into its own.
Since 2008, the veritable Sub’s bracelet has been fitted with Rolex’s patented Glidelock, a racking system discreetly hidden in the clasp which can extend the bracelet in 2mm increments up to 20mm without needing any tools.
Rumor has it, it was designed to allow the watch to be worn over thick wetsuits. But if what you’re more likely to be diving into this holiday season is a massive amount of carbs, it could prove itself even more useful. The fact that it is attached to quite possibly the most renowned, illustrious and successful watch of all time is just a bonus.
Whatever you are doing to celebrate this wonderful time of year, everyone here at Beckertime wishes you and your families all the very best.
Featured Photo: BeckerTime’s Archive.
