The Rolex you should have bought
The owner bought this GMT-Master II around 2010, the year his son was born. He does not call it a birth gift. He was travelling constantly, and the second time zone was useful.
Sixteen years later, it still keeps time without drama.
The clasp carries a scratch from a delayed flight through Auckland. The case side has a deep gouge from a hotel pool gate in Santa Barbara. He remembers having one hand on the gate, bags in the other and his son laughing.
The bezel has been grabbed and turned rather than handled carefully. The ceramic insert hides most of that use; the steel around it does not.
The Oyster bracelet has loosened with use. The 40mm case is heavy enough to register and light enough to forget between glances.
One link on the bracelet has a screw that backs itself out every few months. He tightens it and carries on.
The Oyster bracelet collects lint and dead skin between its links. It needs cleaning; it does not always get it.
He'll give it to his son when the boy is old enough.