Doing Time.
The Sub
Rolex -
We are all doing time. Read that again. Time is something that we cannot make more of, period. It wins races, it saves lives, time is everything. A second late, a race is lost, a life is lost, if we could have only been faster, I can’t wait to get there. These words we speak, are relevant to this time piece.
When only the best watch will work for the working man, it is the Rolex Submariner. Bar none. It is a touch of class that remains priceless in this digital age, where the slave labor produced iWatch is common. Some people still value craftsmanship. The fruit of someone's labor, their hand made pride in the Swiss mountains. People who know, know. Where there is a generational linage, still worn on your wrist, and it means something.
How I Inherited My Time Piece-
1980’s Akron, Ohio is where this story starts. Yes, the rust belt. This small piece of steel, springs, and elegance. Out of all places a jail. Specifically the county/city jail in Akron, Ohio. It is where Labron James hails from. The city of great food (even though I am bias), where masses of European migrants flooded for jobs, ethic neighborhoods, and the beginning of Rubber City.
In the 1980’s a base Rolex Submariner goes for roughly $800.00 ish dollars. Guys that went to Vietnam bought Rolex’s, for a months wage. See the video on the side for a mind blowing revelation of what this vet got for his, and his incredible story. This is still one of my favorite watch videos.
When we talk about the jail in Akron, it’s old school. Bars, cigarette smoke, harden inmates, gangsters, murders, bums, fires (yes, jail cell fires), and lastly unbelievably loud noise. Slamming doors the the could wake the dead. People are yelling to go over the general noise. This is the environment in which this watch was born into. A very unlikely place for this watch to be, but it is very important to this story.
The main character for this this story is Joe Ohls, my father. At the time of this story he is Deputy Joe Ohls, a newly hired deputy fresh out of the United States Air Force. He is a man who worked extra jobs at a concert venue for the likes of great music like Aerosmith, Ozzy Osborn, Pink Floyd, these are just a few to name off the top of my head. This money was saved for the purchase of the timepiece.
In the jail, inmates would sometimes have to be removed from their jail cells for misbehavior, trying to kill themselves or others, or use your mind for the litany of offenses. This was before riot squads, shields, pads, or protective equipment. It was some big bruising deputies & shear will that would drag these guys out. They wanted a fight. My father, being a person who did not enjoy unwanted violence, would talk to them. He would try to will them out, under their own power. Not to fight in a jail cell. Everything in the jail cell is steel, and when it makes contact with you, it’s going to hurt.
When you have to get in cell, everything else has failed, it is going to be a fight. Dad would remove this duty shirt adorned with pins, badge, and other items that would surely get torn off. Down to a white under shirt, Rolex on the wrist, pants, and combat boots.
Other officers were stunned in amazement. Why are you wearing this watch, this is more than a few months wages into a cell extraction? It is because it is the best time piece. It is meant for the extreme. This watch conquered the deep. Worn by men who demand the best. The Submariner is a case hardened watch. Plus, Dad did not want to lose it.
Is the Rolex more of a status symbol? A sign you made it? Is it unobtainable? Should the working man wear one, because of its value? I am a working man like my father. I am a firefighter. When I bought this watch, I had to promise him, just like when he wore it in the jail. I had to wear it everywhere. I do wear it everywhere. I wear this with pride. It is a family piece.
I leave you readers with this. Rolex was made for the rebels. It was made for explores. It defies times with its classic rugged, yet refined look. History was not wrote by people who just did what they were told. They carved their own path. This Rolex tells who I am. Where I came from. It is what I aspire do, to carve out my piece of history. Apple can’t make that. Apple does not have Jacques Cousteau either. Now, don’t take that I hate Apple, as this article is being wrote on an Apple Laptop. My point is that, when you want a watch, get a watch that will be worth a damn. Get a watch that defines you. One that speaks about you.
Stay Dangerous. Andrew
