“Who the heck wears watches any more?”
Lots of people. It’s a piece of jewelry. And in the case of Rolex, it’s a status symbol.
So, while deployed to an island paradise, I was sitting at my desk putting a new fiber watch band on an old TIMEX. Had done it many times, had the right tools, 10 seconds of work.
Coworker watched me do it and asked if I could help him put a fiber band on his watch. He felt the metal band currently on there would have problems in the humid environment. Took his watch and band, did the change with no problems, handed it back.
He looked sheepish and asked if I could change his other watch also, to which I agreed. He pulls out a box, delicately removes the watch and hands it to me. I, having absolutely no knowledge of watches, ask how expensive this is, to which he replies, $5000.00. I demur and say I would not feel comfortable working on something that expensive, and he replies that the other cost just as much.
I was working on two Rolexes with metal implements which could have scratched the backplate very seriously. Too nervous to change the second one.