Rolex For Forty

I received the above e-mail and my initial thought upon reading the title was that it was about the Day-Date 40 aka DD40. Turned out that a reader i.e. Benny was turning forty soon and wanted to get a gift for himself. And with a budget in the region of RM120k, there were many nice choices indeed.

While every individual's taste and preferences could differ, I was flattered that the reader would sample my recommendation. From his disdain towards an everyday fare in Sub or Daytona, it would appear that he was looking for the extra oomph factor in his watch. 

1) If he was looking for a sports watch that could looked under the cuffs of long-sleeve shirts too, I believe that the Yacht-Master 40 in rose gold would make a lovely proposition. Or the rhodium dial with platinum bezel that I have fallen head over heels in love with these days.

If his preference was towards something simpler that would not draw too much attention, yet was differentiated enough from the normal Datejust pieces (I would prefer the 36mm classic size compared to the 41mm reiterations), then I would recommend the following with diamonds :

2) The Black MOP dial was a joy to look at, and would reflect all sorts of colours.

3) The Computer Dial would still look a little bit (just a bit) more interesting compared to a normal dial.

And of course, if the reader chooses to max out on his budget, what better way to go that to go the way of the President? I am of course, referring to the Day-Date; although in this case, I am going to stick to the 36mm classic ones compared to the newer 40mm reiterations.

4) If yellow gold was not an issue (slightly dated these days and well, there's security concern too), then this piece with the Roman markers looks swell.

5) If white gold was preferable for easier matching, and diamonds were the way to go, then what better choice than to get the below de-facto standard?

There you have it, Benny. These would be the watches that I would put my own monies towards purchasing, if I was in your position now. 

Looks like you are now between a rock and a hard place now, first world problems. Have fun choosing your piece.