Unboxing the JLC RDM

I've spent a few months trying to find a suitable pre-owned 37mm JLC Reserve de Marche, as the current 39mm RDM is just too big for me. There were a few contenders, but sometimes there were questions, or the seller's price was too high, or the watch would be >5 years old and need (expensive) servicing. Also, I was hoping for one with a display back (ie. from mid-2000's and later) and preferably with the double-fold deployant, as the single-fold one is less comfortable.

In the midst of negotiating the price with a Chrono24 dealer from Maastricht, a 37mm RDM popped up on ebay. It dated from Apr 2011, with a display back and a double-fold deployant. SpikiSpikester and ulackfocus helped me vet the watch. I put in a bid and I snagged the watch!

I was surprised by how big the box was. 'Extra Large Box' indeed!


That frisson of excitement when you open the box...


The 37mm was perfect for my scrawny wrist. The dial is hard to describe, but it's slightly off-white and shimmers beautifully in natural light. The blued hands add a gentle contrast.


Loved the display back (sorry it's blurry, it's from my iphone)


The nice thing was all B&P were intact; the original manual was still shrink-wrapped! Best of all, the seller was nice enough to leave a little thank you note.

Call me old-fashioned but I thought it was a nice touch.

And now to make a custom strap for this new arrival...

Thanks to Warren, Dennis, Al & Gavin for helping me with this search - couldn't have done this without you guys!

Thanks Gavin. Given the parlous state of the watch fund, sadly, the only thing I can afford right now (which is justified by the 2 new arrivals) is a bigger safe!

Seriously, no new purchases for now ... the RO and the RdM depleted the fund a fair bit and I shall be judicious from here on. Then again, Dsio's Daytona was a real beauty...

Thanks Ashley & Herianto. It was quite a bit of luck actually.

When we met last Sat at the GTG, I had found the post putting the RO up for sale only the night before, and the RDM auction was still running. I actually woke up at 5.30am on Sunday to check the last few minutes of the RDM auction!

Having secured the RDM Sunday morning, I visited the RO seller on Sunday afternoon and really liked the watch, but was in a dilemma - should I splash out the money for 2 rather expensive watches in the space of a week? After all I had bagged the RDM. Then again, 36mm RO's aren't on sale that often, especially locally. The Voice Of Reason (ie. wife) would say that the JLC was enough!

In the end, 2 factors swung my vote towards buying the 2nd watch (the RO)
- my friend Ben convinced me that I'd regret it if I passed on the RO
- the Voice Of Reason trotted off to Australia for a business trip

So that's how I got both. I guess the useful lesson I've learnt from fellow forumers is - if there's something you want, save up funds, watch, set up alerts, and when the right one comes along, act decisively.

And surprisingly, The Voice Of Reason actually approves of the RO. She likes the octagon and the bracelet, though not too fond of the blue dial. I count that as a win. And as for the RDM, she thinks it's one of my vintage watches that I've already owned for some time... 😗

Well Rolexes are hugely popular in Singapore. APs and Panerais too, and IWC, Omega as well.

Somehow JLC slips under the radar, which suits me just fine.A few of my colleagues wear JLCs (Master Control, Squadra, 39mm RDM, vintage) and we give each other a knowing smile when we bump into each other at work.

Yep, Singapore was big on Tag Heuer from the mid-90's to the mid-2000's but Tag somehow became less popular about 7-8 years ago. Not sure why but consumer tastes are fickle. Somehow Rolex navigates these shifting tides of consumer tastes with ease though.

Dunno yet, but trawling for ideas based on the 'mid-size watch' thread 😗