Louped: Ben Wong

Meet Ben. Known for his focus on unique vintage Rolex, he is part of our growing community shaping the future of watches on Collected.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first get into watches?

My name is Ben Wong, but people usually associate me with my alias, “twelveam” or “12am”, from my various hobbies. I was born in San Francisco and I have my hands full these days with a 2-year-old toddler and a 13-year-old tri-colored Corgi that fight for attention.

I’m a designer by trade, so I’ve always had a fascination with all things design. Vintage Rolex just felt natural for me considering the aesthetics, how a reference can look so different between years, and how they patina differently between wear from their owners.

What kinds of watches do you collect today, and how do you decide what makes it into your collection?

I still collect vintage Rolex, but my collection has evolved to include a few neo-vintage Patek pieces and an AP. My approach to collecting hasn’t shifted much, but I would say that it has become more refined with time and as I gained more knowledge about the different design details; IYKYK.

From top left: Rolex Datejust Linen Ref. 1601 w/ Aballe bracelet, Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 1675, Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239, Swatch Jellyfish Ref. GK100, Rolex Lady Datejust Tahitian MOP Ref. 179174, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tropical Ref. 56175ST, Rolex Submariner Tropical Ref. 5512, Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 3800, Rolex Datejust Jasper Ref. 1601/8, Rolex Lady Datejust President Ref. 6917

I’m still not a big fan of modern watches due to their bulky size, but I can appreciate them for what they are. After having primarily worn 40mm Subs/GMTs, I started to be drawn to smaller sized watches (36-38mm), but still true to the vintage and neo-vintage era. When I first started my watch collection, it was about having something with a nice aesthetic appeal that could function as a good tool watch. These were for me, the 4-digit reference Submariner and the GMT.

Ben’s first Rolex: Rolex Submariner Ref. 1680; Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 16750

Tropical dials and stone dials became my next obsession, but this required more patience to wait for the right one to come around. This eventually led to the purchase of my first stone dial Onyx Day-Date to commemorate getting married. I later stumbled on a tropical AP ref. 56175ST, but I didn’t care that the AP was quartz. I just loved that the profile was thin and wore so well at 33mm with the petite tapisserie turning into a tropical caramel tone.

Rolex Date Tropical Ref. 1500; Rolex Day-Date Onyx Ref. 18038

Lately, it’s been about waiting for the right grails to appear and either selling or trading some pieces that I never thought I would want to let go to get them. These became the last few coveted pieces that have entered the collection: 6239 Daytona, Red Jasper Datejust, and a Tropical 5512.

Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239; Rolex Datejust Jasper Ref. 1601/8

What’s the story behind the first watch you ever bought?

I remembered lurking the Rolex forum routinely back around 2013 and was in awe of all the resources shared and the watches worn by different owners. The one watch that started my curiosity and sent me down the rabbit hole was the red Submariner, reference 1680. I couldn’t justify purchasing a red sub as my first watch at the time when it was listed at $11k-13k. So my first vintage Rolex I purchased was the white Submariner 1680 back in 2017 at about half the price of what the red sub was at the time.

I remember Jacek Kozubek wearing his personal red sub at the time when I went to purchase the watch, and it just had all the characteristics I wanted in a red sub. His watch wore an amazing pumpkin patina on the indices with a faded ghost insert and the infamous red text; just perfect in my eyes and I couldn’t stop staring.

Jacek’s Rolex Submariner Ref. 1680; Ben’s Rolex Submariner Ref. 1680, both fitted with TrueDome D19 crystals

What’s the most meaningful piece in your collection and why?

At the moment, the most meaningful piece is my latest acquisition of the Tropical 5512 Submariner. It’s a reflection of my 12 year journey in this hobby. I’ve evolved from the original 1680 white sub, to a 1680 red sub, and now a tropical 5512 sub, which I always felt would be unattainable. This was my version of the “Final Boss” for my vintage Submariner obsession.

Rolex Submariner Tropical Ref. 5512

What’s a brand or reference you think is underrated right now?

I think the vintage Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570 in underrated. They are a good value and have some exceptional patina characteristics, especially with the “Chicchi di mais” variant where the lume plots look like yellow corn kernels and with some dials also aging to a cream hue similar to the earlier ref. 16550.

What’s one watch currently listed on Collected you’re most excited about?

The Rolex Explorer ref. 1016 with “tropical gilt” dial is right up my alley as something that excites me and checks all of my boxes.

What do you think most new collectors get wrong when starting out?

I think most collectors probably get caught up in trying to get the latest reference at retail, or a vintage piece that is NOS unworn condition with box/papers. Most are scared to wear their watch because they are in new pristine condition, costly, or afraid to have them scratched in some way. Watches are meant to be worn, and I would hope it gives the collector the feeling of joy or excitement in making them want to keep looking back at it in admiration like a coveted car, piece of furniture, or architecture.

With modern references, I always tell folks that they can buy a watch that is a year or few years older. They usually have minimal differences and allow for some money to be saved. What’s new this year, won’t be new next year or the year after.

For vintage references, I recommend buying condition first and then layer on the smaller details that matter to you. This could be details like dial variants, patina color on indices, inserts/bezel variants, hands, crown guards, bracelets, finishes, etc. They won’t all be 10/10, so it’s up to the collector to decide which details are non-negotiable to not have flaws, or minimal flaws at the very least.

What trends or shifts in the market are you paying closest attention to?

I’ve noticed a trending interest into vintage Cartier and vintage Patek Philippe pieces. I think it’s great that people are being open to the vintage appeal as an alternative to the shiny modern releases. I love seeing other collectors get passionate about the small design details, which sometimes get overlooked.

If you could add any watch to your collection tomorrow, what would it be?

It would probably be between a 4-digit Paul Newman Daytona and a Patek Philippe World Time 1415. The PN dial is mesmerizing. For the PP 1415, the tear drop lugs paired with the unique hands and engraved locations on the bezel makes it breathtaking.

What else are you into (beyond watches)?

One of my other hobbies is cycling. I have less time these days to cycle, but the approach to my builds is always tied back to specific details and craftsmanship the frame builders are known for.

I’ve owned two frames built by Koichi Yamaguchi, a Japanese frame builder. He was trained as a master frame builder at the legendary 3Rensho company in Japan, building bicycles for professional Keirin riders and he built high-performance bikes for the US Olympic Cycling Team in the 90s.

Yamaguchi Pursuit, Shimano Ultegra group, Zipp 404 wheels

My current Yamaguchi frame was originally created as a pursuit frame, that I’ve since converted into a road bike setup. There is a lost art in the way Koichi builds his frames that have a human touch compared to the new mass-produced modern bikes of today. This is the same way I look at vintage watches compared to their modern counterparts. I appreciate them both differently, but if I had to choose, I would always go with vintage for its uniqueness.