Magic Moments: Part 1
Weir & Sons have been making and marking magic moments since 1869. People are at the heart of our business, both our customers and our staff. Whether it is a self gift or a gift for a loved one, there is a story behind every piece. In a series of three interviews, Weir & Sons chat to one of our longest standing customers, Michael Butler, Retired Managing Director on his love affair with Rolex.
Michael’s love of Rolex began in the 1970s, when he bought his first stainless steel Datejust watch at Weir & Sons. “I always wanted one for some reason, but I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. I grew up in the Liberties, my dad died when I was four, but by the time I was eight I had three jobs.” His boss in the 1970s was a watch fanatic. “He had an old stainless steel Tudor, and the bar across was missing, he bought an Omega, so I bought the Tudor off him, which I paid £20 for, then I traded it in for my first Rolex.”
“If my mother was alive today" he adds, “the first thing she would say is far from it you were reared!”
Michael upgraded to a gold Day-Date Rolex 20 years ago, which he still wears, and has invested in over fourteen Rolex watches as gifts to celebrate important family occasions, which are now being handed down from one generation to the next.
The one that has given him the most pleasure though, is his most recent purchase, a new Datejust Rolex for his wife Anne to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The gift was a surprise; with the help of Weir & Sons, he managed to get Anne to bring in her older model for a service. Unknown to her, she got a brand new version in return. And his secret to 50 years of happy marriage? “Get married in your 20s!” .
Photograph: Kyle Tunney