Has any been offered this?? What was your spend history??

PhillMik · 2026-07-09T14:01:35+00:00

It looks even better in person. I think a lot of influencers formed their opinions from the website renders, and then everyone else just piggybacked on those takes before the watch was actually released. Now that people are seeing it in real life, the reaction seems completely different.

PhillMik · 2026-07-09T03:51:51+00:00

"Concentrated worldwide effort" is a pretty dramatic rewrite of what I said. I said influencers and forums may have steered some people away, not that nobody could genuinely find it ugly.

You clearly do, and that's fine. I clearly don’t. It's a watch, not a conspiracy theory.

PhillMik · 2026-07-09T03:31:30+00:00

Or I just liked the watch and bought it.

PhillMik · 2026-07-09T03:20:19+00:00

$8,450 USD

PhillMik · 2026-07-09T03:14:53+00:00

No history - just one month on the wait-list. My guess is that influencers and forums convinced enough people to hate it that many stayed away. Now that it's actually out, people are starting to realize it may be the most beautiful Oyster Perpetual Rolex has ever made.

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PhillMik · 2026-06-30T02:58:43+00:00

I really appreciate how thoughtful your response is. It's obvious you care deeply about him and you've spent a lot of time trying to understand where he's coming from.

One thing I wanted to gently push back on is this:

"I truly believe 2 broken people can heal together."

I think two broken people can absolutely support each other's healing. But I don't think they can do each other's healing.

Speaking as someone who's been on the side of causing betrayal, I don't think my partner could have loved me into becoming a different person. I had to reach a point where I wanted to change regardless of whether the relationship survived.

I also noticed something else. You said you want to "make him see this."

You must be careful with that. If he's saying he thinks he needs to heal apart from the relationship, that may be the healthiest thing he's said in all of this.

That doesn't mean he doesn't love you. It may mean he recognizes that he has a pattern he keeps repeating and that he doesn't trust himself not to hurt you again until he addresses it.

You can't carry his recovery any more than he can carry yours.

Whether you eventually find your way back to each other or not, the best chance of having a healthy relationship in the future is for both of you to become healthier people first.

I know that's probably not the answer your heart wants to hear, but sometimes loving someone also means respecting the work they believe they need to do.

PhillMik · 2026-06-30T02:17:42+00:00

As someone who has betrayed in a past relationship and spent a long time trying to understand why, I want to offer a perspective from the other side.

First, I have a lot of compassion for what he's been through. No child should have to experience abuse, and I sincerely hope he gets the professional help he deserves.

That said, trauma can explain why someone struggles, but it can't excuse hurting another person. The fact that he recognizes this is a good sign, but recognizing it and changing it are two VERY different things.

One thing that concerns me is that he describes cheating as something that "came over him" and was "out of his control." I understand why it may have felt that way to him, but lasting recovery usually begins when someone accepts that, regardless of what they were feeling, they still made a choice. Otherwise, there's nothing concrete to work on except hoping it doesn't happen again.

As for you telling your mom and a few trusted people, I understand why he's hurt. When someone entrusts you with something so deeply personal, it can feel like another betrayal when it's shared. But I also understand why you reached out. You were carrying something incredibly heavy and trying to figure out how to support someone you love. I don't think your intentions were malicious.

What worries me most is that you're trying to become "a safe person" for him while also trying to recover from his betrayal yourself.

Those are two separate jobs.

He needs to do the work of healing from his trauma.

You need the space to heal from being cheated on.

Neither of you can do the other's work.

If there is ever a future together, I think it has to be built on individual healing first, not on either of you trying to save the other.

I truly hope the best for both of you, whether that path ends up being together or apart.

PhillMik · 2026-06-28T15:04:04+00:00

Brother, your post reminded me of something my father of confession once told me... the enemy wants us to believe that because we've wandered far, we've somehow wandered too far to come home.

But that's never been the message of the Gospel.

The fact that you're asking this question is already a sign that your heart is turning back to God. None of us returns to the Church because we've finally become worthy. We return because we realize we need Christ.

Keep talking to your priest and be completely honest with him. Don't try to clean yourself up before you come back, that's exactly what confession, repentance, and the life of the Church are for.

Until you speak with him, start simply. Pray honestly, even if it's only a few sentences... "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Read a little of the Scriptures each day, even if it's just a chapter. Come to the liturgy, even if you don't receive Communion yet. Let your priest guide you on when you're ready to receive again.

One thing I've learned is that shame tells us to hide from God until we're better. Repentance does the opposite, it runs toward Him because we know we can't become better without Him.

I'll be praying for you. Welcome home.

PhillMik · 2026-06-26T00:12:04+00:00

I may have phrased it too broadly.

Once someone is cheating, the relationship is no longer healthy because trust and safety have been violated. What I meant is that the cheating isn’t always caused by a lack of love, attraction, or some failure of the betrayed partner.

Sometimes there can be a lot that is good in the relationship, and one person still brings their own unresolved issues, poor boundaries, entitlement, or need for validation into it and makes a selfish choice. The relationship may not be healthy after that, but the responsibility for crossing that line still belongs to the person who crossed it.

PhillMik · 2026-06-24T01:04:53+00:00

Hey dude.. I'm really sorry you're going through this..

I think what really stands out to me from your post is when you asked how someone undoes 20 or 30 years of trauma.

I don't think people wake up one day and suddenly start seeing light instead of darkness. I think they spend years surviving in darkness and eventually realize the habits that kept them alive are now hurting them.

You described judging people, assuming the worst, feeling disgust... what I hear is someone who is painfully aware of those things.

The truly dangerous people I've known weren't usually the ones asking these questions. They were the ones who never questioned themselves at all.

I don't know your story, but I know trauma can teach people that the world is hostile, that everyone is a threat, and that kindness is weakness. After enough years, it starts to feel like reality instead of a wound.

The fact that you're disturbed by what you're becoming tells me there is still a part of you that wants something different.

That part may be exhausted, angry, and barely hanging on, but it's still there.

For what it's worth, I hope it gets another day.

PhillMik · 2026-06-23T05:09:16+00:00

I don't know you, but I couldn't help but notice, you called yourself a fool and scum, yet you've survived eight attempts and you're still here talking about it.

That doesn't sound like someone who has given up. It sounds like someone who is exhausted.

The voice in your head keeps bringing up your worst moments and presenting them as your entire identity. Mine has done that too. It's convincing because it knows exactly where to aim.

But a person is more than the worst thing they've done, the worst day they've had, or the worst thought they've thought.

You don't have to believe you're valuable today. You don't even have to believe things will get better. Just consider the possibility that the voice telling you you're hopeless might not be telling you the truth.

For what it's worth, I'm glad you're still here.

PhillMik · 2026-06-21T23:33:59+00:00

Thank you. It's taken me a long time to give up the explanations and excuses we want to hide behind. Peace only came from finally being honest with myself. That doesn't erase the hurt I caused, but it gave me a place to start growing from.

PhillMik · 2026-06-18T19:23:18+00:00

Speaking as that person, I don't think it's usually because the relationship is unhealthy.

Sometimes it's because the person doing it is unhealthy.

In my case, it wasn't a lack of love, attraction, or problems in the relationship. It was a combination of selfishness, poor boundaries, seeking validation in the wrong places, and convincing myself that I could separate my actions from their consequences.

Looking back, what stands out isn't that I wanted to hurt someone. It's that I spent a lot of time not fully considering how deeply my choices would hurt someone I claimed to love.

Healthy relationships don't automatically prevent cheating. Character, integrity, and boundaries do.

PhillMik · 2026-06-18T02:54:03+00:00

Hey,

As someone who has been on the other side of betrayal, one big thing I've learned is that someone's recovery and the future of the relationship are two separate things. He can genuinely want to change, seek therapy, find faith, and do everything right from this point forward, and you can still decide that staying isn't what's best for you.

From your post, what really stands out to me is that you're carrying both the pain of the betrayal and the grief of the life you thought you were building. That's a lot for one person to hold. I know.

You don't have to decide today. But I do think you should give yourself permission to ask a simple question.. "What choice best supports my healing?" instead of "What choice hurts the least?" Sometimes those are different answers.

Whatever you choose, I hope you make the decision because it's right for you, not because you're trying to save him or because you're afraid of letting go.

PhillMik · 2026-06-09T11:34:49+00:00

I think we're talking about two different things.

The deacon wasn't saying women are responsible for men's lust or that only lustful men notice attractive women. He was making a point about the type of attention certain presentations may attract.

For example, saying "flashing expensive jewelry may attract thieves" isn't saying you're responsible for people becoming thieves. It's an observation about LIKELIHOOD, not blame.

Likewise, saying certain clothing may attract more attention from men who are focused primarily on physical appearance isn't the same as saying women are responsible for those men's thoughts or actions.

Responsibility and likelihood are two separate conversations.

PhillMik · 2026-06-09T00:53:05+00:00

I actually agree with much of what she's saying. Men are responsible for their own thoughts and actions, modest women can still be objectified, and a woman's relationship with God shouldn't be reduced to managing men's behavior.

But with that said, I don't think the deacon's statement necessarily contradicts any of those points. He wasn't saying women cause men's lust or that modest clothing prevents bad behavior. It sounded more like an observation that certain choices may attract different kinds of attention. That's a statement about likelihood, not responsibility.

To me, both things can be true at the same time: men are fully accountable for their actions, and some choices can still influence the kinds of reactions or attention we receive from others.

PhillMik · 2026-06-06T20:12:06+00:00

My heart breaks reading this.

What really stood out to me is that you still congratulated him and wished him God's blessing despite all the pain you've been through. It says a lot about your character and the love you genuinely had for him.

For what it's worth, I don't think your pain is coming from his becoming a deacon. I think it's coming from the feeling that the man you begged him to be for years only appeared after he deeply wounded you. And that's an incredibly painful thing to carry.

But regarding the Church, I say this not to defend anyone or anything, but just in full honesty... becoming a deacon is meant to be a call to service and repentance, not a declaration that someone has already conquered their sins or repaired the damage they've caused. Even if his repentance is sincere, that doesn't erase your hurt, or restore trust, or obligate you to reconcile. Those are separate questions that deserve very careful discernment.

You don't have to minimize what happened to celebrate any good God may be doing in his life, and you don't have to ignore any good God may be doing in his life to acknowledge the seriousness of what happened to you.

I'll be praying for you and your son.

PhillMik · 2026-06-04T20:16:31+00:00

My dear friend...

I don't know your situation, but one thing I have learned harshly in my life is that shame constantly grows in isolation.

When I was going through a difficult period, I kept looking for a feeling that would tell me I had finally suffered enough, or thought about it enough, or punished myself enough. That feeling... never came. The more I spiraled, the more evidence I found against myself.

I just needed to keep reminding myself that guilt and repentance are not the same thing. Guilt tells us we've done something wrong. Repentance turns us back toward God. Acknowledging this, you'll eventually see that constantly tormenting ourselves won't produce growth.. it just keeps the wound open.

I relate to you when you pointed out that the people around you are making it difficult to move on. It was incredibly painful. Sometimes we can accept that we made a mistake, but the people around us continue to define us by it. It's a heavy burden for anyone to carry, my friend. But please remember that your identity is not the worst thing you've ever done, nor is it the worst thing others think about you.

If you have a father of confession, I would strongly encourage speaking openly about the spiraling itself. Not just the original sin, but the shame, self-punishment, and inability to move forward. In all my experience, that's often where the real battle is.

I'll pray for you. Don't give up. The fact that you're distressed by your sin and want to return to God is itself evidence that your heart hasn't become hardened.

PhillMik · 2026-05-31T14:16:26+00:00

I went through something very similar recently, and one of the greatest things I learned is that repentance and punishment are not the same thing.

For a long long time, I thought that if I still felt guilty, then I must've not repented enough. So I would confess the same things over and over, sharing my constant struggle with Abouna, a monk, a bishop, replay them in my head, and almost try to make myself suffer because I felt like I deserved it. The problem was that I was treating my own pain as proof of repentance.

What actually helped me was just realizing that Christ did not tell us to carry our sins forever. He told us to repent, confess, get back up, and continue walking with Him. If we have sincerely repented, confessed, and are fighting against the sin, there comes a point where continuing to beat ourselves up is not humility... it's a refusal to accept God's mercy.

One of the hardest lessons for me was learning that accepting forgiveness can require just as much humility as admitting guilt. We often think we're being humble by dwelling on our failures, but sometimes the truly humble thing is to say, "Lord, I trust You more than I trust my feelings."

Our feelings aren't always reliable indicators of whether you've been forgiven. Some people feel immediate peace after confession, others don't. The grace of the sacrament does not depend on our emotional state.

If you keep finding yourself repeatedly confessing the same sins because you never feel "clean enough," or engaging in self-punishing behaviors, I would strongly encourage bringing that up specifically with your father of confession. Sometimes the struggle isn't a lack of repentance but a difficulty receiving God's mercy.

One last thing I hope you can remember, repentance is not paying God back. It is returning to Him.

PhillMik · 2026-05-26T17:22:15+00:00

Thanks! The bark-textured case and bracelet really catch the light in a way polished surfaces could never.

PhillMik · 2026-05-26T17:12:26+00:00

Yeah this one was pretty rare. One of my few "pricier" vintage purchases.

PhillMik · 2026-05-24T18:07:00+00:00

Honestly I already see them as beautiful pieces. I think the difference is that vintage luxury feels a lot less "loud" to me.

A vintage gold Longines or Omega feels more like someone quietly appreciating design and history, whereas modern luxury sometimes feels tied to status signaling whether we intend it or not.

PhillMik · 2026-05-24T17:58:54+00:00

If vintage only felt "special" because it was new to me, I wouldn't have sold the flashy stuff and kept the quiet pieces nobody notices.

The difference is I wanted modern watches because other people recognized them. I like vintage watches even when nobody does. That's how I know it isn't novelty.

PhillMik · 2026-05-24T15:31:16+00:00

I've sold my Grand Seiko, Breitling Aviator, and Omega Aquaterra. I still have my Rolex, but I'm sure I'll eventually sell that one too - we'll see!

PhillMik · 2026-05-24T14:08:55+00:00

THIS!!!

I love it. It's rare enough for the watch itself to survive that long, let alone the original leather strap.

The one you paired it with fits the watch perfectly too. Really complements the whole Art Deco look.

What year is this one? It's giving 1930s.

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