Whilst watching the first season, however, I couldn’t help but to notice that there is a discrepancy on the show which is watch-related. Besides the fact that Sawyer’s hair is noticeably shorter on the first episode of the show than it was during the flashback just before he got on the plane, this one probably went unnoticed by most viewers.

During the 6th episode of the first season, entitled, “House of the Rising Sun,” Jin gets upset at Michael for taking an obviously visible two-tone Rolex Datejust, similar to this one:

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust Mens Watch 116233-SJDJ

Michael, who had no idea of the rightful owner of the watch then returned it back to Jin for a generally happy ending.

But here’s the problem:

I am not sure if Jin had more than one watch on the island, but later on in the season during the finale and then later in season 4 the Rolex Datejust suddenly became a two-tone white-dialed Rolex Daytona with Korean characters etched in the back:

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona Mens Watch 116523-WSO

Either the makers of the show made a mistake or the inhabitants on the “Lost” island are living much more luxuriously than previously thought.

I even hear that the ultra-wealthy are curbing their spending on luxury goods in lieu of these uneasy times.  Apparently though there are still plenty of people out there whose pocketbook has been unaffected in these recent times, because in the recent Sotheby’s “Important Watch” Auction held on April 23, 2008, a new record was acheived for the purchase of a Rolex wristwatch in the tune of a whopping $505,000.00, and here it is:

I don’t know whether or not it is because this watch was previously owned by Eric Clapton (probably not) or because this 1971 “Albino” Rolex Daytona is among the rarest of its kind, but this Rolex set a record for being the second-highest price ever achieved at auction for a Rolex.  This watch is unusual because unlike other Rolex Daytona watches of its time the sub-dials do not contrast in color with the color of the main dial and are instead all silver in color.

No doubt about it, this watch is cool, but in the opinion of your humble presenter, if I were to spend top dollar on a vintage Rolex, I would have one of the more “traditional” “Paul Newman” Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watches any day of the week.

Well yesterday’s episode was business as usual, and there was actually a scene where one of the main characters trades a white dial Rolex Daytona for a gun. I think it was the stainless steel Rolex Daytona, but it could’ve just as well been a two-toned (Gold and Steel) model.

Either way, what a beauty:

Rolex Daytona Oyster Perpetual Men’s Watch White 116520

If you are unfamiliar with the premise behind the show “Lost” I won’t spoil anything for you but just to say that it is largely about a group of people stuck on a remote island in the middle of nowhere. In the show a Rolex Daytona was actually kind of significant in that it was a peace offering between two characters, but I’m here to tell you why a Rolex Daytona, while beautiful, is just as “Lost” on a remote island as the characters are.

First of all, the Daytona has a chronograph, which is good. You can use it to race sea turtles or maybe time how long it takes for the sun to get from one point of the sky to another. All good stuff, but I would imagine that having a date function would be even better so you can at least keep track of the days?

It’s pretty easy to tell that a day has passed by a big noticeable thing called day and night, but the Rolex Daytona has no date function to speak of so I guess you are just left carving tallies on a tree stump.

Another thing about the Daytona is that it is an automatic watch. That means that as the days go by the watch will become more and more inaccurate. The fact that it’s an automatic also means that after five years or so the gears inside will be so crammed full of gunk that it will be inoperable, and should you die or leave it alone for more than a couple days, the watch will stop and you will have no idea how to set it right again.

Well, all this talk has got me thinking as to what watch constitutes the perfect watch for such a desert island, stranded in the middle of nowhere scenario, and I concluded that it must have these characteristics:

1. Solar Powered – Even though I’m a watch purist and only have mechanical watches, a desert island watch would have to be a solar-powered quartz watch. Batteries die and automatics fail, so the obvious choice is a Citizen Eco-Drive because they are the best solar-powered quartz watches that I know of.

2. Metal or Rubber Strap – Leather is a big no no in this case. I need a steel or rubber strap that can take the knocks of desert island life.

3. Good Water Resistance – A watch with good water resistance means that it’ll keep out all the dirt and stuff that might get in the way. You ain’t going scuba diving so it doesn’t have to be that high.

4. Perpetual Calendar – Basically a function that can keep track of your months and days and also account for leap years is a good thing to have. Let’s you know what date it is at all times.

5. Attractive – You are going to have lots of time to be bored so you might as well have something nice to look at, just in case there aren’t any volleyballs around.

So what watch is the perfect desert island watch?

THIS:

Citizen Eco-Drive Calibre 8700 – BL8000-54L Gents Watch

As far as desert island living goes this watch has got it all. As long as there is a sun this thing should last longer than you. You can keep track of the date, and while quartz watches of course lose and/or gain time, it won’t be as bad as a mechanical watch. And as I said it before, what’s the use of time in the middle of nowhere?

It’s also got an alarm. What possible use it could have is beyond me, but it’s nice to no it’s there, and what’s more is that it’s really really attractive. Looks kind of like a Breitling.

I must’ve tried this watch on at least 20 times. You will find this in malls EVERYWHERE I guarantee. I love this watch, but because it’s not mechanical I just can’t pull the trigger on it, but if you plan on being stuck in the middle of nowhere, go for it!