This week, we feature Glenn Mariconda. A passionate collector and member of the Vintage Rolex Forum, Glenn has been part of the Design Department at Ralph Lauren for the RRL brand for many years. He's a collector not only of watches, but off records, antique lighting, union special machinery, and vintage work clothing as well. A real focused collector with great sensibilities about watches and style in general, we are pleased to have Glenn as this week's Horological Minute.

What was your first watch?

My first watch that I had any attachment to was the cult favorite "X" Swatch originally issued in 1988, AKA the "straight Edge" watch when I was in High School. They were very popular in the Punk / Hardcore music scene, and I had to have one. Before Ebay was a thing, I went through some trouble to find mine. I think I ended up trading some records for it. After answering this question, it makes me want it back!

What was the last watch you bought?

I just purchased a 1958 5504 explorer. The 5504 is very interesting and undervalued reference. It's the latest model to have a Stern made Gilt dial with the old 3/6/9 fonts and minute track that were used on the much earlier 6200,6098,6150,6350. I love that it has silver secondary prints (Explorer and super precision) in 2 places on the dial. I'm not sure of another sports model with that detail.

Do you prefer vintage or modern?

I prefer vintage over modern in almost everything that I collect. I'm attracted to objects that are designed in a way that the form follows function. The most iconic / timeless objects in any category have a perfect balance of functionality, durability and are aesthetically pleasing. This type of functional minimalism is the hardest type of design to master, and in our disposable society, excess and embellishment seem to rule. In general, older objects tend to have required much more hand-work and mastery to engineer and create, and were created for a specific purpose. Anything iconic and truly beautiful, only gets better with age, making the user innately attached to it.

Can you remember your last great meal? Where was it and what did you eat?

I like to keep it pretty simple, I just had a great burger at my neighbor's restaurant "James" in Brooklyn.

Do you remember what watch you were wearing?

I was wearing my 1958 5508.

What do you love about vintage Rolex?

When I first started becoming interested in watches, I was attracted to military watches and older chronographs. I loved the understated utilitarian look, and simplicity in design. At the time I had no interest in Rolex watches, I thought they were just for Flash. It wasn't until a year or two later when I started to research, and really understand the evolution of the oyster case, and specifically the Submariner, that I fell in love with Rolex. Every detail of the Submariner evolved for a purpose, and were masterfully engineered. The shape of a rolex watch case on your wrist is perfectly balanced, and nothing beats a Gilt dial with a warm patina. I love vintage Rolex because they are absolutely the most iconic wrist-watch ever.

Strap or bracelet?

I wear both with all of my watches.

GMT/EXPLORER/SUB/DAYTONA or........?

I'd say Submariner for me, although I am becoming very interested in pre-daytona chronographs like the 4500 and 6034 etc..

What do you want to see come out from Rolex at the next Basel Fair?

That's a difficult question. Even though my first reaction would be to see a "vintage" design, Rolex is such a strong brand, with such a broad customer base, that re-hashing or re-issuing vintage models in some ways is a step back as a market leader. If you live in the past, you can't move forward. Do you really want to see the Rolex equivalent of the VW bug re-issue? I would like to see some true innovations and evolutions of the classics, as apposed to strictly aesthetic changes. Im not a fan of oversized cases and embellishments etc.. I'd like to see some more classic sized cases for sure. This might be wishful thinking, as in today's age mechanical wristwatches are luxury items, and pretty much obsolete in terms of a needed function.

What's on your wrist today?

My 4 line 6538 submariner.