A while back I posted a short article of my work on CRC-16, CRC-CCITT, and CRC-32.

Few days ago, Joon posted a comment on this post pointing out a ‘typo’ in the program output. It should read, ASCII String ‘123456789′ rather than what was originally posted.

Also, the output in that article is the ‘XModem’ variety, using an initialiser of ‘0000′.

If it is initialised with ‘FFFF’ the output is still in fact CRC-CCITT, and the following was obtained:

File ‘crc_ccitt_direct.c’ compiled on Oct 12 2008 at 14:38:06

CRC pre-conditioner 0xFFFF for CRC-CCITT

ASCII ‘A’ / 0×0041 / 65
CRC-CCITT = 0xB915 / 47381

ASCII String ‘123456789′
CRC-CCITT = 0×29B1 / 10673

ASCII String ‘ABC…XYZ’
CRC-CCITT = 0xD8E1 / 55521

As posted by LeroySaunders on WTF:

Rolex has a style - all its own. Frequently imitated, often replicated, but never duplicated. No other brand can offer such a varied and extensive selection, in such fine fashion. From two-tones to two timezones; platinum to rose gold, white gold and yellow gold and stainless steel. Ceramic bezel, black bezel, black and red bezel, green bezel, red and blue bezel, platinum bezel diamond bezel, fluted bezel, engine turned bezel, smooth bezel, domed bezel, green saphire crystal, lightin’ bolt second hand and red second hand. Date or no date, day and date. A daytona cosmograph that’s a chronograph. From Patrizzi to Celini, from a Prince to a King - Rolex sets the pace. On the land, in the air, on the sea and under the sea, and from the mountain top - it’s been there and done that!

So much for staying silent; no more. The problem lies in the fact that many Rolex owners are used to the ‘classic’ bracelet found on a good portion of the Rolex range today.

The ‘classic’ bracelet design has not changed much, until the GMTII-C was released. This was the ‘dawn’ of a new era for Rolex with many changes that were, initially, met with much disappointment.

A comfortable wristwatch is one that is well balanced on the wrist, and the extremely light ’stamped’ steel bracelets with hollow links do not help matters at all. If one is lucky, they will have Solid End Links (SELs) but this does not prevent the bracelets from constantly ‘rattling’ on your wrist either.

One must argue, for this price point should one not expect much more from Rolex? With the recent price increases and continuing worldwide economic crisis, Rolex have started to price themselves with brands far higher up the horological food chain and for this reason need to offer more bang per $.

Your average consumer is also more likely to be used to decent bracelets from the likes of Omega and Tissot for example. The problem with the classic bracelet from Rolex is not so much a question of whether it will perform its duties, but the ‘cheap’ look when one opens the clasp…and the rattling doesn’t help either.

The first two Rolexes I purchased presented me with this very problem; they both had terrible bracelets in terms of quality, the watches wore top heavy, and the rattling was gnawing on my nerves. …and I did the unthinkable; I purchased the 116201 DateJust which featured a completely solid bracelet with newer style clasp with comfort link and solid rose gold links as well.

With much pondering I decided that it was best to let go of the first two watches in favour of the TT GMTIIC; therefore, my entire collection now sporting the best of Rolex bracelets and then some.

Schematic of the Rolex GMTIIC clasp, detailing its complexity.

Many Rolex enthusiasts however, will continue to blindly defend the classic bracelets. They do offer one advantage, where one is able to ‘micro-adjust’ the length and tension of the bracelet at will. This alone does not justify the poor quality by Rolex in this department, and the new clasp design for the Deepsea Sea-Dweller is testament to this.

116713 above, 116201 below: Notice the solid gold links in the bracelets.

It’s not a question of why bother, but rather why not?

Do not misunderstand me; I am not tooting my own horn, nor am I allowing my bias of any particular models within the Rolex range to colour my judgement.

During the past couple years I have bought and parted with a few Rolexes, visited ADs in London and Geneva in particular - hunting down the ‘perfect’ Rolex. My journey began with my obsession of the Sea-Dweller 16600 - it sang to the engineer within me; a statement of over engineering with an equally illustrious past linked with COMEX and the depths of the ocean…the promise of adventure.

Another model that appealed to me greatly was the ‘classic’ GMT-Master II 16710 - conceived during the dawn of travelling by aeroplanes to combat ‘jet lag’; another masterpiece by Rolex.

The cult icon that is most sought after in SS, the Rolex Daytona, with an in-house manufacture calibre from Rolex and available in SS, WG, YG, and Everose Rose Gold. Other watches on offer include their ever popular DateJust for men and ladies alike as well as the Day-Date at 36 mm as well as the latest offering of Basel 2008: the Day-Date II in 41 mm. Rolex also feature their Yachmaster line with the YMII ‘egg timer’ and Cellini models.

Adhering to the title, ‘The Best of Rolex’, the requirements were:

Latest movement in its class from Rolex
Parachrom Bleu hairspring
The Ceramic bezel
Triplock crown
Solid links and Solid End Links (SEL) bracelet
The best clasp available.

The answer quite simply is, without much of a surprise, the Rolex GMT-Master II 116710, 116713, and 116718. Available in SS, two tone SS/YG, or solid 18K YG (includes an Anniversary model featuring a green dial with glit writing). Technologically, this updated version of the GMTII now referred to among enthusiasts as the GMTII-C (C for Ceramic), it offers the best of Rolex as of 2008 featuring the 3186 movement with Parachrom Bleu hairspring and satisfies all the requirements set forth.

Although the SS GMTIIC is a favourite, with Platinum blasted atom by atom into the bezel numerals, the 116713 and 116718 are coveted by many for the unique blend of black and yellow gold which is masterfully executed by Rolex especially in the two tone model.

Here are some photos of these two models,

Photocredit: TimeZone.com Rolex Forum Member (unknown).