Can anyone explain Rolex to me?

pjdarcy · 04-01-2022 10:34am #1

Firstly, let me say that I am no expert and I am open to correction on any of the points below.

Secondly, I don't hate Rolex. I think if you can buy a Rolex at retail price then you're buying a decent watch at a decent price.

My confusion is around the watch community's obsession with all things Rolex leading to people asking anything from 15,000 to 20,000 USD for a simple green dial, time only 41mm oyster perpetual on chrono24.

If I look at Rolex watches objectively then I don't see any major innovations, the dials are good but not fantastic, the movements are solid but due to them not being visible through the case back they are not highly decorated, they're not haute horlogerie (although the definition is loose) and they're no more accurate than any other well made automatic watch.

On the plus side, the oyster bracelet is a fine bracelet. I'm not a fan of the presidential but that's just personal preference.

I take my hat off to Rolex though. Their marketing is excellent so the average guy on the street (i.e. not a watch geek) is aware of them as a luxury brand and it's the first watch they'll try to buy if they come into a bit of money.

Also, restricting the supply of their most popular watches obviously increases the desirability but I find it strange that the watch community doesn't see past this obvious trick and realise that the watches are not worth the prices being charged on the grey market.

Cyclingtourist · 04-01-2022 11:02am

It's like having a Rolls Royce on your wrist. Not to say it's the RR of watches it isn't, just that's the perception among the nouveau riche.

Fitz II · 04-01-2022 11:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058225791/can-anyone-explain-rolex-to-me

You have mostly got it. Certain, and I stress certain ,Rolex models are very popular. They are oversubscribed from the Authorised dealers to the point there can be an extensive wait, or a necessity to buy less popular models before they will get you the watch you want. This has lead to a active secondary market where people sell second hand Rolex for a premium. Certain watches can go on this secondary market for twice to three times their retail price. There is also a dark side to it where certain people buy a lot of Rolex from the AD and immediately flip them onto the secondary market for profit. Its been going on a while now. Some would call it a bubble but its in everyone interest that is inside the market to keep it going. Demand far outstrips supply for Rolex at retail prices.

As a watch its not exactly the Rolls Royce of watches. Its more like the Mercedes or BMW of watches. The branding is very good and its one of the most recognisable brands out there. The fact you dont loose money on them, make money or store money in them also makes purchasing them an easy decision. They are universally well made. robust and everyday watches. Brands like Patek, AP and the ultra luxury brands like Richard Mille would be seen as above them. And again in those brands there is an active secondary market and premium. People often use the purchase of a Rolex to mark a special occasion or to celebrate financial success. This is the same with most luxury goods.

If you want something like a datejust, or a two tone Rolex that fairly easy to get and do not fetch premiums. So this is limited to certain models. However these are almost universally the models people want the most. Its easy when you are outside the brand to not see the point, or start to find those inside to be unlikable or foolish. Wheather they be nouveau riche or old riche, they are still riche. But like everything in watches you should buy what you like, and if you like Rolex buy one, but expect to either wait or pay

Pablo_Flox · 04-01-2022 2:04pm

For me they are way over-hyped and for the most part not very interesting design wise. I say get a Solas Equinox and forget the cult of Rolex!

Wibbs · 04-01-2022 4:03pm

Good solid watches from the universally recognised watch brand with a couple of "watches" for life classics like the Submariner. Currently hyped up beyond all recognition and because of that vastly overpriced for what you get. RRP has gone a fair bit up over time too.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118416025#Comment_118416025

and for the most part not very interesting design wise.

That's a huge part of their appeal for many buyers. They're consistent and very conservative over time so no shocks will throw the buyer's market they tend to appeal to. Look at the examples of Mercedes and BMW Fitz gave. They do the occasional oddball, but their bread and butter is soild, conservative middle class suburban cars which they do very well and they have design cues going back decades. When they stray from that they tend to sell less. Same for Rolex.

pjdarcy · 04-01-2022 5:33pm

Thanks guys. I thought I was missing something but it appears that I'm not the only one that thinks they're massively overpriced on the grey market.

893bet · 04-01-2022 5:43pm

Every luxury product is overpriced.

i don’t think Rolex are overpriced on grey market. Market has set the value and they have proven to be fair robust for value retention. However if buying in now on the like of a Batman or BLrO at grey prices i don’t see much short term upside.

Not a good investment to make money at this point but a good value store to enjoy.

For the grey cost there are much better horological options. Up to the buyer to decide if they prefer value retention and liquidity of Rolex over finishing etc. you get with other brands at that price point.

covey123 · 04-01-2022 6:58pm

Of course this is subjective, but taking all marketing, and hype out of the equation,what do some of the longer term watch collectors here consider to be some of the best bang for your buck watches out there, whether it be €500 or €5000 or anything in between, with regard to craftsmanship and finish/design etc, purely based on the quality of the watch itself.

One opinion I came across on a Rolex review on YouTube mentioned something along the lines of "its a great watch for €8000, but will cost you €12,000".

So pound for pound, what are some of the favorites out there?

Cyclingtourist · 04-01-2022 7:05pm

When luxury goods sell at a premium or multiples of retail then something other than normal market forces is operating. People are buying Rolex watches at inflated prices because they can't get them in ADs. Let's not beat about the bush, if you only have the prospect of getting the watch you want from an AD by buying loads of things you don't particularly want from that same AD then the retail price of the watch isn't really what it says on the receipt.

So what's the alternative?

Obviously buy 2nd hand on the grey market. If you want it so badly and can afford the price then that's what you've got to do but if you believe this rubbish about 'they will always maintain value or a modest profit' then beware. The grey market for certain Rolex models is a classic financial bubble and despite what people (many with an interest in maintaining 'value') might tell you all bubbles eventually burst, sooner or later.

scwazrh · 04-01-2022 8:32pm

The Rolex market is hyped up so much now by the flex culture and lads just wanting to show off their wrist candy .Wibbs said it in a post recently that most watches are now just mens jwellery and its right.

Most of the YouTube / Instagram watch stuff is expensive watches on shaved tattooed arms.I’ve seen some of the Buyers in the vids asking how often the battery in their new Rolex needs to be changed … That side of the hobby annoys so much.

And it’s not just social media . I know of two young lads , early twenties who just before Xmas bought Rolex’s each .I said it to them about pooling the money together for a house deposit but the flash watch is more important to them .Renting a house ,getting the bus to work and putting a two tone Rolex on at the weekends.

hitemfrank · 04-01-2022 8:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418339#Comment_118418339

Note to self, do not shave your arm 😂

scwazrh · 04-01-2022 8:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418371#Comment_118418371

You can but I have to mind your watches till the hair grows back

Strumms · 04-01-2022 9:15pm

My Dad has a submariner… he was left it in his uncles will in the late ‘80s, i believe the watch was made in the mid 1970’s…from some googling I ‘think’ the value is around 10,000-12,000 euros give or take…

he wears it about 3 or 4 times a year… wedding, funeral, over Christmas etc…or a night out..

it’s not an ‘exceptional’ looking watch even though it’s in near mint condition…but nice, yes.

my annoying cousin keeps mentioning it to him… “ ohhhh you still have that Rolex Uncle Sean ? Why do you not wear it, would you not sell it or give it away “… my cousin collects watches but I think he better think again if he believes my father will be ‘hinted’ out of a ten grand watch…

893bet · 04-01-2022 10:30pm

Rolex tends to drive some strong opinions. Often from people not even on the slightest qualified to offer the opinions. Strange.

One thing I always found strange is how people say how amazing their marketing is. I tend to disagree. They have spent an absolute fortune to get to their position. A **** fortune on sponsoring global sports events and full page advertising for years and years.

And I don’t think they have really done anything to drive the current situation on. They ain’t limiting supply really IMO. Demand has gone through the roof and they have not been able (or decided not) to fill it all. Probably both. Could they stop building DJ and just build sports. Maybe, maybe not. But it would be a poor business decision.

Their designs don’t really light my fire but I may at some point pick one up again.

Cyclingtourist · 05-01-2022 9:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118417861#Comment_118417861

€500 range Steinhart, €1K-€2 Sinn, €2K-€5K Omega.

Padre_Pio · 05-01-2022 9:38am

It's a great time to work in a Rolex shop. You've nothing to sell.

Rolex is definitely a statement watch more than most others and probably ties into the Instagram persona that a lot of people are trying to cultivate.

Fitz II · 05-01-2022 9:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419872#Comment_118419872

Not really, they get to sell Stienharts, sinns and omegas to people who really want a Rolex as "relationship" pieces.

893bet · 05-01-2022 9:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118417861#Comment_118417861

The two that spring to mind for me are

1) Nomos are great bang for buck at lower end. Great finishing and design.

2) Breguet at the higher end.

893bet · 05-01-2022 9:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419872#Comment_118419872

I dunno. They get accused of being snotty but I suspect having to explain 40 times a day to people that they can’t have the watch they want gets tiresome to the point that they become dismissive.

Then they have to maintain the straight face while they try and sell them an Omega at full retail. What about some a diamond bracelet for your wife Sir.

Fitz II · 05-01-2022 10:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419925#Comment_118419925

Hey these are just snotty neaveaux riche instagram people so you can be as rude as you like to them.....it would appear. 😂 I am sure the odd hard working salt of the earth type gets some friendly fire but a small price to pay.

Cyclingtourist · 05-01-2022 10:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419895#Comment_118419895

I agree as regards Steinharts but not as regards Sinn and Omega. Steinharts are mostly modelled on popular but over-hyped/priced Rolex models and are an affordable alternative. Sinn have a different aesthetic and Omegas like the Aqua Terra are good watches that have their own following and you can still buy good examples used for under €5K. You could have included Tudor which is the quintessential Rolex relationship brand.

Edit: BTW AFAIK Sinn aren't sold in ADs.

893bet · 05-01-2022 10:07am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419951#Comment_118419951

Exactly. And the likes of me who is a more discerning independent style watch collector I can also look down at you Rolex loving wannabe car salesmen types.

Fitz II · 05-01-2022 10:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419976#Comment_118419976

First rule of watch club is "buy what you like" second rule of watch club is "Ignore rule 1 if you like Rolex your a fool to buy it, like they are not even that nice man, and people who have them are twats, and half them are fake anyway". 😕

Flinty997 · 05-01-2022 10:39am

You might call it marketing.

But Brand engineering adds monetary value.

Wibbs · 05-01-2022 10:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418950#Comment_118418950

One thing I always found strange is how people say how amazing their marketing is. I tend to disagree. They have spent an absolute fortune to get to their position. A **** fortune on sponsoring global sports events and full page advertising for years and years.

I would say that in the last couple of decades their marketing has been pretty average but again consistent. I would regard the marketing of their founder to be the amazing end of it(with a later blip of genius in the 60's/70's).

Though people think of Rolex as Swiss today, they were much more an British/English company in outlook and market for much of their history. Their founder Wilsdorf was a strong anglophile, founded the company in London and even the name Rolex was invented to make it easier for English speakers to pronounce, recognise and remember. Consider their "budget" brand(or at least the one that survived); Tudor. Couldn't get any more English than that, even had the Tudor Rose as a logo for years. Remember "our man in Venice" and the French dollybird informing us how to correctly pronounce Swiss brands? Or the same guy's vid on how to pronounce Omega? Not required for Rolex.

What Wilsdorf spotted in the British market was an opening. And remember in 1908 Britain had the largest empire the world had ever seen. Swiss watches were the underdog in many ways. People wanted to buy "local". The Swiss sold their unbranded movements and dials to British suppliers who flogged them off to retailers who put their name on them. A gentleman would look for a Harrods or Asprey wristlet rather than an Omega or Zenith, or Longines or IWC(IWC were more a movement supplier than a watch brand back then, though their name was their way to go "international"). They even supplied movements in gilt finishing because that's what British watchmakers did.

Wilsdorf started to take the American approach to branding and marketing and fought to have his "British" Swiss watches named on the dial. That was a ballsy decision back then, but it worked. By the 1920's the British market was looking for Swiss brands more than retailers. That was all Wilsdorf. Rolex used local British celebrities to market their wares. Something also new to that market, but common in the US. He even nicked the waterproof watch in a goldfish bowl image for his "Rolex Oyster" marketing from a US campaign by Elgin/Depollier of a decade earlier.

So Rolex became the solidly middle class "good watch" of Britain and her empire. This was further reinforced in WW2 when alone among the Swiss brands Rolex supported Britain and refused to sell to the Nazis and sold them at massive discounts to British POW's. Again a brave move at the time. So it's not a shock a certain Ian Fleming owned one and put one on the wrist of his oh so British spy. And the next phase began...

Outside of Britain and her commonwealth Rolex were essentially unknown. If you look at US ads or industry mags from the 1950's Rolex are nowhere(they're not seen that often in European or even Swiss periodicals). They had tried to make inroads by gifting US dignitaries and presidents with their watches, but it didn't take off with the public. The huge success of James Bond helped. That was their "Omega Moonwatch" moment. As did the 60's American gra for all things "British" on the back of the Beatles etc. Rolex then threw big money into US advertising in National Geographic, Time magazine etc marketing their watches as adventurer pieces worn by sponsored "sporty" celebs. This massively expanded the brand recognition and they copied that to other markets. They also did less obvious things like heavily discounting their watches through American military PX's to get them out there as the military man's watch. They had tried to get the US military to buy them directly, but they were rejected as being overpriced and prone to leaks of all things. You'll notice that a lot of the time when an old American guy shows up on their antiques roadshow with a NOS Rolex from the 1960's he's a ex military chap who bought one when he served. And interestingly rarely wore.

So by the 70's in America Rolex had become the solidly middle class "good watch" there too. They just about weathered the quartz/digital crisis and were perfectly placed to get in on the mechanical revival. Consider the Daytona. A hard sell that pretty much didn't. It gained an automatic movement in the late 80's and with the resurgance of mechanical and initially with a sudden popularity in the Italian market of all places it finally started to sell in decent numbers. And then the internet happened...

The sponsorship of global sporting events keeps their name in lights. Most watches are not sold to watch geeks, but to muggles 😁 everyday people who watch sporting events. It had very much worked for Longines in the past. They had been pretty much the sporting timer brand for decades, but then they ran out of money during the 70's. IIRC the 72 Olympics was the last one they sponsored. Today they throw money at equestrian events which works very well in Asian and Arab markets were they sell a lot of their watches. TAG Heuer got huge in the 90's on the back of F1. When Seiko wanted a worldwide audience they sponsored the Olympics too(1964). Rolex sponsoring sporting events is good marketing.

Another thing Rolex do is keep a dignified distance in thier marketing. They avoid making historical claims of innovation, preferring to leave that to the fanbase ensuring plausible deniability(and they got stung a few times in the past when they did make such claims). Unlike others they won't even authenticate their own vintage watches and have in the past removed the patina and history of pieces in servicing(though they're not alone in that) and still the fanbase remains loyal.

Cienciano · 05-01-2022 7:53pm

Imagine nasa went with Rolex instead of Omega, god help us

Wibbs · 05-01-2022 10:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118423214#Comment_118423214

It could have happened I suppose. Though Rolex's only offering close to their requirements was the Daytona, which was about as popular as a fart in a spacesuit at the time. It was likely not even on their radar. NASA were pretty lax in their watch requirements. They only tested a few watches and a couple of them had the same movements. They clearly weren't that pushed and it was a late addition to the programme(or program 😁). If you were designing an actual watch for spaceflight and especially EVA's none of the ones they tested were much use in reality. Too small, pretty much impossible to operate in an EVA suit with pressurised gloves. If they were to design one from scratch it would have likely been more along these lines:

A 1930's Zenith bombadier's "wrist" watch. Massive, a stopwatch and easy to use with gloved and clumsy fingers.

pjdarcy · 07-01-2022 10:17am

Federico talks a little about Rolex hype in his video today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxk2H23LG0&t=192s

Cyclingtourist · 07-01-2022 7:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118431887#Comment_118431887

I think he said 'nouveau riche', in fact I'm sure he did.

893bet · 07-01-2022 7:49pm

Not so fat anymore fed seems to have changed his position a lot in the last 6 months or so. He had a fair few Rolex and sold them off. Was always on about his Hulk and how much he loved the watch. Then recently he sold it to some “schmuck” (literally what he said !).

I think it’s a small angle from him a little bit. Rolex sell themselves and he is trying to push some of his base in other directions.

I relatively like him still. Short snappy videos that’s are purely opinion based. I no longer watch any of the DITL videos. Jesus they are repetitive.

Fitz II · 07-01-2022 8:39pm

Fed (well done for loosing so much weight, looking good buddy) was very sore about the pepsi he sold to TGV for a song a few years back and then TGV ghosted him like is his way. After that he sold all rolex but his hulk. As 893bet says he tend to push other watches a lot of breguet, piaget and the likes, and he sells them in his shop. He has some good points, but his ire at the Rolex scene is quite personal.

Wibbs · 07-01-2022 11:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118436038#Comment_118436038

+1 While their opinions might be interesting, you can never trust a dealer in such things.

15-01-2022 7:46am

May get me permabanned quicker than current affairs, but enjoy all

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WcnmMW5p6RM

Fitz II · 15-01-2022 8:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118478522#Comment_118478522

Its obvious that a fake Rolex on even the most cursory of glances, but still good click bait if your into that sort of thing.

15-01-2022 8:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118478567#Comment_118478567

I fondly remember a fake rolex that a relative gave me. Looked great to begin with but obviously ersatz. Its still keeping time 20 years later, no service or anything

Chiparus · 16-01-2022 9:11pm

It's the only piece of jewellery I wear , I worked hard for it.

893bet · 16-01-2022 9:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118486575#Comment_118486575

Pictures help! What you got?

Chiparus · 20-01-2022 10:34pm

Gmt II, 16710 Coke and a 116713 ( I think )

Slutmonkey57b · 03-02-2022 8:49am

As Wibbs so carefully documents, Rolex were always a safe, unimaginative, middle class brand. The "retirement watch". The thing that's driving their value now is, I think, down to two factors : resale hype and income insecurity.

In the 50s someone who was working a middle class job could reasonably expect to be able to get a mortgage, buy a house, set up a family and have a few nice things on a single salary without having to be in a very demanding career,then retire on a defined benefit pension scheme. Expensive things like watches weren't unobtanium, and fewer people felt the need to buy more than one anyway. "dad's watch" was... Dad's watch, the watch he owned. Not "the one he invested in". If you were buying one watch, you wanted something reliable and rolex were always mechanically solid.

Now, people need two salaries to buy a house and raise a family, or work in an extremely demanding field. Adjusted for inflation, lots of things are vastly more expensive than they used to be. Pensions aren't guaranteed and won't go very far. People need a store of value that will appreciate, and rolex has done plenty of that in the media ("this man put a rolex worth two months salary in a safe 40 years ago and now it's worth half a million!"). Once that "store of value" antique-ness is established, it doesn't go away easily, something becomes worth that because it was historically always worth that, and so on so long as the market doesn't saturate and it's kept in the public eye.

It's tough to call someone a "schmuck" for spending money they have on something they want, but ultimately something is only expensive if it's not worth what you're paying for it. Given the state of what people are paying or doing to get their hands on something as boring as a sub, it's not unfair to say that a lot of the people driving the hype market are, indeed, schmucks, but that's true of any market which is overheated.

The datejust is a great example of 40's and 50's jewellery styles, which tended towards bulky, inelegant, coarse pieces with bad proportions. The fluted bezel looks like someone's taken a hatchet to it and doesn't maintain its looks well over time, the cyclops creates an ugly bulge in the dial which is also anti - functional because it restricts your view to a single angle and distorts what you're seeing at the single angle you can read it, and the dial looks like it has this ugly gritty texture to it. Nonetheless, it sold well and kept its resale value. Can I explain why? Nope. The best explanation is that there are loads of people who were told by someone "that's the safe watch to get" and a self fulfilling prophesy was born.

fat bloke · 03-02-2022 9:01am

Question. Tis a quare business that doesn't have anything to sell, so putting the under the counter / out the back door unobtainables aside. What Rolexes CAN you walk into a shop and buy? What's there for the spontaneous lotto winner looking for wrist - bling immediacy?

Or are they all "if I can have it then I no longer want it" unfashionable duds?

scwazrh · 03-02-2022 9:08am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574244#Comment_118574244

Apart from the pieces that are manufactured in extremely small annual quantities Most Rolex are all available fairly quickly if your willing to spend enough money in the store . So your example of a lotto winner can spend say €50k and is pretty much guaranteed a steel sub within weeks .

As mentioned loads of times here , there’s no Rolex shortage there’s just plenty of people willing to pay more than list price for them . And now everyone expects to pay more than list so it’s become a vicious circle.

Slutmonkey57b · 03-02-2022 9:10am

Wrist - bling is available from loads of watches that aren't rolex, the only difference is Johnny on the street has heard of rolex. If you win the lottery then you could buy a Jacob & Co that would be guaranteed to out bling any rolex.

fat bloke · 03-02-2022 10:16am

Absolutely true but, to be fair, this is a Rolex thread :).

All the talk is about what you can't buy. I was interested to hear what you could.

Wibbs · 03-02-2022 12:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574258#Comment_118574258

yep. Rolex make around a million watches a year. Since 2000 there's likely twenty million of the things out there. There is no shortage. Chrono24 has ninety pages of subs. There has been a trend where grey dealers and flippers were and are throttling supply for fun and profit and consumers have bought into this.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574206#Comment_118574206

When I think of Rolex, I'd like to claim it's the no date Submariner, but in reality it's the Datejust. In two tone.

It's the Rolex in many ways. Unlike the Sub, it's entirely their design(with the fluted bezel referencing their first Oyster cases) that didn't look like any other watch before it, though many copied it afterward. At first the watch of the initially British solidly middle class suburban accountant who hangs around with other golfists at the weekend, and then to the world. Pretty much all of their other mens and womens watches(other than Cellini which nobody wants) come from this as genesis. Get rid of the fluted bezel and you have the Explorer, add funky hands you get the Milgauss, add a rotating bezel and you have the Sub, add Mercedes hands in the 60's to all but the Datejust and Milgauss and with the exception of the Daytona you pretty much have the range covered*. Rolex used to have a much wider design language, but by the 60's that was pretty much done and dusted and they've stuck to that since. Because quite simply that conservatism sells. It helped them weather the quartz/digital crisis because there were enough mostly older guys who wanted the bay windowed semi d in a nice area on the wrist. No other watch or brand comes close to Rolex position on that score and they've expanded it across the globe and have even got into the actual luxury tier. Up until the last decade or so they were never in that bracket, beyond vajazzled gemstone horrors previously only loved by potentates of countries you'd find hard to place on a map and widely derided in the hobby and by normal people, and for good reason. Now you have influential collectors like John Mayer proudly holding up Liberace's codpiece as a good thing. 😁 T'is a mad world Ted.

*The Daytona didn't seem to know what it was other than as a response to the 60's fashion for chronos and only really got self confident in the 90's and then as bling rather than 'tool watch'. The 60's ones are far more legible and much nicer to look at IMHO, though aren't a patch on Heuers at the time. To be fair Heuer were the design house for chronographs.

Fitz II · 03-02-2022 12:05pm

Its just a highly desired brand, especially certain models, and lets be honest those are the models you want. While its nice...bordering on convenient, to elevate yourself above Rolex or maintain your lack of interest in Rolex as a brand, the desirability is there. Perception has become the reality and there would have to be a sudden, and historically unprecedented change in the view of the average buyer for things to change . Sure there are some cases many many years ago when certain models were less desirable than they are today, but in the hear and now I can offer you up 5:1 examples the other way.

People take a view based on their own bias and level, cherry pick their examples and analogies, and predict the future with equal certainity but equal futility.

Insert car analogy that is then dismissed and taken as the strawman refute for the argument is was analogising....

Rolex thread drinking game. (clever puns allowed)

1 shot : "Tulips", "hype" "flexing" "instagram" "AD" "waiting list" "grey market" "Daytona" "any watch youtubers name" "Patek" "store of wealth" "investment grade"

2 shots : "relationship piece" "speculator" "douchebag" "Richard Mille" "Vintage market" "Connor McGreggor" "John Mayer" "Hodinkee"

3 shots : "quartz crisis" "bussdown" "China market" "Mercedes hands" "

scwazrh · 03-02-2022 12:26pm

It tends to get nearly overlooked now due to the silliness and games but the fact remains that they are an incredible high quality watch.

for me if I ignore the marketing, financial value , brand perception and just pay attention to the watch as an object to wear , a Rolex on the wrist simply feels nicer and better than any other brand I’ve worn with Tudor a close second.

Wibbs · 03-02-2022 1:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574244#Comment_118574244

Their dress watch Cellini range isn't on the radar, even though grey dealers have been trying to pimp them for years, so I'd imagine you could just go and buy one? On the business front Rolex are happy out. They could double their output and sell all their watches. I could see the authorised dealer network being a bit unhappy, but I'd imagine they might be getting more through the door buying stuff on the back of the Rolex draw? When they do get supply of Rolex models they fly out the doors. Guaranteed sales. As Scwazrh said if you have the cash you can get what you want today and wait for the courier. Just not at RRP.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575221#Comment_118575221

Rolex quality has most definitely gone way up. Where once their bracelets were decidedly meh, they now produce the best bracelets out there. Where once their movements and finishing were a very good reason to have solid casebacks, they've come on in leaps and bounds. Same goes for Tudor. This isn't fifty years ago either. Compare a 90's or early 00's Rolex Sub to a brand new one and the difference is obvious. Over the last few years I've seen Rolex current fare guys considering going vintage to expand in that direction and after viewing them in the flesh were struck by this difference and usually a nope followed.

Now advances in manufacturing have raised all boats, but a standard 'basic' Omega Speedy from today isn't nearly as obviously different from a Speedy from 1970. A 1970 Sub and a new one is chalk and cheese in the hand. Actually I'd add TAG into the Rolex camp on the improvements front. A new TAG reissue is streets ahead of the original Heuer offerings, which after having several over the years, while very pretty were about as resilient as an egg in a cement mixer. Top tier brands like AP and PP have improvements too of course, but a lot fewer, as they were always top tier quality. If you had a 1972 NOS Royal Oak and stuck it in an AD's window with brand new ones, few would spot the odd one out.

Slutmonkey57b · 03-02-2022 1:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575092#Comment_118575092

Two tone... I'm mildly appalled. 😂

Whenever I see one the image that pops in my head is "flavio briatore with no socks, hustling a new batch of underage trafficked girls onto a boat". Which is not what the rest of the watch buying public sees, I'll freely admit!

893bet · 03-02-2022 1:59pm

Cellini is due a refresh pretty soon.

Daytona, OP, Sub, explorer and gmt all got refreshed recently.

If ye think the Rolex market is mad have a look at the steel Patek and Ap market.

scwazrh · 03-02-2022 2:26pm

@Wibbs Compare a 90's or early 00's Rolex Sub to a brand new one and the difference is obvious.

I was surprised by this recently.I had myself convinced I wanted an explorer2 , the polar 16570 .Drooled over it online for months , watched Bark & jack videos on it a silly number of times and stared at as many Instagram photos as I could find .Was passing Dawson’s just after Xmas and they had one in the window, tried it on and it was completely underwhelming.It wears very small ,the bracelet felt cheap , even the dial just looked uninteresting .I’ve the same want for a 14060 but keep putting of trying one in case I have the same reaction to it.

Fitz II · 03-02-2022 2:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575737#Comment_118575737

Rootbeer is a beautiful watch, in person its absolutely fantastic. Just needs to shake the image of TT. My wife has the ultimate TT datejust...must put up a pic later. While I would not wear it, its mesmerising. Remember ladies Rolex outsells mens buy a good margin (ladies being 36mm and under althouh some would suggest 36 is unisex, that up to the person). Root beer has also increased in resale value a lot in the last few months, about ten grand.

Can anyone explain Rolex to me?

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