Why do people focus on value and cost? I have been buying Rolex watches now for 20 plus years I used to be obsessed with the Daytona and simply got a WG which was easily available. After that the SS was a bit pants to be honest. Being in my line of work; that watch went with me on exercise and on runs and firing rounds on battle camps etc. People used to always home in to the cost which I would simply reply so what it’s a watch it’s meant to be worn. At no point when I am wearing a watch has the cost/ value being a factor.
Starts of do I like it yes, or oh I fancy a bit off pink or whatever or my mood.
Last edited by shoppy; 16th January 2021 at 18:50.
From the outside it does have a bit of a bubble feel about it.
When you see people's collections for 5 near identical Subs and then something as a daily wearer I can.only see those purchases are an investment. With enough people buying in as somewhere better than a low interest savings account, or bitcoin, it's no surprise prices & scarcity are on the rise.
Stories of AD behaviour puts me off trying to get an Explorer but not Rolex in particular. Though price rises over the last few years don't help either.
Because some Rolex watches started of at a cost of around Tudor territory for many people. Also not all Rolex watches start circa £7k you can buy many used watches for less and many new for less also; it’s a choice only you can make.
My Tudor BB58 that I purchased this week; it cost more than my first Rolex watch.
Last edited by shoppy; 16th January 2021 at 20:39.
Given the increase in value of many Rolex’s, I now wear my Seiko SBDC101 nearly all of the time.
I own a subC. I don’t want to own another Rolex. In fact I’m not sure I want to own the Rolex I have got.
I sold mine last year. A colleague, who knows I like watches and own a few, spotted it. "Ooh, a Rolex" etc. I work with him regularly and have worn probably dozens of different watches over the years. Many of them much rarer, more interesting and more valuable. But the "R" got the "ooh".
Why? Because it's a brand. More than that it's A BRAND.
As for the watches, they're OK. Not great. Terrible vfm. Great residuals. Good investment (at the moment, and if you can get one.) Shitty company, though, from top to bottom (AD to HQ).
Would I wear an old one, say, a 1016 or 5513? Hell yes. Beautiful things, even if Rolex didn't actually "make" them (in the way that Omega et al. did).
If you're into horology or history there are many more brands out there, new and vintage, that won't get "noticed" (whether by colleagues or muggers). Of course, some people want to get noticed.
Re: Of course, some people want to get noticed.
Agree. And they often think the easiest way to get noticed on a watch forum is by repeatedly talking about Rolex this and Rolex that or Rolex owner this or that.
Ah, the irony......
Stunning!
My thoughts.....even if i get one it won’t get worn as I don’t want to scratch it! Learnt that lesson.
Nominally perhaps. Im sure you'll get a hefty amount of Venezuelan Bolivars for your precious trinket.... would you want them lol.
Priced in troy ounces of gold, perhaps not such a great investment. In fact, watches are probably one of the worst "investments" one can make.
Last edited by 744ER; 17th January 2021 at 21:59.
The prices have gone up in all currencies. Whether overall the prices have outstripped inflation or other investment vehicles can be debated.
In general I don’t t believe it is a worthwhile, healthy or a useful discussion I.e talking about prices or appreciation but unfortunately every Rolex discussion descends into this garbage.
I am not sure why people who don’t want Rolex or are over Rolex feel this continued need to justify their choices
Are they trying to convince themselves or are there other considerations?
No, Its just that. I got some newsletter from watchpro or whatever that read just like the newsletters i get from SeekingAlpha, it was only about values and trends of the "popular" models 5711, 116500 etc... No one genuinely cares about the actual watches anymore, just prices.
I agree with 744ER, plus I'll add a couple more reasons:
1. Many non-Rolex threads, eventually, can become boringly Rolex-related.
2. Rolex’s success can influence the market more broadly.
While I’m not a Rolex-hater, it's tedious how often any thread can become Rolex-related.
When I first started this hobby (and even before, when I was a snot nosed kid peering into jewelers windows filled with lust - ok I still do this) Rolex was the pinnacle. The lighting hand on the milgauss, the colours on the GMT bezel, were all fascinating to that younger me, plus of course the name ROLEX, however as I became more knowledgeable the luster started to dull.
First was discovering that there were brands considered to be a level above Rolex, I dislike putting manufacturers into 'slots' and truly this should not matter but there are manufacturers who solidly trounce Rolex in every single regard horologically and historically. Then there was discovering that the majority of their wonderful 'firsts' and 'achievements' were mostly just clever marketing. Last is that now I am affluent enough to be able to afford one - on a good year - there are all kinds of hoops to jump though if I wish to buy one at retail price.
Putting these 3 together I refuse to pay over the odds for a marque that is overhyped and lacks history. For the money I would have to spend on one I could get one - or more - watches that I would enjoy more and that had far better horological chops.
There are also a myriad of smaller, pettier reasons that I no longer consider the marque, the eternal 'is that real' questions, the risk of getting mugged for something that is universally recognised as being expensive, the strange design choices made, YM2 - just why?, the sizes - I have large wrists and a 40mm dive or GMT looks lost on it, the wideboy / essex / car dealer reputation, the list goes on.
Of course this is all personal to me, if you like the brand then good for you but for me it was a brief lust for something before I knew better.
You could make the case that the sheer image and market power of Rolex provides a boost for the whole watch industry, and that everyone gains as a result. Imagine if there were no Rolex...the industry would seem far weaker.
So, to me, it seems a ‘win win’ situation.
Slowly but surely I'm heading for the moment where I will sell my 14060. I simply don't wear it often enough. And I can use the watch' value for other things in life. (Now retired, the money will buy me a nice sailing boat I can enjoy over and over again).
M
Consider myself very lucky to have owned 42 since 1985, some beautiful, some disappointing, one stolen and amongst others a daytona meteorite, 11 GMT’s and god knows how many subs/SD’s
Just have the original ‘85 Air King Date and Mrs Goat has a nice Op datejust.
Not remotely interested in the current crop due to the premium and instagram/image nonsense.
So to answer the question, “yes” ,pretty much.
Fair enough. But it typifies how we are so caught up in the image rather than the actual product.
This is not directed at you:
Ofcourse there are ‘better’ or ‘superior’ choices which one can always make. Personally many of the ‘pretty’ watches from niche and some not so niche brands that raise a gaggle of oohs and aahs here but leave me pretty much unimpressed but I hardly find the need to deride them or pen essays on why I don’t want them.
That is the most amusing part for me. People who don’t want a Rolex seem more fussed over Rolex than those who do. It is a bee in their bonnet that they can’t get rid of. I find it equal doses of amusing and sad.
There's an interesting video on YouTube about how to get the "unobtainable" Rolex models from your local ADs. I have no association with the guy in the video, make of it what you will... https://youtu.be/QYOfF4jgqaU
I think the point is the landscape is changing ... or indeed has changed.
A number of people who currently own Rolexs bought some time ago are now off put by what Rolex ownership is now ... so that leaves you conflicted; you like the watch you bought years ago but don't maybe like what it has come to represent or indeed the value of it no longer sits well with your own personal values or indeed your concerns about being mugged.
Some of these cost less than the £7k some may have cost a smudge more. My yachtmaster has been to the range and been worn whilst rounds were fired so not just for looks I think it’s quite stealthy and has been worn for the last week non stop.
To go back to some of the points raised in this post; my oldest watch is coming up to 21 years and newest is 3 week old. Price has gone up but the reasons for buying the watches I like has not changed. I like watches and have done since my first watch aged 3. I like what I like and have worn watches as I see fit. Not been overly bothered about other people in praticular what they think or what they may do.
Has my thirst been quenched the reply no as I have just asked my AD for two more watches.
This Z blue has been on ranges, exercise in the US and been to Afghanistan.
This Tudor cost me more than my first Rolex GMT.
Last edited by shoppy; 18th January 2021 at 14:18.
Sorry MickP but I don't understand what point it is you are attempting to make; why would I sell my Rolex; I like it ... it is a great watch ... I just don't like what the Rolex brand has become and the value of it makes me uneasy ... is that too hard for you to understand?
The price thing I get. I bought a BLNR for £6k and I was happy wearing that anywhere then it became a near £12k watch and I was a little uneasy wearing it sometimes. A bit "who do you think you are?" Especially next to a Sub ND. Then I bought a D-Blue for £10,350 and it cured me. In my head they're all about £10k plus or minus a bit so all vaguely worth the same amount so can all be work whenever as equal risk.
This seems to me the right perspective to have. Life is too short to worry about how your watch brand is perceived or if people you might not like on Instagram also own your watch. I don't know that being concerned about such things is necessarily any better than buying a watch specifically because of how it will be perceived by others. In either case, what's lost is that a watch should be purchased and retained for its own sake, how it makes you feel, and, over the years, for the memories it evokes.
My current daily wearer is a Black Bay 58, which I love for its own sake and wear with pride for that reason. The fact that it's not a submariner or the relationship between Tudor and Rolex doesn't mean much to me. I just like the watch. I have a couple of Rolexes and feel the same about them. I might not like the hoops one has to jump through to buy a new Rolex these days, or the fact that for some people a Rolex is no doubt largely about showing off the brand name. But these things don't however change that Rolex makes some great watches, and I love mine.
I think it's a fairer point that one might prefer to be low key and dislike the 'flashiness' of the Rolex brand. Yet I don't think this is a recent thing, regardless of Instagram. Rolex has been sufficiently known and idolized as the layman's grail watch as far back as I can remember.