Good post; I too now use the BB58 every day; it's a great watch and suits my needs very well. It's still and expensive watch but relatively modest.
When I grew up Rolex was the watch worn by heros; now it is a brand worn by celebrities and wannabees ... well that's my perception of how the brand has changed over the years ... All those adverts in NG set the tone for the brand for me as a kid ...
These are the ads that evoked my thoughts of the brand worn by heros; the one showing Rodney Patterson sailing in an FD was on my bedroom wall.
Surely benchmark it against the currency you bought it in. If it's worth more GBP now then the amount of GBP you handed over for it, allowing for inflation, then it's gone up. Simples.
I've never been remotely interested in buying a watch as an investment personally. But I do like to know I can get my money back (or at least close enough) because I don't think you can truly know a watch until you've owned it for a bit, so that does feature heavily in my purchasing decisions as I don't want to take a big hit moving it on if needed.
Personally I don't see why people are hassling you, your comment seemed very reasonable to me. If I had a watch that trebled in value over a few years to say £15k value, I'd of course be happy but also feel less comfortable about wearing it too.
I'd love to own a bog standard second-hand Submariner one day just because it's the original and an iconic design, but otherwise I have little interest in the brand.. the stories about the snobbery associated with them and the dealership and servicing network honestly makes me laugh. It sounds like being in an abusive relationship, frankly.
If I had a Sub, I'd just get it maintained by an independent like Duncan @ Genesis and have little else to do with the brand.
[QUOTE If I had a watch that trebled in value over a few years to say £15k value, I'd of course be happy but also feel less comfortable about wearing it too.[/QUOTE]
I struggle to get this; the watch has increased in value(yeah great stuff) but so what? What does that have to do with enjoying wearing the watch?
If it’s doubled or tripled does that make it any less capable? You purchased the watch to wear and that should not have changed. Insure it for replacement value and carry on enjoying said watch.
Thank you for sharing these; they are beautiful! I agree entirely; they show off what for me is the essence of the brand in a way seeing a blinged out Rolex on a celebrity wrist just doesn’t. Still, there is some comfort in knowing that multicolored OPs and rainbow Daytonas or not, Rolex still makes watches with the same handsome, no nonsense looks. It is what you make of it.
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Since the 90s I've worn a GMT or Submariner daily without thought - the first cost me £2k and then I traded through a few models without further expense. Until recently the value really wasn't a consideration, but now it's 4 times more valuable I've become more conscious in certain situations - and similar to Montello perhaps a little uncomfortable - riding the underground at night, in foreign cities etc..
Also I guess I'm moderately averse the being thought of by some as 'brandishing bling' - never used to be a consideration when only the wiz community and other owners actually noticed.
Having said all of that, I love the watch and won't get rid of it - even though in the last year it has rarely been chosen ahead of the Fitbit or Seiko!
Correct. Everyone knows you’d wear a Bremont
I’ve recently - as in a month ago, bought my first Rolex. I didn’t buy it because it’s a Rolex, I bought it because it ticked every box I wanted in a watch. I’d ran the gamut of the black, understated, good quality under the radar every day watch, and always found something that bugged me.
Sarb033, crap bracelet. Tudor Ranger, straight end links, bit big. Hamilton Khaki King, bit fussy, too reflective. Tudor BB41; very close, but like the Ranger a bit big. Sinn 556i. Fantastic, but very toolish. Close to pulling the trigger on an Omega AT in black, but the PCL’s and butterfly clasp put me off - a dress bracelet on a sports watch.
I knew what I wanted was either an Explorer or an OP39, more so the OP as it was more understated and wore a tad smaller, visually, due to the domed bezel. But it was now discontinued and I didn’t want to pay inflated grey prices. Then one come up on here. It had everything; classic understated design, killer proportions, a no frills fully brushed sports bracelet & clasp, and a great engine under the hood. So I got it and it’s perfect. And I think that’s because regardless of brand cache, Rolex tend to have the cleanest, most timeless designs and when I think about what makes the best example of a certain kind of watch I tend to think of the Rolex offering. It’s not marketing, it’s pure design language.
Incidentally I held onto the Sinn 556i, just too good to sell - it’s taken on the role of the best beater ever.
Couple of pics of my OP39 114300, which to my taste is the perfect watch, madness to me that Rolex would discontinue such a well proportioned and classically designed watch as this and the white dial version, but what do I know.
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I respectfully disagree. The alternative is not buying it, in which case I still have the currency, which in your scenario of currency value falling... still falls! So one way or another, I end up with more fun tokens in the given example, regardless of what the tokens are worth.
Now if you're going to say 'but you could have done xyz with the currency instead' then sure, but that's not really the conversation and we'd be well into the world of conjecture.
I'm sure you are both very lovely people...
Ahhhh that’s extremely funny it’s explains a lot about the nonsense and preconceived bias in your post . Perhaps you can go and put your big boy pants on and think of another funny ditto that insults a county of people and an industry of professional hard working individuals who choose to wear a watch that they like ...
Doesn’t the market answer this question? Every sale of a watch is an individual choice. And people love Rolex. The jury has spoken. Of course some people will make different choices, but the sales figures don’t lie. It’s a none-argument really. For every watch enthusiast who falls away from the brand, others join.
That may change or course, but not yet.
It's about perception, given the subject of this thread it's a valid comparison where something that may not conform to the general bad perception is still tainted by it and that puts some people off - me included in the case of Rolex. I don;t know anyone from Essex so beyond the stereotype I can't comment but successful TV shows have been built on the stereotype. I have however bought cars that were shall we say, colourfully marketed, and this has led me to approach the car sales community with caution - do I think all car dealers are like this? No, I've equally bought cars from dealers who were fantastic. Some are sharks though - like the shady sod that sold me a Peugeot who's gearbox failed 4 months later or the Audi who's engine did the same after a month.
If you take offence at this, then I'm sorry, but that is your issue not mine.
I am not currently in the market for a Rolex but I have no problem with their business model. Most in demand watches are the same. Patek, AP, Vacheron Constantin, Richard Mille, F. P Journe etc. It extends to other luxury goods, clothes, handbags shoes etc. along with some cars, properties etc. In better times restaurant bookings and club memberships.
The emerging markets and growth of social media appear to have driven demand, they could scale up to meet it but that comes with risks for companies that have been around for over a hundred years.
Life and watches. More than I need less than I want.
Last edited by Graveworm; 20th January 2021 at 18:52.
So you don’t know anyone from Essex but are prepared to label them anyway and the whole of you experience of the motor trade is based on 2 second hand purchases .... and this is my problem not yours.
For all the professional and articulate car sale people that’s an insult ,and the label you provide without actually knowing anyone from Essex is also insulting (I am not ) .
Well done yet again you have highlighted the small minded views that colour the brand you came on the forum to slate even though it’s built purely on bias not facts .....
That’s a you problem pal not a me problem ...🤔
Ok I'll try again, the stereotypes exist and colour peoples thinking. In Rolex's case this is almost wholly due to their own (very successful) marketing. It's also (one of the many) reason(s) I won't own one. The Essex and car sales examples were given as comparable stereotypes. If you take exception to this I'm sorry but this is the world we live in.
As for 'coming on the forum to slate Rolex', no, not really, most of my posts here don;t even mention Rolex. I would only consider the expression of my view of their shady marketing practices as anything close to 'slating' and even that is debatable as it's been proven that they will twist facts like a pretzel to add glamour to their middle of the road products.
I've had six or seven Rolex over the years. I wanted a Sub from my teens - an ad in National Geographic first whetted my appetite. My first was an Air King which I wore daily from about 1979 until 2003 when I inherited a Datejust from my Father-in-law. When I eventually bought a Sub in 2006 (passing an AD who happened to have one in a window) I never really bonded with it and sold it here in 2012 - looking back on it, it was my first watch with a sapphire crystal and at the time, I didn't like it (I've come round to them nowadays). Since then I enjoyed owning several vintage models, plus a SD4000 - all bought and sold back via SC. But I don't think I will buy any more - I always get my watches serviced regularly and always at Rolex or a Rolex accredited watchmaker, so just keeping them is expensive. And the spiralling price - new and secondhand - just doesn't sit comfortably with me. I have never thought of watches as investments and that side of things spoils it for me.
Nowadays I am just as happy with a Sub homage on my wrist as the real thing (I still like the Sub design and have got over my original dislike of flat sapphires) and from a practical perspective I find the benefits of Seiko's outstanding lume means that my various Seiko divers are my preferred choice most of the time - plus they are mostly readily available and for a fraction of Rolex divers.
I still have my Father-in-law's Datejust but keep it for sentimental reasons. Other than that, I am past being particularly interested in Rolex.
If I ever felt the need to own a Rolex, this thread has certainly cured it...
Never say never! It's certainly not important in the slightest to buy a Rolex (or any expensive watch) when there's such great options these days at much more affordable prices. But if you do ever decide to set your mind towards one, then don't let half a dozen people on a forum who are venting about availability (for the most part) be the deciding factor on what you enjoy IMO. I'm not saying that some of the frustration isn't fair/valid, but the idea that only 'x' type of person buys a Rolex is just nonsense. They sell a million watches a year, so we can safely say a wide spectrum of people purchase the brand.
My Explorer is my favourite watch. I wear it on a £13 rubber strap, so believe me I'm not trying to show off to anyone. I like it for what it is, and I doubt most people would recognise it anyway. Buying it involved walking into an AD for the first time, saying what I wanted, and picking it up within 48 hours. Yes if you want a GMT or a Daytona it's a ball ache, no denying that, but frankly I think Rolex has a lot to offer beyond those models. Just my 2 cents.
Some of these Rolex watches look like they are a homage to Steinhart watches. Does anyone know what the quality of these Rolex is like when compared to the Real deal Steinhart?
On a serious note, As a watch fan I have this nagging thought in the back of my head that I should own one, however I have tried virtually every SS professional model on and none have ever done it for me. Every single one I have tried lacked the X factor required for me to make the purchase.
Yes they are quality, yes they currently have great residuals, yes you get a ‘status symbol’ in some people’s eyes (it’s important to some) but ultimately I have found them safe, boring, and underwhelming as a result my eye has been drawn to other makers wares.
Has Rolex cured me from wanting to ever own a Rolex... yes but not because of the games you have to play to get one - although i would never play theses games in the first place, not because of any perceived image issues but because they don’t make anything I want to buy.
Now vintage Tudor is a different matter all together! I would buy every snowflake sub I could get my hands on if money was no object.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 23rd January 2021 at 10:19.