The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
If I win the lottery, then I'm probably looking at A Lange & Sohne.
Hunting the Rolex Rippers
- Thread starter Norman_Conquest
- Start date
Heam44
Well-known member
I would have thought it’s the big knives etc that are scary. Not their taste / knowledge of fancy watches.
It's one of those things that sounds correct and can be when you look at it in isolation but in general a Rolex isn't a great investment. That's not because the price of the watch doesn't appreciate, it does, but when you take into account the amount of time and money you have to spend upfront building a relationship with a watch dealer and the costs to get them regularly serviced then there are far better investments.
All the watch people I know of are fairly dismissive of Rolex but it's a bit nonsense really. A large part of what you are paying for a fancy watch is the brand recognition. Watches can't be worth that money. You are paying for the brand/exclusivity/prestige. It is a mechanical device to keep time which was mastered a long time ago and can be achieved accurately fairly cheaply. Materials and labour costs are a fraction of the price you pay for one so dismissing a Rolex is silly. They are equally as good at telling the time as an even fancier watch and they are more expensive than watches of similar craftmanship/materials so the brand is what causes the extra cost. Why do people buy expensive watches? If it is not to tell the time, because something much cheaper can do it just as well, then it is to give off a certain message. People wear a Rolex to look rich but really rich people don't wear Rolex, they wear something more expensive. It's no different to people wearing expensive clothes and having a certain appearance. Rolex, Omega, Patek Phillippe, Lange & Sohne are all worn to send different messages so people choose whichever message they want to send and pay the big proportion of the price to do that.
A Rolex or other expensive watch is a piece of expensive jewellery. People can buy jewellery if they want. I'm not personally into jewellery but I do wear a watch. Nothing fancy or expensive but I've always worn one and it feels weird not to have one so it is just there to tell the time. If I had a lot of money I'd probably have some more expensive watches but I wouldn't be buying anything expensive without a big lottery win.
I treated myself to a nice Breitling, not one of the big garish things but a more traditional design.
IMO it's a lovely piece of jewelry and I like wearing it. It was never bought as an investment.
But I now choose where to wear it. For example if I'm out on the mooch around Glasgow or Darlo I'll not put it on but I will if I'm out for tea (dinner for the posh people) at a nice restaurant.
You could argue it sorta defeats the object of having one but IMO people should exercise a bit of common sense?
IMO it's a lovely piece of jewelry and I like wearing it. It was never bought as an investment.
But I now choose where to wear it. For example if I'm out on the mooch around Glasgow or Darlo I'll not put it on but I will if I'm out for tea (dinner for the posh people) at a nice restaurant.
You could argue it sorta defeats the object of having one but IMO people should exercise a bit of common sense?
JustTheGent
Well-known member
Can you explain this? In terms of pioneers of horology - Rolex don't even have a seat at the table do they? Their MO was always based around marketing and luxury rather than horological achievement.
Tell that to the people who have been stung in the last few years. Many paid inflated prices as they were touted as an 'investment' and they've dropped in value significantly.
In terms of watches, there's some pretty decent value out there. Seiko used to be great value but they increased their prices and I quite like Sinn.
I have a couple of watches, a Japanese market Seiko and an F.P Journe Chronometer. The latter was given to me and I bought the Seiko in Japan. One's a white dial and the other is blue. Both are quite dressy so could do with something a bit more sporty as well. Although I normally rock both watches with a pair of joggers and jumper.
The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
Of course you do Walter.
Corcaigh_the_Cat
Well-known member
I've got a 43 year old Seiko, can't believe I've still got it, only found it while clearing a drawer out.
Norman_Conquest
Well-known member
Don't you look daft wearing two watches at the same time?
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Jonny Ingbar
Well-known member
Beautiful watches and amongst the best finished of any luxury brand.
Corcaigh_the_Cat
Well-known member
I do like a leather strap but the face is not my cup of tea on the examples shown.
Cogeur_le_Conq
Well-known member
Business Insider
How Rolex became the king of watches
Dennis GreenApr 27, 2016, 11:15 PM BST
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Save
Play a simple word association game with anyone — say "watches" and the reply you get will most likely be "Rolex."
The Rolex brand is so ingrained in the minds of much of the world, it's hard to believe watches even existed before Austrian national Hans Wilsdorf started the company in the early 1900s.
It now stands as the most powerful watchmaker in the world, consistently ranking at the top of lists of the globe's most reputable companies.
The Rolex worn by George Lazenby during the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Getty/Ian Walton
Rolex does not actually release sales numbers, but experts estimate that it makes roughly 1 million watches a year, presumably more than any other luxury watchmaker.
How did Rolex become this indisputable master of horology? According to Ben Clymer, the founder and executive editor of premiere watch enthusiast site Hodinkee, Rolex has built its brand on the back of incredible innovation, a name for rock-solid quality, and one of the most notable celebrity endorsements of the 20th century.
Basically: "Rolex is Rolex for a reason," Clymer told us.
Innovation after innovation
A current Rolex movement. Rolex
Rolex's status is no accident.
"Actual innovation in the watchmaking field is what propels Rolex to where they are now," Clymer said.
To cement its status, Rolex invented: the first waterproof case, the first self-winding watch, the first watch with a date, and (arguably) one of the first driving chronographs.
Before watches became the luxury item they are known as today, they were tools, Clymer says. These innovations have made these watches much more usable.
A self-winding mechanism enables the wearer to avoid having to wind the watch every night, a waterproof case allows a diver to take the watch down with them and time their dives, and a driving chronograph allows race car drivers to time their laps with precision.
These innovations also make it easier to wear the watch every day. "You wouldn't be able to wash your hands with a watch [without a waterproof case]," Clymer said.
A reputation for quality
Getty Images/Levent Kulu
On top of these innovations in watchmaking in the first half of the 1900s, Rolex developed a reputation for reliability.
In order for all of these innovations to function, and for the watches to operate as the tools they were intended to be, the watches had to be the best. It's important to remember that these were not simply luxury items as they are viewed today, Clymer says.
"If you were a navy diver and you wanted something that would simply last forever and was a tool, and would survive going to 100 meters, [you bought a Rolex]," Clymer said. "Because it just works."
Swimmer tested, swimmer approved
British swimmer and first Rolex Brand Ambassador Mercedes Gleitze. AP
Innovation and quality is great — but it does you no good unless potential customers are aware of it.
In 1927, Wilsdorf approached Mercedes Gleitze, the first woman to swim the English Channel (and the first person to swim the Strait of Gibraltar), and asked her to wear the new Rolex Oyster watch, complete with waterproof case.
The swimmer agreed and wore it around her neck during an attempt to swim the channel.
"This woman, who was then being photographed on the front page of the newspaper every day, was wearing a Rolex around her neck," Clymer said.
Though she didn't actually complete the swim on that attempt, Gleitze's celebrity status catapulted Rolex's name into the public consciousness, and Rolex was able to talk up the fact that the watch kept time even after being submerged in cold water for hours. This greatly increased brand awareness and the public's opinion of Rolex's quality.
Rolex has since used images of women swimming while wearing their watches in its advertising, even as recently as 2010.
Jonny Ingbar
Well-known member
Leather straps nice, but work daily you'll need to replace after a couple of years and it wouldn't be cheap.
Bracelet or rubber (or both) much better choice.
Centralscrutinizer
Well-known member
Even when I wear my watch I look at my phone to see what time it is
SmallTown
Well-known member
Yeah, nah
Corcaigh_the_Cat
Well-known member
I've just had one replaced, it was £12 online and the bloke in the shambles in Stockton fitted it for £5.
Not on one of those particular watches though, on a Skagen I've had for years.
The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
I've just broken the metal bracelet on my day to day watch, looked at getting a rubber strap for it to change it up a bit - £370 direct from the manufacturer.
Jonny Ingbar
Well-known member
Ha ha, I've got a Skagen too.
On a luxury watch brand your talking silly money for a leather strap, plus a deployant buckle really.
JustTheGent
Well-known member
The article talks about Rolex as a commercial success rather than that of a horological beacon of invention. Yes, they have led on some things to deliver that commercial success - waterproofing and self-winding - but that hardly scratches the surface in terms of 'all the major innovations in watchmaking'. It's a ridiculous statement.
Business Insider
How Rolex became the king of watches
Dennis Green
Apr 27, 2016, 11:15 PM BST
Share
Save
Play a simple word association game with anyone — say "watches" and the reply you get will most likely be "Rolex."
The Rolex brand is so ingrained in the minds of much of the world, it's hard to believe watches even existed before Austrian national Hans Wilsdorf started the company in the early 1900s.
It now stands as the most powerful watchmaker in the world, consistently ranking at the top of lists of the globe's most reputable companies.
The Rolex worn by George Lazenby during the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Getty/Ian Walton
Rolex does not actually release sales numbers, but experts estimate that it makes roughly 1 million watches a year, presumably more than any other luxury watchmaker.
How did Rolex become this indisputable master of horology? According to Ben Clymer, the founder and executive editor of premiere watch enthusiast site Hodinkee, Rolex has built its brand on the back of incredible innovation, a name for rock-solid quality, and one of the most notable celebrity endorsements of the 20th century.
Basically: "Rolex is Rolex for a reason," Clymer told us.
Innovation after innovation
A current Rolex movement. Rolex
Rolex's status is no accident.
"Actual innovation in the watchmaking field is what propels Rolex to where they are now," Clymer said.
To cement its status, Rolex invented: the first waterproof case, the first self-winding watch, the first watch with a date, and (arguably) one of the first driving chronographs.
Before watches became the luxury item they are known as today, they were tools, Clymer says. These innovations have made these watches much more usable.
A self-winding mechanism enables the wearer to avoid having to wind the watch every night, a waterproof case allows a diver to take the watch down with them and time their dives, and a driving chronograph allows race car drivers to time their laps with precision.
These innovations also make it easier to wear the watch every day. "You wouldn't be able to wash your hands with a watch [without a waterproof case]," Clymer said.
A reputation for quality
Getty Images/Levent Kulu
On top of these innovations in watchmaking in the first half of the 1900s, Rolex developed a reputation for reliability.
In order for all of these innovations to function, and for the watches to operate as the tools they were intended to be, the watches had to be the best. It's important to remember that these were not simply luxury items as they are viewed today, Clymer says.
"If you were a navy diver and you wanted something that would simply last forever and was a tool, and would survive going to 100 meters, [you bought a Rolex]," Clymer said. "Because it just works."
Swimmer tested, swimmer approved
British swimmer and first Rolex Brand Ambassador Mercedes Gleitze. AP
Innovation and quality is great — but it does you no good unless potential customers are aware of it.
In 1927, Wilsdorf approached Mercedes Gleitze, the first woman to swim the English Channel (and the first person to swim the Strait of Gibraltar), and asked her to wear the new Rolex Oyster watch, complete with waterproof case.
The swimmer agreed and wore it around her neck during an attempt to swim the channel.
"This woman, who was then being photographed on the front page of the newspaper every day, was wearing a Rolex around her neck," Clymer said.
Though she didn't actually complete the swim on that attempt, Gleitze's celebrity status catapulted Rolex's name into the public consciousness, and Rolex was able to talk up the fact that the watch kept time even after being submerged in cold water for hours. This greatly increased brand awareness and the public's opinion of Rolex's quality.
Rolex has since used images of women swimming while wearing their watches in its advertising, even as recently as 2010.
Don't get me wrong, Rolex make solid and accurate watches for the mass market. But their success is self-admittedly down to marketing which has always been their primary ethos.
Another thing to note, Rolex's most famous watch...the Daytona, actually used a Zenith movement. That's how it originated. It was basically a Zenith watch marketed by Rolex.