5-series Rolexes vs newer ones...

[L_S_SHOE]

Originally Posted by the dark knight

I think the transition in "spirit" happened before that, in the 1970s and 80s due to the quartz crisis. The most popular Rolex of the 80s was probably the 5-digit Datejust, which is firmly in the jewelry over tool camp.

But I get the sense Rolex was quite well positioned due to their smart marketing and legacy in tool watches, the paradigm back then was professional/tool = quality. Substance over style. If the Average Joe saw professional pilots, divers, cave explorers etc wearing the GMT, Sub, Exp II, etc, they perceived that as quality, and Rolex capitalized with how they did marketing back then. That's how a watch like a Submariner could become a status symbol decades before the 6 digits.

I think the transition to 6-digits was a "physical" manifestation of that watch as jewelry transition that had already started a long time ago. The consumer no longer saw professional/tool as quality, they wanted advances in movement tech, fancy bezels, heftier bracelets, etc. Marketing reflects this, Rolex doesn't tout the technical abilities of their watches (you too can wear what a Pan Am pilot wears) but rather WHO is wearing them (Roger Federer).

This is spot on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk