Quote:
Originally Posted by JimSnyder
I think our Heros have changed. We have gone from Bond, Red Adair, Great Explorers and Navy Submariners to now. It used to be about what the watch could do and how it could perform. Now it's all about the money and status. Way back before the the Quarts battery watches became popular a Rolex was not that much more then any other nice mechanical watch....
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Your list reminds me that Rolex "endorsements" have been a mixed bag over the years. In some cases, product placement followed visibility (eg, Ian Fleming mentioned the brand by name in
Live and Let Die based on knowing it via advertising, as opposed to having been compensated for it). Conversely, you have the bathyscape dives and Channel swims where Rolex led.
Bottom line for me is my understanding of history: Rolex invented wristwatch branding and marketing. From that came its value proposition, margins, and, frankly, perpetual profitability (no pun intended).
Endorsements of today are simply "different."
