Is Rolex a enthusiast brand anymore?? My 3 decade ownership has me wondering.

[Mystro]

Since we are on a watch forum and I have been a WIS for 3 decades (long before we even had the term WIS), I am having increased concerns on where our hobby is headed with the Rolex brand.

I love the renewed enthusiast that are coming back to Rolex and the young guys pumped to get their first Rolex model. My real concern is motives and attitude about the brand. Assigning value to a watch by how hard it is to get or how high it’s current inflated price is fetching is troubling and extremely superficial from a WIS perspective.

It seems like many are flaunting Rolex now as a status watch even more than the yuppies of the 80’s but now it’s about how difficult a particular model is to get rather than how flashy it was in the 80’s. Horological discussion and technical talk have almost been totally eclipsed by the act of purchasing a Rolex.

To think that we talk less about the actual watch and focus all the attention on obtaining the watch is bizarre and almost more twisted than the motives of the 80’s buyer. Is Rolex losing its core enthusiast? Other brands like AP, VC, Panerai, IWC etc..don’t nearly have the resale value of Rolex but they are at least discussed by their core enthusiast about the watch and not as a commodity.

Some of us remember a simpler motive of buying a watch by the way it looks and fit our style. Maybe we just thought it was a cool movement in a great case and had to have it. Stickers, resale, and user anxiety never entered our minds. Will the new Rolex buyer ever enjoy these simple pleasures of being a WIS?

[Lemonvr6]

This is that thread for the hour

Now filming: grumpy old men 3

[Sublovin]

Originally Posted by Lemonvr6

This is that thread for the hour

Now filming: grumpy old men 3

Your signature line says it all

[doramas]

Originally Posted by Lemonvr6

This is that thread for the hour

Now filming: grumpy old men 3

You shouldn't disrespect me like that.
In essence he's quite right about what he says.

[MrEleven]

Rolex is now a hype brand.
Seen a young man in his early 20s the other night at my local pizza place, as i walked in he was eyeing me up, i didnt have a watch on but had some expensive trainers so must of got his attention. He then pulled up his sleave to show off his rolex and was desperate for me to notice it lol.
Since the last few years ive slowly gone off rolex and i do love my gmts but honestly think there no worth the hassle or grey market price far better options out there.

[Luap1976]

Originally Posted by Mystro

Since we are on a watch forum and I have been a WIS for 3 decades (long before we even had the term WIS), I am having increased concerns on where our hobby is headed with the Rolex brand.

I love the renewed enthusiast that are coming back to Rolex and the young guys pumped to get their first Rolex model. My real concern is motives and attitude about the brand. Assigning value to a watch by how hard it is to get or how high it’s current inflated price is fetching is troubling and extremely superficial from a WIS perspective.

It seems like many are flaunting Rolex now as a status watch even more than the yuppies of the 80’s but now it’s about how difficult a particular model is to get rather than how flashy it was in the 80’s. Horological discussion and technical talk have almost been totally eclipsed by the act of purchasing a Rolex.

To think that we talk less about the actual watch and focus all the attention on obtaining the watch is bizarre and almost more twisted than the motives of the 80’s buyer. Is Rolex losing its core enthusiast? Other brands like AP, VC, Panerai, IWC etc..don’t nearly have the resale value of Rolex but they are at least discussed by their core enthusiast about the watch and not as a commodity.

Some of us remember a simpler motive of buying a watch by the way it looks and fit our style. Maybe we just thought it was a cool movement in a great case and had to have it. Stickers, resale, and user anxiety never entered our minds. Will the new Rolex buyer ever enjoy these simple pleasures of being a WIS?

I agree

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by Mystro

Is Rolex a enthusiast brand anymore?? My 3 decade ownership has me wondering.

No

Take a look at the BMW forum, same atmosphere.

Enthusiasts are lamenting the good old days of purpose driven products.

Now for both brands it is all about the money and the buyers care little about the actual product.

Sad to see but not surprising.

[Rolexatlast]

Originally Posted by beshannon

No

Take a look at the BMW forum, same atmosphere.

Enthusiasts are lamenting the good old days of purpose driven products.

Now for both brands it is all about the money and the buyers care little about the actual product.

Sad to see but not surprising.

I think the two brands have taken opposite routes. BMW have milked the demand, pumping out as many cars as possible, even diluting the design features that made them desirable (FWD BMW 1 series anyone?). Result is destruction of the brand, massive discounts (25%) and lousy residuals. When was the last time you saw a £50k BMW?

Whereas, Rolex have stayed true to their brand. Haven't flooded the market, haven't challenged the quality to boost profits, and haven't made garish special editions to appeal to lowest denominator sales. They even try to look after their loyal customers, whilst trying to sift out the flippers

[belutak]

Originally Posted by beshannon

No



Take a look at the BMW forum, same atmosphere.



Enthusiasts are lamenting the good old days of purpose driven products.



Now for both brands it is all about the money and the buyers care little about the actual product.



Sad to see but not surprising.

Because we live in a superficial society where marketing, pretence and status are everything.


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[MinMay]

sell me your older watch at MSRP :) . and then we talk :)

[Brew]

It's a mass produced product, enjoyed by the masses, who are now invading your WIS hangouts. Or, your hangouts have moved to the masses' sm platforms. The brand hasn't changed.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by Brew

The brand hasn't changed.

Completely disagree

Product releases that are simply new versions, that closely follow rumors of shiny new colors or bracelets.

Rolex is in the luxury business not the watch business. They will ride this hype train and follow trends of versioning the same watch for as long as the masses believe they have to have the hottest product to show off on social media.

[DoDe]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Product releases that are simply new versions, that closely follow rumors of shiny new colors or bracelets.

Rolex is in the luxury business not the watch business. They will ride this hype train and follow trends of versioning the same watch for as long as the masses believe they have to have the hottest product to show off on social media.

True !

[Brew]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Completely disagree

Product releases that are simply new versions, that closely follow rumors of shiny new colors or bracelets.

Rolex is in the luxury business not the watch business. They will ride this hype train and follow trends of versioning the same watch for as long as the masses believe they have to have the hottest product to show off on social media.

That's cool, disagreement yields something to discuss.

Rolex rarely makes big splash changes. Rather it's been incremental tweaks to a simple oyster case and movements that work. I guess perhaps I may have missed your point?

[Syed117]

Rolex hasn't been an enthusiast brand in a long time.

The vast majority of Rolex owner's are not enthusiasts. Even this forum is dramatically different from what it was a few years ago.

These days I find myself looking at user join dates when I see nonsensical posts crying about one thing or another. Almost always members that have joined in the last year or two. Obviously I don't expect them to have the same experience that the long time members have, but there has been a noticeable trend in regards to their topics and posts.

[Icehockeyboy]

Originally Posted by Syed117

Rolex hasn't been an enthusiast brand in a long time.

The vast majority of Rolex owner's are not enthusiasts. Even this forum is dramatically different from what it was a few years ago.

These days I find myself looking at user join dates when I see nonsensical posts crying about one thing or another. Almost always members that have joined in the last year or two. Obviously I don't expect them to have the same experience that the long time members have, but there has been a noticeable trend in regards to their topics and posts.

I’ve not been a member on this forum for that long, but have been buying Rolex since the mid 80’s, so where does that put me?


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[BaronVonMikey]

I'm curious about where this all goes. For me i just love beautiful time peaces. Rolex i just happen to enjoy and i have a collection of pocket watches from the 19th century that contrast with the new

Rolex watches might be turning into a form of currency lol

Cheers :)

[Syed117]

Originally Posted by BaronVonMikey

Rolex watches might be turning into a form of currency lol

Cheers :)

They always have been.

The difference is that now that seems to be the focus and all people want to talk about. It's no longer about wearing watches because you like watches.

[singe89]

Rolex marketing, the yuppies in the 80's and the rise of hip hop talking about rolex brought the brand to the mainstream powerhouse that it is today. Now they are going through another evolution of popularity due to social media. The popularity/prices of some models will die down but the lift of the brand is whats important to the brand equity.

What I really don't like as a WIS is that APs and Pateks don't fly under the radar anymore. FAR more people are noticing/commenting on my watches. I would rarely get a comment before and those that did were fellow WIS, now there are teenagers complimenting a RO by name.

[Mystro]

We (this forum) are incredibly influential with the direction of a particular watch brand. I have been a acting and contributing member long enough to have seen it first hand on many models we (as a forum) tend to favor. I loved over the years doing reviews and helping owners care for and give tutorial tips on “how to etc”. It takes a lot of time to do good pics and write these up but it is all worth it if it can help new owners enjoy their new watch more and give them a more advanced technical knowledge.
It’s almost our duty as a seasoned WIS to share the tips and tricks we have learned over the years and pass them on.

I watch our moderators deal with a entirely new direction of owners and forum issues and wonder how much longer they will keep the guard of this forum as it’s a thankless job being a moderator. Is it still worth doing tutorials and “how to etc’ if no body is interested anymore??

[Bigblu10]

Originally Posted by Mystro

We (this forum) are incredibly influential with the direction of a particular watch brand. I have been a acting and contributing member long enough to have seen it first hand on many models we (as a forum) tend to favor. I loved over the years doing reviews and helping owners care for and give tutorial tips on “how to etc”. It takes a lot of time to do good pics and write these up but it is all worth it if it can help new owners enjoy their new watch more and give them a more advanced technical knowledge.
It’s almost our duty as a seasoned WIS to share the tips and tricks we have learned over the years and pass them on.

I watch our moderators deal with a entirely new direction of owners and forum issues and wonder how much longer they will keep the guard of this forum as it’s a thankless job being a moderator. Is it still worth doing tutorials and “how to etc’ if no body is interested anymore??

Not sure if you noticed, but many of the long time members who consistently contributed to this forum no longer participate. They may lurk, but most likely are disgusted with the amount of threads that are about whining about shortages, investing in watches etc.

[wigdog63]

Originally Posted by Mystro

We (this forum) are incredibly influential with the direction of a particular watch brand. I have been a acting and contributing member long enough to have seen it first hand on many models we (as a forum) tend to favor. I loved over the years doing reviews and helping owners care for and give tutorial tips on “how to etc”. It takes a lot of time to do good pics and write these up but it is all worth it if it can help new owners enjoy their new watch more and give them a more advanced technical knowledge.
It’s almost our duty as a seasoned WIS to share the tips and tricks we have learned over the years and pass them on.

I watch our moderators deal with a entirely new direction of owners and forum issues and wonder how much longer they will keep the guard of this forum as it’s a thankless job being a moderator. Is it still worth doing tutorials and “how to etc’ if no body is interested anymore??

I hear what you are saying.
I'm a relative newcomer to the forum, but owned my first Rolex in 2001.
I would be happy to be a non contributing member with simply viewing access just to tap in to the knowledge base here. Maybe a rule of no posting until membership for over 2 years, with frequent visits made in that time. it is a real shame if those with all the experience are not feeling able to share it any longer.

[pepsiretail]

Originally Posted by wigdog63

I hear what you are saying.
I'm a relative newcomer to the forum, but owned my first Rolex in 2001.
I would be happy to be a non contributing member with simply viewing access just to tap in to the knowledge base here. Maybe a rule of no posting until membership for over 2 years, with frequent visits made in that time. it is a real shame if those with all the experience are not feeling able to share it any longer.

No, you can not be serious right now. How can you possibly think you have a lesser right of expression than anyone else?

[Keepchasing]

Originally Posted by pepsiretail

No, you can not be serious right now. How can you possibly think you have a lesser right of expression than anyone else?

I think he was serious otherwise he would not have posted that.

Not everyone feels they need to express themselves 662 times in their first month at the table.

[pepsiretail]

Originally Posted by Keepchasing

I think he was serious otherwise he would not have posted that.

Not everyone feels they need to express themselves 662 times in their first month at the table.

I have started numerous threads with thousands of views and hundreds of replies and so have taken the time to reply as much as I deem appropriate.

Maybe I should stop congratulating people on their incomings as well, adds too much to the post count?

Maybe I should stop posting what’s on my wrist daily, just too many posts for someone of my station?

Maybe I should stop giving members advice when they ask, sharing my experience?

Maybe I should stop with the poems? Ok, maybe I should.

I will continue to post and make threads as much or as little as I see fit.

[alphasports]

Agree with OP though it is hardly a recent trend, it's just been getting worse for several decades.

[Lemonvr6]

Originally Posted by alphasports

Agree with OP though it is hardly a recent trend, it's just been getting worse for several decades.

Since the sub came out it seems

[Calatrava r]

The primary issues are scarcity, bragging rights, resale value and will this watch go with my outfit. That is where we are today. Bear in mind though, Rolex is a very traditional brand with very slow changes over time. Everything that can be said about the brand has been said over and over. I do think the newest movement was a significant step forward which really did not get the discussion it deserves. Most likely this was because of the overwhelming supply and demand imbalance. There is no norm for the brand in terms of following or why people buy the product, it just reacts to the times and situations which exist.

[jsausley]

Who cares?

I see you have a 911 in your avatar. Does it bother you when a rich doctor who can't even change his oil buys a 911?

[Lemonvr6]

Originally Posted by jsausley

Who cares?

I see you have a 911 in your avatar. Does it bother you when a rich doctor who can't even change his oil buys a 911?

*like button*