Composition of Rolex buyers today

[teck21]

1) WIS (interest is purely watches, happy to lose $) knows all references, often including history

5%

2) Speculators (interest is purely $, unhappy about losing $)

5%

3) ownervestors (interest is mixed but definitely interested in watches and the financial elements involved)

25%

4) Regular people (I want a nice watch, preferably if not exclusively a Rolex)

These are the real regular Joes (plus Josephine’s?).

These people don’t do much, if any research in watches. Don’t know what complications are, do not care. Don’t know what grey is, don’t care. Calls them models instead of references. Will pick Rolex over Patek any and every day.

No clue what a submariner or GMT is other than they know someone who has the ‘nice red one’, or move in circles where whispers of ‘so and so was wearing a Rolex’ are commonly heard.

Just want a Rolex from an AD. Easily persuaded by sales staff to purchase other brands. Happy until they are told by friends they made a big mistake.

The lifeblood of Rolex and also propping up the luxury watch market in general today.

60%

5) Money laundering Joes

5%

———————————————————————

4) Always has been and always will be the largest buyer group.

Rolex marketing has worked like a dream on this group.

Are there any other types of buyers?


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[eijiboy]

6) Hypebeast


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[azs.77]

7) crypto millionaires


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[SaintMickey]

8) Bought a non Rolex because your "wife" wouldn't let you buy a Rolex.

9) You like the smell of napalm in the morning.

[inadeje]

10) Instagram enablers and fake rich pretenders 40%

[SubMillennial]

don't think #4 can exist anymore, anyone who isn't immersed is going to laugh at the thought of waiting months/years to purchase a watch. they either become a 1-3 or tune out.

As a comparison i love genuine leather boots but if there was a Rolex equivalent where I was paying 2-3x the intrinsic value of the boot after maybe a year of waiting for it I would just buy from a different brand without thinking twice

[donas]

I think your percentages are extremely skewed.....60%

[VogelPhoenix]

Originally Posted by teck21

1) WIS (interest is purely watches, happy to lose $) knows all references, often including history
5%
...
4) Regular people (I want a nice watch, preferably if not exclusively a Rolex)
60%

If the 60% in 4) could share the secret to buying a Rolex at ADs with the 5% in 1), that would cut down the # of posts on TRF by 80%.

[RolexSimon]

Don't think #4 is 60% - maybe 5-10% and the rest are the "Rolex has always been on my bucket list and my name has luckily reached the top of the ADs list."

[teck21]

Yeah, it was all guesswork.

Rolex probably has a good idea of who their buyers are though.


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[Screwly]

Originally Posted by SubMillennial

don't think #4 can exist anymore, anyone who isn't immersed is going to laugh at the thought of waiting months/years to purchase a watch. they either become a 1-3 or tune out.

As a comparison i love genuine leather boots but if there was a Rolex equivalent where I was paying 2-3x the intrinsic value of the boot after maybe a year of waiting for it I would just buy from a different brand without thinking twice

But will that other boot brand hold its value and possibly appreciate lol

[htc8p]

i think there are no more regular joe's (my mom and dad were, they just bought his her diamond datejusts and then forgot all about it)

now when there are no available stock they couldnt care less about rolex.

[TswaneNguni]

Johnnie Quickbuck from Flipperville and his buddy Sir Whiteglove Grey ....

99%

[rambo99]

flippers + investors > 40%

[outdoors_guy]

LARPers - people who want to pretend that their life is more exciting, and they think the watch gives them that. Wearing an explorer makes them an explorer. Wearing a sub makes them a spy who can carry out an amphibious assault at the drop of a hat. They know a little history, largely the Rolex marketing materials, and they convince themselves that an automatic watch is somehow technically superior to quartz for adventure.

[RyanJ]

There are really only 2 categories:

1. People who actually want a Rolex because they actually like the watch
2. People who want a Rolex because someone else told them it was cool, would give them status, and would go up in value

That is pretty much it.

[OG1982]

Originally Posted by teck21

Yeah, it was all guesswork.

Rolex probably has a good idea of who their buyers are though.


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Yeah, people who want to tell the time.

The majority of which love the smug factor wearing a Rolex provides...

[2001jesper]

2 categories

1. People who want a Rolex (50%)
2. People who buy to re-sell (50%)

[Tensai]

People with FOMO who post incomings from ADs but who really bought grey = 69%

[samuel019]

Good post. Math might be off a tad but still a great analysis

Sadly every other than my category, #1 WIS, are making it very tough for us.

The only money I ever have thought/worried about was and still do is do I have enough.

Sadly that’s the easy part now

[DJ2020]

Originally Posted by RyanJ

There are really only 2 categories:

1. People who actually want a Rolex because they actually like the watch
2. People who want a Rolex because someone else told them it was cool, would give them status, and would go up in value

That is pretty much it.

I agree. Percentage wise: #1) 20%, #2) 80%

[Beto737]

10) Will only buy a watch that can pass the “beach” test. If it can’t go to the beach with me, I don’t need to own it.

[Mendota]

Originally Posted by SubMillennial

don't think #4 can exist anymore, anyone who isn't immersed is going to laugh at the thought of waiting months/years to purchase a watch. they either become a 1-3 or tune out.

As a comparison i love genuine leather boots but if there was a Rolex equivalent where I was paying 2-3x the intrinsic value of the boot after maybe a year of waiting for it I would just buy from a different brand without thinking twice

Without question. If you tell anyone else in the normal world about what is going on in the Rolex world with the greys or the bourbon world with allocations and flippers, they look at you and say "Who on Earth actually pays that? Someone with more money than brains, that's who..."

[noshake]

1. Watch Colletors 1%
2. Flippers/Grey/Investor40%
3. Regular Joe special occasion, achievement, one watch to last a lifetime buyer. 59%

[Yobber76]

11. The guys who buy a Submariner because it has a "laser" in it.

[faaaaaaaasterrrrr]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

Johnnie Quickbuck from Flipperville and his buddy Sir Whiteglove Grey ....

99%