Rolex As A Status Symbol

[enjoythemusic]

Yeah, mmmm-kay.

[codecow]

Wow the watermelon looks pretty cool on a bracelet.

[codecow]

I’m going to a Rolex event at the yacht club later this month.

[Der6]

The Rolex brand is definitely a huge status symbol and lot of people want to show that they can buy and wear a Rolex watch.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by codecow

Wow the watermelon looks pretty cool on a bracelet.

Thx, great OEM bracelet... comfy too

Just not sure what 'status' this gets me?

Don't care.

[Lol-x]

Rolex has realised that their watches 'as tool watches' are no longer able to compete with digital and other far less expensive brand watches in that category.

At the same time, Rolex wants to market itself as an exclusive premium brand, so its natural in its marketing to promote itself as a luxury brand and only for those who attain high achievement and status in society.

[douglasf13]

That's what I like about old Tudors, regardless of the price difference. They're essentially Rolex watches in interesting configurations, yet people still largely don't know what they are.

[drc73]

Originally Posted by Krash

I really disagree. A $2000 Tag Heuer is an exclusive watch for the overwhelming majority of the global population.

The “billions of dollars of watches per year” sounds impressive. But less than one percent of the global population are buying them.


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100% Agree. Spot on right here!

[TheVision]

Of course it is......I'm not pretending that I like Rolex cos of horology etc...lol. Patek is about horology, Grand Seiko is about horology..there's nothing complicated about any Rolex and other than daytona/skydweller, the majority of the linup are 3 handers ....Rolex is yet another mass produced brand rolled at a assembly line.

I mean c'on. A $4k Omega sea master will perform the same and last the same as a $10k submariner. But hey, wearing a Omega doesnt produce the same dopamine in your brain as wearing a Rolex.

We've been brainwashed by luxury brands and goods on a psychologic level and this has been around since the age of kings and queens. The more expensive, the higher the perception. Same goes for people wearing Gucci,Prada gear. They are still $100 sneakers marked up to $800 for the name but people feel more "secure" flashing a Gucci in general public than a Costco bought Nike.

All luxury goods are the same way inc Rolex. It's about perception and social status. And luxury brands are seen as a symbol of success and financial achievement. Nobody buys a RangeRover to cross the Sahara desert ;).

PS: Range Rover sports owner here!

[Lol-x]

Rolex is to Apple what Omega is to PC & Windozzz and Patek is to Linux...

This was typed on a Macbook Air M3!

[RichardBartlett]

On a 4 month cruise and I see a variety of Rolexes worn onboard and literally and I mean literally no one cares

It may be a status symbol to some but that's a tiny tiny pecentage of one percent.. Rolex marketing has been a triumph of 'pulling the wool over our eyes' v reality.

[RichardBartlett]

double post

[Andad]

Originally Posted by Daytona king

The brand Rolex itself is a social status symbol regardless of any model. Point blank period. If you hear someone is wearing a Rolex without even seeing which one it is that is a perfect example of a status symbol. To the majority of the population Rolex is the best, most expensive watch they have heard of. That’s why people still spend thousands on an old Rolex when they could have a modern omega for the same price.


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Like an Ed White?

[PenDelicate]

Originally Posted by TheVision

It's about perception and social status.

If it's about social status then you won't wear your Rolex at home, where no one can see you.

I remember watching a Jenni Elle video where she mentioned that she takes her watch off when she gets home. At home is where I look at and enjoy my Rolex the most.

[MrGoat]

Originally Posted by PenDelicate

If it's about social status then you won't wear your Rolex at home, where no one can see you.

I remember watching a Jenni Elle video where she mentioned that she takes her watch off when she gets home. At home is where I look at and enjoy my Rolex the most.

So are you insinuating the “keep it in the safe and wear only on special occasions crowd” purchased a Rolex for the perceived societal influence?


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[rmlovett1]

Originally Posted by PenDelicate

If it's about social status then you won't wear your Rolex at home, where no one can see you.

I remember watching a Jenni Elle video where she mentioned that she takes her watch off when she gets home. At home is where I look at and enjoy my Rolex the most.

I take my nicer watches off at home and wear nothing at all, as there are tons of clocks, phones, tablets, TV, etc…showing me the time, or put on a GShock.
I personally like keeping my nice watches as nice as I can, so I don’t feel a need to wear at home where’s there’s just more “accidents” that may potentially happen. Risk mitigation I guess you could say. And I’m a guy who doesn’t necessarily mind normal scratches/wear & tear. I look / admire them every time I enter the room where they’re kept.

Originally Posted by MrGoat

So are you insinuating the “keep it in the safe and wear only on special occasions crowd” purchased a Rolex for the perceived societal influence?


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My question as well but I addressed it…at least from my perspective.

[SoylentGreenChi]

Originally Posted by PenDelicate

If it's about social status then you won't wear your Rolex at home, where no one can see you.

I remember watching a Jenni Elle video where she mentioned that she takes her watch off when she gets home. At home is where I look at and enjoy my Rolex the most.

Same here. I have an AP Royal Oak that the local Boutique allocated to me in the midst of the hype b/c they know I love watches (they actively pushed me to take the AP, I never asked for it). I adore the Royal Oak and its workmanship but only wear it at home b/c it is more flashy than I am comfortable with. I am thinking of doing something similar with a chocolate dial Oysterflex Daytona, which I think is beautiful but which I don’t think I would wear in public. In public, if I am wearing Rolex, it’s a 36mm steel Datejust, vintage Sub, Explorer 1, or black stainless Daytona.

[PenDelicate]

Originally Posted by MrGoat

So are you insinuating the “keep it in the safe and wear only on special occasions crowd” purchased a Rolex for the perceived societal influence?


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If I did insinuate that, I didn't mean to.

I think it's asymmetrical. If you wear a Rolex for its social status, you might take off your watch when you're alone (as there's no one to signal to). But the reverse doesn't hold: taking your watch off when you get home doesn't imply that you only wear your Rolex as a social status (because there are many other reasons to do so).

[Pumphry Bigelow]

I Have always loved the Rolex brand ever since I was in my teens. For me it is about the beauty of the watch and the engineering of a mechanical movement timepiece. For me personally, it is not about any type of status like a “Look at me, I wear a Rolex”, but more of a “There is someone who knows what he likes and is not afraid to spend the money to acquire it, and wear it” I am a one watch guy, so I only ever have one Rolex at a time, and I wear it for everything, ocean, hot tubs, swimming pools, sports, backpacking, casual, formal, etc….. I currently have the Daytona 126519LN (Ghost Dial), and most likely, this one will be my last. This was my “Grail Watch”

[codecow]

The “look at me I wear a Rolex” especially PM people or with diamonds on the watch are just disgusting. Who does that?

[GGGMT]

As I’ve said many times, watches are great investments.


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[Daytona king]

Originally Posted by Andad

Like an Ed White?

I don’t think the average watch person would know the difference between an ed white or a speedy first omega in space. But they would know what a datejust or sub is.


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[WILLIWALKER]

Originally Posted by Der6

The Rolex brand is definitely a huge status symbol and lot of people want to show that they can buy and wear a Rolex watch.

Hello everyone, this topic goes beyond status symbols these days. It's very 2000s and earlier . Cars or other jewelry no longer mean anything.

Ultimately, it sends the signal: look at me, please consider me only on what I can (with difficulty) buy. The symbol would be a private island, a fully equipped bunker, discretion, and calm.

We enthusiasts are a group apart. And I'm very comfortable with my watches tucked under my sleeve. And my passion isn't tied to my financial well-being.

[Robison347]

While I am fond of my Rolex watches I find many places I am not comfortable being seen wearing them. In those places I wear my blue Swatch moonphase or no watch at all. Sometimes I wear the nicer pieces when I’m out walking in the country at night, by myself. When I wear watches at work, I am often mindful to keep them covered by long shirt sleeves or sweater. In that sense, I guess I am conscious of their sending a social status signal I often dont want to send.

[Yobber76]

It's threads like these that make me miss Chewey's insight.

[Mr Ben]

The issue for me is they used to be a status symbol in a positive way and I don’t think they are now.

When it’s in a National Geographic spread on a climber, a diver, a pilot, it’s a symbol of someone who wants the best and appreciates quality and precision. This is positive.

When it’s plastered all over Instagram half hidden by tattoos and outshone by bleached white teeth freshly purchased from Turkey by talentless influencers, it’s hard to see much of a positive association with that.

I’d much rather go back to the old days.

At times, I do consider buying a VC overseas, IWC Ingenieur, Grand Seiko or similar as something I could wear and enjoy while most people don’t have a clue what it is and there’s no negative connotations.

As it is, I just keep it under my sleeve.

[thegrandseirolexguy]

I admit it. I feel good wearing something luxurious like a Rolex.

I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that I can afford to pay through my nose to own an anachronistic , mass-produced chunk of cheap stainless steel marketed to the heavens, functionally incapable of competing with the latest smartwatch gizmos. A dinosaur in a digital age.

Despite this clear conflict of hard logic, my lizard brain still thinks my rolex is made of solid gold, and I desire it very much. It evokes base emotions in me in a way that no other watch brand can.

So yes, it is a social status signifier, and I do feel self conscious about wearing it around friends who may struggle to afford a Rolex.

But it doesn’t change the fact that owning a Rolex makes me feel good about myself, and most importantly, makes me happy whenever I wear it and look down at my wrist, my Rolex staring back at me, shimmering in the morning light.

Detractors can knock Rolex all they want, but if you leave out the AD games and concomitant shenanigans, it’s still a desirable, Veblen bauble, certainly more desirable to me than any other brand watch that I own.

It’s no longer just a watch to tell time, it’s jewellery you drape over your wrist to make you feel good about yourself. After all, isn’t luxury about having more than you need?

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[rb3404]

I live in the Bay Area and a Rolex is not a Veblen good. Many middle class people have them and it's no different than any LV bag out there. Nowhere status here, and certainly not a luxury item. Seriously, can't really say that about an item that's produced in millions every year. No one has ever commented on any Rolex I have owned, but I do for my Patek or 911 GT3.

[douglasf13]

Originally Posted by rb3404

I live in the Bay Area and a Rolex is not a Veblen good. Many middle class people have them and it's no different than any LV bag out there. Nowhere status here, and certainly not a luxury item. Seriously, can't really say that about an item that's produced in millions every year. No one has ever commented on any Rolex I have owned, but I do for my Patek or 911 GT3.

Rolex (and LV) is certainly a Veblen good. The higher the cost, the more desirable it becomes. The margins on these things is likely crazy.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Originally Posted by rb3404

I live in the Bay Area and a Rolex is not a Veblen good. Many middle class people have them and it's no different than any LV bag out there. Nowhere status here, and certainly not a luxury item. Seriously, can't really say that about an item that's produced in millions every year. No one has ever commented on any Rolex I have owned, but I do for my Patek or 911 GT3.

Cue the stampede to correct your statement that just because no one has commented on your Rolex that does not mean they have not observed it and bestowed upon you a secret status benefit.