Rolex are not mass produced

[faimag]

Which product isn't "mass-produced" these days??? Consumed products are meant to be produced (and hopefully sold) in mass quantities.

What matters more is whether they are "mass-consumed"... and I am sure you know the answer to this question. They are so mass-consumed you have to wait a few years to get yours!

[rlx123]

I am having difficulty believing that a rolex takes one year to produce. There are supercars that are much more complicated and have so many more parts than a rolex and still do not require that long to produce. If this is coming from Rolex, then this is a marketing lie.




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[Oxfordian]

Virtually everything we buy, that is not something that we eat or drink is mass produced in someway, the best watches in the world have an element of mass production, as some parts will be mass produced rather than individually produced, cases for example, screws, jewels are all mass produced not cut individually, sapphire crystals are mass produced.

If you have the money you can have a hand built car, yet the majority of the parts will be mass produced just hand assembled, watches are no different.

In the top watch brands it is the human involvement that adds value, the human that hand finishes the balance bridge, the rotor etc etc., the human that polishes each tooth on wheel, the human that places each baton onto the dial, the human that assembles each part of the movement, the human that puts all the pieces together, that inspects the watch, that visually checks for faults.

So yes a Rolex, Omega, Tag, Seiko, PP, AP, VC, JLC, and all the other major watch brands, is mass produced, it is just that some brands will use humans in many aspects of building the final watch whereas others will use a machine, unfortunately using a human labour is costly and this shows in the final watch price, the greater the human involvement, the greater the cost of the watch.

[Stellite]

Originally Posted by Oxfordian

the greater the human involvement, the greater the cost of the watch.

Mostly true except for products made in places were labor is cheaper than buying a machine, like Mexico, China and a host of other countries.

[andrewjoo7]

Originally Posted by kog

Mass production is all about price reduction!!!

What is mass production? Well, its a technique used to bring down the cost of an item by producing many of them to make those goods more price competitive in the market place. If a company is mass producing a product it needs a means to distribute and sell all those mass produced goods at a lower cost than its competitor. Mass produced items tend to use cheaper materials, lower tolerances, poor finish to bring down cost.

When you buy your first Rolex, price slaps you around the face, they are not cheap!! Rolex watches oooz quality and the price of these watches always go up; from your first visit to an authorised dealer to the box the watch comes in the watch itself, quality is what you will find.. Its been said many times when you buy a Rolex its for life and Rolex have a network of repair centers around the world to repair/service their watches.

Its an insult to hear people say Rolex is mass produced. Because something is produced using a machine does not make it a mass produced item. Machines can be used to achieve far superior tolerances than a human could.

you're missing the point I think,, they are indeed mass produced but no one is calling them cheap or not worth the value.

[Brian Page]

I finally opened this thread... It certainly struck a mass chord with the forum :) its great how some relatively simple statements spark so much conversation, I love it!

And yes, Rolex is mass produced..

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[evlkoala]

Yes, mass produced.

[trfChris]

Not only is a Rolex watch mass produced, legendary watchmaker Philipp Dufour in an interview was annoyed at brands like AP and PP for implying in their marketing that their watches are hand made by artisans and not mass produced.

Dufour gave Rolex props for being honest in their description of their manufacturing process and that they didn’t try to claim to be something they’re not. Dufour himself has been seen wearing Rolex.

[ganagati]

Originally Posted by Etschell

Great marketing make people believe otherwise. Like in house movements which use ETA manipulates cough cough panerai....

I doubt any watch is 100 percent hand made. Many are hand assembled.

Philipe Dufour would be about as close as it gets. He's in a stratosphere nearly all his own for a reason. Everything else, as others have pointed out, are likely CNC'ed, then assembled with varying degrees machine vs human labor.

[dtwer]

iPhone are mass produced, Hanes tagless tee’s are mass produced, Samsung LED TVs are mass produced, Charmin toilet paper is mass produced.

Are Rolex watches mass produced, no.

Many people forget that Rolex produces a lot of references. Quickly counting the current 6 digit reference numbers and one can come up with more than 150.

That’s more than 150 different variations of watch.

At a total production number of 800,000 a year, Rolex essentially produces an average of 5,333 units for each reference. It’s crude math, but you get the point. In a global market, 5,333 unit of anything is just a drop in the bucket.

Apple ships 14 million iPhone XS Max alone in a quarter. Now that’s mass production.

[PepsiBezel]

I am always interested in trying to determine how many of certain models Rolex produces a year. It is easy to look at the macro numbers of ~750K watches, and say “mass produced,” but that number applies across all references... so amongst that 750K there are a lot of ladies Datejusts, etc. But how many 116500s, 126710BLROs, 116610LVs, etc? I bet those production numbers are relatively small, particularly in light of the worldwide demand, the ~1800 ADs, ~350 US ADs, etc.

[JR16]

Originally Posted by brandrea

What’s with the cheap boxes?

Yea, they kind of look like they are mass produced


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[77T]

Originally Posted by kog

Why would Rolex mass produce without the intention of selling, or as you put it to under sell?? Makes no sense at all.

I’m afraid you’re showing a gap in your grasp of supply chain controls and mass production methodology.

A lower cost of production doesn’t yield a lower price - it yields higher profits. It doesn’t mean more units are made either.


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[grimlock525]

Originally Posted by dtwer

iPhone are mass produced, Hanes tagless tee’s are mass produced, Samsung LED TVs are mass produced, Charmin toilet paper is mass produced.

Are Rolex watches mass produced, no.

Many people forget that Rolex produces a lot of references. Quickly counting the current 6 digit reference numbers and one can come up with more than 150.

That’s more than 150 different variations of watch.

At a total production number of 800,000 a year, Rolex essentially produces an average of 5,333 units for each reference. It’s crude math, but you get the point. In a global market, 5,333 unit of anything is just a drop in the bucket.

Apple ships 14 million iPhone XS Max alone in a quarter. Now that’s mass production.

Your logic is flawed. Number of units for each reference indicates nothing about the efficiency nor output of the production line, not to mention your average number is meaningless because only a fool would believe that Rolex’s production distribution is uniform.

[tom2517]

Originally Posted by bigfatpauli

There is a difference:

At Rolex a machine puts the watch part on the machine that does the finishing.
At Patek a person puts the watch part on the machine that does the finishing.

I was being sarcastic, at one point or the other, all watches will be touched by hands, so anyone can claim handmade.

This “handmade” word is overrated, unless you are talking about Roger Smith, major brand watches are factory manufactured movements.

[rominvicta]

Let’s try and find where the start is and define what mass-produced means.
As of my understanding it means:
1. Product made in large quantities for the product segment it operates in
2. By using machine-carried process
3. Affordable to majority of population through its purchasing power
4. Easily available throughout the market
5. And last but not least most people ready to substitute it with the next generation as over time its value both in terms of functionality and money is lost.


So, I believe Rolex to a certain extent will fit in 1 and 2, because even if Rolex makes 1 mln pcs per annum it is 15 times more than PP but 30 times less than Seiko, Casio, Swatch etc and though made via machines a big chunk of assembly is still carried on by hands. So we remain with 3, 4 and 5. For sure Rolex does not fit within. And here is what we admire Rolex for - great product at reasonable price, that keeps its value over time. That summarises everything! If this is what we admire Rolex for do you think it is the a mass-product?

[jsausley]

What makes Rolex stick out above the rest isn't their production but their quality control. You will rarely find a factory Rolex with a blemish or imperfection.

[DYJ150]

Originally Posted by kog

If Rolex are mass producing watches with the quality and finish they are able to achieve then why aren't all other watch companies producing the same in terms of quality,finish and reliability?

Why are Rolex not being sold at the supermarket and local jewellers or the guy on the street?

And why do other watch brands cost many many times less than a Rolex to produce?

Very, very valid point!

[Rodrigo082]

Originally Posted by TJMike

1. Rolex is mass produced.
2. Rolex will service your watch, until it reaches a certain age. Then tough luck.
3. Rolex are sold at Costco.
4. What a magnificent fanboy rant.

Exactly my point!!!

[joe100]

A year to make a Rolex? Hahahahaha people still believe that nonsense?

[InitialAndPitch]

Originally Posted by 77T

I’m afraid you’re showing a gap in your grasp of supply chain controls and mass production methodology.

A lower cost of production doesn’t yield a lower price - it yields higher profits. It doesn’t mean more units are made either.


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Not necessarily. If you look at Porter on competitive advantage you’ll see that it gives manufacturers - especially those who are vertically integrated a much greater capacity to respond to changing market conditions by changing price, especially where there is strong price elasticity. They may in the short run sacrifice margin for volume.

Plasma televisions were $20,000 when they first came out - now $599. Yes mass production can and regularly does (help) drive down price.

[rad87gn]

All Rolex are mass produced. I have 5 and not one is perfect. Who cares. I wear them hard core. All scratched and messed up. But they look good doing it and will out live me.

Rolex is not the "perfect grail" you wished they were. That is life and so is them living it with us all.

If you complain about $ or whatever you shouldn't have gotten them in the first place.

Everyone is so sensitive about Rolex when true experience isn't being "that guy".

Wear it, live it, and tell your stories after.

Bragging rights is dents and scratches and how you lived with it. Not some sissy that got their first scratch and wants to get it polished.

One has 19 years with no service and is perfectly on time but scratched to crap. Oh my. Waterproof still too!

[Fat_ninja]

Someone told me the world was flat...

[nuts070]

Massed produced or not, they are unavailable at ADs.

[teck21]

Originally Posted by nuts070

Massed produced or not, they are unavailable at ADs.

Yes, and I’ve never known anyone to want to purchase a Rolex, or not purchase one based on whether they consider it mass produced or not.

Only on a forum like this would there even be such a discussion.


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[77T]

Originally Posted by InitialAndPitch

Not necessarily. If you look at Porter on competitive advantage you’ll see that it gives manufacturers - especially those who are vertically integrated a much greater capacity to respond to changing market conditions by changing price, especially where there is strong price elasticity. They may in the short run sacrifice margin for volume.



Plasma televisions were $20,000 when they first came out - now $599. Yes mass production can and regularly does (help) drive down price.

I’m familiar with Porter but you’ve conflated 4 things.

First 2 is price leadership in two vastly different segments - luxury goods where price elasticity doesn’t apply - and brands in consumer staples where it does apply.

Second 2 is conflating production labor savings vs cost of components by comparing technology prices (where Moore’s Law drives cost) versus mechanical timepieces where hand finishing is still king (or queen).

There’s no digging out of the OP’s flawed premise even when you try a bigger shovel.


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[superstarmar]

Mass produced or not , we come back to the basics of value.
Any tangible object or intangible like a service is only worth
what someone else is willing to pay for it.

Mass produced or not I like Rolex... Excellent product for my $$$
At msrp or below... Not above !

[doubleinfive]

Rolex watches are produced for the masses...

[johnjm]

How many watches does Casio produce a year?

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[77T]

Originally Posted by johnjm

How many watches does Casio produce a year?

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Not sure they report actual numbers of timepieces/smart watches but since the Apple Watch launch, Casio’s sales have dipped each year.


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