Why I’m going back to rolex…

[WatchEater666]

Why I’m going back to rolex as a daily…

Since I picked up watches as a hobby, I’ve never been much of a brand loyalist. I’ve owned watches from pretty much every major brand at this point and many independents.

Rolex wise, I’ve previously owned the last generation 36mm Datejust on jubilee with a fluted bezel, a Milgauss, vintage 5513, and a modern sub.

All of which I ended up selling.

My logic previously was that Rolex was not that well made at the price point compared to other watches in the same price range.

I still believe that’s true. For example, the Blancpain Bathyscaphe goes for less than a Submariner (both used comps) but has beautiful anglage and overall finish work relative to the closed case back on a rolex.

Or, with grand seiko, their sports watches like the SBGE line are more accurate, better finished and have loads of great features.

However, I gradually sold off most of these other watches because none of them have the perfect combination of comfort, quality, good sizing, reliability, ease of service, and design that Rolex has.

Those are all still awesome watches, but as a daily, it’s so hard to beat rolex.

This is because rolex is a 7/10 in some of these, but together it turns their watches into a 10/10 for me because they nail everything that is important for a daily imo in a way that no other brand comes close to doing.

What I mean by this…

Comfort/sizing. For a daily, no reason for a time only piece to be bigger than 42mm and thicker than 12 or 13mm IMO. I own a panerai that is chunky, I would not wear it daily as it gets uncomfortable. Then there are things like the bracelets…which no other brand can come close to. Hell, even my bb54 has a better bracelet than my divers that were 2x the price lol.

Toughness/ease of repair. Rolex is very shock tolerant in general, and the water proofing is reasonable as well. It bugs me a lot that the APRO is only 50m for example. If you damage your watch you can have it fixed relatively quickly with minimal headache.

Quality/finish. Rolex is mass produced and mostly machine made, but it’s all very well executed for what it is. Again, something like a bathyscaphe has way better craftsmanship behind it, but it falls far behind something like a sub in every other facet.

Design. The date windows are my only gripe, but everything else is perfect. Obviously this is subjective, but I think there’s good reason the brand is what it is.

So, I just picked up a DJ36 with the fluted bezel + jubilee bracelet for my wife, and have a no date sub coming too.

[minute_man]

Congrats on the incoming watches, to you and the Mrs. I fully agree with your point. Rolex is what it is for good reason. Having tried their contemporary line, I am now more drawn to the 5 digit era but this more of a matter of discovering one's particular preference than a gripe with the 6 digit line.
There are several other manufacturers offering arguably better and more feature rich timepieces. Some are great value and fun but Rolex seems to be just the right amount of everything

[travisb]

All valid points.
I've tried a wide variety of brands and can appreciate what they offer but Rolex will always be my go-to.
Congrats on the new watches!

[PepsiBezel]

Sometimes the journey away helps you realize…

Congratulations on the 124060, it is the perfect modern Rolex and perfect modern sport watch.

[racerx]

Well said, I agree on all points.

[Tim Plains]

Have you tried a moonwatch? I have a 3861 and think it's perfect in every way.

[Marcjvr]

You could write these posts about any brand and the only thing that changes is the brand name

[RolexDave68]

Love the Crown. Welcome back, it’s all I ever wanted. Cheers to enjoying this journey

[Mr Ben]

I agree on all points but it’s the classic design that does it most for me - it’s timeless. Any other watch I’ve ever bought gets such a significant regular design change that they look very dated very quickly.

With Rolex, there are plenty of 20-50 year old models, I would be extremely proud to own now. Possibly more so than the modern versions so I wonder if the move to shiny and ceramic will age quite as well.

I did just pick up a white dial speedmaster so I’m not averse to other brands where they have models with similar characteristics and there are some such watches out there.

[1William]

Nice post and some valid points. I started with SS Submariner more than 30 years ago and have literally owned most, if not all, Rolex references in every metal since then. I still find the SS Submariner to be my favorite. I have a 124060 and the dial is the best. Well balanced and perfect.

[sinkholeninja]

I completely understand and agree with you. I own watches from various brands, but Rolex is the only one that I don't need to "baby" or worry about something happening to it.

[rmlovett1]

Personally, I’m enjoying different brands but can appreciate where you’re coming from. Rolex would be my choice if forced to choose wearing only one brand.

[GB-man]

Been there. Have worn Ti YM all summer at this point. I have done the return to rolex move once or twice in my journey already. It is why we are all on this site after all.

[brandrea]

I always gravitate toward Rolex as a daily wearer

[KatGirl]

I agree with some of your points, but I own many brands, that I enjoy. I will say this, though: “There’s just something about a Rolex.” The robustness and classic design are chief among its attributes that attract me. I feel the same about the Speedy Pro.

Kat


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[Kevin of Larchmont]

I’ve never thought Rolex was the horological pinnacle but for the reasons the OP described it’s my pinnacle.

[B2 Stealth]

Timeless, classic, robust, historical, military connection, aviation references--ticks all the boxes for me. I've owned many other brands but rarely wear anything but Rolex.

[SLWoodster]

Welcome back.

I’m not really into name brands but I love Rolex for its comfort, reliability, robustness. Of course less depreciation doesn’t hurt either.

I think a lot of us move on to try other brands, then come back. “Quality” and “luxury” can mean many different things to different companies and different people.

For many collecting much higher end watches, rarity, level of finish, handiwork really matter. Rolexes are not few in number unless you are buying vintage. But they possesses rarity due to the sheer scale of demand. 1 billion people wanting 1.5m Rolexes is different than 8,000 wanting and capable of buying 800 yearly produced FP Journes. Their level of finish shows in the comfort of the bracelet and the length of time needed before a service. Their handiwork has proven it to be a reliable tool while grocery shopping, picking up dog poop, and accidentally slamming against the bar counter.

To me, reliability and comfort is luxury. It’s okay that it’s not avant-garde or groundbreaking.

[ajw45]

Hah, congrats on the sub order! I've been thinking the same. It's been a long hot summer wearing watches on straps and I feel like I'm missing that thing my old pre-c sea dweller did perfectly which was everything because it was nice but not precious - an enjoyable part of the edc that required zero brain cells. Now that some of the hype has been let out of the market and ADs have chilled out a little bit I'm slowly window shopping for my first return to rolex too.