Another very well written post Ping, i'm glad it came out again.
As I said in my title, I liked your post but I took great pleasure and interest in reading the answers bringing knowledge to myself as I'm not a Rolex connoisseur really.
In fact, before I got seriously into watches (around 2009), I hated Rolex's image because I remembered when I was a teenager all the "fake" rolexes we had in paris at the time, and especially the type of people who were wearing them...
And I was not a fan of the Oyster model with the famous crenated bezel (I still don't).
But, since I'm on forums, blogs etc I learned a lot about Rolex's accuracy, reliability and legitimacy, and I must say I really like the Subs and Datos style.
Today I love them and I respect their product very much.
If I was to buy and possess a unique watch, under T€.10, it would certainly be a Rolex.
If I have a higher budget for several watches, then the Rolexes don't remain at the 1st place. That's why I don't have any (yet?).
It is a Status watch for the mass but it is not a creteria which weighs for even a mere 1% in my mind when considering a purchase.
Thanks for the article Ping.
Cheers, Mark