Rolex

Following on from the earlier rolex post:

Most people when facing a purchasing decision want to feel that, having parted with their hard earned cash, they are getting a product that performs well for the price paid.

It can be fairly daunting when shopping in a market that you have little experience of, and it is sometimes reassuring to have the safety of a well known “quality” brand – where the common perception is that you will get a quality product. BMW, Mercedes, Sony and Rolex are brands that spring to mind. Btw: I had a Sony Trinitron TV that worked perfectly for 20 years, I have a 67 Mercedes that I thrashed as a daily driver in London, and I have no doubt the Rolex will outlive me.

Now having said that, after I bought my Rolex, and then my next watch, I started doing the research, and as a consequence became more of a purist. My taste has veered towards G O, Lange and Patek. I will most probably never purchase another Rolex – but I am somewhat grateful for the brand having provided me with a stepping stone into matters horological.

Carl,

     I received my Rolex DateJust in 1981 for graduation.  I just had it reconditioned to new and it's beautiful.  I, too, have moved on to more, what to say, extravagant, timepieces.  But, let me assure you that, the more I read about Rolex, the more I appreciate them.  While I might not ever purchase another one, as you, I have learned that their quality, while legendary, is not mere marketing hype.  Their innovations are truly meritorious, but their strategerie is one a of low-key, don't-blow-tour-own-horn type.  It's a Swiss thing.  Take some time to research their methods on your own and I think you'll be impressed.  Sorry for the quickie, outta time.

     H. 

When people say that Sony is "the best" at making some product, what they mean (rightly or wrongly) is that it is better than the competition at serving some utilitarian objective, like a crisp TV picture.  The appeal of Rolex -- or any other expensive watch brand -- has much more to do with socioeconomic signaling than with the utilitarian function of telling time; a $20 Timex beats a $40k Day Date at that game.  On the other hand, Rolex IS a lot more dependable than other high-status watches, which is one reason people are rightly so loyal to it.  In fact, I'm wearing one (an Explorer I) as I type this.

Btw, I remain happy that there's no Rolex forum on this site, even though so many of us respect the brand.  Brings in the wrong type:  witness the competition's Rolex forum.

Carl,

BTW, my Sony Trinitron is still in action after 22 years......only needed a new on-off switch due to wear and tear in Year 16 !

If someone came to me now and said, "Quick! I've got 5 mins at the airport shop to get a good Swiss watch.", I would recommend a Rolex because:

1. Quick choice due to changeless design
2. Robust and works out-of-the-box
3. Does what it says on the box
4. Can save your life if you have to get out of Baghdad pronto! (accepted by 8 out of 10 taxi drivers) - better than a camel
5. Never goes out of "fashion"
6. After initial depreciation, "value" is constant

Regards,

MTF

 

This message has been edited by MTF on 2007-10-30 21:20:47

Sony, Mercedes and Rolex are not positioned as expensive products in the market.  Other brands do that much better like B&O and Bentley (I happened to like them both).  They have always tried to bring the quality and durability of the products to the forefront, German or Swiss engineering as their calling card. 

As previously mentioned the status symbol associated with each brand carries the social climbing aspiration prevalent in any society or socio-economic class.   This type of social mobility is a subject of a completely separate thread which would be fun to confront.

Setting all these social mores aside the brands do represent a quality that is undeniable despite the elitist social negativisms even I find my self drawn to.  It is hard to not notice the bling of a solid gold and diamond studded Rolex.  But it is a pleasure to see some classic beauties or gems that Rolex is capable of producing.

It is just too easy to despise a product for the sake of it  when it has proven time and again  to be a product of high integrity..

Bottom line, any product that is produced is such enormous quantities, in the case of Rolex 700-900k pieces a year, can never find peace in the hearts of many and mostly for reasons other than their reliability or quality. 

Boy I said a lot and at the say time nothing.

Good night.

Bill

Many watches have a justified reutation for hanging in there for ever.  The classic Seiko diver's from the '60s and '70s (6105, 6309 etc) are built like tanks and both the movements and cases can an absurd amount of abuse.  Even the later Seiko diver's (eg 7002) have a good reputation (and, if we're honest with ourselves, the classic, boring, ubiquitous, cheap-o Seiko 5 can take abuse as well).  The Benrus Type 1 and marathon navigator are other examples of watches famous for being able to take punishment, and there are other mil spec watches that do the same.

You can pick up one of these Seiko diver's for a couple of hundred dollars, though the original Benrus cost a bit more.  So, much cheaper than the Rolex, equally as tough, and we can argue about the accuracy if we have to...  But, zero street cred outside of lunatic collecting circles and negligible resale value.

nick