Rolex as status symbol or just "a plain dependable watch"?

[Toadtorrent]

I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned this...but I like them because I have a personal family connection with them as my family has bought them generations...so I like them because of the family nostalgia factor. They were all bought in the 60's for the most part...and bought as tool watches (no rare divers unfortunately)...and my family were tool users...so it's a nice history for me. The current buyers are doing it for status for the most part...and that's kind of annoying...but hey.

I still like the current ones from an aesthetic and balance point of view too...but never down the bling path.

[Nanuq]

TeeJay, I'm with you re: the iPhone thing. It's far and away the most useful tool I can carry with me besides a Leatherman Squirt P4.

So whad'ja do to yours? Mine went swimming

Dragging this back on topic, I was in the Dr. office yesterday and walking out, saw an elder gent waiting there, wearing a Pepsi GMT. My immediate reaction? "Guy must be a retired pilot."

Why did I think that?

[By-Tor]

I agree 100% here with Stephane.An if you happen to hear a comment in my opinion it would be "Hmm...this is a fake right?"

Doesn't sound too much of a comment for a "status symbol" IMHO.What i want to say is that with Rolex being the most replicated

brand in the whole world someone who wants to make a status statement should rather consider wearing another brand.

That might be true in the US, but in the Europe you don't see that many fakes. I have seen people wearing lots of nice watches and not one single fake in years. Yes, including Rolexes.

Red Dwellers and vintage Daytonas are different but standard steel Rolex is nothing special. Almost any working adult can afford one if he really wants to. I mean, who says you have to be rich or even wealthy to wear a lousy $4K watch?

Not our membership that's for sure... based on the "What do you drive" thread most of our members drive Porsche, Mercedes and Aston Martin.

[Gabus]

I wear all gold gens, vintage gens, reps and inaccurate homage ( one of my current favorites ) with no consideration other then what I feel like wearing. The watch is for my personal satisfaction, not for anyone else. I've always liked watches. I had a 2k Rolex when I drove a 1K VW, and wear a 70 Tudor rep today when I'm in the mood. 99% of the people don't know and don't care what you wear IMHO.

[jmarin.72]

That might be true in the US, but in the Europe you don't see that many fakes. I have seen people wearing lots of nice watches and not one single fake in years. Yes, including Rolexes.

Red Dwellers and vintage Daytonas are different but standard steel Rolex is nothing special. Almost any working adult can afford one if he really wants to. I mean, who says you have to be rich or even wealthy to wear a lousy $4K watch?

Not our membership that's for sure... based on the "What do you drive" thread most of our members drive Porsche, Mercedes and Aston Martin.

Then BT it must be looking very suspicious when i am riding my "HOT WHEELS" wearing my BK YM!!!

[asf]

Then BT it must be looking very suspicious when i am riding my "HOT WHEELS" wearing my BK YM!!!

id be more worried about falling off and scratching the YM!

[Pre V]

I wear my Rolexes, not because I am assimiliated with sportsman/movie stars on billboards or magazines or any of those "imagery-induced marketing ploys" to trigger "Buy this piece of Stainless steel tool that tells time and I can be "closer" to Federer's status.

That said, any Rolex pieces that I chose to be on my wrist is for a variety of reasons that are personal to me, myself and I only.

Do I need someone to check what I am wristing today, be it supermarketing, shopping or just a stroll in the park or beach front? Hell no, better yet, don't look or I will get some queasy idea that you might want to chop the wrist bone out of me, and rob me of my Rolex.

If I want a comment on my watch(s) to feel so-much-better, then I might as well attend a GTG specific to watch enthusiasts, and perhaps, there will be non-stop commentary exchanges on watch talk. Otherwise, let that Rolex hide beneath that sleeve.

I don't submariner-wrist a Rolex to get attention, I don't sea-dweller-wrist a Rolex to feel like I am on top of Monaco, nor do I explorer-wrist a Rolex to Hillary-climb an Everest.

I wear a Rolex because I want to.

Every human being is programmed to feel emotions towards non-living things - be it Vuitton bags, IWC watches, Panerai diving instruments, Dell PCs, Apple iPhones - insanely stupid programming of our living minds to feel for materials but its a known fact, and its the prime reason why brands succeed in margining profits from the consumers via BRANDS, LOGOS, taglines etc.

Visual beings we are since the day of birth, stimulating our eyeballs till death.

Do I classify myself an Elitist for buying Rolexes? WTF is an elitist? Holier than thou kind of feeling? Higher than the those at the bottom of the coporate or social hierachy? Hell no. I reiterate - I feel Rolex because I want to, the purchase of a Rolex is not a bloody channel to making myself feel any better than buying a Patek, Omega, Tissot or Casio.

The notion of distinguishing one brand from another, other than technical & movements presentations, lies within the building blocks behind the brand's history. Why has Officine Panerai exploded into the watch scene, commanding an exponential growth under Richemont's ownership? Was it pure marketing at work, or was it a coincidental trend of "bigger watches" that helped Panerai's presence due to the consumer's pysche of "to hell with size 40mm and below watches?"

The new 40mm is 44mm, the new 44mm is 47mm, the new 47mm is 52mm and the list goes on. Think U-Boat. You want visual presence from the general public on your wrists? Try wearing a 250mm clock over your neck, and trust me, your desires have come true. Better yet, carry a Rolex Dealer's clock wherever you go - People can't miss you for sure. There you go, a solution for your appetite for Status Symbol, courtesy of Rolex and its trademarked Crown. A Crown to Feel like a Clown. Would you? Hell no, not me.

You want to feel like a Star? Go on and BE a Star, movies, sports or songs etc if you got the talents. Until then, no amount of damn Rolexes you own is going to make you feel like a Star. You are only commanding attention because you think you got some stainless steel or plated gold pieces. Truth of the matter is, you ain't getting no attention because a 40mm sized Submariner or Sea-Dweller isn't going to bestow you none of those status-symboliques.

Most of those on Forbes Fortune 500 are usually sported with digital Timex'es as their daily wearer or some family heirloom vintages - just as dependable tools of time. Yes, they absolutely have collections of Rolexes, Pateks, FP Journes, Hublots from gifts or personal purchases. Do they feel like these timepieces are a close match to their lifestyles? Fact of the matter, is in this day and age, you can be rich and be sporting a Timex, or a low-middle income class sporting a genuine or rep Ceramic Submariner. Does it matter? Perhaps to some, not to me.

Of course, the way you dress, what you wrist, what you belt, what you accessorize is a reflection of your personal financial well-being. It's an overall visual that allows the opposite party in front of you, to deduce in his/her mind how well-to-do you are. On the flip side, in many countries where CASH is KING, and visual presentations don't matter, it is only when you take out Stacks of Cash to purchase outright a real estate property, car, watch or jewellery that shock the sales person out of their living daylights. My point: You can spend your 1 or 3 months' salary on a Rolex, and have no liquid cash in your pockets, or you can wear a 20 yr old Casio, and have tons of cash in your pockets, each and every day. Does one need to exhibit your status via channels? Sadly, some still do. Others don't, and many others don't give a hoot.

Once again, I wear a Rolex because my neurotransmitters send out euphoric and elevated messages.

I don't wear a Rolex for others.

If I was, I might as well drag anyone into a Rolex AD, and say hey, I will pay for your Rolex, take your pick.

There is your status symbol exhibition right there - just because I can afford.

Edited September 25, 2010 by Pre V

[Brightight]

Interesting topic. There must be a measure of status goes with wearing a Rolex, but if you are of a certain status, and old enough, I am certainly old enough, no-one blinks an eyelid. I wear frankens instead of gens because I'm a cheapskate, the same reason I buy my Mercedes second hand (someone else can carry the biggest depreciation hit and any teething problems). I am not at all into the new model Rolexes with saphire crystals, etc, give me the good old fashioned organic feel of an acrylic crystal. I tend to wear the same watch day in, day out, and for the past 18 months or so have worn nothing but my two franken DJs (case serials date to 1978 and 1984) which take turns of around three months each. I actually feel very comfortable with these as I feel I am not trying to make a statement, I just love the classic DJ look, the reliability and good timekeeping of a properly serviced swiss ETA, but no doubt a psychiatrist would find some deep dark reason allied to sexual deprivation or the like to show I'm just a fake person. I do however see a progression, so far from rep to modded rep to franken and I start to hear the call of the gen, so no doubt that will be my next move if I can overcome my scottish mean streak and break through the cobwebs on my wallet!

I would add that Rolex has always been my grail watch, I came very close to buying a used gen Sub in the 70's but my then girlfriend persuaded me to use the money to get a Seiko diver and a new camera............. On such things are our destinies shaped

[Dizzy]

Of course Rolex is a status symbol. If you simply need accurate time keeping, then buy a digital Timex. A new quartz is more accurate than almost any mechanical watch. I like Rolex for the way they look and for the history. Sure they are also a status symbol and in that case I put on my new 16610. When i wear my old 1680 or 5513, half the time nobody knows what it is anyways. Hey is that a Nixon? Uhm what? lol

Like its been said, it cost Rolex $500 to build a stainless submariner and all the rest is brand name luxury. Rolex is definatley a status symbol, and unfortunatly a distant second as a reliable watch.

[jmarin.72]

id be more worried about falling off and scratching the YM!

Damn, that reminded me the day i fell off my motorcycle and scratched my BK V3

[jmarin.72]

Rolex is also the watch of the revolutionaries

[TeeJay]

TeeJay, I'm with you re: the iPhone thing. It's far and away the most useful tool I can carry with me besides a Leatherman Squirt P4.

So whad'ja do to yours? Mine went swimming

Natural causes with mine (ish) Tried to load the facebook app one morning, and it loaded some of my info, some of Emilys (we've both logged in on the phone before to check statuses) so I tried the homekey/top key re-boot trick. When I next turned it on, it showed the Apple logo for about 15 seconds, then the screen blacked out, and that's all it'll do Tried plugging it into the computer to do a restore via iTunes, and the computer won't even recognize that an external device has been plugged in To be fair, it has had two years worth of heavy use, and the battery life had been starting to get bad, and the top key was starting to get a bit temperemental, so I knew it was due a service, it's just wierd what happened to it I've found a company online who specialize in iPhone repairs, and once the inheritance money comes through, I'll be sending it off to the spa in hopes it can be fixed I'm not thrilled at the idea of losing 600+ photos (including wedding and portfolio work) and all the contact details I had for folks, but if they can recondition the phone and get it working again, losing the info would be a sacrifice worth paying to get it working again Fingers crossed

Dragging this back on topic, I was in the Dr. office yesterday and walking out, saw an elder gent waiting there, wearing a Pepsi GMT. My immediate reaction? "Guy must be a retired pilot."

Why did I think that?

Reasonable assumption from the available clues

[Toadtorrent]

id be more worried about falling off and scratching the YM!

DOH!!! Believe it or not, that's where a lot the "aging" on my gen Rollies has happened...literally bashing them on the bike stands locking my bike up.

Another thing to note...realistically, in terms of price, spending $400 on a REP should be considered a status symbol even though it's a rep because most of society only spends $50 on their Timex or $100 on their watches.

[TeeJay]

DOH!!! Believe it or not, that's where a lot the "aging" on my gen Rollies has happened...literally bashing them on the bike stands locking my bike up.

Another thing to note...realistically, in terms of price, spending $400 on a REP should be considered a status symbol even though it's a rep because most of society only spends $50 on their Timex or $100 on their watches.

That is so true, I worked out a while back that in terms of watches I've bought to cannibalize for parts, I've easily spent $500 on this one...

[dave47]

Excellent discussion on the whys and hows of Rolex-wearing. But, I find that much of the discussion is based upon personal preferences and values, and that's how it should be. It's like asking why someone drives a Chevy versus a Nissan; or, yet, a Porsche or BMW. Whatever it is, it holds allure for that person. For myself, I like Rolex because it's synonomous with luxury, craftsmanship, and durability. And, to me, those are what makes this watch so attractive. Yes, there are other fine watches just as durable and fine-looking as Rolex (think Seiko, Invicta, Croton, Timex, etc.)-- and I have several of them, but when it comes to shear impact, you can't beat a Rolex. There are other luxury watches, such as Panerai, Patek Phillipe (spell.), Hublot, etc, and these watches are all VERY expensive; but when it comes to name recognition, it's Rolex. Does one have to be wealthy to own one, no. Take me, for example, my wife bought me a beautiful TT DateJust back in '07 (for a lot of reasons) and it was a one shot purchase. We live modestly, I drive a Nissan Maxima and she drives a Toyota RAV4. Purchasing and owning a Rolex, for me, was simply a dream come true. Crazy, perhaps, but that's my choice. I'd love to own a Porsche, but that's not going to happen in this lifetime. The only "sad" experience I've had wearing the DateJust is people simply DO NOT NOTICE IT. In the three years I've been wearing it, only ONE person ever asked me "Is that a Rolex?" And, it turns out he was a watch collector, too; his love were Breitlings. I don't believe it's necessary for us to explain/defend why we purchase a certain brand -- just as we don't have to justify to others why we spend money buying replicas. It's what we, as individuals, like and want to do; And, that, my friends, should be the most important element.

dave

[freddy333]

The only "sad" experience I've had wearing the DateJust is people simply DO NOT NOTICE IT. In the three years I've been wearing it, only ONE person ever asked me "Is that a Rolex?" And, it turns out he was a watch collector, too; his love were Breitlings.

While very few people have the gal/courage/interest (depending on your point of view) to comment on a stranger's (or even a acquaintance's) watch, many more than you think are noticing it. Trust me on this.

[dieselpower]

Interesting reading. For me its all bout aesthetics. I have a gen Omega Speedmaster Pro. Its busy but I love it. Everything is there for a reason. I have a rep Rolex Daytona 6263. It's beautiful. As is my (wifes) Gen 1952 Oyster Perpetual. I have a lovely rep JLC Reserve du Marche. The dial layout and look is absolutely gorgeous. I get pleasure from these every time I look at them. I have never had direct comments made to me about the watches I wear and I couldn't care less. My daily beater is (was - it needs repairing!) a modded MBW 1665 DRSD surely the ultimate tool watch, and I happen to love the look of it as well.

Sure you can bang on about what wearing one brand says about you and how the world perceives you but all that is just conditioning, your perceptions, the next persons perceptions etc etc and frankly - who cares. I do however care about what I put on my wrist and nothing would please me more than if a being landed from Mars who had no conception of value, price, brand or anything and looked at my wrist and just simply said "that's a nice watch". That'll do for me

[Watchmeister]

For a major portion of the upper end Rolex buyers I am convinced it is simply part of the uniform. If you live in an area or work in a field where the watch is readily affordable it is as I said. If you are in a field or live in an area where $5,000 for a watch is out of the ordinary than it does play more of a status symbol. I look at it kind of like a lower end or mid-size BMW. At one level it is almost expected and no one looks twice. If everyone else is driving a Camry people are going to notice. I do think Rolex has done a great job positioning Rolex as both an aspirational piece for those who are stretching to buy it and simply a solid watch for those who are readily willing to pay that kind of money and want a watch which is well built and more importantly accepted as a good brand. Of course the vintage thing is a whole other topic because the buyers have either owned them long enough that they are now vintage or someone is actually interested in the heritage.

[freddy333]

Well said, Watchmeister.

[Watchmeister]

Great minds....

[HauteHippie]

For a major portion of the upper end Rolex buyers I am convinced it is simply part of the uniform. If you live in an area or work in a field where the watch is readily affordable it is as I said. If you are in a field or live in an area where $5,000 for a watch is out of the ordinary than it does play more of a status symbol. I look at it kind of like a lower end or mid-size BMW. At one level it is almost expected and no one looks twice. If everyone else is driving a Camry people are going to notice. I do think Rolex has done a great job positioning Rolex as both an aspirational piece for those who are stretching to buy it and simply a solid watch for those who are readily willing to pay that kind of money and want a watch which is well built and more importantly accepted as a good brand. Of course the vintage thing is a whole other topic because the buyers have either owned them long enough that they are now vintage or someone is actually interested in the heritage.

Bingo.

I consider my 16520 to be a silver Mercedes E350, both of which I have a particular fondness for.

[btocamelo]

Every good Cuban or Colombian drug dealer in the 80's wore a Rolex, and I'm sure Rolex made big $$$ during that decade.......I'm surprised Rolex never came out with a "Scarface" edition.

[Watchmeister]

Bingo.

I consider my 16520 to be a silver Mercedes E350, both of which I have a particular fondness for.

I think your 16520 is more like a 70's vintage Mercedes. For those who know - impressive. For those who don't - some old car. But you bring up a good point - the Daytona was for many years the top of the line. It may still be. But it is not the usual Datejust or Submariner that you see on someone's wrist and take for granted. In my neck of the woods if you were raised as a a Rolex person you typically started with a Sub as a youngster. And if you wanted to upgrade in a non-gold way you graduated to a Daytona.

[sishac]

Unfortunately, I think that the days of Rolex just being a "plain dependable watch" are well past us...now the cornet is seen as a status symbol by most I think. Yes, they are dependable watches, and if you are lucky enough to have inherited one from the days when they were seen as simply a nice swiss watch, that may still be your view of them because you don't know of the value or don't care about it.

But today, I think that new Rolex are seen as just another way to flaunt what you've got. With regular price increases and a dealer service network that isn't overly friendly to vintage owners, they seem to be catering to their brand instead of their history. That is business.

Personally, my views of Rolex have changed 180 degrees in the recent past....I have been gravitating towards the vintage watches...the 1655, the 1675 and maybe even the 1680 (well, I have a vintage SM300, so the Sub may be a bit duplication). What interest me is not the Rolex name (I think), but instead the history of these watches. Would I spend the same money on a sterile watch...no, there is a premium for the Rolex name. Would I buy a new Rolex...personally, no. Can I justify spending $5,000 on a watch right now? Not right now, but think about it...I was recently in a conversation with some friends and watches came up...the comment was made that who would spend $5,000 on a watch....I sort of rolled my eyes, and asked my friend how much she thought the engagement ring on her finger cost? She smiled a bit embarrassed, and I said that at least a watch tells time. That is not to insult anyone who enjoys nice jewelry, but I don't think a watch should be seen as anything less...people get them for different reasons (to mark a special occasion or as a sign of accomplishment in life) just as they do jewelry. Some watches have even been known to appreciate in value.

I buy a watch because I enjoy the history behind the line and yes, the name, and I enjoy the feeling I get when I look at it (on business trips I have fallen asleep many a night staring at the lume on my SM300.) Do I want it to be noticed....I really don't care, but while I'm not going to go out of my way, I'm not going to shy away either...just the other day I was wearing my 1655 on a black nato, and someone commented that they liked my watch..what kind was it...I said a vintage Rolex explorer II...they said cool...that was it...they liked the orange hand. Do I wish sometime that it didn't say Rolex...yes, I think I do...not because I'm ashamed of it (I will buy a gen vintage one day), but because of the perception that some people have about them. (I think that BMW suffers from the same type of stigma...my client once asked me what the difference between a porcupine and BMW was...the porcupine had the [censored] on the outside...but honestly, it is the best driving car I've ever had and I can't image going back to a Honda, no matter how reliable that Honda is.)

In short, I buy what I buy becuase I like it....and yes, I like some Rolex watches (I also like some Omega watches, some Panerai watches, and even some Seiko watches (gasp!)...I want to be known as the guy that wears that cool vintage watch, just as I'm known as the guy that drives the old Mustang convertible (even though it doesn't drive anywhere near as nice as the BMW) instead of the fancy BMW convertible.

Enough said! Enjoy what you wear...for whatever reason you wear it!

[HauteHippie]

I think your 16520 is more like a 70's vintage Mercedes.

No... that's my [future] 6265....