The Average Rolex Owner

[freddy333]

Never assume anything (about the quality of your Rolex rep) just because it fooled someone who owns a gen.

Read This

[dluddy]

I'd take it one step further.....The average watch owner knows nothing about watches

[w.genzo]

My opinion is that is not a fault to own a nice watch if you don't know anything about watches.

Actually my girlfriend barely knows how to adjust the time and date of her gen rollie received as a gift for her laurea degree, but she likes it and wears it almost every day.

Same point as "every sea dweller owner should be a diver?"

The mistake is to act like he did and to feel cool just because you have a rolex on your wrist.

[Sir-Lancelot]

yup, just us watch nerds.

[freddy333]

My opinion is that is not a fault to own a nice watch if you don't know anything about watches.

Let me clarify the purpose of my posting this -- It is not meant as a critique of those who know little about the expensive watches they wear, but, instead, points out (to those who often suggest that their rep must be passable for a gen because it fooled someone who owns 1) that compliments coming from the average luxury watch owner are, at best, false praise & not a good barometer of your rep's visual or functional accuracy to the gen it is based on.

[teddy boy]

I agree with what you said, fooling a gen owner means absolutely nothing. The addendum that I would add is that fooling most gen salespeople means nothing. I have been astounded by how little gen salespeople generally know. When I bought my gen superocean I said to the guy (the store's watch expert btw), this watch still has the Breitling 17, correct? He had to look it up in the cataglog. Then I said, nice movement, it's built up from the ETA 28-24. He had no clue as to what I had just said. I had a similar conversation with a salesperson at Tourneaux in the Forum mall at Caesers when asking if Breitling continued to use the Valjoux 7750 in their chronos.

[ajoesmith]

I agree with what you said, fooling a gen owner means absolutely nothing. The addendum that I would add is that fooling most gen salespeople means nothing. I have been astounded by how little gen salespeople generally know. When I bought my gen superocean I said to the guy (the store's watch expert btw), this watch still has the Breitling 17, correct? He had to look it up in the cataglog. Then I said, nice movement, it's built up from the ETA 28-24. He had no clue as to what I had just said. I had a similar conversation with a salesperson at Tourneaux in the Forum mall at Caesers when asking if Breitling continued to use the Valjoux 7750 in their chronos.

I had the same experience as well here in australia

Went into a nice gen watch store and asked about the IWC 3717, they said they didnt have it in stock

I glanced to my right and a customer was trying it on!

I said, i think maybe that customer is trying the watch on right now?

He said 'Sorry sir thats not the watch you asked for'

I had asked for the SS bracelet version but the other one was the leather strap version, no big deal eh! i Just wamted to look at the frikkin watch!

His attitude stunk and he thought he was the beez neez, so i hit him with it.....Does the IWC 37317 us an inhouse chrono movement or is it a ETA 7750?

Of course he had no idea and he actually had to call someone, he could have just looked it up.

Moral of the story, most watch sales people dont have a clue about watches and they are as*holes to boot!

[Greystash]

I'm also down-under.

Something that relates. I was in an AD late last year, handling a SS Sub. I went to deploy the divers extension and the sale girl literally jumped like I was just about to break the buckle. I stopped short and relocated the link. It left me with the impression that, if I had fully opened the extension it would have been the first time she'd ever seen it done.

Edited May 18, 2008 by Greystash

[freddy333]

I have dated 2 women that worked for ADs & neither had the slightest interest in watches. And from what they told me, the male full-timers are not much more knowledgeable than they are. Most of the people who work in ADs work there because there was an opening & they got hired. It is just a retail sales job to them. I think the counter help in my local Sears Tire Store is more knowledgeable about tires than the average AD's counter staff is about watches.

[hiker01]

I have dated 2 women that worked for ADs & neither had the slightest interest in watches. And from what they told me, the male full-timers are not much more knowledgeable than they are. Most of the people who work in ADs work there because there was an opening & they got hired. It is just a retail sales job to them. I think the counter help in my local Sears Tire Store is more knowledgeable about tires than the average AD's counter staff is about watches.

I totally agree! Had this Dumb AD Sales Person experience while visiting Tourneau Time Dome in Vegas. No clue whatsover!

[freddy333]

I think it also needs to be said that it is not the average retail sales person that deserves our scorn here. They are what they are. If anyone deserves criticism it is us, we watch nuts, who think (wrongly) that it is 'normal' to expend so much time, energy & money on a mechanical device that just tells the time .

[Slartibartfast]

If anyone deserves criticism it is us, we watch nuts, who think (wrongly) that it is 'normal' to expend so much time, energy & money on a mechanical device that just tells the time .

Wow....... you're right. I'm outta here!

[Corgi]

Just because somebody owns a Rolex doesn't mean they are interested in haute horology. Quite the contrary even, since it is the most popular brand. I think more knowledgeable 'purists' would be those wearing less popular, more exclusive brands.

Any clueless joe redneck can get a Rolex if he spent enough time working high level at company X.