Rolex's greatest achievement?

[Deaf Stan]

Rolex's greatest achievement? To my mind it's the Deep Sea Special that was strapped to the outside of the bathyscaphe Trieste in 1960. Why? Because it's an awesome amount of pressure.

PS. NOT Mercedes Gleitze's cross-Channel swim in 1927 (because the we know that the Oyster wasn't in fact the first waterproof wristwatch case; see, for example, the "Submarine Watch" from the First World War, which was made by Tavannes and retailed by Brook & Son in Edinburgh) and NOT the first watch to the summit of Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953 (which, according to Rolex themselves, was an English-made Smiths De Luxe.) So, the Deep Sea Special for me. An incredible piece of engineering and design

[khalifam]

To turn the Oyster Perpetual into a hot watch

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[Deaf Stan]

Originally Posted by khalifam

To turn the Oyster Perpetual into a hot watch

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Well, yes, there is that too I suppose!

[coffeebreak]

Rolex’s greatest achievement has to be its Guinness World Record for the world’s longest waitlist
...some say this record may never be broken

[hlash99]

Originally Posted by coffeebreak

Rolex’s greatest achievement has to be its Guinness World Record for the world’s longest waitlist
...some say this record may never be broken

[Old Expat Beast]

Marketing.

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Marketing.

+1

[robinmgb]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Marketing.

Couldn’t agree more.
To make mass produced watches of Omega standard sell for high horology prices is such an achievement!

[Deaf Stan]

Originally Posted by robinmgb

Couldn’t agree more.
To make mass produced watches of Omega standard sell for high horology prices is such an achievement!

At least Omega have innovated (co-axial). What have Rolex done? Used a different grade of stainless steel. Big deal.

But they have manipulated the market: advertising + restricting supply and creating an artificial shortage. Add to that things like randomised serial numbers and I do wonder whether they've gone too far. Maybe not a Tulip bubble but certainly some Emperor's New Clothes.

I love vintage Rolexes; modern ones are just bling bracelets by the world's biggest Veblen brand.

I wish they'd put the 1016 and 5513 back into production. At $5k ha ha.

[zapokee]

Maintaining customer interest while not supplying anything that people actually want.

[rtalk]

Originally Posted by Deaf Stan

At least Omega have innovated (co-axial). What have Rolex done? Used a different grade of stainless steel. Big deal.

But they have manipulated the market: advertising + restricting supply and creating an artificial shortage. Add to that things like randomised serial numbers and I do wonder whether they've gone too far. Maybe not a Tulip bubble but certainly some Emperor's New Clothes.

I love vintage Rolexes; modern ones are just bling bracelets by the world's biggest Veblen brand.

I wish they'd put the 1016 and 5513 back into production. At $5k ha ha.

Ok. First of all Omega productionalized the Co-Axial --- but keep in mind that it was George Daniels that really pushed it. Omega couldn't have done it without Daniels.

Second of all --- let's not forget the very reason why we wrist watches is because of Rolex. Prior to Rolex, yes, wrist watches existed, but they were not reliable at all (water would destroy them) and only where worn as jewelry instead of time keeping devices. Rolex coming to market with the Oyster case and that was a game changer. Yes, they did some marketing with Mercedes Gleitze to swim the channel, but if Rolex didn't design that Oyster case -- it would have failed miserably.

So in summary, Rolex's biggest achievements 1) Oyster Case, 2) being the driving force of the transition from pocket watches to wrist watches.

and one more thing --- quality wise Omega is not on par with Rolex. They made a lot of cost cutting decisions that hurt the quality of their watches. Biggest examples of cost cutting that come to mind is using PLASTIC CAMS in chronographs instead of metal column wheels.

[Deaf Stan]

Originally Posted by rtalk

Ok. First of all Omega productionalized the Co-Axial --- but keep in mind that it was George Daniels that really pushed it. Omega couldn't have done it without Daniels.

Second of all --- let's not forget the very reason why we wrist watches is because of Rolex. Prior to Rolex, yes, wrist watches existed, but they were not reliable at all (water would destroy them) and only where worn as jewelry instead of time keeping devices. Rolex coming to market with the Oyster case and that was a game changer. Yes, they did some marketing with Mercedes Gleitze to swim the channel, but if Rolex didn't design that Oyster case -- it would have failed miserably.

So in summary, Rolex's biggest achievements 1) Oyster Case, 2) being the driving force of the transition from pocket watches to wrist watches.

and one more thing --- quality wise Omega is not on par with Rolex. They made a lot of cost cutting decisions that hurt the quality of their watches. Biggest examples of cost cutting that come to mind is using PLASTIC CAMS in chronographs instead of metal column wheels.

Plastic? Plastic?! Delrin, please! And I think it wasn't actually a cost cutting measure but done for the properties of the material? Or so Swatch, sorry Omega, said at the time! But, yes, it looks cheap.

As for the co-axial, I'm not really convinced it's all that to be honest. You might be aware of the rumour that Daniels offered it to Rolex first but they kept him waiting so he walked out and took it to Omega. Not sure if the story is true but it's a very Rolex sort of thing to do. Guess they can't even see someone without them going on a waiting list.

[Jackie Daytona]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Marketing.

Agree completely.

[saxo3]

Market domination and blind trust.

[77T]

This...



Multiplied many, many times during WWII.



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[saxo3]

Originally Posted by 77T

This...



Multiplied many, many times during WWII.



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A historical document!
Many thanks for sharing.
Was this letter written to you personally?
Cheers

[77T]

Originally Posted by saxo3

A historical document!
Many thanks for sharing.
Was this letter written to you personally?
Cheers

No, I read about this many years ago in the Rolex Wikipedia webpage.

Corporal Clive James Nutting, one of the organizers of the Great Escape, ordered a stainless steel Rolex Oyster 3525 Chronograph by mail directly from Hans Wilsdorf in Geneva.


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[saxo3]

Originally Posted by 77T

No, I read about this many years ago in the Rolex Wikipedia webpage.

Corporal Clive James Nutting, one of the organizers of the Great Escape, ordered a stainless steel Rolex Oyster 3525 Chronograph by mail directly from Hans Wilsdorf in Geneva.

Thanks!
The watch price was "gratis".
https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/1...watch.html?m=1

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by 77T

This...



Multiplied many, many times during WWII.



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Supplying free watches to Luftwaffe prison guards?


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[77T]

Originally Posted by EEpro

Supplying free watches to Luftwaffe prison guards?

From the same Wiki I mentioned earlier...

The watch was delivered to Stalag Luft III on 10 July that year along with a note from Wilsdorf explaining that Corporal Nutting "should not even think" about paying for the watch before the end of the war. The watch and associated correspondence between Wilsdorf and Nutting were sold at auction for £66,000 in May 2007.

Thousands of Rolexes were provided to POWs and active service personnel in this manner...

That is why I say it is Rolex’s “greatest achievement”.



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[Deaf Stan]

YES! The WW2 PoW watches. Good call.

It's a wonder Rolex don't make more of that; they go out of their way to imply Everest and they flatly claim that the Oyster is the first waterproof wristwatch case but this is actually true and yet you have to go digging to find it.

[MARTIN1264]

Originally Posted by 77T

From the same Wiki I mentioned earlier...

The watch was delivered to Stalag Luft III on 10 July that year along with a note from Wilsdorf explaining that Corporal Nutting "should not even think" about paying for the watch before the end of the war. The watch and associated correspondence between Wilsdorf and Nutting were sold at auction for £66,000 in May 2007.

Thousands of Rolexes were provided to POWs and active service personnel in this manner...

That is why I say it is Rolex’s “greatest achievement”.



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[DoctorsOrders]

Originally Posted by 77T

This...



Multiplied many, many times during WWII.



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I agree completely! Love this

[faimag]

Originally Posted by 77T

This...



Multiplied many, many times during WWII.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Darn. Even back then there was a waitlist !

[Number3]

Originally Posted by faimag

Darn. Even back then there was a waitlist !

[Brew]

Gotta go with marketing.

[dazooom]

Originally Posted by Brew

Gotta go with marketing.

This!

[THC]

Great letter (of the Rolex law)

[bp1000]

Marketing

[Brew]

Buying patents, assembling them, and then marketing?