Key Driver of Desirability - Rarity or Aesthetics?

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by Uggi

Innocent attraction to beauty morphs over time into vain greed for valuable trinkets?
Possibly. Is this what we recognise in ourselves?

Way to early on a weekend to discuss the blending of philosophy, economics and the desire for high end luxury jewelry.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by glamorama

I don't really buy your argument that it is not a money factor.

Pretty much the only way to have an AD relationship is to buy watches that you desire in varying degrees before getting access to hard to get pieces. Sure you might be a nice/cool guy liked by the manager but in the end you need to buy stuff to have a so called relationship. If you are a celeb or hot shot that brings some glamour to the shop by buying from them that may not apply. This might also be different in small towns where people already know of each other.

So imao it is a money factor, you have spent enough to 'earn' the right to buy a desired watch at MSRP even if you are not their biggest spender.

my point was there are enough people with 10k to spend for a watch so that isnt impressive, but there are less who can spend that 10k to actually get one. Getting it is more impressive than the fact you have 10k. Its desirable because its hard to get not that it costs what it costs.

IMO that has changed as previously the big appeal to a lot of people was that it was an expensive thing to wear, but now its more about wearing something hard to get. Hard to get is more "exclusive" than expensive.

Im speaking to the casual watch buyer which is most people as they like the brand for entirely different reasons than WIS. Its social status signaling.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by aleeboy

Exclusivity and the feeling of 'being in the club' are strong motivating factors inherent in people. It's just human nature.

Obviously it's not purely down to looks

The thing with Rolex is that they are objectively speaking good-looking and standardly attractive, whereas AP and PP sports have far more unusual designs that are polarising, so it is interesting to see how rarity/exclusivity and high resales of those models have coerced people into buying who might still not be convinced of their design language.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by HL65

Yes he did. Me I simply have always bought watches I really liked. I really don't care what anyone else thinks of my watches as I bought for myself not anyone else.

Same here. It's funny, if you are really worried about resale, you are actually buying the watch for the next owner, not yourself.

[pigman08]

Originally Posted by AK797

It's funny, if you are really worried about resale, you are actually buying the watch for the next owner, not yourself.

Well said!!!... I profited by trading my Daytona, and I knew that I’d be able to when I bought it. But, I truly believed that I’d keep it to hand down to my son. Fortunately, it was not an expensive mistake to make, and I think it has helped me in being a bit more discerning on future acquisitions.



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[Ichiran]

Pricing, aesthetics and pedigree in that order.

I think many people have similar kind of taste, be it food, cars, ladies or watches. And all these factors drive demand.

[Fat_ninja]

Different for different people.

[Spence4]

That’s a fair point. I was definitely not comfortable with paying 25k+ for a Daytona, but the SS was under 10k at the time which seemed a bit more reasonable. I like the way the wg looks, but the ss was the only that was really in my price range.

[GB-man]

For me aesthetics however I find most of the hot Rolex to have great aesthetics. Daytona, GMT

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by AK797

The thing with Rolex is that they are objectively speaking good-looking and standardly attractive, whereas AP and PP sports have far more unusual designs that are polarising, so it is interesting to see how rarity/exclusivity and high resales of those models have coerced people into buying who might still not be convinced of their design language.

Indeed. It’s funny because I would think John public would prefer the classic aesthetic of a calatrava vs the somewhat odd design of the 5711. But no.

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

Rarity.
Take the green glass Milgauss as case in point. When it came out it went nuts and it was hard to get, prices were on the moon, until it was realised that you could buy one in any AD anytime. Then no one was interested.

I think it's crazy, who wants a green watch or a half blue watch.. or a blue and red watch. It's nonsense, desireability driven by greed and rarity.

Apparently lots of people wanted blue and red BLROs, it's the signature color scheme of the GMT Master. They were in continuous production and popular from 1954 until 2007, and even had 2 BLRO refs (16700 & 16710) being manufactured from '88 to '99. Historically they were definitely not a rarity, one could find them easily at any AD. A BLNR is just a variation on the bi-colored bezel theme (not unlike the commonly found Coke or Root beer), which came out during the 10 year absence of BLRO production that lasted from 2008 until this year.

It's the 10 year absence of the BLRO in the GMT Master line-up since they went ceramic that has those who've always liked them trying to get their hands on them, not some "rarity" aspect. It already had a huge following, had never been a poor seller (like the Daytona), and was never rare.

[MUSTAQT]

My craving turned into disinterest. I log-on to this forum about once a week now just to see if anything has really changed, but I've moved on to other brands.

Furthermore, even this forum seems to be less eventful--spirits are down, there are fewer incomings, and the topics are as mundane as ever. Maybe there only so many ways to skin a Rolex cat--given so many of these watches look very similar? Who knows?

[101031-28]

I have been a big fan of the Rolex sports models since the late 80s. And the fact that where I come from (Italy) they have always been hard to obtain sure helped increase the appeal and desirability. So for me, it is both aesthetics and exclusivity. I bought my pieces when they were still obtainable because they were beautiful to me, the fact that they have become hard to get now, is an added bonus

[Harry-57]

Looks rule for me. Problem is, all the watches I think look best seem to be unavailable.

[MUSTAQT]

I hate to break it to you guys, but even with the Rolex-induced "shortage", the company still produces 1 million watches a year.

A Rolex is not rare.

Modern Rolex and "rare" don't mesh.

If you look at production numbers across the board, Rolex produces more watches annually than most companies.

It's sounds silly to say a Rolex is rare. These things are everywhere.

[Harry-57]

I saw someone wearing a 116610LN, queuing up with arms full of groceries and children at my local M&S this week. Last week, the lady who sold my wife a car was wearing a 116234 and her boss had a blue dial DJ41 of some sort. Day to day, I'll see more Rolex watches than exotic cars. This does not factor in the ones that pass me hidden under clothing, or people I know or encounter who own Rolex but are not wearing them. Not particularly rare as a brand, although like most brands, some models are scarce and seldom spotted. Unlike many brands however, some current models are plentiful but now difficult to buy. It doesn't seem to be hurting them.

[mmmmp]

Forgive me, I don't have time to read the entire thread - a rarity as I usually read every word to avoid redundancy. Anyway....

The one point I want to add is: take the 116613LB Blue SubC as an example.

This watch is and has been one of the most popular, disirabe and well liked watches in the Rolex line-up. He'll, even folks that don't really like TT pieces or Subs in general seem to really like this watch. Especially the dial itself.

So, while scarcity, etc. are valid points, they certainly aren't specifically the motivation for people to desire and purchase a watch.(the blue Sub is ubiquitous)

Just my opinion,
Mark

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