Baby boomer and Rolex popularity

[woof]

I'm in the opposite opinion. The Millennials are buying up luxury goods. I know at least 10 Millennials who buys and collects Rolex.

[joli160]

It's fashionable when you are young nowadays to whine about older people and how they live and be mad about everything.

Once the younger ones stop behaving like spoiled little brats and make their own money most of them make the same choices as the generation before them.

Until than they feel entitled to my money

[sillo]

Originally Posted by tbk

I think younger people these days are more likely to buy a Rolex than a decade or two ago, not less. Rolex is immensely popular with the younger crowd from my experience. More so than I can ever remember.

Agreed. I am a millennial and I notice plenty of people my age with Rolex on their wrist or with interest in watches.

[exador]

Originally Posted by Montremoi

Suisse watch exports are hitting rock bottom. It's mainly lower end watches which aren't shipping anymore, but surely the trend will also affect high end pieces.

Nope. And 2019 will be even better.

[TheWatchmen]

I was born in 1980 so I’m on the millennial cusp I guess. I think social media plays a part, which is to say young ppl on it are into displaying an image...one way to do that is with a Rolex watch. If you’re in NYC, for instance, yes you’ll find a disproportionate amount of younger ppl wearing one.

All in all though, the current generation with all their minimalism will eventually move on and become very similar to the boomers in their habits and wants. Trust me, I lived on nothing and worked in restaurants because I was a bike racer into my 30s...once I took on a higher paying job my lifestyle and wants changed.

It will be the same for them (not all, but most).

[Nikrnic]

Baby boomer here. Ya was a weekend hippie too but never trying to change the world other than mine. Not much into fashion but always loved my toys abeit: vettes, muscle cars and watches by hard working two jobs until now a business owner and loving what i do. My gen x son who is married with a high tech job in san fran and making more money than me yet is more of a minimalist. My mellinial 20 yr. old nephew on the other hand who also works hard having a good job in sales wants it all, family, cars, fashion and not only rolex but keen on the trinity brands as well. I would'nt stereotype any generation as they'll all come of age. Tastes on many things change but as far as the luxury watch market goes i see it as having a better and brighter future than ever.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[Montremoi]

Originally Posted by exador

Nope. And 2019 will be even better.

Yep. And 2019 was even worse than 1980.

[locutus49]

I am 70 and have an IG account and spend too much time on it flexing and stuff.

Originally Posted by Bluside

I don't think most boomers have Instagram accounts. I may be wrong.

[macrowatch]

Originally Posted by locutus49

I am 70 and have an IG account and spend too much time on it flexing and stuff.

Nice. The greatest generation should flex!

PS i had to look up flexing...

[Zakalwe]

Humans don’t have brilliant feathers like a Peacock or a large shaggy mane like a male Lion, but some do have the ability, through accumulating sufficient resources, to spend money on stuff they don’t need which is in turn a signal to others that they’re competent at accumulating resources.

[Wealth] signalling is hard-wired into our psyche by human culture and is probably encoded in our genes too. It’s not going away any time soon.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by tbk

Yes, if anything, the current generation seem way more obsessed with showing off than ever. I just turned 42, so granted I haven't experienced too many generations, but I don't remember it being this crazy 10-20-30 years ago.

Go shopping in any high end luxury stores and you'll find them packed with young people decked from head to toe in designer stuff and expensive watches. Then they'll go right to IG and post.

And then try and return them. Buy to wear on Insta now not even to wear out once, and fashion firms are clamping down on returns, as the % returned is huge now esp online, so renting clothes is becoming the new big thing.

It's not just status-y things, people want to display everything all the time, from their meals to everything their pets and children do etc, this SM sharing/showing off thing has really gone crazy viral, no one imagined humans were quite this co-dependent, I thought the marriage and relationship rates were supposed to be at an all time low.

[TswaneNguni]

Seems I am a Generation X .Have to admit ,didnt know that .Had to google.Thanks for the thread ..

[Robtayham]

The demand is being driven by two things: younger people are buying them, and it’s global.

It’s not a baby boomer issue, at all. Far from it.

[PepsiBezel]

Everyone forgets about Gen X...

[Jona]

I am 70 and thus a Boomer. My wife is a Boomerette. She doesn't care about luxury items and neither do my kids who are 39 and 35. Neither has a watch.

[wappinghigh]

As Montremoi displays above "demand" is not being driven at all... sales are down...so clearly the next gen are not buying classical mechanical watches. Boomers have finished buying Rolex and nobody is taking their place. Yet we have this charade of empty display windows, AD's with staff standing around doing nothing, a massively overvalued swiss franc and Rolex is doing zip all about it other than raising prices?! What are they doing?!!! Earth to the swiss... nobody owes you a living... for goodness sake do something about the fraud in the industry... you should be trying to lower prices a bit, increasing legit sales in AD's via realistic proper channels (rather than sitting back doing nothing about this leak to the grey market) and at least making stock available to genuine customers! Rolex needs to wise up. They need to sexy up the purchase of Rolex via AD's. They need to modernise their marketing and distribution supply chain to make it relevant to the 21C! IMO!

[kearez]

Originally Posted by Nikrnic

Baby boomer here. Ya was a weekend hippie too but never trying to change the world other than mine. Not much into fashion but always loved my toys abeit: vettes, muscle cars and watches by hard working two jobs until now a business owner and loving what i do. My gen x son who is married with a high tech job in san fran and making more money than me yet is more of a minimalist. My mellinial 20 yr. old nephew on the other hand who also works hard having a good job in sales wants it all, family, cars, fashion and not only rolex but keen on the trinity brands as well. I would'nt stereotype any generation as they'll all come of age. Tastes on many things change but as far as the luxury watch market goes i see it as having a better and brighter future than

Best post in this thread. I’m a millennial, own a Rolex, have a few other “luxury” times.
I’m into fashion and watches. Most of these people on Instagram as 30K millionaires just trying to flex to get girls or gain more followers.
It’s no different than a boomer with his big SUV and 4 Bedroom home, with his boat as well. Long story short we all want to attract the opposite sex and get their attention, it’s no different than how it was before, now it’s just on social media for everyone to see.

[locutus49]

Rolex needs to wise up???!!! Respectfully I disagree. Rolex is doing just fine. They are selling like crazy and their watches are in hgih demand, perhaps higher demand than ever before. They are making money hand over fist. But because you are not happy the entire Rolex corporation needs to wise up?

Rolex watches are luxury goods. They are not intended to be inexpensive or easy to buy. They are exclusive. They are aspirational.

Women complained that they had to wait for years to buy certain Hermes bags. Hermes continued with their business plan and are doing very well.

People are not entitled to luxury goods. Sorry.

Originally Posted by wappinghigh

As Montremoi displays above "demand" is not being driven at all... sales are down...so clearly the next gen are not buying classical mechanical watches. Boomers have finished buying Rolex and nobody is taking their place. Yet we have this charade of empty display windows, AD's with staff standing around doing nothing, a massively overvalued swiss franc and Rolex is doing zip all about it other than raising prices?! What are they doing?!!! Earth to the swiss... nobody owes you a living... for goodness sake do something about the fraud in the industry... you should be trying to lower prices a bit, increasing legit sales in AD's via realistic proper channels (rather than sitting back doing nothing about this leak to the grey market) and at least making stock available to genuine customers! Rolex needs to wise up. They need to sexy up the purchase of Rolex via AD's. They need to modernise their marketing and distribution supply chain to make it relevant to the 21C! IMO!

[904VT]

I disagree 100%. It has nothing to do with baby boomers and age demographics and more to do with a record 10 year bull market and increased Asian market demand.

[wappinghigh]

Originally Posted by 904VT

I disagree 100%. It has nothing to do with baby boomers and age demographics and more to do with a record 10 year bull market and increased Asian market demand.

yep exactly. 100% correct.... and with sales already sluggish, what happens when that bubble bursts? IMO!

[peterpl]

Everyone just wants to be a baller on instagram. People do anything for the gram.

[TimeToWatch]

I just came here to say "okay booma!" haha that's been stuck in my head for weeks.... Okay carry on...

[Michigan_State]

Guys, don’t forget about Generation X. Boomers didn’t exactly start Hodinkee, revive the watch world

[notchview]

As a millennial, I assure you that my generation is very much into watches, and displaying it on social media. There is a very vocal minority who talk about capitalism like it’s the root of all evil, but that’s just a phase.

[Jackumi]

I am a baby boomer and was never that interested in luxury watches. But over the years I did notice and admire a Rolex watch on the wrist of some clients at meetings or in the wild when out on the town. In the back of my mind I put it down on my one day want list. Well two years ago at age of 67 I had ticked all the boxes on my want list and got down to the Rolex. So I went out and bought one brand new without any real knowledge of the brand. I just chose the watch I had always admired (a classic 36mm Datejust) and considered that would be it, Job done, Next! But I was so impressed with the quality, the look and the feel of the watch that over the course of the following two years I bought three more, a Sub and GMT for me and a DJ for my wife! I maybe wrong but I bet there are many others that followed the same path as me.

[Biginboca]

As long as Rolex is perceived to be a status symbol there will be strong demand. I believe purchases thats increase ones self (and social media) esteem will always be popular (new cars, fancy houses, expensive clothes and jewelry, etc)

[mlb356]

I think both baby boomers and millennials are driving the spending up in tandem. You have baby boomers with lots of disposable income but millennials right at the point of eclipsing baby boomers in total number, and they’re entering peak consumption age. The combination of the two, coupled with greater awareness and hype from social media, is driving greater expenditure on luxury goods.

[Noah860]

If I might way in. As a 32 year old small business owner, I think there will always be a balance between those who want and those who can afford luxury watches. For some, 1 watch is enough, others need a collection. For me, I see all different spectrums. Baby boomers, millennials, and generation X. The trends continue. I’ve always bonded with watches. Others use them as a point of accomplishment, and others need to make a loud statement. These patterns continue, no matter generation. Just my opinion.

[Phoenixdawg]

Don’t think it is boomers, they bought watches years ago. Pulling together 7 or 8 k is not that difficult, if one puts a mind to saving. My 16 year old bought his first Rolex an AK, took him about 6 months to pull the cash together.

[kieselguhr]

Instagram?? Not a single mention of Snapchat. That’s how I know y’all are old