Cost Of A Rolex....And The Cost Of All Else In Life..

[Tools]

I hear a lot of bitchen' about the cost of a Rolex...and their knack for upping the kitty every year...

So, in a 4 buck a gallon (or 9 in Europe) world, how does the "high price" really stack up...

It costs 70 bucks to top up the Lexus or the Benz... If I gas 'em both once a week, that's a Sub in less than a year..

The price of a meal out for Mrs Tools and I at a good restaurant has risen to at least a hundred a pop, minimum; sometimes twice that.. At once a week, that's an Air King in a year..

Custom wheels and Goodyears on my old Mustang are the price of a GMT...and when they're worn out...they're gone.

Mrs Tools likes an ocean cruise or two each year.... every time, it's the price of a new Sub or a Daytona, depending on where we go.. I usually wear a Rolex or an Omega on these, and after the cruise, I still have the watch.

Any way, on to some perspective.......... I can't get any of these things back... they're gone except for a couple of photos maybe... Each time I buy a Rolex, I've still got it at a later point in time..

Not only that, if I hang onto a Rolex for a couple of years, it's likely that I will get back what I paid... possibly more, so isn't it really a free watch...

C'mon guys.... help me get a grip.... isn't any Rolex really cheap, no matter what the price increase....

[Tony-GB]

But a Rolex can't hold deep, thought provoking conversation like Mrs. Tools, Larry...

[harvey]

ive said it before, no one is forced to buy a rolex... rolexes sell themselves...

for me, as long as the ones i have, increase more than the one(s) im buying... its all good!

[redshirt1957]

When I was younger I compared the cost of things to beer. Now that I am old I find myself saying, "for the cost of that I could have had a Rolex". Drives the wife crazy. Funny you would bring that up.

[WatchTimes]

If you are worried about the cost of upkeep you should go buy a Timex or
something like that... Heck, it will most likely even keep better time.

People do not bitch about the upkeep of a Ferrari or other high end items,
why should you expect a quality timepiece to be any different.


Ooops OK sorry I reread the post and when I replied I thought people were
complaining about the cost of keeping up a fine watch...

[Launch Mini]

I hear you.
Plus you can enjoy your watches everyday, all day long, rather than just a few hours here & there or two weeks a year.

Even if they drop in value, they are doing better than many of my other investments.

[padi56]

Agree Larry and a Rolex will last a lifetime and sometimes more.

[SSD]

Initial cost is a little high, sure, but its the value I appreciate!

One thing my wife and I discussed was that a Rolex is about 1/5 the cost of a nice Harley Davidson, much less the new BMW I was eyeballing (or the new Camaro hot rod coming out in March...). Relatively speaking, it is not devastating, just inconveniently expensive.

[Chris B]

I guess everything is relative, speaking of relatives (lol) my former brother-in-law thinks I'm nuts having more than one watch, he has a Porsche Cayenne that's depreciating at around £2000 a month, & he thinks I'm nuts?!!!

[DSJ]

I just think it's absurd to raise prices twice in such close succession.

But the real crying shame is the companies who are quietly reducing quantity of a product (i.e. box of crackers). Go out and try to find a 1/2 gallon of ice cream these days. I can't tell you how much that chaps my hide when my favorite Breyers ice cream both started putting tara gum in their product AND decreasing the size to 1.75, now 1.5 quarts!

[SLS]

If I thought like that Larry I would have a Sub in my mouth, a Plat DD for my roof, a PN Datyona for my wife's car, a mint condition 5508 w/B&P for my kitchen and god only knows how many watches wasted on diapers...but I prefer not to really think about it! lol
~Scott

[Erix]

Bon, price is relative like most things in life.
I quit smoking and saved the price of a pack-a-day for two years.

After two years I bought my sub, as a reward to myself for quiting.

I could have bougth me a rolex once every two years the last 20 years if I hadn't been smoking....all those rolexes gone up in smoke..sigh...c'est la vie.

[Mwing]

it is difficult to compare needs and wants. tires and gas are needs, while rolex and other luxury are wants.

but i do realize if i quit smoking, i will get a ss sub date in 2 years.

[haakon59]

That is a useful comparison, even though I wouldn't call a Rolex cheap or inexpensive.

[Lane from s.c.]

Another way I look at it: Bought new GMT 1985, $1000. I have had 2 services $1100 total. So thats $2100 dollars, Its looks new and I could prolly get $2500-$3000 dollars for It and I have enjoyed It for 24 years. Its looks like a steal to me!

Lane

[Crimbo]

Originally Posted by Lane from s.c.

Another way I look at it: Bought new GMT 1985, $1000. I have had 2 services $1100 total. So thats $2100 dollars, Its looks new and I could prolly get $2500-$3000 dollars for It and I have enjoyed It for 24 years. Its looks like a steal to me!

Lane

I think you've nailed it with this comment. I've go to agree, there's not many things in life that you can buy that give you please and can be sold after a few years for more or less what you paid.

Every time I open and close the door of my MG it's probably costing me £5 in depreciation!

[Perdu]

Originally Posted by Erix

Bon, price is relative like most things in life.
I quit smoking and saved the price of a pack-a-day for two years.

After two years I bought my sub, as a reward to myself for quiting.

I could have bougth me a rolex once every two years the last 20 years if I hadn't been smoking....all those rolexes gone up in smoke..sigh...c'est la vie.

I can't think of a better way to fund a Rolex.

[Spark]

Originally Posted by redshirt1957

When I was younger I compared the cost of things to beer. Now that I am old I find myself saying, "for the cost of that I could have had a Rolex". Drives the wife crazy. Funny you would bring that up.

I still compare things with the cost of Beer.
I could have 1450 pints of ale for the cost of an ExplorerII.
What a night that would be and I wouldn't care if I had a Rolex anyway

[Spark]

Originally Posted by Erix

Bon, price is relative like most things in life.
I quit smoking and saved the price of a pack-a-day for two years.

After two years I bought my sub, as a reward to myself for quiting.

I could have bougth me a rolex once every two years the last 20 years if I hadn't been smoking....all those rolexes gone up in smoke..sigh...c'est la vie.

I did a very similar thing with a Steel Daytona.
I bought the watch and stopped smoking, but if I started smoking again my better half could sell the watch.
2003 and still smoke free, but I'm also Daytona free too
Something went wrong there

[buz-lh]

All good points Larry, but I bet Mrs. Tools and you have some wonderful memories of the cruises and such. Trying to balance things out is the difficult part. In my life I've obsessed over cars, women, boats, women, women, airplanes, women, and now, to some extent watches. This is actually the only obsession that falls outside the old "rent it" adage so I'm making progress in my life skills.

[SLS]

Originally Posted by buz-lh

All good points Larry, but I bet Mrs. Tools and you have some wonderful memories of the cruises and such. Trying to balance things out is the difficult part. In my life I've obsessed over cars, women, boats, women, women, airplanes, women, and now, to some extent watches. This is actually the only obsession that falls outside the old "rent it" adage so I'm making progress in my life skills.

So you rent your women? I lease with the option to buy, buy, buy....

[mretzloff]

None of us Americans have anything to complain about. Whenever I see someone moping about gas prices, I want to laugh at their face. The Europeans pay almost TWICE as much for gas as we do, plus more for everything else.

Let's take my grandparents in Germany for example. When the German Mark was changed to the Euro, they received a 2 Mark for 1 Euro trade. Now everything costs in Euros what it used to cost in Marks, if not more. So, my grandparents are basically paying double of what everything used to be. Plus, gas is about $8 a gallon over there. My aunt would give a year's wage just to be able to get $4 a gallon gas, like we Americans complain about.

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by launch mini

i hear you.
Plus you can enjoy your watches everyday, all day long, rather than just a few hours here & there or two weeks a year.

Even if they drop in value, they are doing better than many of my other investments.

x2

[Chozn1]

Tools, I'll be going on a cruise next week which will rival a Sub with the costs, and it's a vaild point in that while I'll have a good time (I hope) once it's done, that's it. I know I'm an ass for it, but I wish Rolex would raise the price even more. I want exclusivity in my piece, and I don't mind telling you that if I could find another manufacturer that I liked and was more exclusive I'd wear them instead. I basically got a Daytona because few others can get their hands on them, and while I LOVE my TT Sub, I can go to the mall and pick out 5 other guys with one on and just bought it because it was a Rolex.

I've looked up and down, and no one else has a metal band that I like. The oyster and presidential bands are hands down the best one's out there in my book and no one else's can come close. However, any and everyone out there with the dough can get one, and as Tools brought out, they aren't really that expensive when taking things like vacations into consideration.

[Singslinger]

I know someone who has been an antique watch and clock repairman (specialising in old Rolexes) for about 30 years. His view is that when you buy a Rolex, you are paying 80-90% of the true "intrinsic'' value of the watch relative to other brands. In other words, you're paying a fair price for the intellectual capital, materials, workmanship etc, and you are only paying a 10-20% premium for the hype or branding.

In contrast, the comparable figure for a Patek is about 50%, ie you're paying 50% for the name and brand.This is also the private opinion of the ADs that he works for, though for obvious reasons they can't publicise this view.

It's certainly worth thinking about, isn't it?

[Jimbits76]

I don't agree about the Patek thing...surely you are paying for the expertise and workmanship???????????

The Rolex price rise only affects me when I can afford to buy one and I can't right now so I'm spending my dough on other stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bring on the meals, beer and ice cream!

J

[Courmayeur1]

Larry, I could not agree more. This is how I justify my Rolex collection!

[Gasoil4ever]

I've stopped smoking 6 month ago...

@ 5,2€ / day... i have saved a minimum of 80.000€ on the next 30 years (including some interests).

Nothing to be compared to the money spendt on my 16710

[ROLEX MAN]

So true; I'd rather have another rolex, but try telling this to wifey instead of a holiday!

[f16570]

The cost does not compare to the enjoyment they bring.
I hope whoever I leave it to in my will feels that same.