Rolex prices

[cid]

Someone recently posted a question about Rolex cost vs. MSRP and the discussion got me thinking: why does Rolex price their watches so much higher than others? Yes, Yes, I know, quality, craftsmanship, etc. but Rolex consistently raises its prices annually and the increase at times seems extraordinary.

Please don't misunderstand my post. I love Rolex, I own a Rolex and it's my primary watch. But anyone with a reasonable mind must see that Rolex charges substantially more than its competitors, who arguably produce the same quality of product. Take Omega and Breitling for example, excluding their base ETA movement watches (which are admittedly good movements), their in-house movements are equal in quality, durability, reliability and precision to Rolex movement; yet you can regularly find one of these watches for much less than you can a Rolex. I have an Omega hour vision, it matches second for second with my Rolex and debatably has comparable or dare I say superior movement to my Rolex, but I paid $2,000 less for it than my LV.

Ultimately, it's Rolex' prerogative to charge what it wants - after all, Rolex sells every watch it releases to the public. And, more importantly, we, including myself, seem to be willing to fork out the money to buy these watches - price increases notwithstanding.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this.