Do you think Rolex will be as influential on younger generations as it was for us?

[TimeToWatch]

Originally Posted by Flyfisher

No, absolutely not.

Millennials, by and large, do not aspire to wear watches, let alone Rolex.

And they will not put up with Rolex’s crappy distribution methods of limiting availability.

I see Rolex, and most other top end watch maker, to be in for a very difficult future.

Are you a millennial? Speak for yourself. Lol

In regards to their “crappy” distribution methods, Rolex is more valuable than ever before. I would not consider this a failure by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, perhaps frustrating if you don’t already own a particular model, but part of the fun of watch collecting is the process of acquiring that impossible to obtain model. I think millennials crave exclusivity and will continue to pony up top $ for Rolex.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by TimeToWatch

Are you a millennial? Speak for yourself. Lol

drives me nuts. I am a millennial based on some definitions. An early one, but still. People just like to blame the later generation for everything they dont like and constantly underestimate them.

If Rolex fails, its our fault. If Rolex is successful its because the old generations did their job and taught us the importance of watches. They avoid accountability for the bad and get the credit for the good.

[arturob]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

drives me nuts. I am a millennial based on some definitions. An early one, but still. People just like to blame the later generation for everything they dont like and constantly underestimate them.

If rolex fails, its our fault. If rolex is successful its because the old generations did their job and taught us the importance of watches. They avoid accountability for the bad and get the credit for the good.

+1

[ronricks]

I am not buying that Millennials will be into watches. Most of the ones I know still live at home with their parents and are saddled with massive student loan and credit card debt.

[Mystro]

A Lot of Millennials are not into saving for retirement, desire to own their own home/apartment, own a car or even thinking about 10 years in the future. Its the old grasshopper and the ant analogy. Those that want a luxury watch will find a way to get one but I am sure it will be when they are significantly older and financial discipline becomes a inconvenient reality.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

I dsagree.

A. I think you are 1/2 right. Watches are not important but people are not really buying a watch. They are buying a symbol and its a message they are projecting to others when they wear one.

B. Difficult to get is essential. Being expensive isnt enough. Tons of people have money but less can get a daytona from an AD. Its a badge of honor just as much as the watch if you can acquire one. When you look at things like wealth distribution and what Rolex's target market is these people are accumulating wealth at an astonishing rate. Overall wage growth might be stagnant but not for the top 5% which is most likely where most Rolex customers are. Their incomes are exploding. Its not a lot of money to these people at all and they want it to be exclusive otherwise it isnt worth having.

Proof is that these people with a ton of money most often still buy their watch on the grey market for inflated prices. They dont care about the price but they will NOT admit where they got it. They also have to be known as someone with AD connections. The money is secondary, having the image of someone who got it from an AD is primary. VIP status 101. People use to do the same thing with discounts. Read old threads. Status use to be based off of who could get the biggest discount from their AD. That made them important.

Not specifically Millennials either, but a lot of buyers across generations.

All very true. Now how you bought it, not what you bought, is prevalent in incoming threads.

[woof]

YES, this is why we have a shortage. These kids have money to burn.

[DGB]

This is a very interesting and important topic.
If the new generation won’t be interested in watches the market will collapse and our dear watches won’t be worth a Penny if no one want a watch.

Many people speculate that the price will continue to go higher as the scarcity of vintage watches will continue and the demand will increase. That is true to a certain point, but in few years time if the new generations won’t be interested in watches, the prices will drop. Look what happened with Harley Davidson, 20 years ago they were as good as gold, today the prices have collapsed.
Youngsters please keep the love of watches for ever , pleeeeeeaaaaaassssse

[Juantxo]

More so. Consumerism is a growing and deadly plague. And Rolex is at the forefront of the marketing game. Remember pet rocks...?

[Bigblu10]

Nope. These watches will eventually go the way of the dinosaur. When I travel to someplace with thousands of different kinds of people, say Disney parks I notice many people not wear any watch at all and Apple watches to be more and more prevalent. My teenage kids don't even like to read an analog clock, as everything timewise anymore is in digital format such as on smartphones. The Swiss watch industry sees what is coming down the pike in the future. Swiss watches will be an extremely smaller niche market in the coming decades.

[MARGARITATIME]

Rolex is fine. My gf's son is 24. She bought him a DJ for graduation. He loves it and hasn't taken if off. He wore it to his new job and within a month two of his peers went out and bought one. His age group knows Rolex, but not all the other brands as much. He is now looking to buy another Rolex. People like status symbols and Rolex like it or not is one of the top brands. By the way he likes cars as well. My other friend's son didnt get a car or want one u til he was 18. Now he is a car junky and goes with me to car shows to show off his ride. Once you get a taste it's hard not to want more. Human nature

[10klakes]

Rolex will become obsolete, when people stop buying luxury jewelry.

[cornerstore]

Watch industry has to adapt , “schools in the UK are tossing their analog clocks because kids have no damn idea how to tell time by looking at them”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...use/580935002/

They may wear their dads old Rolex as a novelty but not likely to buy one if they can’t read it.

[JackN]

I’m 18 myself and I plan on purchasing a Datejust 41 in August. For me I know a lot of people my age that are into watches. All of them know about Rolex and know that they are a luxury brand, but very few of them know about brands such as PP, and AP. In my opinion I think people my age don’t care as much about what goes into the watch or the movement and mainly focus on how much the watch costs instead and how flashy it is compared to someone else’s.

[lecorsaire]

Influential as in having a passion for the art of mechanical watches? No, but younger generations will want them as status symbols. Especially the shallow Instagram crowd.

[SkyKing31]

Originally Posted by Blaner

I would say so - they are doing a good job of adapting if scarcity is their new play. Annoying as it is, I think it's the one way to maintain status in a world where the rich and moneyed have more money than ever.

To the wall street class, 25k on a watch isn't a huge deal if it's the right watch. I'm in my late 30s and have been into watches for the last 5-6 years. Before that and even up until a couple years ago, I thought Rolex was a punchline - good watches, but trite and unimaginative...every successful exec I knew had a Sub it seemed. But now that I am a little older, understand the market better, (and okay...maybe having a BLNR now myself has something to do with it...) I have a different appreciation of the brand.

Also this is something little, but I think bringing some color to the mainstream - returning Pepsi to SS, the BLNR, Hulk, LV, etc...color appeals to younger generations. If I count as younger still, I am proof.

I agree that adding color helps. I wish there was a green dial for the DJ 36. I know there is a olive green dial, but I don't like it. I'd really love the same shade of deep green that can be found on some of the DD's

[SkyKing31]

Originally Posted by MARGARITATIME

Rolex is fine. My gf's son is 24. She bought him a DJ for graduation. He loves it and hasn't taken if off. He wore it to his new job and within a month two of his peers went out and bought one. His age group knows Rolex, but not all the other brands as much. He is now looking to buy another Rolex. People like status symbols and Rolex like it or not is one of the top brands. By the way he likes cars as well. My other friend's son didnt get a car or want one u til he was 18. Now he is a car junky and goes with me to car shows to show off his ride. Once you get a taste it's hard not to want more. Human nature

Sadly, I have been guilty of seeking status symbols when I was younger although watches never have been a status symbol. Like your friend, I too am a car junkie and that is how I chose my status symbol. I absolutely love cars and watches. My father was a car dealer, so I grew up around them and I loved going to the car shows to show off my cars.

I'm much older and wiser now, so I actually go out of my way to try and not draw attention to myself I love cars more than ever at this stage in my life lol.

[RedwinGV]

Interesting thread. When I started, I clearly thought no. But, reading all the comments did make me think a bit more.

I'm still in the no crowd, but there will likely be enough interest that the brands won't all go away. In the end, I suspect they'll become functional jewelry of some sort. To survive, I suspect the big boys will somehow have to keep the brand iconic in some fashion. Otherwise, they may become a fad for a few years and fade away.

[bob93713]

as long as they keep restricting supply along with releasing desirable products they will maintain the desirability. ie as long as they dont pull an Omega they will stay exclusive and desirable for the very long term.

[q8rolex]

dont think so, they're more into apple watches.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by 10klakes

Rolex will become obsolete, when people stop buying luxury jewelry.

which is never. You can go back throughout the entire history of civilization and its always the same. Archaeologists excavating burials of people of means almost always find items of jewelry.

The factor getting lost is its not a watch to a lot of people and people will still buy it for other reasons.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by DGB

This is a very interesting and important topic.
If the new generation won’t be interested in watches the market will collapse and our dear watches won’t be worth a Penny if no one want a watch.

Many people speculate that the price will continue to go higher as the scarcity of vintage watches will continue and the demand will increase. That is true to a certain point, but in few years time if the new generations won’t be interested in watches, the prices will drop. Look what happened with Harley Davidson, 20 years ago they were as good as gold, today the prices have collapsed.
Youngsters please keep the love of watches for ever , pleeeeeeaaaaaassssse

The comparison would be more with cars, and luxury showing-off types of cars, and those will never die out, so watches will have their place as cars can't be shown off everywhere as easily. Similarly for women I can't see luxury shoulder handbags ever dying out, even if they are not really needed anymore either due to shrinking tech and only clutches really are. Some Birkins are massive, like 3 ft high, and yet tiny rich women still demand them like crazy.

[VicLeChic]

Very much so. The younger generation like wrist watches and they buy the ultra affordable ones. If they had more purchasing power they would acquire luxury pieces for sure. I'll give you an example. A young relative who was 15 years old at the time was impressed when she noticed my Rolex at a family gathering. She was lusting after a Daniel Wellington but she knew about luxury brands, it's just that they're completely out of reach but the seed has been planted.

[HogwldFLTR]

I was a hippy when in my college days; Rolex meant crap to me then. Now it is a diversion and nothing more. I'd believe that Rolex will be far more important to later generations that have chosen to swallow the Kool-Aid!

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by VicLeChic

Very much so. The younger generation like wrist watches and they buy the ultra affordable ones. If they had more purchasing power they would acquire luxury pieces for sure. I'll give you an example. A young relative who was 15 years old at the time was impressed when she noticed my Rolex at a family gathering. She was lusting after a Daniel Wellington but she knew about luxury brands, it's just that they're completely out of reach but the seed has been planted.

Yep. $400 apple watches for 12 year olds is a lot more than my timex at 12. even adjusted for inflation. An apple watch isnt cheap in that example. They will spend more later as they are already developing tastes proportionally more expensive than when i was a kid.

[spoilsofwar01]

I do hope so............

[Alternative_Facts]

I'm going to assume no, that wearables will be what the kids of today will end up maturing into.