This is why Rolex will always be king

[Nads786]

Originally Posted by eugenetsang

You’ve pigeonholed yourself into one employment category. You said you're in tech/IT. Being said, majority of your coworkers are probably into tech and gadgets. Smart wearables are probably their choice of toys.

Shift your focus to other forms of employment, such as finance, legal, medical, and business sales, I bet you their preferred choice of watches are swiss made. Not made in china smart wearables.

Nothing screams."I'm successful" than having a expensive luxury watch on your wrist.

I work at a software company in sales in the insurance / health sector and I see quite a few really nice watches at conferences or client onsites.

I fly quite a bit and the consulting world still rocks nice watches.

However, I agree that the Apple Watch is the dominate item on someone's wrist. I recently had a heart issue and my cardiologist asked I buy one for monitoring, I have to say it's really neat.

[Nads786]

Originally Posted by Neil McCauley

Completely agree, over here in the UK, aside from a fringe community, the majority see the Tesla as somewhat of a white good, like a microwave on wheels. It has no desirability and as an expression of taste, well... it doesn't exactly evoke excitement compared to other perhaps more, dynamic brands.

As for the Apple watch argument, it's actually been widely discussed that since its launch and following success, it's actually got people exploring wristwatches again once more. It's played a massive part in the resurgence of automatic and luxury watches over the last decade. Think of it this way, people realised that while the Apple watch may be great at what it does, it's certainly not an expression of style and taste, along with an apparent display of status. People learned that "real" watches can fit into those categories better. Those who "prefer" to wear an Apple watch over a traditional watch are becoming fewer and fewer. I have one that I wear exclusively for training and sleeping, outside of that, it's a traditional watch for me, and I know a lot of others who are like that too.

Unbelievably, the Apple watch is actually one of the reasons you can't get a Rolex very easily today...

I would also throw in that the Apple Watch got people comfortable with something on their wrist. Whenever you first wear something on your wrist or finger it becomes uncomfortable and then it feels weird to not have something.

Now that people are comfortable and adjusted to something on their wrist, I can see mechanical watches as something of interest.

[eugenetsang]

As for the whole Apple watch/smartwatches dominating the watch market... you guys keep forgetting that they're readily available for purchase and way more affordable for the general public. There's no waiting list or AD bs politics... If you want it, you can easily walk into Best Buy and pick one up .

Spending sub $900 on an apple watch is much easier to swallow than dropping $10k+ on a Rolex.

[Neil McCauley]

Originally Posted by eugenetsang

As for the whole Apple watch/smartwatches dominating the watch market... you guys keep forgetting that they're readily available for purchase and way more affordable for the general public. There's no waiting list or AD bs politics... If you want it, you can easily walk into Best Buy and pick one up .

Spending sub $900 on an apple watch is much easier to swallow than dropping $10k+ on a Rolex.

I don't really see them dominating the market at all. It's a different market completely, it's like comparing Apple Airpods and earrings. it just so happens, that the Apple watch has introduced people into exploring other watches, because they don't represent anything, there's no expression etc. Everyone has exactly the same black box on their wrist. Young people are looking for other things that have style, status etc, things that set them apart. Luxury watches give them that, especially in brands like Cartier, which is seeing a huge resurgance at the moment, certainly in the younger market.

[Gearjockey]

I don't speak Millennial so I asked my Gen Z kids (both boys) what they think of Tesla and they said that Teslas were for cucks (unfamiliar with term). They also said that most of the people who owned Tesla are well-to-do housewives who previously owned Range Rovers, but that they had fallen out of favor over the last two years. They said most of their friends aspire to Rolex and Porsche not Tesla or Apple Watch. FWIW.

[6172crew]

Originally Posted by Roddypeepa

Omega have created a lot of the problems themselves by upping prices (at least here in the UK) to where there the value proposition is (to my mind at least) questionable.

I have often quoted the Seamaster diver 300m. Launch price 2018 £3600. Price now £5600. Moonwatch sapphire something like 4200 then, 7500 now.

And if you took away the resale values of Rolex - and we have seen that to varying extent over last 2 years or so, then are some of these models true value either? Interesting times.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2 years ago the speedmaster was $3800 for US military base shoppers. I’m not a huge fan of winding watches so I passed. I think that same watch is $2000usd more today. The GMT line up are closer to $10k from memory. If they were in the $3000-$6000 range I think more people would own them but the silver snoopy and the planet ocean case type GMT are overpriced for me. I own a 2021 planet ocean so I’m not hating on them, I just think the price is off for a thicker watch or one that needs to be winding every few days.

The Rolex GMT2 is over priced as well but they knock them out of the park with how thin and well they wear.

[Talon84]

Originally Posted by 6172crew

2 years ago the speedmaster was $3800 for US military base shoppers. I’m not a huge fan of winding watches so I passed. I think that same watch is $2000usd more today. The GMT line up are closer to $10k from memory. If they were in the $3000-$6000 range I think more people would own them but the silver snoopy and the planet ocean case type GMT are overpriced for me. I own a 2021 planet ocean so I’m not hating on them, I just think the price is off for a thicker watch or one that needs to be winding every few days.

The Rolex GMT2 is over priced as well but they knock them out of the park with how thin and well they wear.

Every brand is increasing prices. The new Breitling Navitimer when launched here in the U.K. was £7200, over £1000 more than the Speedmaster. Even now the Speedy is £250 less than the Navitimer even with the price increases.

Tudor prices have increased to the level of Omega 5 years ago, Longines are what Tudor were and TAG Heuer are just nuts.

I think Omega get a hard time from watch enthusiasts but when looked in a broader picture, their pricing is about right in the heirachy of watch brands, even if I’d rather not pay £7300 for a speedy!

[csaltphoto]

Originally Posted by Gearjockey

I don't speak Millennial so I asked my Gen Z kids (both boys) what they think of Tesla and they said that Teslas were for cucks (unfamiliar with term). They also said that most of the people who owned Tesla are well-to-do housewives who previously owned Range Rovers, but that they had fallen out of favor over the last two years. They said most of their friends aspire to Rolex and Porsche not Tesla or Apple Watch. FWIW.

Cuck kinda replaced "beta". Indicates a weak and servile type.

Apple watches are kinda modern "tool watches". They really are pretty amazing. But I am literally surrounded by computers in my line of work and I just prefer the aesthetics of a Rolex and for simply and discretely checking the time.

Funny about the aspiring. The last people who recognized my sub were literally some teenagers. I was amazed. Shows you how powerful the brand is.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Originally Posted by Neil McCauley

I don't really see them dominating the market at all. It's a different market completely, it's like comparing Apple Airpods and earrings. it just so happens, that the Apple watch has introduced people into exploring other watches, because they don't represent anything, there's no expression etc. Everyone has exactly the same black box on their wrist. Young people are looking for other things that have style, status etc, things that set them apart. Luxury watches give them that, especially in brands like Cartier, which is seeing a huge resurgance at the moment, certainly in the younger market.

AirPods and earrings are the perfect corollary to Apple Watches and traditional wrist watches; the fact that they are both worn at the same location doesn’t make them the same. Apple refers to their wrist computer as a watch which it isn’t any more than a cell phone is just because it also tells time. Lumping Apple Watches in with traditional wrist watches just because Apple calls it one is a false equivocation.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Originally Posted by Gearjockey

I don't speak Millennial so I asked my Gen Z kids (both boys) what they think of Tesla and they said that Teslas were for cucks (unfamiliar with term). They also said that most of the people who owned Tesla are well-to-do housewives who previously owned Range Rovers, but that they had fallen out of favor over the last two years. They said most of their friends aspire to Rolex and Porsche not Tesla or Apple Watch. FWIW.

See cuckhold.

[Roddypeepa]

Apple Watches are watches. For me something that shows the time and is worn on the wrist is a watch in the same way a G-shock is a watch. Doesn’t need to be mechanical imo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Neil McCauley]

Originally Posted by Kevin of Larchmont

AirPods and earrings are the perfect corollary to Apple Watches and traditional wrist watches; the fact that they are both worn at the same location doesn’t make them the same. Apple refers to their wrist computer as a watch which it isn’t any more than a cell phone is just because it also tells time. Lumping Apple Watches in with traditional wrist watches just because Apple calls it one is a false equivocation.

No I agree - Airpods and earrings certainly aren't the same, my point was that comparing apple watches to mechanical watches also isn't the same. I agree with you that they're basically just cellphones on the wrist, and offer very little in terms of expression or style, they represent nothing whatsoever.
In years to come, no kids are going to covet their late fathers Apple watch are they...