Should Rolex make Subs more rare

[Harry-57]

If they stopped making them tomorrow they would not be rare. That boat sailed in the 1950s. I can't think why any company would kill one of its strongest lines, with one insane exception.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by HarryFlashman

They are not rare, but they are scarce.

No Rolex watch has ever been rare some made in smaller numbers yes but rare no.At one time Rolex was making over a million watches each year, now around 800000-900000 units each year.The most popular watch in the Rolex range is the DJ range second would say the Sub range.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by Seamaster59

So they aren't so common?

I very much doubt that a company that mass produces (in comparative terms) a product for sale is in the slightest way concerned that they actually sell a lot of that product.

[mountainjogger]

I like mine medium rare.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Seamaster59

So they aren't so common?

I understand where you’re coming from OP. Daytonas, BLROs and some SkyDweller’s are difficult to obtain at ADs, so why not the Submariner?

I thought it was a decent question.

[javier]

No

[JSolution]

Originally Posted by padi56

No Rolex watch has ever been rare some made in smaller numbers yes but rare no.At one time Rolex was making over a million watches each year, now around 800000-900000 units each year.The most popular watch in the Rolex range is the DJ range second would say the Sub range.

The definition of “rare” is actually “made in smaller numbers” :)

[douglasf13]

“Rolex should make more Subs.” fify

[Stud Screw]

Define "common."

I've never seen a Sub in public, and I've been all over the world.

Maybe you should just stop trying to spot them all the time.

[BroncoOne]

They have been selling them for decades and they last longer than their human owners and get passed down, so of course you see them a lot if you are part of a higher income crowd.

They are still pretty rare if you are trying to buy a new one at MSRP, though.

[Fleetlord]

10 yrs ago Subs were far more available at retail than today. There really was no reason to buy from AD as BNIB examples got to the grey market at 15% off and no tax in a lot of cases. Dealer cases were full of Rolex. Maybe have 3 or 4 subs in display at once. It was easy.

Now, for a myriad of debatable reasons, this is no longer the case. So, in other words, this is about as exclusive as a Submariner will get.

[JohnGingerwood]

They should make more actually.

[911991]

Originally Posted by DoubleDeac

Depends on whether you have one or not. It's a mass produced item, )

Curious, what does mass produced mean in Rolex manufacturing? I know what it means in the auto industry with robots and part suppliers and out sourcing. But as Rolex from what I understand does everything in-house, including metal foundry and hand assembled, and reports 1 year to build a watch. What would be non-mass produced in the watch business? Thanks....

[DJ2020]

It was a little rare in the 1980's, The hype machine has been in warp mode for the last 5 years. Now everyone and there brother has at least one. Everyone wanting the same watch.

Becoming very common these days. See them everywhere now.

[douglasf13]

Originally Posted by 911991

Curious, what does mass produced mean in Rolex manufacturing? I know what it means in the auto industry with robots and part suppliers and out sourcing. But as Rolex from what I understand does everything in-house, including metal foundry and hand assembled, and reports 1 year to build a watch. What would be non-mass produced in the watch business? Thanks....

The bracelets and movements are hand assembled, but many of the parts are machine made and finished, and machines help with some of the assembly. The Rolex factory is one of the most advanced in the world.

A haute horology company, like Patek, has much more hand finishing.

Then you have the likes of Roger W. Smith watches, who only makes around a dozen watches per year, and each part is hand-made out of raw materials in their studio without an assembly line or any automation at all. $$$

[TheVTCGuy]

I need to think about it for a while, OK, I’m done.



No

[rolexpatek363]

Originally Posted by Tim Plains

What the h*** for? It's their bread and butter.
When something has been in production for 60 consecutive years, it won't be exactly rare.

The DateJust is Rolex's bread and butter. It took me two years to find a Sub in an AD, and that was in 2001.

Demand for the Sub is way in excess of supply.

[Grand Style]

Originally Posted by Seamaster59

So they aren't so common?

Maybe they should start offering Subs in PT?
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=864622

[911991]

Originally Posted by douglasf13

The bracelets and movements are hand assembled, but many of the parts are machine made and finished, and machines help with some of the assembly. The Rolex factory is one of the most advanced in the world.

A haute horology company, like Patek, has much more hand finishing.

Then you have the likes of Roger W. Smith watches, who only makes around a dozen watches per year, and each part is hand-made out of raw materials in their studio without an assembly line or any automation at all. $$$

Thanks makes sense....

[RyanJ]

I have seen several Subs recently. I was helping my older parents car shop (ok, I just like looking at new cars too) and just about every dealership had a salesman who had to make sure everyone saw their Sub.

I mean it was 17F outside and they all had to have their left shirt arms rolled up haha.

[CedCraig]

There are a bazillion of them, perhaps a gazillion. That horse left the barn eons ago.

[Gab27]

No, the Submariner isn't meant to be a rare watch and, if anything, they should perhaps make a few more. It's made to be a great watch...not a museum piece or a coveted rarity less common than a full t-rex skeleton.

The stainless DateJust and stainless Submariner should be the 'obtainable' 'luxury' watches someone can walk into an AD, try on, and purchase, IMO.

[Greenwood_]

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

It took me two years to find a Sub in an AD, and that was in 2001.

Were you blindfolded?

[WILLIWALKER]

No Rolex is rare, do not dream.
Gem-set pieces like the Rainbow Daytona or the platona baguette, yes, but there must be less than 5 exceptions. Everything else in the catalog is absolutely not rare.

If you want something rare, you have to go see Monsieur Dufour or his friend, FP Journe.
Even Patek or AP, it's not that rare.

[oldman2005]

They're not rare watch but they're almost impossible to get for most people to get directly from Rolex AD so ... depends on how you look it at it

[Jari from Finland]

Rolex's purpose is not to make rare
watches but only selling watches.
There are at least two years waiting
time for a steel Sub that addresses it
is a desired watch.

[APPRF]

The rarest modern Sub may actually be the Hulk, and even that was produced in tens of thousands.

[rolexpatek363]

Originally Posted by Greenwood_

Were you blindfolded?

No, I wasn't blindfolded, why do you ask?

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

No, I wasn't blindfolded, why do you ask?

Because in the UK in 1999/2000/2001 Subs were sitting in many ADs windows.

[omar-rye]

Originally Posted by APPRF

The rarest modern Sub may actually be the Hulk, and even that was produced in tens of thousands.

I think there’s less 16610LV’s in the world than Hulks…and the flat 4 MK1 with the y serial is definitely rarer than the Hulk