Rolex giving up SS sport watch market to other manufactures such as Omega,...?

[AJMarcus]

Selling your entire inventory is NOT giving any advantage to your competitors. Quite the opposite. It’s cleaning your competitors clock

[GBD]

Rolex is definitely not selling as many watches as they could, and some people are buying other brands as a result, so in that regard Rolex is losing sales.

But I'm guessing they don't really care.

[Crown & Shield]

Lost me at Omega
What people fail to realize is that Rolex today is in a league of its own. They could take advantage of that by raising prices but instead choose to create an image of unattaibility that makes the brand even more valuable.
Walk in a Swatch Group store in Europe and you will notice three things: the displays are full, there are no or very few customers, and the salespeople will jump on you to try to sell you something.

[Dlong]

Seamaster with the waves makes me sea sick. Has to be one of the fugliest watches I've ever seen. Planet Ocean and Speedmaster are gorgeous.

[SlideRacker]

In a robust economy such as what we have right now, luxury goods in general appreciate dramatically. The art market (Picassos, Warhols, etc.), the exotic car market (rare Ferraris, Lambos, etc.) as well as high end time pieces (Rolex, AP, etc.) are all doing quite well.

But I firmly believe you have to pick and choose carefully. Not all exotic cars, art, or Rolexes do well. I have 2 2TDJs for nearly 20 years and I'm still under water. But I'll have a line forming for my SS Daytonas. My Omegas (Seamaster James Bond and Planet Ocean) I've managed to at least break even on after 8 years.

So Omegas aren't the worst investment. Just make sure to buy them at a 35% discount minimum or you will get murdered later on. And they're certainly better than Tags, which are toxic in the secondary market.

[No SUBctitute]

Wow, that wave design on the dial is just freaking hideous.

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

[BakerView]

[QUOTE=Bobby83;9386704]Unless you have a few Rolex’s and the omega is your everyday beater


That's true, but I was referring to people that don't yet have that Rolex and they desire the prize.

[Crown & Shield]

Originally Posted by No SUBctitute

Wow, that wave design on the dial is just freaking hideous.

I disagree, it's unfair to single out the dial: the whole watch is hideous.

[JacksonStone]

Originally Posted by No SUBctitute

Wow, that wave design on the dial is just freaking hideous.

Agreed, although for me, it's not just the waves. A bunch of elements come together to make it very busy: the waves, the skeleton hands, the bezel font and scale enamel, and that hideous He valve. Even the bracelet, which I basically like, adds to the cluttered effect. The whole thing strikes me as rather cartoonish. One can draw parallels on paper to the Sub, and point to certain ways in which the Omega might have a technical edge, but to me, the Sub has a certain robust elegance and timelessness (fat lugs and all) that is completely missing the in the Seamaster.

[904VT]

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

You may have inadvertently hit on another problem with Omega, and that's their goofy naming system. Did you mean the Seamaster 300, or the Seamaster Diver 300M? Similar name, very different watches. OP was talking about the Diver 300M.

Seamaster 300


Seamaster Diver 300M

Haha, yes all of the above. My perspective is the same with respect to both of those watches. The Submariner takes the win agains both imo. I will say the 300m is a nice value with all its features though.

[No SUBctitute]

Originally Posted by Crown & Shield

I disagree, it's unfair to single out the dial: the whole watch is hideous.

LOLOLOL

[No SUBctitute]

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

Agreed, although for me, it's not just the waves. A bunch of elements come together to make it very busy: the waves, the skeleton hands, the bezel font and scale enamel, and that hideous He valve. Even the bracelet, which I basically like, adds to the cluttered effect.

100% agree. The busy-ness kills it. The last model in flat blue or black dial is so much better.

[csaltphoto]

Originally Posted by No SUBctitute

100% agree. The busy-ness kills it. The last model in flat blue or black dial is so much better.

Yep. Like a pretty girl trying too hard. Forgive my sexist comment but you know what mean.

[Hutrmila]

Originally Posted by No SUBctitute

100% agree. The busy-ness kills it. The last model in flat blue or black dial is so much better.

... true ; too much make up leaving the pretty face behind ... said among many comments already. There are nice tweaks on Omega, but too many at once ...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Junior_]

Originally Posted by Crown & Shield

I disagree, it's unfair to single out the dial: the whole watch is hideous.

[tudorwatches]

Originally Posted by THC

No and No

The first reply said it all

[LigerBelair]

Originally Posted by No SUBctitute

Wow, that wave design on the dial is just freaking hideous.

Agreed.

[ap1]

Ima Rolex fanboy too but the omega SM Diver 300 is a nice watch - especially at nearly 1/3 the price

[Cabaiguan]

Originally Posted by dtwer

I know what you mean. But if doing business were that straightforward, we wouldn’t have seen the sad stories like the Richemont Group having to spend $585M of their own money to buy back their unsold watches to destroy.

I imagine the executives of the Richemont Group had also been under the same assumption that they would optimize the curve and cash in if they simply produced as many watches as the “demand” dictated.

The truth is nobody really knows where demand flatlines or declines in a marketplace. So to produce goods according to short term spikes in demand is a myopic strategy that invites disproportional downside risk. Rolex, fortunately, has the wisdom to not fall into that strategic error. That also ensures the Rolex watches you and I own retain good values. That is a good thing and I never wish for Rolex to change that.

I don't disagree, BTW. There is definitely a tipping point where you are simply gutting the market and hurting sales and brand strength. However, I think that we can agree that Rolex can bump supply and not be CLOSE to that point.

[Flybak]

Originally Posted by ap1

Ima Rolex fanboy too but the omega SM Diver 300 is a nice watch - especially at nearly 1/3 the price

I totally agree. My dad bought the black dial version despite having a chance to get a Sub, feeling it looked a little less conservative. Some may not like the looks compared to the Sub, but I'm glad that's the case rather than an Omega-duplicate. And for the price, I'd say the value proposition is compelling.

...Now with all that said, at the same time as my dad tried the Sub, he had the chance to try on the LV (needless to say it was not for sale) and that was his number one choice. He told the salesperson he wanted to go ahead and buy it, as any interested watch buyer unaware of the SS Rolex sport model realities would normally do, and that's when he was informed and shocked about how insane this market has become

[crewsin]

Nope. Nope. At least IMO.

[socalwatchcollector]

Originally Posted by VanAdian

The idea that Rolex is somehow losing out on business because of personal and/or anecdotal inability to find a SS piece is misguided. Rolex couldn’t care less about you not being able to find the watch you want. They are making and selling just as many as they want to. Trying to find some justification for them to stop SS production at this point is absurd.

Absurd on a whole new level..