Why I would never buy Rolex

I think there are defo 2 camps, those who like the design v value v heritage and those that are bling monsters. Put them both together and you get a successful brand 

I like only the Moore/Bond connection (Connery not to my taste, though I prefer that older style watch) and he was mostly a Seiko man, and I sort of like the Explorer II. Aside from that, I have no interest in their designs, like neither Mercedes hands nor Cyclops magnifiers, and there are other — usually significantly cheaper — brands doing things with their watches that I like a lot more. Brands doing new things — antimagnetic to the extreme co-axial things, and springy driving things, and stupidly accurate things. Assuming I suddenly had a boatload of cash to spend on watches, there are a lot of things I would buy before getting to that Explorer II.

If I found a Rolex, and somehow ended up owning it, I would prefer to sell it or swap it to get my hands on an Omega or two. If it was gifted, I would likely enjoy it, and more because it was a gift, but would still be eying up the Omegas in case that boatload of cash turned up. 

I just don't wanna be "the guy with the Rolex". 

To simply bury the hype and move on.  You will eventually get someone who will end up asking you why you haven't bought a Rolex amidst all your collection so I would just like to just say I own a datejust simply because I like how it looks. 

Problem is, regardless of your reasons everyone else will think you are the latter.

I’ll be honest here. After 10 months of reading these threads, I no longer care what people think about Rolex.  Buy one or don’t, it just doesn’t matter to me or anyone else. 

I totally understand and respect that. It is expected that people might disagree with me here.

Just read your profile and you say taste can change so how do you know you won't buy a Rolex in the future,I never wanted a bell and ross but I own one now 

That’s an interesting point. There are lots of watches I like now that I used to hate. Something about seeing them more often and ready what people live about them has brought me an appreciation of some watches that I didn’t have before. And there’s at least one brand I used to like a lot more than I do now. 

I have grown not to care anymore. I inherited a DJ, never wear it, I just don't like how it wears. However i have long been a fan of the explorer, lost interest when they switched to 39 but with the return at 36 ill put my name ony ADs list once I get my Pelagos 39 from him.

And I intend to wear the hell out of it, i dont baby my watches. I aint a watch flasher, and the fact that I live in London keeps me on my toes anyway.

Rolex remains a great watchmaker, if you can get them msrp. 

The only Rolex I really want is the skydweller, I think it's the best Rolex has made so far, and I am on a "waitlist" since 2019. I wish Rolex adopted the MB&F sales model for mad red, where everyone buy a $0 raffle and they draw a lottery on who gets the watch. If Rolex will take ownership of their sales and do away with these AP that mostly feed the gray market, there won't be any haters. 

I realized it doesn't bother me to wear a Rolex when I realized people don't look at the watch I'm wearing, don't care what watch I'm wearing or even if I'm wearing a watch. 

I agree with @OrientLover - that Rolex builds great watches and has iconic designs, but the hype, flex-culture, crazy gray market prices, longs wait lists, and AD shenanigans put a cloud over the brand... Would I love to own/wear one? Sure, but I don't see myself ever buying one (or really any premium luxury watch... I'm just too practical).

I'm one of those collectors with no intention of loading up on Rolex watches.  However, for 'completeness' I want to wear one long term. The brand really has in fact achieve great influence in watch design for decades. So I'm considering the Explorer I or a Oyster Perpetual. But once I've experienced those, I will move on to other great brands.  I will likely keep one Rolex in the collection long term, and that's it.  

Persepective from a rolex buyer/collector:

There are a group of us that own rolexes, that where I am polling my data from.  We are working professionals and business owners.  Most of the people I know that own a rolex just walk into the AD to pick one up when their watch comes in.   You ask but how? A relationship with the AD over the years from holidays and other life event purchases (not always a rolex).  As much as people complain and call it unfair, that is a reality.  People buying these rolexes represents at most a 7-3% net annual income spend for them.  It is not something they are saving for.  Rolex has priced most of their watches with this in mind.  A rolex is not an expensive watch relative to median incomes in the 5%.

They are buying the watch because they know there is a certain quality to them, it works well, it presents well and it holds its value. If they gift it to someone, they know it will represent them well.  A majority of the rolexes I have bought have been given as gifts.

We are not interested in flipping them or showing someone up.  We know who and what we are.  We leave that other cloudy stuff to the inter-tubes and flic flak crowd.

I only like two Rolex models and would definitely buy one of these if given the opportunity but I like other brands and watches too. I am a watch fan, not a Rolex fan. I actually don't care about the investment value at all and wish they were like other watches (with used values going down).

I'm old and I got my Rolex when you could go into the AD and get pretty much any one you wanted (some with a discount) or go grey and get them "new" (unworn) with a deeper discount (I got mine at a place in the LA jewelry district that was known for selling them with good discounts). 

The more recent scarcity with flippers and flexers where it is hard to get a watch and the crazy pricing in the secondary market has polarized watch fans but this is a much more recent thing (in the grand scheme of things). Eventually, it will go back to the way it used to be (I hope). 

That is true

Personally, I wouldn't buy a Rolex. This has very little to do with the brand, or only marginally so. The reasons are:

a) Their design language is very dated, largely because it is iconic and therefore cannot easily be changed. Updated designs are found in the Tudor brand.

b) There are plenty of alternatives, both in functionality and heritage. 

c) I really don't care what my friends, neighbors, clients or co-workers think about my watch. 

d) As far as investments are concerned, the past doesn't predict future performance. Collectible watches are somewhat of an opaque/unregulated market, and unless you are a dealer it is hard to know the actual value of the watch as transacted. Plus, mechanical watches being an anachronism, predicting future demand is extremely difficult. Will a demographic that has never worn a watch support a future luxury watch market?

One of the best decisions, one that has made me happy since I made it, was to abandon Rolex as a brand.  Refusing to engage in the AD games and grey market scalpers has made watch collecting much better for me in every way.

It is interesting to me that Rolex is so polarising to people.

Rolex appears to enjoy a huge amount of debate on watchcrunch, more so than just about any other brand.

I am not a fan but I acknowledge their historical significance and fame which transcends collectors, investors and the general public.

To me a Rolex on the wrist sends out an impression I would not like to give.

However there are many who have inherited theirs or owned them long before they became less respected as a brand and to those people I say " enjoy!"

Rolex is not for me, there are many better alternatives, but each to their own.

I don't enjoy my datejust any more than I do my other watches.  But I have to say that I am more conscious of it when I wear it, which is probably why I seldom wear it because I got my other watches which does the same job and which I'm not really too bothered with.

For the record, I own a 1997 16234 Datejust and it's still going strong although the jubilee bracelet twerks a lot 😀

There is that group but there's also the watch enthusiasts who love the history of the brand and the engineering. I think they're unfairly tarred with the same brush as those who just want to flex.