Is Rolex overrated?
So I bought the 50th Anniversary Submariner when it first came out...before it was called Kermit. I paid $5500 for it at an AD. As you know, those days are long gone. So as we watch nerds sit and see all of these great brands from the likes of Grand Seiko, Tudor, and even micros like Zelos and countless others...make really great watches...is Rolex completely overrated? At the end of the day, is a stainless steel diver with an in house movement worth over $15K? I know the history and know the brand, and I am not talking about investments...and other watchmakers have history as well...so what say my people? Is Rolex all that? Or, is Rolex just wrist candy for brand babies?
15 comments
Sort by
Rolex makes exceptional watches. They are worth slightly more than Omega/Breitling/Zenith and significantly less than the trinity…and they are priced as such.
The aftermarket over values them. Retail seems to be correct.
Rolex makes exceptional watches. They are worth slightly more than Omega/Breitling/Zenith and significantly less than the trinity…and they are priced as such.
The aftermarket over values them. Retail seems to be correct.
Very good point.I think where a lot of the hate for the brand comes in, is not being able to buy from an AD. That seems by design. After looking at this for some time now, it is clear Rolex is not Doing anything substantial to mitigate the inflated after market. I’m not implying they should. However, having to buy 3 or 4 other styles to just be able to get the one sports watch you want, is a bad way to make customers in my opinion
Rolex makes exceptional watches. They are worth slightly more than Omega/Breitling/Zenith and significantly less than the trinity…and they are priced as such.
The aftermarket over values them. Retail seems to be correct.
This^
They make a nice watch for their retail price.
Like a lot of other things, people get excited and overpay.
Rolex is great, but not because Kim Kardashian said so 😂😌
A lot of the hate is misplaced on the watches. Hate the brands supply/sales methods and grey markets etc.
But let’s not hate what are incredible watches.
Rolex is great, but not because Kim Kardashian said so 😂😌
A lot of the hate is misplaced on the watches. Hate the brands supply/sales methods and grey markets etc.
But let’s not hate what are incredible watches.
Agree. The company and culture they've created is definitely the problem. The watches are great. No doubt.
I wouldn’t even say the company is the problem. They are making and selling more watches than anybody. They are a victim of the culture outside the company. Capitalism is a bitch! I think their new certified program is designed to fix this. Whether or not they do is a different question.
I have a crazy autistic and galaxy-brain take on this, that I'm happy to share, even though everyone will be like, "That is one weird-ass motherf*cker!"
I think Rolexes are worth precisely, and no more and no less than, the final price when the supply and demand curves equilibrate. Meaning...
Buddy of mine once tried to convince me that the stock market was "over-priced." What in the world does "over-priced" even mean? The price of a given thing is simply the epiphenomenon that occurs when the supply and demand curves equilibrate! He pointed to the Shiller cyclically adjusted PE ratios (CAPE), saying that the CAPE ratios were at the top end of historical norms, and when that happens you always end up with stagnating stock prices for many, many moons, until then ratios fall back in line with historical norms. Since that time, the S&P 500 has proceeded to triple from ~1,200 to ~4,000 today!
In precisely the same way, we can point to "Omega has this and that, while Rolex does not" and "GS has A, B, and C, which is better than Rolex," but the broader market disagrees!
So, yes, I do not personally value Rolex at current market prices, nor even at MSRP, but Rolex certainly isn't over-rated. They are rated at precisely what they are rated at, because that's what the market rates them at! 😜
Market value is not the same as price list value. In a market driven by demand and availability, the current product's prices are their real value and it doesn't really matter how these prices rose or fell.
Growing up you heard the name Rolex and especially the sub and thought I'd never be able to get one ,fast forward I own a sub paid retail in 2005 and got a service thrown in ,so to me they are iconic watches ,I know prices on the secondary market are high but that just shows what a great watch they are when you think of the competition,have I bought on the secondary market yes deep sea but it was pre COVID and prices weren't stupid , IMHO I do believe they deserve the hype,great history solid build quality
i do not think that Rolex is overrated. They make amazing and significant watches with rich histories. They ARE, however, overpriced. Overrated and overpriced do not mean the same thing in my opinion, and in that regard I would wholeheartedly agree.
Overrated, no. Overpriced, hell yes.
Like the wag once said…the Rolex Submariner is the best $1,300 watch you can buy for $10,000, which is about the MSRP for Sub Ref 126610LN. Don’t get me wrong, Rolex makes a great watch - and the Explorer Ref 1016 is my grail - but the price of a Sub Ref 16610 new in 2003 was just over $1,300. Adjusted for inflation that’s about $2,100 in 2022 dollars. So yes, they make the best $1,300 watch you can buy for $10,000.