Why does Rolex watches look cheap?

dude, is this a submariner😂?

I mean, from a certain point of view, sure....but it's like saying the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

Looks cheap because the ford fusion

Took it's design cues from it.

If we take the analogy far enough, every watch looks cheap because Daniel Wellington or Vincero managed to homage it 

Design is what you see from afar, quality tends to be only really noticeable up close.

I have the YachtMaster 44 in steel & Gold but my Day Date Gold watch gets way more attention. I have to agree as I get a Rolex to enjoy the watch and not the status. If you want status put on a RM. 

RM status? Not what I see when someone wears a RM to be honest.

Have you ever handled a genuine Rolex? There is nothing inexpensive looking or feeling about them in person. Now, one may get a hold of one and the reality may not live up to the built up hype, but thats a different topic. Are they a conservative design? Yep. Is the look for everyone? Maybe not. Have many brands essentially copied their designs? Absolutely.  

To @Edge168n’a point, just because they have been cloned so many times it makes them feel less interesting, doesn’t actually make them less interesting. There is a reason why others copy them. The details are what separate it from most of the clones. So sure, settle for the Suzuki Jimny when you really want a G63, but the Jimny, while cool it it’s own right, will never be a G-Wagen.

This is also a case of the marketing photos making lower quality watches look better than they are in real life. Have you ever held a Rolex in your hand and thought “wow, this feels cheap?” If so, I have nothing else to say to you. 

This is an interesting question because if you are wearing a watch to impress “non-watch people,” the majority couldn’t tell you the model or design of any watch brand anyway. What non-watch people do notice, if anything, is the brand name (which is why Gucci or Armani watches sell), and if it looks like it has expensive metals/gems (e.g. gold, diamonds, etc.) If you are trying to impress real watch enthusiasts, they WILL know the difference between Rolex Submariner and an Invicta Pro-Diver (maybe even a Submariner and a Sea-Dweller for that matter!) from a distance.

I'm not sure that the AM/Ford analogy works. Even from a distance, those cars look quite different to each other and close-up, even more so. A lot of Rolex Submariner homages are probably almost indistinguishable from the genuine article, at a distance and - for many - close up. 

Admittedly, those who are in the know about Rolex will no doubt recognise a watch that is not a Rolex - perhaps at any distance. Ninety nine percentage of the population are unlikely to notice. There can't be many out there who say: 'That man is wearing a Steeldive and not a Rolex'. Because, if we accept the idea that 'no one notices your watch', other people don't care what make you have on your wrist. 

To what degree all of this cheapens the Rolex brand, I'm not sure. Those who love Rolex will no doubt continue to buy them. But... the same can be said for Steeldive.

Sure looks like it 🧐

LOL😂

Damn, I spend the whole summer barefoot.  She must think I'm a peasant with a fake watch.

If you know, you know. 

To be fair, we are in a community of other watch enthusiasts, so most here would know, which is why this ”idea” is being met with mostly scratching head reactions, but I’ll try to follow the path you laid out.

To the uninitiated, or 99% of the population as you state, a Porsche Cayman 718 is indistinguishable from a GT2RS. Those that actually know, know the GT2 is a special car, perhaps one of the finest road going machines under a million dollars. Do you honestly feel the person who owns one feels it is less special because the Cayman exists? Do you think they care that most will not know the difference? The people who know, know how special it is, and the aftermarket prices reflect that.

Regarding the public, I would argue that no one in the history of a Steeldive has had anyone say, “Hey awesome Steeldive.” If it garnered any comment, more likely than not, it was mistaken for a Rolex and that’s the point.

Vanity thy name is Rolex. !

I think Markus brings up a great point.  When your designs are copied so often and so poorly, does the market start to relate them to the homages.  Although Rolex has the sale numbers to continue to sell their classic styles, would this be a good time to offer some new models.  How cool would it be to get a new model Rolex and rock it for a while before China gets tooled up to flood the market with fakes.  

I might be the one person who changes that in the history of Steeldive, though more likely when commenting on their bronze flieger than a Rolex homage. Haven't seen anyone wear a Steeldive in the real world.

I consider myself a watch expert relative to the great unwashed (not so much within the confines of this particular social media outlet), but at 5 ft away I struggle to recognize a watch, unless they hold still... or if it is a Diesel, but then at 5 ft away I can probably read the time off a Diesel.

unfortunately it is, shame on bathing ape for doing this

“Hear me out before you get the gun…” 🤣

If you buy your watches for yourself, and not to get approval from others, the fact that homages and clones have "cheapened" the look of Rolex shouldn't be of any concern. 

Unless you are wearing a blingy watch that screams out for attention, I honestly think that the only people who will normally notice what watch you're wearing are either other watch enthusiasts, or thieves looking for potential targets. I appreciate my Rolex watches for what they are, and would just as soon have anyone else think I'm wearing a "cheap fashion watch".

I bought a Rolex sub in 2014, 

I wore it regularly, when going out etc, however I found That I was asked if it was real or fake quite a few times. I didn’t waste much energy on the replies…… now, roll that on  a few years and I acquired a decent fake sub which I sometimes wear instead of the real thing…… and……surprise surprise I get asked if it’s real or fake.

what I can say is that the real one loses just one second a day, exactly as it did new out of the box, and I for one am a very happy owner.

Hear hear!! I a agree that if you are secure in yourself and your choices you have reached watch Nirvana 🙏 Good to hear and enjoy your pieces 👌

Perfect 💪 And you should be a happy owner 😊 I think that the enjoyment you get from others approvement is a hollow happiness. 

I mean the red grape is a date just I think. 

See, I don’t know about that. Rolex owners who are also watch enthusiasts know that the prices for Rolex pale in comparison to anything in high horology. Rolex sport watches ARE meant to be boring in a way… the sports models are supposed to be reliable tool watches. They just became popular and the prices reflect that. In the context of the watch world, Rolex sport watches are neither cheap nor expensive all things considered.

If I spent my time worrying that much about what other people thought of my choice of purchases, my head would explode.  I buy what I want and wear what I want. If people have an issue with that, well, they can worry about it.  I'll just enjoy what I have.

It's an OP.

This is what wearing an RM says to everyone...

What you mean like...6 months?

It's funny how polarizing Rolex can be. Almost like a certain orange haired person...

Myself I don't prefer Rolex - just not my style at all.

However, I really enjoy seeing the amazing wrist shots that @JaeBust posts every day. Those Rolexes look great in his cars and on his wrist. No one would ever call them cheap looking - they are, and look, very classy and cool.

I prefer my eclectic and esoteric salmagundi of vintage and modern watches ranging from $25 to amounts disproportionate to the income of many. 

Who can say what moves us to see beauty or assess expensive versus cheap.