What am i Missing - why isn't this being discussed.
There has been tons of discussion over the last few years related to the supply/demand situation with Rolex. Several people have suggested that Rolex has been deliberately restricting supply, while it's my understanding that the official Rolex stance has been that they simply can't keep up with demand. Given the fact that they have announced a new facility (which I first heard about in this post from @thekris ), why isn't this a major discussion topic? I realize that 2029 is a long way away, but I'm really surprised that nobody seems to be talking about this. What am I missing? Will they be closing other facilities when this one opens??
https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/new-rolex-factory-switzerland-1234776450/
I've worn a watch for as long as I can remember, but I didn't become interested in watches until 2018, when I bought my first decent mechanical watch. Shortly after purchasing it, I joined a local wat...
AI will have murdered all of us by 2029. Ain’t no point in talking about a facility that will open after we’re all dead.
Regardless, I think the T-1000’s will be able to handle sitting on the waitlist better than us fleshy humans.
AI will have murdered all of us by 2029. Ain’t no point in talking about a facility that will open after we’re all dead.
Regardless, I think the T-1000’s will be able to handle sitting on the waitlist better than us fleshy humans.
this
It seems to me Rolex did add a ton of capacity by being more aggressive with the Tudor brand. It seems to me they are trying to slide Tudor in and move Rolex up to more exclusivity. Tight supply gives you (drum roll) price control.
AI will have murdered all of us by 2029. Ain’t no point in talking about a facility that will open after we’re all dead.
Regardless, I think the T-1000’s will be able to handle sitting on the waitlist better than us fleshy humans.
Yeah, can't really see Skynet relying on mechanical timekeeping...🤣
I doubt much will change with Rolex. You will be able to get something some day... kind of like right now = wait for a year or two (maybe 5) and get a call. The new factory will probably make all Titanium models we can't get
It seems to me Rolex did add a ton of capacity by being more aggressive with the Tudor brand. It seems to me they are trying to slide Tudor in and move Rolex up to more exclusivity. Tight supply gives you (drum roll) price control.
It seems to me Rolex did add a ton of capacity by being more aggressive with the Tudor brand. It seems to me they are trying to slide Tudor in and move Rolex up to more exclusivity. Tight supply gives you (drum roll) price control.
People have been using the argument that "if Rolex cared about their customers they would increase capacity to meet demand". There seems to be some misplaced hatred towards the brand due to the secondary market prices, with many seemingly blaming Rolex themselves as the reason for those inflated after market values. Unless this new facility is intended to replace existing capacity, it sounds to me like Rolex is actually attempting to do something to satisfy the demand by investing in facilities to allow them to increase supply.
I'm not trying to defend Rolex in any way - I'm just curious why a topic like this seems to have received so little attention on WC. Like them or hate them, Rolex is a large enough player that their actions can have an impact on the overall watch market, so I had kinda expected that this news would have received a bit more attention.
"why isn't this a major discussion topic?" Rolex is becoming insignificant. Watch enthusiasts have had enough of their shit and are buying elsewhere.
I think there are two reasons it's not really big news.
Rolex is what it is now because it was the "everyman's" attainable luxury watch, while also being the watch of CEOs and Presidents. Rolex today is only interested in the CEOs and Presidents, the "everyman" can get a Tudor and he'd better be glad the AD will sell it to him. While it might make sense for Rolex to move up market, it also makes sense for average people to care less about a brand that isn't for them.
As an example from another hobby of mine, anyone who knows guns knows Holland & Holland make amazing firearms, but they don't generate a lot of traffic on forums because they are well outside the price range of most people. Remington, Sako, CZ, Winchester, etc., do generate a lot of traffic on forums, because most people can afford one.
Because (a) I don't care enough about them and (b) even if I did it's difficult to be excited about something that is planned to be inaugurated in 7 years when I can barely remember what I'm supposed to do next week.
2029 is a long way away still. I think @SurferJohn and @TimeJunkie hit the nail on the head. Furthermore, @HotWatchChick69 had a great post the other day covering the consequences of not keeping up with demand.
It is big news; I’ve seen it reported everywhere. Do you mean it’s not being discussed here on WatchCrunch aka Seiko Central 😉
Rolex aren't restricting supply overall, just per customer. 3 per year per customer per AD. They make the same amount of watches. The new facility could be for anything! A new Cellini? Titanium? More space to stick even more gems on things? More automation (probably this)? Making and selling 900k rolexes to their standards isn't easy, but it works. And yes, taking 7-9% price increases every year is a very good business model for them and the entire industry.
I might actually get an OP sometime they fix production before prices become too high 🤔
Rolex gets a lot of press, and there are a lot of conspiracy theories about the company. But like all things, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
Yes, demand outstrips supply. Yes, Rolex doesn't make any more watches than it wants to. Is that restricting supply? Not really. It's keeping their standards high.
But - like a lot of other valuable commodities - there is corruption around the supply chain and dealing of Rolex watches, which would be solved if Rolex actually owned their supply chain. But they don't and I think this has more to do with their opaque business practices than anything else. Rolex watches are also used to hedge investment portfolios and large scale bribery in countries where contractual law is weak *cough* China *cough*. They are a popular target for thieves and fraudsters.
Do I care? Not really. There are so many other brands that I like. Rolex watches aren't a priority for me.
It is big news; I’ve seen it reported everywhere. Do you mean it’s not being discussed here on WatchCrunch aka Seiko Central 😉
That hurts. Right in the heart points at liver.
Err...you know what I mean! Huffs away crooning at my Seikos
It is big news; I’ve seen it reported everywhere. Do you mean it’s not being discussed here on WatchCrunch aka Seiko Central 😉
Seiko central, ouch lol ;-)
AI will have murdered all of us by 2029. Ain’t no point in talking about a facility that will open after we’re all dead.
Regardless, I think the T-1000’s will be able to handle sitting on the waitlist better than us fleshy humans.
why not? Robots will certainly use watches and pay them with BitCoin
AI will have murdered all of us by 2029. Ain’t no point in talking about a facility that will open after we’re all dead.
Regardless, I think the T-1000’s will be able to handle sitting on the waitlist better than us fleshy humans.
If the brains of the T-1000’s are made by Rolex you never know it might be between 2029 and 2039
It is big news; I’ve seen it reported everywhere. Do you mean it’s not being discussed here on WatchCrunch aka Seiko Central 😉
Seiko Central? 😳
How dare you?! Take that back...
😂😂😂
On a different note, assuming we should care about a watch company's plans for something that is 7yrs away suggests a degree of hubris.
People have been using the argument that "if Rolex cared about their customers they would increase capacity to meet demand". There seems to be some misplaced hatred towards the brand due to the secondary market prices, with many seemingly blaming Rolex themselves as the reason for those inflated after market values. Unless this new facility is intended to replace existing capacity, it sounds to me like Rolex is actually attempting to do something to satisfy the demand by investing in facilities to allow them to increase supply.
I'm not trying to defend Rolex in any way - I'm just curious why a topic like this seems to have received so little attention on WC. Like them or hate them, Rolex is a large enough player that their actions can have an impact on the overall watch market, so I had kinda expected that this news would have received a bit more attention.
I agree with this. What Rolex could and should do is make the waitlist transparent whitout any preferred customer ps. They have their ad:s in so tight leash it could pe possible.
Many people would wait few years for their watch if they knew the eventually get it. That would cool the market.
Prior to Covid, Rolex was estimated to be producing 800,000 watches per year. Last year, Rolex was estimated to produce 1,300,000 watches.
Damn them for restricting production just for profit.
I think the reason people aren’t talking about the new factory is that Rolex capacity is a topic that has been beaten to death. There are people that accept the way that Rolex and their ADs treat them, and there are people that do not accept the ‘Rolex treatment’. I openly fall into the ‘not accept’ category. I have entirely given up on Rolex, and will never consider them. That’s why I don’t care about the new factory.
Do I think the new factory will increase capacity? Of course.
Do I think the new capacity will change the marketing strategy of Rolex and their ADs? No!
This is all about profit, and as long as they have people willing to accept the ‘Rolex treatment’ they will continue to administer it. Hell, they’ll probably make Tudors there if they need to keep supply of the watches that people actually want at ‘Rolex treatment’ levels.
I think there are two reasons it's not really big news.
Rolex is what it is now because it was the "everyman's" attainable luxury watch, while also being the watch of CEOs and Presidents. Rolex today is only interested in the CEOs and Presidents, the "everyman" can get a Tudor and he'd better be glad the AD will sell it to him. While it might make sense for Rolex to move up market, it also makes sense for average people to care less about a brand that isn't for them.
As an example from another hobby of mine, anyone who knows guns knows Holland & Holland make amazing firearms, but they don't generate a lot of traffic on forums because they are well outside the price range of most people. Remington, Sako, CZ, Winchester, etc., do generate a lot of traffic on forums, because most people can afford one.
Your example with the guns does seem like a contradiction to me, of course I can't possibly count them all but I have the impression that Rolex is still topic number 1 on all watch forums combined.
PS : always weird for the average European to read that someone´s hobby is.....guns 😮
I think Rolex is dedicating capacity to the Tudor brand and is trying to make the Rolex brand more “exclusive”. The problem is that there are other brands in direct competition with Rolex who will attract potential Rolex customers.
"why isn't this a major discussion topic?" Rolex is becoming insignificant. Watch enthusiasts have had enough of their shit and are buying elsewhere.
Keywords here are "watch enthusiasts", who make up about 1% of watch buyers and have no real influence. It doesn't matter to Rolex what we buy, they're in short supply, whether deliberate or market factors, which is where they want to be. One of the greatest marketing schemes ever, like it or not.