Rolex Submariner Supreme Edition Market Analysis

Jay (Eire) · 2021-11-28T19:13:10Z

Explore the Supreme Friends and Family Rolex Submariner, modified by Bamford, and its impact on the luxury watch resale market. Jay (Eire) discusses 'hypebeast' culture.

Jay (Eire)

WPS member · Rolex forum

25 replies5359 views2 photos

Jay (Eire) delves into the phenomenon of the 'hypebeast' culture intersecting with luxury watches, specifically examining the highly coveted and controversial Supreme Friends and Family Rolex Submariner. His original post provides a unique lens through which to understand the evolving watch resale market and the impact of 'drop culture' on traditional horology. This discussion is particularly relevant for collectors navigating the blurred lines between streetwear trends and established watchmaking.

For those not familiar with the term a “hypebeast” refers to someone devoted to acquiring those on-trend or popular items. Mostly sneakers and clothing, mostly in the streetwear category. There’s a very popular website of the same name which has been around for over a decade, in recent years they have added dedicated watch coverage. Not a surprising development given the attention some watches now receive and the evolution of the watch resale market, “drop culture” etc to something similar to what was seen in the sneaker and streetwear worlds for many many years.

Anyway, back to the watch. Some of you will remember, we spoke about this I believe when they were made public. This is the Supreme Friends and Family Submariner, modded by Bamford.

It came across my radar again this week as one of those friends or family has decided to sell his/her watch. What will make many of you happy is the owner definitely worn this watch, it’s got a decent amount of dings and scratches. So a loved Rolex for sure; he or she did better than most of us on that if we’re honest.

No comment on the price except to say this is likely to be the most expensive modern submariner we will see, we should leave it at that as this is not what we are here for. But we can talk about hype, and if there every was a “hyped” watch then I think this one reigns supreme !

Photo credit: Justin Reed

Key Points from the Discussion

Modifying iconic timepieces like a Rolex Submariner with streetwear branding is seen by some as disrespecting the original intention and craftsmanship of the watchmaker.
The significant price increase and market success of the Supreme Submariner, despite minimal modifications by Bamford, highlights the power of branding and 'hype' in the resale market.
The Supreme Friends and Family Submariners were never sold retail but were gifted, which further contributes to their exclusivity and inflated resale value, often reaching 5x to 10x the original Rolex retail price.
While the overall concept is viewed as amusing by some, the specific modification to the caseback is often cited as a particularly jarring alteration to the watch's integrity.
The fact that the owner of the featured Supreme Submariner actually wore the watch, evidenced by dings and scratches, is a notable detail for collectors who value watches being used as intended.

The Discussion

oyster case

Nov 28, 2021

Can’t really agree that dings and scratches define one’s love for a piece though.

Spangles - Dr. Tabby

Nov 28, 2021

Enjoy, I imagine it brings a smile whenever one glances down.

Jay (Eire)

Nov 28, 2021

Is an unworn watch a wasted watch? Not a debate for this post though, only comment was that this owner wore their watch and for some here that’s an important distinction.

Jay (Eire)

Nov 28, 2021

But I assume the people for whom these were made have had a great ride on that business and so it surely also recalls great career memories or memories of friends.

Mostel

Nov 28, 2021

Your writing is articulate and your post very interesting...! But I don't like this kind of thing.

Gwai

Nov 28, 2021

I think it's mildly amusing, in an adolescent kinda way. And I am absolutely not beyond that, to my discredit. What I don't like, though, at all, is what they did to the caseback. That's where the true act of violence shows, in my humble opinion. Cheers Marc

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Rolex Submariner Supreme Edition Market Analysis

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