Rolex

1 week cool-off to deconstruct Rolex before making purchase

 

I am a newbie almost on verge of making my 1st luxury watch purchase - the Rolex GMTIIc - and the AD has reserved it for me for a week. Gives me time to cool-off before making the decision to plonk USD8K on a watch and take some time to deconstruct Rolex and overcome the possible buyer dissonance that comes with such purchases. I have a hardworking day-date auto-Oris and an amazing made/bought-in-Japan solar radio wave control Seiko. I was amazed in that it went into sleep mode 1 week before end of Feb and when the watch was awaken 2 weeks later, the date amazing corrected itself accounting for the leap year without any adjustments from my end. That the hands align themselves via radio wave to the atomic clock (I am told accuracy +1s every 1million years) when I am in US, JP, CN and no need for battery change make this my fav and at 5% the cost of a Rolex.

Back to the Rolex - I have been hunting for a watch that's solidly constructed , minimal and cost-effective servicing (my main bug-bear with luxury watchmakers like PP, Lange, VC) and keeps for life. I have somewhat been sold into the Rolex branding and marketing even though I have been told many times it's mass produced (1million watches sold a year) and reason why the sports models are fairly scarce is due to the way Rolex control their distribution - both inventory and pricing. For half the price or less, one could possibly get a Tag Heuer, Omega, Oris etc. of similar solid construct. I also getting a naging feel that I am way over-paying for a piece of metal when I see the prime retail space are taken up by the likes of Rolex and the luxe brands. Perhaps what I am just looking for from this community is a reassurance that I have not been suckered and it's not just about brand, image and marketing. Or perhaps there is something else I am missing out on - I hear a lot about emotional attachment - and how the watch will grow and aged with you. I am trying to reconcile this and the meaning of this obsessive pursuit. This message has been edited by tarantino65 on 2012-02-08 18:47:25 This message has been edited by tarantino65 on 2012-02-08 18:56:25