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Rolex

What a great topic folks.

 

Love all the replies. It is incredible to hear other collectors/enthusiasts describe what is exactly my journey over the past 35 years.
I was obsessed with Rolex from a very young boy. This obsession in my late 20’s turned to the deep dark world of Vintage Rolex. I spent a decade in this world where nothing else mattered and was fortunate enough to own every vintage model I wanted to. From moon-phase to Military sub I was able to touch and experience them all. But one day I woke up out of love with Rolex. Why??? Mainly due to dealers and their shenanigans and the way in which collectors blindly refused to see the truth and reality about what was becoming acceptable with dials and what was real and what was not. The market started to accept things which I just couldn’t live with and the world of Tropical(baked) dials and the like drove me away from the brand.
I then fell deeply madly in love with Patek and whilst still loving the Rolex I owned didn’t buy another vintage Rolex and didn’t from that day to this. I fell in love with a very different Patek than it is today. I enjoyed some wonderful years mainly with modern Patek as I was left disappointed with my Vintage Rolex experience.
In recent years I have enjoyed Omega and Tudor and other brands and I can honestly say that these days I enjoy these as much as I ever did a PN or 6062 or Comex.
Through out this whole journey of mine I have always thrown into the mix the odd modern Rolex. None of the hyped must have’s like the Hulk and a sports watch on a jubilee strap( quelle horreur) but the occasional real pieces of genius. For me luckily there haven’t been that many but the odd one just enough to still call myself a Rolex lover.
Rolex from my long journey however have been the only watch vintage or modern which has never let me down in any way shape or form. They are incredible watches and so well built and tough it’s incredible.
So we all fall in and out of love with brands from time to time this is all part of our journey and our development and maturing as collectors.
But one thing is sure...... you will be back to Rolex in the future but that is not to say you can’t enjoy and explore the many outstanding other watch makers there are.
Sorry it went on a bit. It is reassuring to hear other journeys similar to mine.
M.


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37 Comments view entire thread 

No More Rolex??

 
By: Thomas_3 : October 8th, 2020-12:11
I have had the Rolex experience with a Submariner, Dateust, Explorer 1 and my wife's DateJust. I think I am done with Rolex, not because I think there is anything wrong with them, there certainly isn't. It is because there are so many other brands out the... 

"No more I love you's ..." Annie Lennox

 
By: COUNT DE MONET : October 8th, 2020-13:03
This is how your post sounds to me like. Man, we all here love Rolex 😍.

Still love 'em, just have enough

 
By: Thomas_3 : October 8th, 2020-14:17
to suit me, time to pick up a couple of non-Rolex pieces whatever I decide them to be.

I quit Rolex, too

 
By: Jim14 : October 8th, 2020-13:26
In the past couple of years, I have become very focused on this forum and, even though many here love it, I have lost interest in Rolex. It seems common (which of course it isn't in the real world) and unsophisticated (which is a matter of opinion.) Certa... 

Congrats! You've graduated the Marketing Company Brainwash level of watch appreciation. Now you're making your own choices!

 
By: patrick_y : October 8th, 2020-13:30
Rolex is definitely a great place to start for any budding watch collector! But for the few who graduate past Rolex, there's a whole new world. Welcome to that whole new world!

Haha exactly my thoughts too .

 
By: Watchonthewrist : October 8th, 2020-14:12
There isn’t anything wrong with a Rolex but its become a ,,mainstream,,brand imho . There are so much more amazing and beautiful watches out there to explore and enjoy

Absolutely! And Rolex does make some enjoyable watches...

 
By: patrick_y : October 8th, 2020-14:40
But if you take the road less taken, it can sometimes make all the difference. (sorry for the Robert Frost cliche)

The only beef I have with Rolex is...

 
By: myles721 : October 8th, 2020-14:51
How “expected” they are. Great watches but so mind numbingly predictable. But I guess that’s why people like them so much.

It's an interesting and perhaps complicated matter, but I tend to agree with both you, Jim14, and Patrick (though you are not all really saying the same thing :-)

 
By: FabR : October 8th, 2020-14:52
Rolex is where I started too (like nearly everyone else) and then, since I got more "deeply" into Patek, Rolex stated making less and less sense (again, a very common reaction, and along the lines of what Jim said). However, funny enough, after a long tim... 

Understandable to some. My question would be to what?

 
By: Hulk : October 8th, 2020-15:31
Will your choice be guided by future value? I started with Rolex back in 2003 with a sub and moved on within a year as everyone thought it was fake, especially when the taxi driver had one too but his was definitely fake and said mine was a good fake also... 

I hope you enjoy the next part of your journey! As Fab said...

 
By: CR : October 8th, 2020-16:38
... you may find yourself revisiting Rolex, with a renewed appreciation for it, in some number of years. That's really common.

This is a tough one....

 
By: K-Lo : October 8th, 2020-17:07
But I will try my $2.00 analysis on it. There is at least two ways to look at this. First Side "Everyone" wants a Rolex, and it is so cliché to have one. Many get it just for recognition from the average person who doesn't know watches, generally speaking... 

My take is that keeping three Rolex watches is not being "done" with Rolex :) Selling them is. Selling because you aren't happy to own them, for whatever reason.

 
By: oyster case : October 8th, 2020-17:16
I enjoy all mine and there are a couple more that interest me, just as I enjoy my other watches from other brands and there are quite a few more that interest me. I'm not into cut and dried type scenarios, I try to tap into the essence of the watches I co... 

I agree with this assessment.

 
By: bchankai : October 10th, 2020-12:49
It’s a matter of semantics, and the headline of “being done” is more definitive and provocative, hence the healthy amount of replies. But it seems that Thomas is simply content with the amount of Rolexes he and his wife have. It’s a great and healthy ment... 

Rolex is best for people

 
By: ezinhk : October 8th, 2020-18:00
who plan to own 1-2 watches in their entire life. Unfortunately, I fell deep into the rabbit hole of horology and parted with them.

A few months ago....

 
By: baufoam : October 8th, 2020-20:26
I bought a brand new Rolex. The first new Rolex I purchased was November of 1986 and it still serves me well. It’s a GMT Master in Steel. Very cool, very practical watch. After that I got into Patek Philippe. For some reason I became obsessed with the Jam... 

I'm glad you've escaped the Black Hole🕳

 
By: Brandon Skinner : October 8th, 2020-20:19
Nothing wrong with the Black Hole per se, but yes, there are other great watches out there that need good homes. This is a fun article. www.forbes.com

I personally dont think Rolex is much hyped with advertisments.

 
By: Reuven Malter : October 8th, 2020-21:57
I guess its more the design and finish that let me always think of my Gmts, i dont have similar feelings to any other brand but Patek, actually. They word just perfectly in the long run, short term id prefer my Omegas or so, but they get boring much soone... 

What a great topic folks.

 
By: Miles_151 : October 8th, 2020-22:49
Love all the replies. It is incredible to hear other collectors/enthusiasts describe what is exactly my journey over the past 35 years. I was obsessed with Rolex from a very young boy. This obsession in my late 20’s turned to the deep dark world of Vintag... 

Funny - sounds almost the same path that I took.

 
By: Bill : October 9th, 2020-07:46
I have not bought a vintage Rolex in a long while. When things started to go crazy with the auctions i think many dealers cashed in with a little to much exuberance. While i didn’t buy i didn’t sell either (but i love a good trade) because every vintage R... 

Bill. It wasn't the prices that scared me off it was the authenticity that made me run for the hills.

 
By: Miles_151 : October 9th, 2020-08:58
Because I know PN’s were being faked and tropical dials baked and that was way back. But good to know you had similar experience M.

Why wear Rolex?

 
By: Uncle Chico : October 9th, 2020-00:44
This is a much wider question than it appears to be. You could ask it of any watch brand and even about collecting watches in general. Undoubtedly Rolex makes a great high quality product. For some, that is reason enough to wear one. For others, it says s... 

It is rare and it is not only about the industrial or financial brands

 
By: PoyFR : October 9th, 2020-00:45
As long as you like time, it is about understanding what draws you in and what you expect from the timer(s), then it is about histories/stories, relationships, appreciations and emotions, most of the rest is economics. So long it is made with authenticity... 

I use Rolex and Seiko as touchstones to understand other brands. Ones mileage may vary. The process of knowing these 2, warts and all, helps me gauge the many facets of the word "value" and how that is represented in other brands..

 
By: Echi : October 9th, 2020-08:32
With Rolex, I ask myself if I want to go up. Or sometimes, down. A test of ones upper limits if you will. With Seiko, I ask myself why I have a Rolex. And if you drill down further, why the need for more Seikos if it's such a do-it-all-bang-for-buck-yes-i...