The Watch Appreciation Thread - Part two (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger LeCoultre,

[double00]

auctions reveal - at the least - a sort of ordinal barometer of value, you can get a sense of taste for value so to speak.

 

[radicaldog]

There is a lot of liquidity around at the moment, what with all the quantitative easing, overvalued tech companies, etc. Spiralling prices on elective luxury items are to be expected.

 

[Thrift Vader]

If I am considering this watch what else should I also consider, whether Rolex or other brand? View attachment 1276380

As others have asked, Why?
I'm personally not sold on it. for any appeal other than it is shiny.
Is that what it's supposed to say? To me it says "I am a Rolex", Is that supposed to mean something to my eyes? "I'm Shiny, And Expensive". is that so. . .
wait!! Did i mention that i am a Staple of the "Self reward crowd?"
Then why are you so dull? You have become so staple that you say nothing that quantifies your price point. a sad, dull watch. lacking in Fonts,Textures,Courageous Design, and Uniquity. You are, the antithesis of your purpose. because a 2-tone Rolex does not create positive conversation, Curiosity, or a present the image of motivator.
You,Rolex Datejust. say to me that you are only aspirational for those who feel they want to have what others have. so sad.

 

[pmeis]

Why are auction prices a joke? Isn't an auction the purest expression of free market capitalism? As long as there are people with sufficient disposable income, what they are willing to pay for a commodity defines the market price. You may not like it, and it might mean that people like you and me are priced out of such markets, but that is how free markets work.

I'm not sure what this says about auctions exactly, but it's definitely related to your question. A collector friend of mine recently bought an older 14790 Royal Oak with a tropical dial that looked almost like it was a salmon dial. He posted a story on his Insta feed yesterday that a 14790 in the same condition (tropical dial) hammered at an auction this weekend for 45k. I think he paid a decent chunk less than that from European Watch Company as a walk-in back in August.

 

[usctrojans31]

Many of the recent auctions personify Veblen goods. There is a lot of dry powder out there right now.

 

[Andy57]

As others have asked, Why?
I'm personally not sold on it. for any appeal other than it is shiny.
Is that what it's supposed to say? To me it says "I am a Rolex", Is that supposed to mean something to my eyes? "I'm Shiny, And Expensive". is that so. . .
wait!! Did i mention that i am a Staple of the "Self reward crowd?"
Then why are you so dull? You have become so staple that you say nothing that quantifies your price point. a sad, dull watch. lacking in Fonts,Textures,Courageous Design, and Uniquity. You are, the antithesis of your purpose. because a 2-tone Rolex does not create positive conversation, Curiosity, or a present the image of motivator.
You,Rolex Datejust. say to me that you are only aspirational for those who feel they want to have what others have. so sad.

I think this tells the OP a lot about you and nothing at all about the watch in question.

 

[Thrift Vader]

That? or my user name?

I too just learned something.

 

[Belligero]

As others have asked, Why?
I'm personally not sold on it. for any appeal other than it is shiny.
Is that what it's supposed to say? To me it says "I am a Rolex", Is that supposed to mean something to my eyes? "I'm Shiny, And Expensive". is that so. . .
wait!! Did i mention that i am a Staple of the "Self reward crowd?"
Then why are you so dull? You have become so staple that you say nothing that quantifies your price point. a sad, dull watch. lacking in Fonts,Textures,Courageous Design, and Uniquity. You are, the antithesis of your purpose. because a 2-tone Rolex does not create positive conversation, Curiosity, or a present the image of motivator.
You,Rolex Datejust. say to me that you are only aspirational for those who feel they want to have what others have. so sad.

Yeah, yeah. This is a fairly common opinion to have after learning a little bit about watches, but not enough to understand how good a Rolex actually is.

By far the majority of those who stick with the watch thing eventually learn better, though.

 

[Dino944]

As others have asked, Why?
I'm personally not sold on it. for any appeal other than it is shiny.
Is that what it's supposed to say? To me it says "I am a Rolex", Is that supposed to mean something to my eyes? "I'm Shiny, And Expensive". is that so. . .
wait!! Did i mention that i am a Staple of the "Self reward crowd?"
Then why are you so dull? You have become so staple that you say nothing that quantifies your price point. a sad, dull watch. lacking in Fonts,Textures,Courageous Design, and Uniquity. You are, the antithesis of your purpose. because a 2-tone Rolex does not create positive conversation, Curiosity, or a present the image of motivator.
You,Rolex Datejust. say to me that you are only aspirational for those who feel they want to have what others have. so sad.

It's clear you don't like Rolex and that's cool. You talk about the the Datejust not creating positive conversation or curiosity. Isn't a person buying a watch to create positive conversation and curiosity, in sense purchasing a watch largely for other people's reactions? To me, that isn't much different than people who buy something to impress other people.

You also say it is a dull watch...lacking a courageous design. I've tried on watches with "Courageous designs," and some are very cool (Urwerk, DeBethune, RM) but I see them more as a novelty, rather than something designed to stand up to the types of strenuous activities that a DJ could easily handle. Personally, when I consider my own collection, maybe the designs were "Courageous" decades ago...but most of the watches I own are based on designs that have been around for many decades. I tend to like designs that have stood the test of time, rather than something that is fashionable today and outdated tomorrow.

 

[dan'l]

WRT auctions and the high hammer prices, I get the point about market price, etc. But I do a lot of searching for watches on Chrono24, WatchRecon and other websites, including some not-so-known auction sites, so I have a rough idea of ballpark prices for typical watches or some that are a bit "rare." But it seems that when a watch is featured on Phillips (or Hodinkee's webshop), they go for a premium. Hence my earlier post about the auction prices. And all those hammer prices are without the bidder's fee of 25%, too!

Perhaps a poor analogy, but it seems like buying a watch at auction is similar to buying a Coke from a convenience store. You can buy the same thing at a grocery store for much cheaper, but people still buy from 7-Eleven.

 

[Omega Male]

First time wearing this for a while, but it’s starting to feel like Fall.

 

[cchen]

The Phillips prices include premium.

Vintage watches can't be compared like commodities. Every example is different.

 

[usctrojans31]

As someone who strongly dislikes Rolex, I completely understand why others also dislike it, but I see clearly why it has so many supporters. Yet it continues to baffle me how there are so many incessant Rolex bashers. We get it. You don't like the brand. Your point is well taken and internalized.

 

[Thin White Duke]

As someone who strongly dislikes Rolex, I completely understand why others also dislike it, but I see clearly why it has so many supporters. Yet it continues to baffle me how there are so many incessant Rolex bashers. We get it. You don't like the brand. Your point is well taken and internalized.

Yup.
It’s perfectly fine to state a preference (or non-preference) when germane to the discussion but those people who come on here with the obvious purpose of relentlessly bashing Rolex (or whatever other brand) are absolutely tedious as **** and add nothing to the conversation.

 

[beargonefishing]

Just buy a Hublot. You get a much richer history and more class than Rolex.