Last year, Rolex released a host of interesting watches that nobody could buy. Now, Rolex produces boring watches, nobody can buy. They are still king. The only question is, 'King of what?'
"Aspirational brand-forward mass luxury". Granted, very good at it... the best! But "it" being as much a game of perception and marketing as technical prowess at scale. Knowing that, I prefer not to join the echo chamber... would rather fly under the radar with microbrands, Tudor, Oris, etc. or above it with F.P.Journe, Moser, and so forth.
@dmoneymoney - Bingo. Judging by the comments - among my viewers there’s quite a bit of disdain for Rolex. I get it. Unavailabilty and a whole lot of other things. But it doesn’t change the fact that they are king of watches - size, volume, exposure. Nobody else comes close. But it’s likely not healthy in the long term if that disdain continues to grow 😀
I actually don't mind a boring release. I rather take a year or two and step back, chill out, and appreciate what I have. By the time most dealers start getting allocations for certain models, we're already halfway there to the next Watches and Wonders.
2024 was the year Rolex went full Liberace, throwing a dull looking steel GMT out the back of the gilded horse drawn coach. I'd expect the axe to fall on all of their steel watches in future. Steel will be for Tudors. Rolex want a piece of the gem encrusted precious metals action. It's time to think outside the box. The Zenith diver looks kick ass. The crown just wants to go all in regarding the Liberace scene.
The YM2 was certainly an acquired taste, but I do love the complication and find it much more useful than a chronograph which you tell yourself you’ll use to time your dinner cooking but then forget about until you smell it burning…
Before watching this video, I feel that what people like myself said before these models were announced this week is exactly right, where are they going? More gold diamonds platinum, I feel they are saying “ we don’t really want to sell any watches that cost less than about $8000” because we now think we are patek. I have to wonder what the future will be for the oyster perpetual and the Explorer because when it comes to the datejust it’s clear that they don’t want to sell that watch in the way it was sold throughout the 60s 70s 80s 90s 00s which inspired generations of people, they only want to sell it made of gold or where they can find a way to massively bump up the . the message coming across to people like me is “we don’t need you anymore and if you don’t want to spend at least £8000 on a watch, go and buy something from Tudor.
@@beerkegaardnot true. Tudor are starting already on their own doing this fucking nonesense. In Rome they acted like I wasn’t allowed to buy the burgundy.
Interesting insights. However cannot agree with the main assumption that “only the rich has options” Majority of options are in fact available for Datejust line (around 70% of all rolex catalog variations.) So they may target more rich this year but all in all steel and rolesor is majority of Rolex catalog. Some Datejust references have over 28 variations based on dials and bracelet alone.
Oddly I may be with you. I am personally a big fan of the two tone root beer, but there is something about the grey/black which on the one hand is almost unoticable but on the other just does that little "something"... 😃
At this stage Rolex feels like white paint drying on a rainy afternoon. I think they are mixing it up without shaking the table too much and that's probably fine for the target market of which I am not. I dont understand the Deep Sea in gold either haha! The 1908 is rather pretty as far as dress watches go! Hope you have a kick ass weekend Mike!
I am a big fan of the black/grey GMT with the green hand and lettering (I've heard it referred to as the Dark Knight?). I liked the all black but the slight variation in the bezel coloring makes it a bit easier to discern day or night at a glance. I also appreciate the platinum 1908 with the guilloche´ (even if it is machine done) dial, it elevates it enough to be at least considered against some other very fine dress watches.
Yeah but the new bracelets are more solid, clasps now has on the fly adjustment, and movements are more accurate… just trying to get you drooling again.😈❤️😄
Great video, but one thing for sure ain’t the case, Rolex does NOTHING to try and please their clients, so that’s not the reason they introduced more options on the explore, there is some reason behind it that only benefits themselves, so I assume it’s to do with money making. I’m not a hater I have the black sub date and a silverbullet, but I’m amazed how far people are willing to go to get a Rolex. Personally lucky to get both mine from AD.
"Uninspiring", "blingy", "vulgar", "lumpy", "waiting lists" ... the fact is that Rolex can do whatever they want because branding is King, and nobody does branding like Rolex. Irony is that a number of watch connoisseurs bashing them probably sit on a Rolex or two in their own collection...
I really appreciate the content you produce. This is another fine example of your nonsense approach, and I'm a fan! Keep up the great work mate - a loyal viewer from STL, MO.
I think that for the watch enthusiasts it is a good thing that the hype calms down a bit. I think that the new GMT is a step to a future banger in the Tudor line.
I am not sure we should have been surprised by Rolex this year. I read somewhere a couple of years ago (maybe WatchPro?) that the new facility was going to be largely dedicated to manufacturing precious metal watches. If true, Rolex would need to add many more precious metal variants to make that move profitable. In terms of manufacturing, it makes sense to dedicate lines for precious metal because moving back and forth between materials creates down time and a machine that is down and idle isn't making money. There is a discussion on ABlogToWatch Weekly with the lead designer from Breitling on manufacturing precious metal watches that is worth a listen.
I love your input and style of video's, if i ever start a youtube for my rolex journey! Please tell me and do your thought's on the sky dweller, blue dial specific but just the revolutionary work and craft man ship, great all around to me the best watch rolex put together all in one and look great, but you have a different way of explaining the models and why and which ones are more desirable but they all have some place within the market!
Hi Mike, what do you think of the Bremont redesign / relaunch? In my view the new ceo sealed Bremont's fate. But i'd love to hear your take in what might be the final moments towards the end of what was a gem of a watch brand
The straight field watches look ok, but are larger than I would like. I prefer the propeller logo to the compass logo as it seemed more distinct and attractive. I don’t like compass bezels.
Not sure yet... Bremont doesn't get a lot of love generally. Perhaps in the uk but not elsewhere is my feeling. I've quite liked their watches - They were sometimes a bit on the chunky side but that had its' charm. I will be making my way over to their exhibition at the event and will take it from there. Cheers 😀
A statement of intent: less steel (shore up steel residuals); more gold (help AD margins). ADs are worried though - those full gold/bi metal Sky Dwellers, GMTs, Subs and 'Dwellers are going to be a nightmare to shift in a flat market - cue a return to bundling.
Reasonable. The GMT could have been so cool with a GMT hand that popped. Or maybe… they had more watches ready but held some back because the economy of most big markets are in the tank?
I’m really confused why he’s comparing omega and rolex when in his “every watch I’ve sold” video he stated he only bought omega as a compromise for the rolex alternative. Wouldn’t that mean they’re not comparable?
Comparing a brands line up to another brands line up and how the approach the positioning of the products has no bearing or relation to which watch one likes or doesn't like 😃
@@Mike.thiswatchthatwatchi’m just saying, actions speak louder than your optimus prime on your shelf. You can’t call brand A a compromise of brand B and then turn around and use them as a comparison to each other. You made it clear, omega is a compromise in your eyes to rolex.
No. The Aqua Terra, specifically, was a compromise for me relative to the Datejust. At no point did I say Omega was the compromise in general. Again - You cannot logically based on a single specific watch decision infer a general position on the brand. I certainly hope that should I sit at a restaurant and choose Pad Thai in stead of Pasta Bolognese that nobody makes the leap the I categorically dislike italian food and/or categorically prefer asian over Italian. That would be silly. (One could of course question the choice of restaurant that makes both thai and italian) And I have the speedmaster over the Daytona to prove it 😀
I struggle to understand the new GMT release. If it was about taking pressure off the Batman, Sprite or Pepsi then why not just manufacturer more of those in order to satisfy those on the waiting list? Maybe they will mass produce this new grey release, Make the other GMT harder to obtain. I believe they are making the Pepsi almost as hard to obtain as the Daytona. Rolex need another grail model for people to strive towards.
Think of it this way. Nobody likes Yellow starbursts in their pack of starburst caramels. And yet they're in there - because they add to variety despite being noones favorite (and you eat the yellow ones anyway) 😊
@@Mike.thiswatchthatwatchI didn’t think Rolex were sold in multi packs? But your are right, ppl will eat this release because it may be all they get. But the question is, why release the filler when they could release the killer? Are they trying to cool hype or are they trying to give Tudor some shine?
if the 1908 goes sub retail, I will pick one up. I was debating a dress watch and thinking Patek or Chopard. 1908 sub retail gets me one and i'll have to shell out 10K less
Omega is now the poor man’s Rolex, the watch people buy as a constellation prize when they can’t get a Rolex. Many Rolex AD’s haven’t served the brand well because of the games they’ve played. The corporate consolidation of the AD’s has made the brand both more exclusive and also less desirable. Its scarcity is making it lose its mass appeal. Profit per unit is what Rolex is looking at, they can only make so many watches per year so they might as well maximize the profit. Protecting the brand or making money explains it all.Well said!
No need to change things if people are buying the way they are. And the discontinuation of the Milgauss was a clear strategic choice. No nerds! Message received.
I thought for sure they were gonna add the black/grey bezel to a rose gold GMT. With that said, I absolutely love that they added it to a SS GMT, and I will be putting in my request for one.. also, this is the first time I actually thought, I’m getting a Tudor this time and have no interest in a Rolex, cause let’s be honest, Tudor won this year.
Question is, Rolex are selling the best, biggest market share by far etc etc etc, says the numbers. Fine. My question is, where do these watches get sold to? Doesn’t it seem weird that grey dealers have all this inventory and higher prices on watches. While both grey dealers and AD that normally buy inventory didn’t want to buy any of my watches, they’re not Rolex but they were omega and Tudor. They also rejected Rolex. Is there something to it? Have the watches gone back door or is there to many selling their to or through grey dealers?
“Disinterested” = unbiased. “Uninterested” = not interested. So, for example: “The judge at the trial was disinterested, as was proper. The accused couldn’t really care, he was so uninterested in what was going on.”
From what I can see Rolex going with more steel models is more than just going more up market. When you compare Rolex to brands in the holy Trinity and higher end independent brands they fall short in a major category (high end movements). To contend with these brands they will make complicated gem set and gold models to go after the same buyer who wants a higher complication. This is a weakness in my opinion because even a brand like Omega has higher complication movements and is fighting harder to impress and retain it's buyers. Rolex can only rest on cool dials and diamond studded pieces for so long.
Depends of course on your purchase history, but no... It's going to be waitlist, but not as much as a pepsi. If you don't want to wait - get the two tone black/grey. They are likely easier to get 😃
In my experience, people who are driven to accumulate wealth also tend to like to show it off. Nothing wrong with that and a brilliant and lucrative move on the part of Rolex to capitalise on that. It is a mistake however, and quite arrogant, to assume that everybody fits or aspires to fit that particular profile. Something I think Rolex fans in particular, have difficulty in understanding.
You are up against a strong lobby for the “The Dark Knight”. I’m rooting for you though. Any man that can stop the Hulk with a whisper deserves the recognition. 😀
Are Rolex to watches, what Gibson are to guitars ? Reliable biuld quality, a bit boring, predictable range from decade to decade, but as a store of residual long term, pretty decent?
@Mike.thiswatchthatwatch I have a decent knowledge (and collection) of (secondhand) guitars (US and Japanese). Complete novice on watches. Your channel is a great help in understanding.
Why is everyone jizzing over the 1908 when nobody cared for the Cellini. Rolex does it's first Guilloche dial, that everyone's been doing for years, and all of a sudden it's the best watch at the show. I don't get it
@@Mike.thiswatchthatwatch Was in Taipei 2 weeks ago. Went to 7 Rolex ADs. Absolutely nothing for sale but I did get 7 free bottles of water so there's that. On the other hand went to VC and tried on a 1921, Blancpain where they had all the new FF 42, JLC and test drove the Green Polaris Boutique edition etc. All in stock and for sale....
I don't know why, but I spit out my coffee when I saw the image of someone standing outside a Rolex AD with 7 bottles of water. 😂😂😂 My max is probably three bottles of water and then a race to a department store to find a toilet...
That 1908 is, in my humble opinion, trying to be a Submariner of dress watches, the one dress watch first time buyers want (like they want a Submariner when they are looking for a diver), I think that is what they wanted to achieve with it. Now, for my taste and liking, they are far from it, I just think that they do not know how to make a pure dress watch, it is like it’s not a part of their DNA. I would take Breguet classic or Omega De Ville or GO panomatic over 1908 everyday of the week, but again that’s just me😊 and I am not you first time buyer average Joe.
Thanks TWTW! If you are right in what you say, and you probably are, then it's a sad cynical world. The worry is the similarity that now exists from their SS toolish watches, to their precious metal models. The finishes are so fussy, that all models can no longer be really worn for their supposed task? The Exporer 2 stands alone here. And I believe absolutely that being real is vital to support the need and wants for that watch, and it's subsequent purchase. You can move too far away from your actual purpose.
I don't hate Rolex, or want them to fail. Competition breeds innovation. The problem is, Rolex seems to think there is no competition. There are obviously plenty of rich people who can afford one, and I'm just a schlub who has to "settle" for the likes of Omega, Longines, etc... I'm a smelly poor and they do not want my business. That's fine. I just bought a stunningly made Carl F Bucherer, and I love my Omegas. I prefer doing business with a company that values me as a customer.
The new 1908 was the only vaguely interesting release but I am dead fed up of turquoise dials. Tudor also went for the hibernation route cause obviously you might as well just sleep through all their releases this year. Oh and the gold wannabe Invicta? for the love of god toss them all into the bottom of the Mariana trench.
"Rolex Watches & Wonders: Uninspiring & still ahead of the pack" - like McIntosh stereos and Mercedes cars; aspirational lifestyle products through clever marketing.
I respect u a lot but I have disagree with ur views about rolex and the grey gmt . It is losing its sight and its reputation, at least in the short term. Prove me wrong but I am pretty certain their sales will be down this year
I’m sorry but Rolex being the face of the luxury watch market has a responsibility to release watches that excite the fans. Instead they release a bunch of expensive and uninspiring watches. No wonder the luxury watch market is dead with excitement and secondary market value. This is the same as gluttonous KING who doesn’t have to do much to continue to rule at the embarrassment of the ruled. The luxury watch market has become too full of themselves
Looool! No it doesn’t actually! Rolex is the market leader and by a large margin and this didn’t happen by chance . Rolex is the trend setter in the watch world and everyone else follows. Their strategy of incremental changes and slowly evolving their product is working. Why mess up a working recipe? Why please a few watch enthusiasts and lose thousands of customers?
The only one who can dethrone Rolex, is Rolex. They shut off small market ADs and discontinued slow selling models, to reallocate inventory and production. This gives the appearance of having more inventory, of their popular models. It’s a smart move and buys them time. Tudor ups its game in the steel sports watch, value market. This will help take some of the pressure off Rolex’s steel entry models. Again this buys time. Rolex will ultimately have to increase production or they will force the steel and or entry buyer to others brands. Tudor will fill this gap as it moves up market. This also puts pressure on Omega with spec based value offerings. Ultimately this allows Rolex to use production for their more profitable upper end models. -jm2c
Now that Rolex owns Bucherer, they will increase production of precious metal watches. They now keep 100% of the sales price when sold through Bucherer so why not make more of the most profitable models. Soon you will have to buy a precious metal watch to get the privelege og buying a stainless steel model
1908 is only made so Rolex in their own head, can think people see them, as more then a sports brand, sports brand only isn’t luxury, so the keep building watches like Cellini and 1908, well knowing nobody is stupid enough to buy it.
Boring indeed. But worse, the ubiquitousness is nauseating. And with boring, ubiquitous stands out even more. What makes people sheep with rolexes bleat? Insecurity and low self-respect. And what a price to pay for that! Rolex is typically worn by sheep.
The thing about rolex is, during the hype era everyone and their pet plant got one. Now that is a huge status problem for the real yacht masters of the world. They had to create a tier above the humble folks like me. Knock yourself out oligarchs!
All part of its incremental luxurification ratcheting the SRP (average SRPs) ever higher. Indeed Rolex can sell everything it makes, so it’s all about the brand itself and where it plans to position it in the future. As I see it Rolex’s clear aim is to be *the* top machine-made watches brand - at its production volumes it can’t became high horology - the robots do all the work, and 99% of its customers, prospective and actual, don’t care. In an overall watch market that’s suffering Rolex doesn’t need to sweat it to increase market share. It’s looking longer term, and based on this year’s releases it’s looking to the second coming of Liberace! 😂😂
Tend to agree. ID Guy and I had a brief back and forth about how they might cut down on steel models to go more full gold. I can see it happen... 😃 Liberace. 😂 Second time in a month... 😂
I'm just bored by talk of Rolex. I can afford one, and I never buy one, and I never will. But if you like machine finishing and closed case backs, Rolex is for you.
1908 it’s beautiful watch but not ever if I want super fancy expensive dress watch absolutely never buy this watch! Yes it looks beautiful but no thanks Tudor is starting to be like “Rolex” the one I like it’s the “black bay 41” monochrome even that .. rather keep my watch’s then sell it no way because few mm !!! Ahhh Master Certified chronometer bla bla Go buy a cheap Sinn 104 it does the trick plus can buy 2 watches for price of a Tudor “homage submariner” rather bought the underrated Sterling silver Taoupé or Tupé version much nicer that an Tudor Sub homage…
Bored Bored Bored of this bolshy, unholistic outfit Rolex with their overhyped, overrated & eye-wateringly expensive watches... Bored of their ridiculous waiting lists... 😴😴😴😴😴😴😴... 2 things Rolex could do to make us watch lovers happy..... STOP DELIBERATELY HOLDING BACK SUPPLIES TO CREATE A DEMAND.... REISSUE THE BEAUTIFUL PRE DAYTONA CHRONOGRAPHS TO THE CATALOGUE...
I could bet my eur 1 Rolex world will collapse sooner than later ....Not next year but maybe after 7-10-15y. I do not see they could succeed to get into higher echelon even it sounds impossible today, their lineup is basic and mostly vulgar. With new factory and higher volume....believe they will not succeed to execute same artifical shortage for decades .... there will be a day in future that all the public wake up and realise they do not want exactly same watch as half a globe have. Junghans were No1 100y ago. They are niche today, nice though. Market is cyclical..... annoyingly shiny divers will not keep the hipe forever 👊🙈
Well...to the Rolex nay sayers; consider yourselves lucky at all to have a topic to discuss ! ROLEX can and will do exactly what they deem right in the business sense...Rolex is nit OMEGA, if you don't like it, buy the fake moonlanding! The crown remains successful...because they understand the longevity of business, not what watch fans think they can dictate!
@@skzion2 Taste is a personal matter. But Rolex designs tend to appeal to more people than Omega, hence the stark difference in sales volume between the two.
@@emexokezie7796 "the Omega oils"? I've visited almost all of the great art museums in the world. I've visited most of the architectural wonders in the world. I know when I'm looking at hyped garbage (especially noticeable in contemporary art). Almost every Rolex model is an inartistic mess. I'm calling them as I see them.
@@omarion07 Rolex's appeal is based on fantastic marketing. The idea that an oculus, for example, is an artistic plus is objectively preposterous. Some people complain about date windows disrupting the harmony of a dial; Rolex takes that disruption and magnifies it. Another example: no transparent caseback. Nowadays, when you go premium you are expected to show the movement, and that means you need to finish it. But Rolex can't be bothered.