There is a time when your sleeve is pulled to reveal a Rolex is the final distortion. But these days, it just feels like.
I caught up with a husband recently. He fixed the watch on my wrist, something independent, better known, and rubbed his face. “Why are you wearing that?” He asked, as I had committed only a horological crime. And honestly, it said more about him than the watch and made this thread thinking.
That reaction realizes me how far away from individualism to the culture of the watch. When did luxury become uniform? Why do we all want the same submariners, Daytona, or Pepsi GMT to watch, be honest, do you now see every airport, boardroom, and birthday birthday?
The green submariner effect
My local retail offered me a green submariner. Most men will lose their minds on that call. I? Nothing. Not a flicker in the pants. It was like I lost my standing for Rolex.
This is not the sub is not a good watch. It is. But I looked at it and thought, every dude had one. And when a watch becomes a symbol of status first and a personal choice second, it begins to feel like a uniform.
Sure, some Rolex models are still worth the lapse. I will never say to an Everose Daytona. But I can flip the green sub, make a clean little income … and still don't like it. I'm still not flipper. The watch is like a dog or a former wife. This is for life.
Watches are not investing. Not really, not really, IMHO.
There are others who have nothing to say: selling watches is a disease. A real pain in the ass. Worse than a car or anything.
Everyone talks about resale such a definite thing. No. Unless you bought a Patek Nautilus before it became a hype, or a daytona back when they were five figures, you were not invested. You are thinking. Gambling.
I paid nearly ten grand for my daytona. It is probably worth ten times now. But its sale? You interact with Tire-Kickers, Consignment Vultures, or Gray Market Chaos. Good luck cashing clean.
So yes, if you buy it to make money, good luck. For most people, the exit plan method is more difficult than they think.
The problem with Rolex culture
The Rolex cult has created this unique gold standard where anything is seen as the second best. I was wearing a chopard Alpine Eagle the other week, and a husband looked at it as I liked to slip into the crocs.
“Why aren't you wearing your Rolex?” He asked. I wanted to say, “Why are you wearing the same watch as every other financial bro in this overpriced restaurant?”
I compare it to driving a Mercedes and pulling a face to someone with Porsche. Different badges. Both leagues. Expand your taste, homie.
Where do you look instead?
If you bravely stop Rolex's treadmill, there is a whole world there. Start with independent brands – players playing. They still make watches for people, not algorithm.
Cartier, for one, kills it now. Elegant, original, and getting better with each release.
Jaeger-Lecoultre is also a brand that indicates the class, yet it is often a second or third watch purchase.
Grand Seiko? Silently makes some of the best business dials. The end is nuts.
A. Lange & Söhne can be a slow price-wise, but if you can swing it, you will never look at a Rolex the same way again. Vacheron Constantin is another brand that quietly does everything right that is out of Tiktok noise.
Conclusions
So yes, maybe I'm just jaded. But I'm not getting the same pleasure from Rolex. That spark is gone.
These days, I'm more excited about something you don't see every day. Something like mine, not everything. Only this type of piece can be identified by a person on the watch.
So if you are in the market for a new watch and you caught yourself staring blindly to the brand because that's what everyone wants, maybe beat. The best watch you buy may be what you are not looking for.
