When it comes to the iconic ‘finer things’ in life, you don’t have to be an avid timepiece enthusiast to know that Rolex watches have stood the test of time to be considered one of, if not the, best brand of luxury watch in the world.
Even those who have never worn a wristwatch understand that there is something about Rolex models that must set them apart from the rest. After all, with so many different luxury watch brands to choose from, the rich and famous seem to keep coming back to these particular expensive watches when they have the freedom to be able to pick any item of high quality that the watch industry produces!
Rolex produces plenty of different Rolex models over the course of a design cycle, and the waiting lists for each high-end timepiece seems to get longer with each new launch.
The second-hand market is one of the busiest and most competitive in the watch world, with a used Rolex often costing more than a brand new variety of something even as high profile as a Patek Philippe!
Rolex prices, both for brand new and pre-owned Rolex watches, never seem to dip out of the high price range, and this isn’t something that can be said for all brands with similar Swiss craftsmanship.
Why are Rolex watches so coveted in the present, past and inevitably will be in the future too?
Rolex Is The Most Recognisable Name
You don’t need to be a watch expert to know that Rolex is the world’s most famous luxury watch brand.
People find out about Rolex before they ever learn words like Omega, Patek Philippe or Breitling.
There are two types of Rolex customers:
Those who know everything about the brand and can tell the difference between a Submariner and a Datejust and all the other model types.
Those who only know the name but love the watches for their look and timeless appeal.
The great thing is that they are equally as enthusiastic about their one precious watch or whole collection!
Rolex is known for its signature high quality and craftsmanship, and for having the best design and features for all-around daily wear. Rolexes re not just fabulous looking, they are highly functional.
A Consistent Level Of High Quality
The key to Rolex’s continued success is in the extremely high level quality of precision watch engineering associated with premier watches made in Switzerland. It is applied to every single model. Unlike many high-end brands, Rolex does not compromise to produce a budget range with a cheaper price tag.
Rolex watches obviously perform the fundamental tasks of showing the time accurately but they are also robust, reliable and sturdy.
Maintaining that consistent level of quality across many decades is what has made Rolex the name to beat in the watch world. It is a staggering achievement to keep up that high level with an annual production of 3/4 million pieces.
The beauty is in the simplicity, with Rolex choosing to omit features like toubillons, perpetual calendars or minute repeaters. They do not over-embellish with large date displays, alarm functions or other indicators!
Rolex focuses on what it does best, and that is to constantly improve the details that they are already famous for. Things like clean and smoothly rotating bezels like those on the Submariner and the GMT-Master II and as high-end as you could possibly hope to achieve in a luxury watch.
A High Recognisable Score
We have just listed a host of features that some watches have that Rolex chooses to omit, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that their timepieces are basic!
Rolex has signified innovation in the field since 1914, when the founder, Hans Wilsdorf, submitted a wristwatch movement to the Kew-Teddington observatory for chronometer certification. The rest, as they say, is history!
Today, the chronometer test conducted by the Swiss institute COSC is one of the signature standards for in-house mechanical watches at Rolex.
The water-resistant feature was introduced for the first time in 1927, with the automatic winding mechanism coming just a few years later. Water resistance is something that people for granted, but in modern everyday life it is an absolute necessity. These two features in particular are reflected in the Oyster Perpetual product name that decorates almost every Rolex watch.
In 1945, the Datejust model was introduced. This was the first watch to combine all three features of water resistance, automatic winding and chronometer certificate. These cover the groundbreaking essentials that keep Rolex on top. As they, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
An Instantly Recognisable Design
There is something about the instantly recognizable design that makes Rolex a continuously sought-after watch on the luxury market, and the everyday wearability is a dedicated function of its design.
The round shape helps with the water resistance and the clear, crisp legibility, and add to this another Hans Wilsdorf invention, the Cyclops date magnifier, for an even better wearer’s experience.
The current Rolex designers are dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of the collection, futureproofing it by making careful and deliberate modifications that sustain the iconic design of each model while making subtle changes that bring each new piece onto the market with fanfare and recognition.
Rolex doesn’t buy into making big sweeping changes to their designs, because they know that they don’t have to hit the headlines to generate sales.
The brand very much adheres to the 10-meter rule, which is the notion that if you cannot identify a Rolex on a person’s wrist from 10 meters away, then the design has not been a successful one!
The one drawback and potential risk to their iconic status is that being so desirable, Rolex is so frequently faked. It is so often described as the world’s most ripped-off brand. You’ll find plenty of fake Datejust and Submariner models on the market.
Even within the realm of genuine watches by other brands, Rolex features have been replicated. For example, two-tone bracelets (a combination of stainless steel with another color of metal or precious metal) have become a widespread feature since Rolex first introduced them in the 1920s.
This makes the next point as to what makes Rolex so desirable even more remarkable.
They Maintain Their Value
On the very day that you buy a new car, it immediately halves in value: that is just a simple fact of the car market. In the world of luxury watches, there is a similar trajectory, but for all the reasons we are giving here, Rolex watches hold their value better than any other brand.
For the very highest-demand sports models like the gold Oyster models, the resale value as a preowned watch is just a little less than what you originally paid, which is significantly better than half! On some special occasions, the reputation of a specific watch model will become so historic that you can find buyers willing to pay more than the original or existing retail price.
For anybody looking to preserve their investments and safeguard themselves against financial troubles in the future, buying a Rolex (or two!) is proving to be one of the smartest commercial decisions that you can make.
They Experience Artificial Shortages
The peak of any watch’s desirability is when it is for some reason unavailable, that is just human nature! The most famous example of this is the Rolex Daytona, which has been in demand ever since it was seen on the wrist of Hollywood superstar Paul Newman many years ago.
The trick is that Rolex only releases into stores as many watches as it projects to sell, so when something captures the public imagination and becomes more sought after than predicted, the result is very long waiting lists that only serve to grow the legend!
This elusiveness and inability to simply pick up whichever Rolex you want from your authorized dealer only adds to the mystique of the brand as a whole, with models like the aforementioned Daytona and the Rolex GMT Pepsi being two of the biggest examples to date.
At watchesandwatches.com, we proudly present a collection of fine Rolex timepieces at all price levels. If you are a first-time buyer looking for an entry-level watch or a connoisseur, we invite you to browse our ever-changing product range.
