Timezone horology class11/13/2022 ![]() Because everybody knows what it is, everybody knows it’s something special, made of high-quality materials and designed to last indefinitely. Everybody knows what a Rolex is, no matter where you are in the world. It’s also become a term of endearment, a product that is the absolute zenith of design and fabrication is usually deemed the ‘Rolls Royce’ even by folks who have never sat in a Rolls Royce.ĭespite Rolex having the highest production figures of the Swiss watch industry, it still has a level of class that’s hard to beat, and that’s down to the way the brand presents itself. It may not be as futuristic or wholesome as a Mercedes Maybach, for example, but there’s nothing else quite like a Rolls Royce, despite the few pitfalls it may have, the brand is at the point where its name and logo market themselves. Despite being owned by BMW and sharing parts with them, a Rolls Royce is still something extra-special and is advertised as such. Interestingly, both Rolls Royce and Rolex occupy their own individual positions in their respective markets, that’s down to how they’re marketed. Rolex is probably not bespoke building a Submariner, but to the consumer, it’s the finished product that matters. This level of prestige, having to wait until the product is delivered to you, works for Rolex as well. It can take over a year for Rolls Royce to make a bespoke designed Phantom due to the complexity and the craftsmanship involved. If you want a Rolls Royce or a Bentley made to your specification you have to put your name on a list and eventually, someone at the factory will look at the order form with your name on it. Yet, this is precisely how classical luxury should work. We’ve all made jokes at Rolex’ expense when it comes to their infamous waiting list, thinking about how much better we are for not sitting around waiting to get the chance to pay retail. They are designed to be aesthetically pleasing through proportional balance, and the brand maintains its aura of luxury, a luxury that is hard to come by. You see, Rolex watches have been almost explicitly designed for this purpose. Even the devout pro-any-other-brand-except-Rolex horology ‘geek’ will probably end up with one at some point, just to see what it’s like, and then end up loving it forever. And yet, in a way, we always end up back at Rolex. People look at the coronet and think of it as nothing but a status symbol for folks who have no interest in “real horology”, that no true enthusiast would go near one of these things with a ten-foot barge pole. I mean, they only do the same design every year, right? This particular view is one I have come across in discussion forums before and, to be honest, it’s quite depressing. As if getting rid of Rolex would solve all of horology’s problems. Some think of Rolex as the ‘demon’ to be vanquished, that their conquest of the horology world is like a fog that clouds our vision from our true potential. ![]()
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