Wearing a Rolex, because you can’t wear a gold bar on your wrist.

[+ glutes]

Todays NYTimes says Rolex watches have rapidly appreciated, due to limited supply.

Hope Dutchmuch will lend me his Daytona !!

[jeezifonly]

High-end watch theft

So…

A high-end watch dealer (aka fence??) who happens to work out of his home is careless enough to leave a sliding glass door unbolted while he sleeps?

Rolex and other signature luxury mens watches aren’t for telling time. They are for telling everyone that you have a small penis and can’t afford the Maserati. 😛

[mike carey]

A short tangent, a couple of years ago the CEO of Australia Post (a crown corporation) rewarded four executives with Cartier watches worth $AU 5K each for landing a $200m contract, and was excoriated by the PM for wasting money. Never mind that if they had been given $50K cash bonuses nobody would have batted an eyelid. At a Senate Estimates hearing on the issue, she was wearing a $50K Bugatti watch.

Two lessons to be drawn from it. For some people a watch is a watch and some who can afford a $50K one will. (Hers was beautiful, so counted as jewellery.) Second, people can be irrationally envious and judgmental about the idea that people have expensive watches.

[+ purplekow]

I hardly notice such things but if I was to notice such things, I would not be able to tell a ROLEX from a FAUXLEx.  So if the wearer is trying to send a message, it is lost on me.   

[rustyrex]

I used to collect watches, and have lusted after a Rolex for years.  After my collection of watches got stolen, I have stuck to wearing my Apple Watch.  I still want a Rolex…

[cany10011]

I love my watches starting with my first Cartier given to me by my parents to mark my 18th birthday. Over the years after a promotion or milestone,  i reward myself with a nice Cartier or Rolex. I don’t know why i like them, i only have 1 wrist to wear them on, but they are nice jewellery and statement pieces. If i were a girl, I’d buy Van Cleef or JAR but fortunately, i only have a timepiece vice.  My everyday watch is the Cartier Chronograph.

Edited March 25, 2022 by cany10011

[+ glutes]

And as an investment, not bad!

New data from Bob's Watches shows Rolex outperforming gold, houses, and even stocks.

https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/long-term-investments-in-rolex-watches-have-outperformed-gold-and-real-estate-and-even-the-dow-jones-industrial-average-over-the-past-10-years/articleshow/89531651.cms

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

2 hours ago, cany10011 said:

I love my watches starting with my first Cartier given to me by my parents to mark my 18th birthday. Over the years after a promotion or milestone,  i reward myself with a nice Cartier or Rolex. I don’t know why i like them, i only have 1 wrist to wear them on, but they are nice jewellery and statement pieces. If i were a girl, I’d buy Van Cleef or JAR but fortunately, i only have a timepiece vice.  My everyday watch is the Cartier Chronograph.

Cartier makes a beautiful watch, as does Hermes.  One of my favorites is the classic Hermes Clipper.

I own three Rolexes but they're so persnickety about keeping time and needing regular servicing, that they usually just stay in a safe and I forget about them.  

I'm not a huge Chanel person otherwise, but their J12 line of timepieces are beautiful and built like fucking tanks.  I have two of them (a dive watch and a standard ceramic) and over the years they've taken a beating.  They still look brand new.

[+ azdr0710]

Ahhh, the periodic Rolex/fancy watch threads. An m4m tradition!

Love my $20 Casio from Target!  Keeps perfect time for years, gets banged up on the trail, occasional new battery or band at the mall jewelry fix-it shop. 

Priorities!

[Jamie21]

I don’t own a watch, I’ve never worn one. Perfection needs no adornments 😂

[Guest MikeThomas]

Not a big watch person, but have a couple of nice ones.  Nice when dressing up.  Tried to buy a Rolex last fall.  No retail inventory.  Pre-worn prices were through the roof.  Opted for a Breitling, which I’m very happy with.  Plus Brad Pitt is their spokesman.  That clinched it for me 😉 

[Epigonos]

When my father retired after forty years being the director of maintenance at the 7Up bottling plant, in Los Angeles, he was given an engraved watch. The family was appalled that that was all dad was given after all those years but said nothing. When my father died my mother wanted me to take the watch. I have never worn a watch so I, ungratefully, refused. My mother then offered the watch to my brother-in-law. He also refused stating that he had a perfectly good Timex that he really liked. My mother then gave the watch to her eldest grandson. Years later my nephew showed the watch to his mother and asked where he should take it to have it cleaned and repaired if needed. My sister looked at the watch and told him he should take it directly to the Rolex Shop in Beverly Hills and NOT to a local jeweler. At the Rolex shop my nephew apologized to the salesperson explaining that the watch was likely not worth much because it was not self-wind and was engraved.  The salesperson was shocked and informed my nephew that not being self-wind and being engraved made the watch more valuable NOT less. He also pointed out that that the watch had small diamonds at the 12 and the 6 and small rubies at the 3 and the 9. My nephew nearly fainted when he was told the value of the watch (unfortunately I do not remember the value my nephew was quoted). He was told, however, that he needed to get rid of the cheap band and buy a suitable replacement which he proceeded to do. For years my brother-in-law and I laughed at our ignorance regarding watches and their value. My nephew now 66 continues to wear the watch to this day. 

[+ purplekow]

A watch is a traditional retirement gift from a company to a retiree,  representing the time they have given to the company.  Surprised you would not have taken the watch as a keepsake no matter the value.  That you did not do so it gasp worthy.  And if readers here did not gasp at that, I guess they are just not gaspers.  

Edited March 26, 2022 by purplekow

[+ Pensant]

Although I’ve never coveted a Rolex, there’s a previously owned Blancpain that I’d love to buy, but the price is daunting. I own two Jaeger-LeCoultres, one a Reverso in rose gold, which I only wear on special occasions.  My everyday watch is a Tag Heuer Carrera with a black rubber band and a black face. I didn’t realize how much they’ve appreciated!
 

[Rudynate]

I think a massive watch like a Rolex looks great on a man's wrist.  35 or so years ago, I went into a store and asked if I could try one on.  The salesman was nice and didn't mind taking a few minutes to let me try on a couple watches.  There was a gold case and one in stainless steel with gold trim, I tried both.  I believe the price of the gold watch was $20k.  I think the stainless steel case was $13K or $15K.  I still haven't given up the idea of owning a Rolex, but it would be a completely frivolous purchase - I think the last time I wore a watch was more than 25 years ago.   Who really needs them, when you can look at your phone to find out the time?  I'm one of those people with a good sense of time - when I guess the time, I 'm usually within 5 or 10 minutes of the correct time.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

53 minutes ago, Rudynate said:

I think a massive watch like a Rolex looks great on a man's wrist.

Massive?  Based on the newer watchmakers out there, Rolex is now practically considered streamlined

I was gifted a Tag as a travel watch, but it's so heavy and large, that I rarely wear it.  I really dislike oversized watches.

[Rudynate]

6 minutes ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

Massive?  Based on the newer watchmakers out there, Rolex is now practically considered streamlined

I was gifted a Tag as a travel watch, but it's so heavy and large, that I rarely wear it.  I really dislike oversized watches.

I meant a watch like a Rolex that would have been considered massive before the market became flooded with those cheesy oversized watches - you can get one for free  on IG if you post a pic of you wearing it.

[foxy]

I’ve never understood the attraction for Rolex watches. I don’t find them attractive. I once had a real one in front of me and a good fake and you couldn’t tell the difference till you picked them up and there was a noticeable difference in weight. The real Rolex being much heavier. As for the gold content there really isn’t much if you melted it down. If I was going to buy an expensive watch it would be a Cartier tank watch. Much more elegant in my opinion. My father was given a gold Jules Jorgensen at retirement many years ago. He never wore it. I wore it a few times then gave it to a nephew when he graduated from high school. I told him he had to wind it which I think amused him. I’m not sure if he ever wore it. 

[Guest]

On 3/24/2022 at 11:33 PM, mike carey said:

A short tangent, a couple of years ago the CEO of Australia Post (a crown corporation) rewarded four executives with Cartier watches worth $AU 5K each for landing a $200m contract, and was excoriated by the PM for wasting money. Never mind that if they had been given $50K cash bonuses nobody would have batted an eyelid. At a Senate Estimates hearing on the issue, she was wearing a $50K Bugatti watch.

Two lessons to be drawn from it. For some people a watch is a watch and some who can afford a $50K one will. (Hers was beautiful, so counted as jewellery.) Second, people can be irrationally envious and judgmental about the idea that people have expensive watches.

You may need to explain "crown corporation" for those who don't live in monarchies. Does this just mean a corporation which receives government funding? Or run by the government?

[Guest]

On 3/25/2022 at 12:13 AM, purplekow said:

I hardly notice such things but if I was to notice such things, I would not be able to tell a ROLEX from a FAUXLEx.  So if the wearer is trying to send a message, it is lost on me.   

Yeah, my partner "Chris" and I have different views on flashy clothing and accessories. When my mother would see someone wearing flashy stuff, she'd always comment on how vulgar that person was. "Chris" gets impressed, and will often make comments such as "Do you know that hat she's wearing is worth $10,000!" Of course, my response is often a sigh, such as Kif from Futurama. (To be clear, we amuse each other with our difference in opinion on these matters--it is NOT a source of friction between the two of us)

 

[mike carey]

13 hours ago, Unicorn said:

You may need to explain "crown corporation" for those who don't live in monarchies. Does this just mean a corporation which receives government funding? Or run by the government?

It's a government agency or business entity that is structured as a corporation with the same management and governance structure as a a privately held company, but is 100% government owned. They are also called government business enterprises. They have a chairman/woman, a CEO and a board.

Some, like the ABC, are government funded (with some money from its activities, like merch, selling boxed sets of its productions and selling rights to its shows to other broadcasters), others operate independently, to a greater lesser extent, of government funding. Australia Post is in the latter category, making a profit in recent years, paying tax and paying the government a dividend.

The CEO concerned who was effectively sacked after that watch incident, was snapped up by a commercial logistics company, Toll Global Express, as its CEO. So a competitor to AusPost got its successful former CEO. Clever of them, huh?

[Guest]

16 hours ago, mike carey said:

It's a government agency or business entity that is structured as a corporation with the same management and governance structure as a a privately held company, but is 100% government owned....

Thanks for the clarification. It sounds perhaps like the Tennessee Valley Authority, AMTRAK, or the US Postal Service, then, I guess. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority

As a government employee, I was always careful not to accept any gift worth much more than $10, though patients might often bring some cookies, baked goods, minor articles of clothing, or venison from some deer they shot. 

I'm learning from you about how monarchies work during our last of 4 nights at a hotel where the Queen of Belize and Australia previously stayed. HRH Prince William, the presumed future King of Belize and Australia also stayed here!