The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I can understand the perception issues that Rolex has in the eyes of some WIS folks - i.e. as the post above says, a lot of people who know very little about watches think that Rolex is the best watch brand in the world and obviously therefore the first choice in terms of what they buy when they come into a bit of money.

It's also no secret that I'm not a fan of some of Rolex's practises such as restricting supply of watches to keep the illusion of rarity (despite being one of the most prolific watch makers in the world) and thereby keep the prices high, etc.

However, once you accept that they are often seen as "the overly obvious choice", and that they have very successfully cultivated an image that other brands would kill for, it's actually very hard to fault their watches. The simple fact is, they make very very good watches, and provided you like the style, it's hard to understand why any WIS wouldn't want to own one at some point.

The designs rarely alienate existing owners due to their tectonic-plate-movement speed of evolution, and their faultless brand strength and perception means they attract new fans by the truckload, all keen to buy into the kudos.

Additionally though, the image is more than backed up by quality of the product. Superb fit and finish, in-house movements (that have been around for years and are very stable and reliable), and pretty much in-house everything else too..... they even make their own sapphire crystals.

I've owned one Rolex myself and only sold it because it had the horrible tin-foil bracelet of yesteryear. If it wasn't for that I'd definitely still own it as I buy watches for me, and not for impressing others. They may not be the absolutely pinnacle of watch-making that a lot of non-WIS think they are, but they are extremely hard to fault. As long as you like the styles, Rolex are something of a no-brainer in the market they operate in.

Seems true and supposed to agree but however proven untrue in my case. In the first place people will not turn their attention to a brand that they do not know about. The only circumstances when people will think you are showing off and trying to grab attention is when you either wear a full gold or diamond watch(I mean not fake ones), and unfortunately, it applies to Rolex in many cases too. I think the person wearing it also have a part to play, if the person's character is known to be the "show off" kind, then obviously when he puts on a Rolex, people will feel that he is trying to show off. I have came across many "like to show off" people wearing Rolex to seek attention, but however I have never come across anyone of such character wearing a watch from other brands(including Breitling) to do so because how to show off when not many would know about yr watch brand? Many cheap watches can also be blingy in design and but even though it might capture people's attention initially for a few sec, they will not take a 2nd look because it's not a high end brand that they know about. I have a guy in my company(obviously the show off kind) bought himself a full Gold Rolex watch with diamonds... Why did he not purchase a gold watch of another brand since Rolex is not the highest end in Horology? He is no watch enthusiast and I believe he was just setting his mind of getting a brand that people know about so as to show his wealth. Therefore, like it or not, Rolex is attention grabbing, even though the watch might look cheap, the logo is enough to grab people's attention. And IMO Rolex is not really that down tone as the design is.. I have come across many cases where Rolexs get noticed on people's wrist by others even though the design is down toned. I think the reason is due to the finishing of the bracelet and non-AR coating on the case that when the hand is moved the "light reflection" caused by the watch actually caused it to "bling" sometimes and captures attention that will make people want to peep at the logo on yr watch to see what you are wearing. Sorry if I sound stupid because my attention have been captured this way before. It can apply to other luxury watches as well but as mentioned, once they cannot identify the logo on yr watch, they will not take a 2nd look as they might think that yr watch is not a high end one. actually if yr Rolex watch looks real plain and simple, this might even work against yr intention of not wanting to get attention. Because for people who do not know about watches, when they see that you are wearing Rolex but design so plain and simple, they do not understand the value behind it and might think that you are simply trying to show off, but yet "stupid" to pay a few thousand dollars just to get a recognised brand that looks "cheap" and "old fashioned" and "not value for money". Some might even feel that you want to show off but have tight budget so got no choice but to go along with a cheaper one. This is not my personal opinion but common comments that I have experienced.

Breitling on the other hand, have different comments from the mass, for some who have heard about Breitling but not a watch enthusiast, when they knew that I bought a Breitling, would commonly ask, "why didn't u buy Rolex?" When they are in turn asked why, they would say because it's recognized, the value will "go up" so it's an "investment", other watches don't... Again some might feel that people who buy Breitlings are stupid because we could have bought Rolex and get better recognition.

Anyway, I believe everyone in this forum wear watches for ourselves and not for others so who cares what others think. IMO if we do not want "attention" how we behave in front of others plays a bigger role. But Erm....sorry if u are wearing a full gold or diamond watch, you can never avoid attention... not from robbers at least

All the above pretty much sums up my point that Rolex is good in a way that it meets the needs of almost any type of people. From "wanting to show off", to "wanting to get a high quality watch but doesn't want something blingy", Blar Blar Blar ...... Whatever the intention might be, Rolex has projected that strange charisma among the mass, no unique and outstanding designs, no decorative or see through casebacks, all the models look roughly the same as if the variety is very limited, looks down toned but does "blings", using that "no identity as their identity" classic image. Their designs are classic among the classic, super safe and never different, so that it doesn't polarize opinions. As mentioned in above posts, they have taken the lead many years ago to imprint the brand and image in people's mind, way before other brands...so it's hard to replace them now...

It has become very clear that English is not your fist language.

It has become very clear that English is not your fist language. That said I can now see where you are getting confused.

I am not bothered by your views on rolex. It's simply that you keep saying the same thing about how people who buy Rolex typically like to show off. I am pretty sure that most of us here understand this is your view. But you keep echoing this in every Rolex thread that comes up. We get it.... You don't like the fact that some people buy Rolex's to show off. Big deal.

Like I said if you were to find something else to discuss about the brand that could and would spark some new life to the conversations that would be cool. If not your viewpoint has been well documented by the essays you have written in this topic.

NEWSFLASH - all bsource members user chronomat01le does not like the fact some people buy a Rolex to (cough cough) "show off"

Thanks for all the educational info you have shared with our community.