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Originally Posted by stuartj
maybe- be RPKESQ is presicley correct. The core propositon of Rolex is that it is a workman-like tool watch. Like a Seiko diver. The brand has been extended to become something else entirely.
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Actually, I think RPKESQ has led you guys down the primrose path. A masterly piece of writing. Sounds scholarly. Problem is, most of it is misleading. Let's discuss a few of his salient points. I won't talk about all of them, 'cause I type too slow and I'm getting hungry.
Let's talk about marketing in the watch business. Hans Wildorf, essentially the founder of Rolex, made his mark in the watch world in many ways. What seperated him from the rest of the herd was his marketing skills. When Rolex was founded, nobody in the watch and clock business did a good job of selling their products. Hans changed that, by having better business skills than his competitors. The marketing of a Rolex watch isn't something that is only recent. It has been a core part of their business philosophy since the beginning. To sy that it is something they have done in the last 25 years just tells me he knows squat about the company.
Rolex does have a modern factory, with much automation. In fact, their factory is a marvel of modern engineering. However, all of their watches are still assembled by hand. The machines do the things that machines do best. People do the rest. As to the nunber of watchmakers employed by Rolex being the lowest of all major watch companies, that is essentially 100% French cow poo. Don't trust either one of us; do the research yourself. The information is out there.
Our buddy from France makes many statements about "firsts." Some are correct, some are demonstrably false, the others are irrelevant. Let's see...
As for their technical achievments, let me say this. Rolex has hundreds of patents, for every part of a watch and the tools to make and service them. They work to improve what they make. They don't make complicated watches. Others do. So what? If you want a minute repeater, go buy one. I think it's a useless affectation but, if that's what floats your boat, go for it. A tourbillion is technically interesting but doesn't help me out here in the real world. It should make a watch more accurate but I have several cheap, poorly made Rolexes whose rate results in my daily wearing are better than what typically is achieved by the tourbillion watches you can buy. Go figure. You want to buy the most complicated watches ever made? Good luck. If you have more cash available than P. Stern, maybe you'll succeed. You need a watch that is waterproof below 4,000 feet? Gee, sorry, Rolex can't help you. Such a shame, too. I'm sure the wife was really looking forward to diving the wrecks this winter.
I have an example of the famous watch that was worn in space. Not the modern copies that are sold by the thousands but the same model of watch from the 1960's. Same case, same movement. Pretty mint condition too. It's worth a decent amount of money. Too bad that the last time I pulled it out of the safe the ****er wouldn't even run. Can't say I've ever had that problem with a Rolex. Maybe it would run better if I could hitch a ride on the next shuttle launch. It's probably just pissed at me for never taking it to the moon.
Look up the website for Watchtime magazine. Finds the archives and do a search on Rolex. Read the articles that talk about their production methods. Read the comparison tests between Rolex watches and their competitors. Visit the Rolex website and watch the short films. Learn about the steel thay have chosen to use. Learn about the alloy of rose gold they have developed. Watch a damn robot polish a case. Drink a beer or two.
Rolex chooses not to decorate their movements, or show them off. Big stinking deal. I have never seen the movement of my Patek Phillipe, nor will I. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that the reason that watch cost me so much money was because it is so finely decorated where I'll never look. That's value, gents. Would I have been happier to pay half as much and skip the polishing of the screw heads? Yep. Wait, you say, surely the Patek runs better than the Rolex? That's what all of the detail work should yield, right? That's why they do it. Sorry to disappoint you, but no, it doesn't run as well. Maybe I got a bad one.
My Vacheron Constantin is a lovely piece of work. Ultra slim, beautiful rose gold, feels nice when I wind it. Err, except that one time when the winding stem came out....Can't blame it on anybody but the highly trained watchmaker that built it. Bought it new and it's not old enough for its first service yet. Oh well.
I need a new band for a Jaeger. Can't seem to get the SOB's to send me the correct one. Can't blame them really. They make so many different watches and the model number and serial number I give them sounds so much like all the others, no wonder they keep getting it wrong. I'll keep trying.
I think I'll quit now. I encourage anybody with an interest in watches to read a few books, subscribe to a few magazines to keep current on new things, buy a bunch of watches and wear them and quit harping about things you don't like.
If you think somebody makes a watch more suited to your needs than Rolex, go buy the god forsaken thing. I'm going to go make some huevos rancheros for breakfast.
JR