Why do people like to wear Rolex?

[Papsmearer]

People who know wear Breitling. Lolek is for waitress and stewardesses.

 

[Ramseth]

People who know wear Breitling. Lolek is for waitress and stewardesses.

Breitling is for pilots.

 

[drifter]

People who know wear Breitling. Lolek is for waitress and stewardesses.

a real watch investor will not buy breitling . breitling price drops the moment when you buy it . you buy expensive but you sell low ..

before you invest in a watch ....invest in a good watch winder . automatic watch winder is to keep the timepiece wound when it is not in use. Therefore, it is very important to know how to purchase a quality product to keep your watch in the best shape for a long time. it is more then a box to keep good time .

Watches are an expression of one's personality and one's own values, thats what one stands for
.
i am against buying watches based only on endorsements or the popularity of a brand. i look for quality, the finishing, the skilled labour in making it, the number of watches made, as well as the relevance and aesthetics . Even if the watch fulfils these criteria, one will usually lose some value on it initially. Watches may depreciate in the first five years but after that, it will go up in value because there's skilled human labour involved.

my tips for collector :


1. Look for quality. Watches made by skilled craftsmen is worth much more than mass-produced machine-made watches.

2. Appreciate the art in it, for example, how a watch breaks the rules of horology and yet works well. A cheap watch, like the Swatch, can be groundbreaking for its time and become a collectible too.

3. Less is more. Go for watches with limited production.

4. Examine the finishing, such as the print quality of the dial, whether the screws are well polished, or if the angles are rounded and polished.

5. Consider the relevance and aesthetics. Is the watch relevant to the watchmaking industry? Landmark watches like the Ulysse Nardin Freak with its new escapement (the part that regulates the movement) and F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain with dead seconds (the second hand remains motionless or "dead" as long as the second is not over) will remain of value.

 

[Rogue Trader]

The Rolex brand has become vulgar over the years due to its mass appeal.

I prefer the understated good looks of the IWC portuguese. Now tell me this is not a handsome watch:

 

[drifter]

The Rolex brand has become vulgar over the years due to its mass appeal.

I prefer the understated good looks of the IWC portuguese. Now tell me this is not a handsome watch:

you got a good sense in watches ...3years ago , my wife brought one for me ( IWC PORTUGUESE PERPETUAL CALENDAR ) on my birthday ...

 

[Rogue Trader]

you got a good sense in watches ...3years ago , my wife brought one for me ( IWC PORTUGUESE PERPETUAL CALENDAR ) on my birthday ...

Thanks. I only read your guideline in choosing watches after posting my last entry. You are a real expert here. My only complaint about the Portuguese is the oversized face. Looks like a clock around the wrist!

 

[drifter]

Thanks. I only read your guideline in choosing watches after posting my last entry. You are a real expert here. My only complaint about the Portuguese is the oversized face. Looks like a clock around the wrist!

IWC Case size (dimensions) got a decent size of 40 mm. if you are talking about oversize case , panerai got a 44 mm case ...

thank you for the beautiful photo ...i buay tahan now ...anyway my business is bad ...must save money , cannot spend on my hobby now .:(

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

I tong ur head lah.... tong centre dun sell rolex! they will refer you to lucky plaza to buy one. wanna bullshit pls bullshit properly

Tong Building is the Service Centre, and it supports the Authorized Dealer. Hour Glass is the one, and the office is located in Tong Building, but not retail outlets.

 

[Ramseth]

Tong Building is the Service Centre, and it supports the Authorized Dealer. Hour Glass is the one, and the office is located in Tong Building, but not retail outlets.

I don't know the setup there now but there used to be two sides at ground floor (with lobby entrance in the middle). One side is Rolex showroom and retail and the other side is Rolex service and repair.

Another one that provided both Rolex retail and repair that disappeared (don't where now or still ongoing now) was Thong Hiap at Bras Basah By The Park. It was where the Bras Basah Kopitiam is now.

 

[Rogue Trader]

thank you for the beautiful photo ...i buay tahan now ...anyway my business is bad ...must save money , cannot spend on my hobby now .:(

Then DON'T GO to the official IWC website. You might cum in your pants.

 

[drifter]

Then DON'T GO to the official IWC website. You might cum in your pants.

thats right , i already try to avoid going to any watch website for about a year ...:( . when i saw this thread ...automatic i come in ...also dont know why ...

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

Why?? I mean, it's meant to be a luxurious item right??

Then why do I see uncles n aunties wearing it, some are guarding toilet...some are cleaners in foodcourt, but yet they wear blink blink rolex...

Is it to show off? I mean if you r getting off well, you won't be working there right? Not that I look down on cleaners at all, I just don't understand the concept here. You be a cleaner for 1 year, save like hell, to buy a piece of metal on yr wrist??

I personally wear a Casio (with alarm), which has been with me for 7 yrs liao..

What do you guys think? Am I correct?

This is the marketing psychology :

昂貴 ＝ 名貴 ＝ 高貴 ＝ 尊貴

I can't think of an airtight translation, but it goes something like this:

Expensive = Luxury = Elegance = Prestige

I do NOT begrudge a small group of hobbyists who collect Rolex, among others. The key words are 'among others'. These hobbyists have solid technical knowledge of mechanical timepieces, and clearly they're not the uncles and aunties you mentioned. Basel Fair to them is just like annual pilgrimage.

The equation operates by way of association. People tend to identify luxury with expensive, so by deliberate pricing an item becomes expensive and proceeds to join the ranks of luxury. Expensive without the association of luxury would make the consumer appear stupid.

Then luxury is not where the allure of such item lies. The allure is to associate luxury with elegance. In order to achieve that purpose, the item must associate itself with a famous person who himself or herself is renowned for his or her elegance. This is where watchmakers pay big bucks for their product ambassadors. Otherwise, luxury without elegance again would make the consumer appear hollow.

Next comes the most important intangible quality that makes expensive timepieces sell like hotcakes. It's the aura of prestige, and it's not difficult for elegance to cross into the realm of prestige. The lure of prestige is the desire to be respected.

In short, most people are prepared to pay big bucks so as to be respected. Again, I don't deny that a very small group of hobbyists are genuine in their pursuit of horology, but the watch industry will die very quickly if it was to rely on this small group of hobbyists for sustenance of the industry. If you want to know the if a person is a genuine hobbyist, remove the element of prestige and see if the interest suffers any setback as a result.

People pay to buy respect; people pay to buy prestige; it's the same buying a doctorate. But at the end of the day, we all know that 'expensive does not equal prestige', and when ordinary folks begin to realize the truth of that equation they will turn to Quartz for the most accurate timekeeping

 

[Ramseth]

You forgot, people pay for quality and something lasting.

 

[drifter]

everyone have a weakness for something , some people willing to pay alot collect toys , stamps , arts , coins , gagets , furnitures , vintage car , vintage bike , fishes ( arowana )ect... and even woman . theres no price tag in it ...you love it , you want it ...you pay for it ..as simple as that .

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

You forgot, people pay for quality and something lasting.

A Seiko has quality just as much. If we can divide quality into units, for one unit of quality, there are people who are prepared to pay more, and that is not because they're stupid. They are after some 'innate' quality, and that innate quality is called prestige. That innate quality is the brainchild of the marketing department !

It's just like BMW, one of the most unreliable cars in the world. The marketing department has done a bloody good job !

 

[Equalisation]

A Seiko has quality just as much. If we can divide quality into units, for one unit of quality, there are people who are prepared to pay more, and that is not because they're stupid. They are after some 'innate' quality, and that innate quality is called prestige. That innate quality is the brainchild of the marketing department !

It's just like BMW, one of the most unreliable cars in the world. The marketing department has done a bloody good job !

Agree.

I treasured my casio until I lost it in the flood at 6th Avenue .... bought new one at Bras Basah complex at $8.50 ..... again lost after another flood .....

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

everyone have a weakness for something , some people willing to pay alot collect toys , stamps , arts , coins , gagets , furnitures , vintage car , vintage bike , fishes ( arowana )ect... and even woman . theres no price tag in it ...you love it , you want it ...you pay for it ..as simple as that .

You're describing the phenomenon, not the cause. The TS is seeking to find out the motivation behind such desire - an organic breakdown. In other words, if a person pays big bucks because he loves it, TS wants to know 'why ?'.

Someone pointed out Panerai is better than Rolex, but Rolex is selling much better. Why ? Because Rolex has a better marketing department than Panerai, and Rolex is not just selling a good watch; Rolex is selling fame and prestige.

 

[Ramseth]

A Seiko has quality just as much. If we can divide quality into units, for one unit of quality, there are people who are prepared to pay more, and that is not because they're stupid. They are after some 'innate' quality, and that innate quality is called prestige. That innate quality is the brainchild of the marketing department !

It's just like BMW, one of the most unreliable cars in the world. The marketing department has done a bloody good job !

Seiko is good too. It sponsored Kallang National Stadium timekeeping throughout the 70s to 90s Malaysia Cup. I never say Seiko no good.

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

Agree.

I treasured my casio until I lost it in the flood at 6th Avenue .... bought new one at Bras Basah complex at $8.50 ..... again lost after another flood .....

I don't know where you stand in the society. But assuming that you're the President of USA, or a Nobel Prize Winner, or a top Hollywood Movie Director, or a Royal of Saudi Arabia, and if you wear a Casio, and only a Casio, you become a very good marketing agent, not for Casio, for the quality called 'humble'. I remember someone in this forum told me : "If you have the quality, you're not afraid to be humble."

Rolex and other brands are of course doing the exact opposite.

 

[drifter]

You're describing the phenomenon, not the cause. The TS is seeking to find out the motivation behind such desire - an organic breakdown. In other words, if a person pays big bucks because he loves it, TS wants to know 'why ?'.

Someone pointed out Panerai is better than Rolex, but Rolex is selling much better. Why ? Because Rolex has a better marketing department than Panerai, and Rolex is not just selling a good watch; Rolex is selling fame and prestige.

sometimes , its the customers who push up the value of a product without any marketing department help .