Why they are much more expensive than rolex??

[Luv rolex]

Hello back friends, i just cant understand why brands like hublot or ap are much more expensive than rolex. What really they offer?

[Rob_b]

I believe, more human hands (Master Watch Makers) are involved in manufacture

Robots are cheaper to employ over the long run

Because humans take longer to assemble movements etc, not as many watches can be made, thus it brings exclusivity to the brand.

People believe that carefully trained eyes and experience, are better at applying quality control than electronic eyes. and are willing to pay for it.

Hublot pushes the envelope of materials, ceramic's, PVD coatings and such.

AP have a long illustrious history, employing Master Watch Makers etc.

There are literally dozens of reasons

Go try one on, and see what I'm talking about

I could be wrong, I've been wrong before, just ask my ex-wife

Rob

[MortgageGuy]

I could be wrong, I've been wrong before, just ask my ex-wife

Rob[/QUOTE]

[Max]

As mentioned, AP is much more limited in production and built by hand. Rolex is a mass manufactured brand. AP is generally considered to be of higher quality than Rolex...I know that may be scary to some on here who only wear Rolex :)

[Joey_V]

AP is more exclusive but not necessarily a better value in the end. That said, I want a ROO.

[carlhaluss]

Here is an example of why some are so much more money. This is actually one of my favourite timepieces:

It is a Glashutte Senator Meissen. The dial is made from a Dresden Porcelain, and it is hand painted, Roman Numerals and everything! It has quite a history, which I will not go into here. There is only one guy who does the painting on all the dials. Of course, the case is solid gold. It is called an "unlimited Edition", because it is numbered as you order the watch. At between 15 and 20 grand each, I don't know how many they have sold. I will probably never have that kind of money (almost half way with the Milgauss, though), but for that type of special edition, I was actually surprised that it doesn't cost more!
Cheers,
Carl

[cody p]

hubalonium is expensive to manufacture. i kid, i kid!

[Singslinger]

Originally Posted by Luv rolex

Hello back friends, i just cant understand why brands like hublot or ap are much more expensive than rolex. What really they offer?

I think high-end luxury brands like Patek, AP, Lange & Sohne, Glashutte and Vacheron offer better quality movements, much longer traditions and more complications (tourbillons, minute repeaters, perpetual calendars and so on).

Of course, what matters is also whether collectors and the rest of the market are willing to pay top dollar for those qualities.

To be honest though, I'm not so sure that Hublot - although it is a luxury brand - falls into the same top-end category as Patek and AP.

[slcbbrown]

I don't know about the "longer tradition" stuff-- many illustrious names were just old brand names with no connection to the original company. I think Lange was brought back, actually. Gevril is another example.

Rolex has been the same company, continuously since it started.

My guess on the high cost (other than someone will pay it) is the labor cost. If all the parts are individually made and fit, the labor cost can be astronomical. If you add some cosmetic finishing on all the internal workings, you can quickly end up with thousands of $'s of cost-- some of which do not make for a better working timepiece.

[stockjock1975]

I agree with all the previous comments related to the additional manhours adding to the cost. In addition, limited production runs, brand history, and plain old "prestige factor" all contribute to the high costs.

Having said that, as much as I love Rolex.....you just have to hold one of those other brands (PP, AP, etc.) to really understand. Stop by a local AD and spend some time with these timepieces and the answer to your question will become self evident.

[snowbird]

Also some of those other brands are just a lot scarcer than Rolex due to low production numbers.

To me Rolex is analogous to BMW and other high-end but readily available cars, a great watch but still a mass-produced item . . . some of those other watch brands are more analogous to Ferrari and other hand-built cars.

[sbux]

BMW is more limited in quantity than toyota !! It s not mass produced!!

Originally Posted by snowbird

Also some of those other brands are just a lot scarcer than Rolex due to low production numbers.

To me Rolex is analogous to BMW and other high-end but readily available cars, a great watch but still a mass-produced item . . . some of those other watch brands are more analogous to Ferrari and other hand-built cars.

[snowbird]

Originally Posted by sbux

BMW is more limited in quantity than toyota !! It s not mass produced!!

Hey I love both BMW and Rolex and don't mean any disrespect to either, I just mean they are both widely available brands and it's not at all unusual to see people driving BMW and wearing Rolex . . . the numbers made are not as large as Toyota or Casio, but are still much larger than Ferrari or some of the watch brands mentioned above . . .

[karmatp]

Those brands are true investment pieces as well, they appreciate like crazy with the low production numbers and tradition. Rolex is so mass produced, they are in a totally different league these days.

[brabus79]

Its a totally different league to compare AP , PP , VC or lange with rolex .
I had to sell off more than 10 of my rolex collection and 1 Panerai + some cash to be able to buy 1 AP and 1 PP .
Though i'm not a huge fans of hublot , but i think their big bang is really cool , but for that amount of money , i rather get a AP Roo .