Patek king of watches?

[mikeceee]

For me there is not a brand out there with such depth in their current/past line-up. And to me that makes them king. There are plenty of nice watches by other manufacturers out there. But to me no company has so many offerings that I would absolutely love to have. In fact. It's not even close. To me that makes them king. And probably also plays a part in their strong resale value (which I will argue until I'm blue plays a part in he overall value of a brand)

[yjfang]

I would argue that Rolex is the KING of watches. Not only does it tick off all of the characteristics that makes PP highly coveted, it does it with over 1MM watches in production annually and is much more well known than PP.

[lapince]

Originally Posted by mikeceee

For me there is not a brand out there with such depth in their current/past line-up. And to me that makes them king. There are plenty of nice watches by other manufacturers out there. But to me no company has so many offerings that I would absolutely love to have. In fact. It's not even close. To me that makes them king. And probably also plays a part in their strong resale value (which I will argue until I'm blue plays a part in he overall value of a brand)

I agree totally

Originally Posted by yjfang

I would argue that Rolex is the KING of watches. Not only does it tick off all of the characteristics that makes PP highly coveted, it does it with over 1MM watches in production annually and is much more well known than PP.

Well for me Rolex is king for sport watches, that's about it, they make very simple but tough watches, not in the same league as Lange, PP, JLC and many others

[el1125]

Originally Posted by mikeceee

For me there is not a brand out there with such depth in their current/past line-up. And to me that makes them king. There are plenty of nice watches by other manufacturers out there. But to me no company has so many offerings that I would absolutely love to have. In fact. It's not even close. To me that makes them king. And probably also plays a part in their strong resale value (which I will argue until I'm blue plays a part in he overall value of a brand)

Correct

[codecow]

Budweiser is the King of Beers, does this make Patek the Budweiser of Watches? Deep thoughts...

[AK797]

Originally Posted by lapince

I agree totally



Well for me Rolex is king for sport watches, that's about it, they make very simple but tough watches, not in the same league as Lange, PP, JLC and many others

I agree, as a brand Rolex are king of sports watches and Patek king of dress and complicated watches.

[toneafficianado]

This post is fascinating as it brings up so many points.
There is a definite similarity with cars..Are Mercedes "better" than Mazda for instance?Is the criterion is value retention? Is it quality? Is it looks/style/"name", snob appeal?
So many vital variables .
I bought a new Mazda a year ago.
It is perfect.
Why , because it's great to drive and it works ALL the time and has had not one problem. I wouldn't swap it for a Mercedes because I haven't seen any of them which I like the look of and they don't come in Soul Red!
It is SO personal.
With watches..I like Rolex. they have many styles/models that sing to me. I wouldn't swap my Exp 2 for a Patek costing twice or three times the value because I like it too much and it works flawlessly too. I've not seen a Patek yet that I would prefer as a daily driver watch.
SO , to me, Rolex IS the king. How can I argue with the quality when it works so well and looks so good?
I have had Seikos and Longines that were as reliable but I prefer the styling of my Rolex so have sold those off.
It just is a personal choice thing..there is no actual "best".
Best is what the customer perceives it is.

[texex91]

Question is so silly, because it's SO broad.

"King of Watches"--what does that mean?

No comment.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by codecow

Budweiser is the King of Beers, does this make Patek the Budweiser of Watches? Deep thoughts...

Thierry does not appreciate your comments

[lapince]

Originally Posted by AK797

I agree, as a brand Rolex are king of sports watches and Patek king of dress and complicated watches.

I agree

Originally Posted by toneafficianado

This post is fascinating as it brings up so many points.
There is a definite similarity with cars..Are Mercedes "better" than Mazda for instance?Is the criterion is value retention? Is it quality? Is it looks/style/"name", snob appeal?
So many vital variables .
I bought a new Mazda a year ago.
It is perfect.
Why , because it's great to drive and it works ALL the time and has had not one problem. I wouldn't swap it for a Mercedes because I haven't seen any of them which I like the look of and they don't come in Soul Red!
It is SO personal.
With watches..I like Rolex. they have many styles/models that sing to me. I wouldn't swap my Exp 2 for a Patek costing twice or three times the value because I like it too much and it works flawlessly too. I've not seen a Patek yet that I would prefer as a daily driver watch.
SO , to me, Rolex IS the king. How can I argue with the quality when it works so well and looks so good?
I have had Seikos and Longines that were as reliable but I prefer the styling of my Rolex so have sold those off.
It just is a personal choice thing..there is no actual "best".
Best is what the customer perceives it is.

Well of course there is the customer perception, but also many other points like the selection of watches proposed, on this part IMO they are number one… But Rolex is definitely the King for sport watches and other watches that would resist a nuclear bomb

Originally Posted by texex91

Question is so silly, because it's SO broad.

"King of Watches"--what does that mean?

No comment.

Of course it's broad Paul, it's the many factors of it compared to other brands.

I could have used "best", "number one", I used king as an expression, and while this might seem silly to you if you read the replies some others find this thread great, and if we were just all waiting for incomings to say "wow huge congrats" or "you should take that one", sure they're nice threads also but when there are periods with only those kinds of threads TRF is as boring as can be.

I for one would be very happy if others launched discussions like this as I always like to know other peoples' points of view and find discussion and contradiction interesting...

And once again when I find a thread silly or stupid I just don't participate and sure as hell don't post saying to the OP that his thread is stupid, what's stupid to you is not to everyone if you read the replies and the fact that the thread has 2 pages, I have my opinions but even if some are silly, and there are some like this, I think it's better that some people try to participate and launch discussions rather than just sit and wait for the next incoming thread, and if I find it stupid I stay quiet…

[codecow]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Thierry does not appreciate your comments

I've never met him but I'm sure he'd be ok with my Patek collection. I think it's been years since he's been to the Bay Area.

[Cru Jones]

For a mass-produced brand (vs micro), craftsmanship, history and taste are among the top brands of course. As for technology and excitement, when a change in dial font creates an uproar and is considered "pushing the envelope" by devotees (I'm thinking of you, 5524), it's tough to be "the king" in my book. But would I love to own a Patek some day? Of course!

[thurgood]

Originally Posted by benlee

I will say that Patek makes great watches but "King" is in terms of what standard? Quality? Range of products? Sales? I do not think making a very broad range of products means it is "King" and if that is so, Seiko should probably be crowned KIng. As I always said, at the very top end, Patek is unchallenged. It's in the mid range or their standard bread and butter offerings that things are starting to look questionable. Simply re-releasing the same watch under different dials and case is not innovation imo. It is starting to feel boring.

While AP might be percieved as a lesser brand, and their best and most well known offerings are mostly limited to RO line, there are many more APs that I could think of acquiring first before PPs. Matter of personal preference in the end. And for Lange, most people that truely knows watches will tell you that Lange has beaten PP in terms of movement decoration and finishing. Just put a Datograph and a 5170 side by side and compare. Sometimes I am puzzled why PP does not attempt to improve on this, but keep recycling the same movement into different watch cases and call them a new release.

PP is an incredibly well marketed brand that makes some very nice watches. But is it "King"?? I am not sure. Bottomline, if you love the brand, then it's king enough for you.

[polarinda]

Not sure they are king or not but they do make the best proportioned dress watches IMO.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by codecow

I've never met him but I'm sure he'd be ok with my Patek collection. I think it's been years since he's been to the Bay Area.

I've never met him either I've got jokes.

[Time Exposure]

I began collecting watches in 1985, when I was 18. I didn't have much money, but I did a lot of research that formed the basis of my opinions.
Patek Philippe was the best by a mile over Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin. Lange was a crappy East German watch. FP Journe wasn't around yet.
Does the same hold true today? No. But at least I recognize my bias and its origin.
It's Patek Philippe for me. If I were given a Lange or Journe (pure fantasy), I would promptly trade it for a Patek Philippe.
But as long as I'm fantasizing, I'll keep the Philippe Dufour thank you very much...