Do you think Rolex will be as influential on younger generations as it was for us?

[dmash]

Prerequisites to be a rapper in 2018:

1. Dance
2. Face Tattoos
3. Can’t Rap

[dkg1616]

What’s younger generation? I’m 25 and have been a watch guy since high school when I got my first seiko. Got a tag for college graduation. And purchased my SubC date about a month ago

[lamnyc]

It depends on how much sponsorship Rolex does for sports. Most of the young adults I know don’t wear watches.

[AEC]

No, I don't think future generations will appreciate Rolex watches the way recent generations have. I feel this way about mechanical wristwatches in general.

I don't know what consumer research studies show on this; it's just a haunch. Anyone know if there are studies, and what they indicate?

[matches]

I have friends at work who have noticed my AK and 16710 and commented positively. One has said he is looking to get a Sub. These friends are all 25 and under and definitely appreciate the quality and status of a Rolex.

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by SubMarine

I grew up seeing Rolex's advertisements in National Geographic as well as in airports. I wonder if Rolex will impart as strong of an impression to young and future generations as it has for us.

Perhaps not.
I think their motives for buying into or subscribing to "The Brand" will be rather different.
I can't relate to what motivates or inspires the younger generation, so it will be impossible for me to speculate.
The world is changing so fast for me to keep up with it

[Wools]

No, not at all.

Times move on and technology changes. Pocket watches are no longer widely used as time keepers, type writers are not the industry standard in offices and even pens and writing are falling out of favour.

I adore mechanical watches but it’s a fool who thinks time stays still. We always evolve and mechanical watches will continue to be a niche. The quartz movement isolated them and now digital watches will kill off quartz and fragment mechanical.

I seriously believe mechanical will always have a role for people like us who favour and appreciate the engineering of these Mini marvels but time moves on & so must Rolex.

The real question is: Will Rolex make a smart watch?

[superstarmar]

I think so ...

[jfmiii]

I'm 34, and I can count on one hand the number of friends who regularly wear a non-smart watch. These are mostly upper-middle class people working outside of financial services. I work in finance and I do see similar aged peers in the industry wearing mechanical watches but I see just as many, if not more, not wearing watches. On the other hand, everyone over 50 that I know wears a watch, be it a Rolex or a Seiko. Young people (say, <40) have much, much less interest in wearing a watch than older people do. People of my generation view expensive foreign vacation and nights out in exclusive & expensive restaurants, both of which can be posted about on Instagram, as status symbols versus cars and watches. Based on my experience, I find it hard to believe that Rolex will be as desirable as a status symbol in 20 years as it was in the second half of the 20th century.

The people posting watches on IG are a very small subset and these are usually watch collectors anyway. Their whole IG account is watches. I have never once seen anyone besides a WIS post a watch on Instagram. The Millienial generation (which I believe I am technically part of as an '84 birthday) loves to brag on IG but views posting material goods as an ostentatious faux paus. Go ahead, post your $1000/night view from your hotel in Positano but dont dare to post a picture of your Submariner in front of the Mercedes star on your steering wheel.

Rolex cant thrive on just Wall Street types going forward. There less of us around than in the past and fewer each day as technology encroaches into the industry. Id love to hear from people working in Big Tech in SF and what the watch preferences are of young people in that industry.

[Why1504]

I will be 60 this year. Both my son (30) and my son in law are wearing my hand me down Breitlings. Both have Apple Watches they don’t wear anymore. Both have told me that their peers are envious of their watches and are into watches.

Both are very successful just have family obligations that preclude buying an $10K watch.

[donq]

Watches are toys for adults. Just like vintage cars, boats, airplanes, cameras etc.

They may become less common, but they will endure. The same as fountain pens and horses.

[Dr. Prunesquallor]

Originally Posted by Case61

I think the title begs a question and makes an assumption. Other than being aware of James Bond's watch, Rolex had virtually no influence on my younger life. I bought my first Rolex at age 61, after retirement, and only then began learning about the brand.

With the pervasiveness of the internet and social media, I suspect "youngsters" of today have much more awareness than I did, and many others.

I agree with this. Income is a huge factor, of course but I would never have even remotely considered dropping the money for a Rolex until I had almost every other monetary priority taken care of. For me, that was age 56.


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[Yobber76]

A poll of the age of people on this forum showed a pretty high percentage of people in their 20's and 30's. I'm in my 60's and I think younger people are more aware and more knowledgeable of Rolex than I was. Rolex will continue on as strong as ever, though of course will adapt in their approach to the market indices as necessary.

[FrankBullitt]

Rolex meant nothing to me until I was well into my 50s. I was certainly aware of the brand, but didn't think of myself as a Rolex person. Until I was. Suddenly.

[WJGESQ]

Originally Posted by SubMarine

I grew up seeing Rolex's advertisements in National Geographic as well as in airports. I wonder if Rolex will impart as strong of an impression to young and future generations as it has for us.

Nope.


APPLE OWNS THE YOUTH.

[The Libertine]

Doubt it.

[Onikage]

No. Rappers wear APs and Pateks now.

[Michigan_State]

No, simply because we‘re doing it. Our grandchildren, maybe...

[RollieRoll]

Absolutely. Especially due to the hip hop and social media.

[jfmiii]

Originally Posted by Yobber76

A poll of the age of people on this forum showed a pretty high percentage of people in their 20's and 30's. I'm in my 60's and I think younger people are more aware and more knowledgeable of Rolex than I was. Rolex will continue on as strong as ever, though of course will adapt in their approach to the market indices as necessary.

this forum is a very, very small subset of Rolex's buyer base whose tastes and opinions often vary widely from the average Rolex buyer.

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by MoosicPa

Have no fear the younger generation is well aware of Rolex and they all want one...

as proof positive I offer the following evidence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwk5OUII9Vc

[Flyfisher]

No, absolutely not.

Millennials, by and large, do not aspire to wear watches, let alone Rolex.

And they will not put up with Rolex’s crappy distribution methods of limiting availability.

I see Rolex, and most other top end watch maker, to be in for a very difficult future.

[donq]

Originally Posted by Flyfisher

No, absolutely not.

Millennials, by and large, do not aspire to wear watches, let alone Rolex.

And they will not put up with Rolex’s crappy distribution methods of limiting availability.

I see Rolex, and most other top end watch maker, to be in for a very difficult future.

Not sure why you think availability will be a significant factor.
Scarcity in the luxury market is exclusivity, and that breeds desire.
We’re not talking about a necessity here, but an aspirational item where the acquisition process is part of the appeal. The fact that certain watches aren’t available to anyone with the right amount of cash in their pocket makes owning one more pleasurable. Limited availability is the appeal behind many fashion brands young people seek e.g. Supreme.

It’s the same as the high end restaurant that you have to reserve a table for a year in advance. Younger people aren’t immune to these factors.

The main downfall will be changes in fashion, since Rolex is a luxury fashion item.

So far they have proven to be highly durable in that sense, having survived the quartz crisis, and being considered a highly desirable and fashionable product for decades.

But all things come to an end eventually.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Flyfisher

No, absolutely not.

Millennials, by and large, do not aspire to wear watches, let alone Rolex.

And they will not put up with Rolex’s crappy distribution methods of limiting availability.

I see Rolex, and most other top end watch maker, to be in for a very difficult future.

I dsagree.

A. I think you are 1/2 right. Watches are not important but people are not really buying a watch. They are buying a symbol and its a message they are projecting to others when they wear one.

B. Difficult to get is essential. Being expensive isnt enough. Tons of people have money but less can get a daytona from an AD. Its a badge of honor just as much as the watch if you can acquire one. When you look at things like wealth distribution and what Rolex's target market is these people are accumulating wealth at an astonishing rate. Overall wage growth might be stagnant but not for the top 5% which is most likely where most Rolex customers are. Their incomes are exploding. Its not a lot of money to these people at all and they want it to be exclusive otherwise it isnt worth having.

Proof is that these people with a ton of money most often still buy their watch on the grey market for inflated prices. They dont care about the price but they will NOT admit where they got it. They also have to be known as someone with AD connections. The money is secondary, having the image of someone who got it from an AD is primary. VIP status 101. People use to do the same thing with discounts. Read old threads. Status use to be based off of who could get the biggest discount from their AD. That made them important.

Not specifically Millennials either, but a lot of buyers across generations.

[Sporkmaker]

I was fishing with the 15 year old son of a friend and I complimented him on his G-Shock, I'm glad to see any kid wearing a watch. The conversation turned to watches and he asked what I was wearing, showed him my Fifty Fathoms (which he hadn't heard of) and showed him the movement and how the rotor works so hopefully I sparked a deeper interest. Of course he had heard of Rolex and his eyes got big when I told him that I did indeed have one at home in the safe.

[jrs146]

Originally Posted by MoosicPa

Have no fear the younger generation is well aware of Rolex and they all want one...



as proof positive I offer the following evidence:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwk5OUII9Vc

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DLRIDES]

No

Something everyone is missing .................. we were exposed to watches. Our parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc all wore them.

Many in the 25-35 age group do not wear a traditional watch, therefore, their children will not be exposed, nor have the desire to own a traditional watch.

The majority of watches, as we know them today, will be gone in 40-50 years. A type of hybrid mechanical/connected watch will prevail for those want a traditional look.

[DLRIDES]

Originally Posted by Flyfisher

No, absolutely not.

Millennials, by and large, do not aspire to wear watches, let alone Rolex.

And they will not put up with Rolex’s crappy distribution methods of limiting availability.

I see Rolex, and most other top end watch maker, to be in for a very difficult future.

This

[MTBer]

Originally Posted by Flyfisher

No, absolutely not.

Millennials, by and large, do not aspire to wear watches, let alone Rolex.

And they will not put up with Rolex’s crappy distribution methods of limiting availability.

I see Rolex, and most other top end watch maker, to be in for a very difficult future.

Just turned 30 last month so I'm squarely in the millennial camp. I've worn a watch since I was five (baby WIS) and will wear a Movado, Omega, or my new Datejust 99% of the time these days. But even someone like me, who enjoys and overwhelmingly prefers the style and anachronistic qualities of "nice" watches couldn't say no to the Apple Watch 3-

I can go for a run and track it via GPS, listen to music, pay for food, then hail an Uber when I'm too lazy to make the trek back home...all with a watch. It's hard to deny the usefulness of such functionality, which is arguably the same force that drove previous generations to purchase Rolex- they were tool watches built to be useful, durable, and reliable.

So while it's easy to lament the decline of "classic" watches, it's hard for me to begrudge those that choose to only wear smart watches, because their reason for wearing them now is the same reason people chose Rolex back then. And I would agree that most luxury brands will continue to see a decline in sales as smart watches gain more market share, I think Rolex more so than anyone is safe, only because they're the gold standard of value retention and conspicuous consumption with respect to watches.

[TimeToWatch]

I’m 29 and have been collecting since I was 24. I have many similarly aged friends who are just as passionate about watches as I am. I think this whole notion watches are going the way of the Betamax with my generation is just as misplaced as the one that quartz would kill the industry in the 70s. As others have mentioned, Rolex is evolving as well and just like the quartz era, Rolex is currently redefining itself and will remain on top.