What makes Rolex watches so expensive?
When we hear luxury watches, we think Rolex. And rightfully so, the brand has been around for more than a century and has maintained its position in the luxury watch market. It’s still as prestigious as ever. So what makes these watches so expensive, some more expensive than cars and even houses?
Well, one major reason is that the brand has its very own R&D department, which has all the latest tools and equipment. It uses these tools to create highly-functional and beautiful timepieces. Rolex is also constantly innovating new manufacturing methods and techniques to stay ahead of the watchmaking game. One proof of this is the superior water resistance of Rolex watches, with some models being able to withstand water pressures of up to a whopping 300 meters.
One more reason for the high prices is the materials used in these watches. Rolex uses premium materials in its watches to maintain their edge over competitors. They use a type of steel called 904L quality stainless steel, more famously known as Oystersteel. Many models also have yellow gold, white gold and rose gold variations. Platinum is also an option for some models. Use of these precious metals adds to the cost
Due to the two reasons mentioned above, the watches produced by Rolex, tend to stand the test of time. Changes in humidity, movement, temperature, and altitude tend to damage watches, especially low-quality ones. The same is not true of Rolex. These watches can basically be passed down generations and therefore hold great sentimental value too.
The brand also tends to complete most of the complex parts of the watch-making process by hand and in-house, meaning they can maintain their standards for every piece they send out. Each part inside these watches is set perfectly in place and the brand sees to it that the bezels on the watches are placed with precision for accurate time tracking. Rolex watches generally have an accuracy rating of -2/+2 seconds per day!
Now you might think that watches starting at around $5000 won’t have many buyers, but that’s not the case. The brand boutiques tend to be sold out most of the time. The demand is simply much higher than the supply. So much so, that some rare or discontinued models tend to go for two or three times the retail prices in the second-hand market.
While Rolex might be the most well-known luxury watch brand, it might not be considered the most prestigious among watch enthusiasts. I’ll talk about some of these other brands in future articles.
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