OK, let’s start with the big guns at Watches & Wonders and when we say that we mean the big investment watches – not the ones you might actually wear. No, let’s get real, Rolex watches have become investments like NFTs, old masters, classic Ferraris or arable land.
Let’s get into it, what’s new and what is ripe for scalping? That is the content you’re after, right?
ROLEX LEFT HOOKER
The big news from Rolex was the GMT Master II for left-handed wearers. You get the green/black bezel, and the cyclops lens has to move of course. Rare model in the future? You bet.
It doesn’t really matter if you are left handed, this is likely to return a handsome profit due to its rarity and striking good looks. You would have a TAG Monaco with the crown on the wrong side, wouldn’t you? There y’go.
DAT PLAT DAY-DATE
A Day-Date made from platinum is a smart move, because the basic – dare we say old fashioned – Day-Date has been overlooked by many Rolex investors over the last few years.
Fact is, it doesn’t deliver the flipper returns that say a Sub or Daytona can promise. But an all-platinum edition is expensive to get into, has that bling appeal to younger collectors, plus a potential doubling of value in a few years’ time – we think.
OK we are guessing. But yeah, safer bet than a Banksy NFT, because the government can’t digitally freeze your Day-Date. Just saying.
Beautiful ice-blue dial and fun fact, platinum doesn’t tarnish, or wear over time as say 18ct gold might, in certain conditions. In the jewellery game I always recommended plat wedding bands over gold for its durability and constant shine.
DATEJUST – CAN IT BE SAVED?
The Datejust is another watch that frankly, Rolex should have retired when Biden was still articulate.
It looks like something from the 1980s and that isn’t a good thing. Anyway, no changes announced so far to the mens Datejust, but for ladies the 31 model gets a range of flower power dials, with some diamonds set in there to justify the price. Most ladies Rolex watches are bought by men or companies as gifts, so whether this floral makeover can persuade younger women to demand a LadyJust rather than a cooler Cartier remains to be seen.
Hey, we tell it like it is…
AIR-KING REMIXED, STILL NIXED
If there is one piece of advice any Rolex collector can give to a novice it is surely this; never buy an Air-King. You might think it’s a cheap way into Rolex ownership, but it will never shoot up in value, it will always be disappointing to look at too. Painful, but true.
So yeah, the Air-King needed a makeover badly. Which Rolex has done for 2022 but we still don’t think this is an investment piece and really, that is the primary reason for buying a Rolex. There are better Swiss watches out there in terms of engineering, there are better Japanese watches in fact, but we’ll get to that later this week.
So the Air-King gets the following updates says Rolex;
“A redesigned case with a crown guard and straight sides like the majority of Professional category models. The proportions of the bracelet have been revisited and the model benefits from an optimized Chromalight display. The watch’s display is now perfectly balanced: each five-minute interval is now marked by two digits.”
Now study the photo above carefully. Does that watch look like luxury, does it look fascinating, adorned with details that suggest watchmaking craft? It is a great tool watch, but tool watches don’t make thousands in profit in the flipper marketplace.
That’s the Rolex review, we shall be posting more Watches & Wonders stuff later this week.