Clarkson has a pop at Rolex

[AstonZagato]

"When did Rolexes become naff? There must have been a time when they were elegant and beautiful and worn by people with taste and discretion. But then one day they became the timepiece of choice for people called Steve. And now I think it’s fair to say the only thing in the world that’s worse than a fake Rolex is a real one.

I don’t doubt for a moment that they are well engineered and designed to survive a nuclear holocaust but you only ever see them sticking out from the cuff of a suit that’s a bit too shiny, wrapped round the tattooed wrist of an arm that’s a bit too thick. "

I know this has been done on here but I thought we might as well get the ball rolling again.

My view is that they are the 911 of the watch world. The 911 is a fabulous car. It is wonderfully engineered and will outperform most things in its price range and beyond. They can be bought by aficionados for their looks and capabilities.

Unfortunately they are also the default choice of the know-nothing, considerably richer than yow demographic. No passion for cars but want to make a statement? The 911 fits the bill.

[AstonZagato]

[AstonZagato]

bigandclever said:

21 June 2015

AstonZagato said:

My view is that they are the 911 of the watch world. The 911 is a fabulous car. It is wonderfully engineered and will outperform most things in its price range and beyond. They can be bought by aficionados for their looks and capabilities.
Unfortunately they are also the default choice of the know-nothing, considerably richer than yow demographic. No passion for cars but want to make a statement? The 911 fits the bill.

12 June 2013

AstonZagato said:

I have always regarded Rolex as being the Porsche 911 of watches. They are fabulous things, well engineered, great at what they do, lovely to look at (and unchanging in style), good residuals. Enthusiasts rightly like them.
However, they also happen to be the default choice for know-nothing cocks trying to impress and demonstrate that they are "considerably richer than yowww".

17 Aug 2011

AstonZagato said:

I have always thought of Rolex as the Porsche 911 of the watch world. Superb engineering, classic style, excellent performance - a top product of which to be proud. However, sadly - whilst bought by enthusiasts - they are also the default choice of a far wider group of know-nothing people with no passion other than to show off their wonga. If I look on the wrist of 75% of the investment bankers I know, they will have a Rolex. Rather spoils it for me.

You're consistent, I'll give you that

I am indeed. Good research. I'm sure that I'll say it again too.

Check back in two years time. It will be time to repeat it again.

Edited by AstonZagato on Sunday 21st June 11:44

[AstonZagato]

I used to have a 911. They are excellent cars. 994 Carrera 2. Loved it. Sold it when I left Germany. First car to take me beyond 150mph. Loved being thrashed - I'd try to vmax it every day on the autobahn.

I like TAG watches. Never owned one but I lusted after them when I was younger. So I would stoop to pick it up. In the end, the first serious watch I got was a Breitling which many people hate as a brand. In fact I'm wearing it now. It is my most treasured watch and would be the last to go mainly because it was a present from my wife for our first anniversary. But I still like the way it looks.

[AstonZagato]

Doc Toad said:

AstonZagato said:

I am indeed. Good research. I'm sure that I'll say it again too.

Check back in two years time. It will be time to repeat it again.

Edited by AstonZagato on Sunday 21st June 11:44

Hmmm I sense a connection. Someone bought me a Clarkson book for xmas one year, turned out to be a collection of his columns from the ST. I read them again (he does make me giggle now and then) before realising that all he does is write the same four columns over and over with a few tweaks.

Has anyone seen AstonZagato and Jeremy Clarkson in the same room together?

Funny you should say that but there are scary parallels. We are both the same sort of age. Both lived in Fulham at the same time. Both got married at the same sort of time. Both had kids at the same time. He's fatter than me.

[AstonZagato]

Whoops. Typo. 993. Trying to type on a phone is challenging. Autocorrect won't help with numbers. And I don't think it was technically a Carrera 2 (just plain old Carrera) but it was sometimes easier to call it that to distinguish it from the more expensive C4. But then again I don't claim any model number knowledge on cars or watches.

Edited by AstonZagato on Sunday 21st June 12:56

[AstonZagato]

I have an Omega Seamaster (the Quartz one). If it ever dies, I'll probably replace it witha Rolex GMT. I like the way that you can change the hour hand without moving the minutes. Very useful when travelling.

[AstonZagato]

Plenty of knobs drive Astons.

[AstonZagato]

NDA said:

mikees said:

AstonZagato said:

Plenty of knobs drive Astons.

Not met many.

You've not met AZ!!

Clearly not.

[AstonZagato]

Variomatic said:

michael gould said:

[...] you should never worry about buying a good watch (modern Tag and modern Breitling not included in good watches) because people might be wearing a fake version of it, because you know its real and that's all that matters

Apart from the qualifiers in bold, agreed.

Early TH were well built, decent movements and exceptionally good value for money at the time. Similarly, vintage Breitlings are very nice watches and well worth considering

What constitutes modern? My Breitling is almost 25 years old.

[AstonZagato]

el stovey said:

NDA said:

I'm not sure it's 'showing off' to have something nice. Is having a sports car 'showing off'?

Whilst I don't own a Rolex, I know they bring pleasure to millions - it's a private sense of achievement rather than showing off in many cases.

That's not really what clarksons said. He said certain brands are known to be a expensive so people who buy something so others know they can afford it, gravitate to those brands. If you are buying a car or watch so others can see you can afford it, you're not going to get something more obscure or less well known. That's where the comments about "know nothing" show offs come from.

Exactly. It's not that the brands are inherently chav, bad or poorly engineered - in fact, quite the opposite. It is that they have instant recognition with a larger percentage of the population. This does two things. Firstly, if you know nothing about watches / cars you are more likely to choose a Rolex / 911 as you will have heard of them and they will represent the apogee of success to you. Secondly, even if you know a little bit about watches / cars, they are the brands that are most likely to be recognised by a large number of people - so if you seek to impress, then they still are at the top of the pile.

Neither of these things should worry someone who understands watches / cars and likes Rolexes / 911s for what they actually are - which are brilliant watches / cars.

Edited by AstonZagato on Monday 29th June 08:52