Like Henry Ford supposedly said... "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Two decades ago I met a Rolex rep on a trip to Thailand at the hotel pool and had a discussion about the watch business. what he said to me then made me think and it still holds true today, he said they were not in the watch business, they were in the LUXURY business! End of story.

Rolex is Rolex, in part, because it moves at a glacial pace. KZfaqrs say they want more, but would complain if they got it. The brand knows what it is doing

Most people do not have the self awareness enough to realize that they prefer slight emotional chaos.

I’m 4 years in the watch game and it became apparent very quickly that the majority of all the watch youtubers are a bunch of saps, taking through their Swiss Roll half the time. The ‘production issues’ of the Pepsi being the big one for me, so Rolex can produce the Pepsi ceramic bezel for 10 years and all of a sudden in 2023/24 there are ‘production issues’ and every KZfaqr is an expert on it all saying the same thing, it’s just filler content for all of those saps haha. You’re the only one on here that tells it like it is, real talk! Thanks from Dublin, Ireland

While I agree with many of the points you make, I also think this video misses an important mark. It's all entertainment. We watch Rolex videos because of click-bait titles, rumors, and controversy. All elements that this video also has!

Grey dealer YT channels had incorrectly predicted the end of the John Mayer Daytona for 3 years straight for no other reason than driving up the price of their inventory. When it finally was discontinued along with the panda their next target was always going to be the pepsi. I wouldnt trust a word that comes out of their lips.

The only disappointment in Rolex is that we can’t walk in to an AD and buy one without having to wait wait wait.

Yes, Rolex is above the "normal" but not completely out of touch - and Tudor is the partner to touch base. Perfect combination. Invented by Hans Wilsdorf - some 100 years ago (1926) - what a genius.

I agree with your analogy About bands playing new songs. Did people in the 1950s obsess over pocket watches? No

Yes - Oisin. you pretty much nailed it about Rolex (& Tudor) About marketing - about who leads who - about the way Rolex ends up being the cool guy.

Excellent Commentary. Rolex has a mind of their own. And with UNLIMITED $$$$$ and market appeal, it is not likely to change in our lifetime. 'Listen to consumers - forget about it'.

Brillant vid & commentary Oisin! You are so right about all that! Always want what we can’t possess…

You the man. KZfaq is all click bait. It’s all opinions. Kind of like professional wrestling to a point.

Rolex is the crown. Tudor is the shield that protects the crown. Do not get that confused

Rolex Always LEAD and we ENJOY all the watches Rolex Submariner The most ironic watch ever Absolutely Brilliant Cheers TUDOR Born To Dare

You are 100% right!! Al these KZfaqrs think they are experts and are in the know.. but when they are wrong they are crying and blaming Rolex…

The 1908, for me is my favorite release from Rolex ever. I may not have the means of obtaining one, but what an amazing watch.

As you said, many people may let go of the idea of diving with a modern Rolex. I choose to wear a sub 126610LV diving all the time. I wear it every day and wouldn’t choose anything else.

Thank you, yes you're right about Tudor. No Rolex didn't give anyone what they want. They will never listen to the small watch collector community.

apologies for the tangent, but if someone could please tell me the make and model of the illuminated magnifying lamp used at @6:27. I would appreciate it thx

Fair play. Well said.

Enjoyed the analysis Oisin. I've been scrubbed from a couple KZfaqrs comments because I don't care to hold back. I even had one reach out and ask to "take this offline". Of course I never responded, you don't scrub my comment then ban me only to come back later wanting to talk "offline". The click bait titles are as insufferable as the obligatory pulled face photos that invariably accompany them. Concerning Rolex this year, the GMT is incongruent with the SS line; the bottom half of the bezel is the colour used for the 24hr hand and the GMT is written in white. The GRNR fails because it retreads the LN's path using green for both. I agree, Rolex is the Pied Piper but the piper missed a note with the GRNR.

Tag released a whole ass split seconds Monaco and no one cares, while Rolex makes their gmt master 2 bezel grey and everyone goes ballistic.

Fantástico! Y cierto que solo tu acertaste con el GMT. Por otro lado me alegra ver que por fin metes un patrocinador... hay que vivir acorde a los tiempos y tu trabajo se lo merece!

Totally agree Oisin, they all get so hyped up about their own predictions… just to sell content

I’ve been going to visit Venice since I was 14 years old, now I’m 71 a widower, love my Rolex Yachtmaster Everose with Oysterflex bracelet, what should I do next?

Thanks for pointing out the good looks of the 1908. very overlooked. Keep up the good work.

Grand Seiko released a 45k rose gold watch with only 80 available.

I'm glad there's an entire industry that caters to wealthy fools for whom watches are not about precision or accuracy.

With a value share of >30% (excluding Tudor) of the entire Swiss Watch market, to some extent Roles ARE the category.....so go figure....

Of course all companies do what they want. That’s the way things are but people can be disappointed or dissatisfied as it is normal. Thus far things have been disappointing for most people and that’s it.

Spot on. And honestly, the way it should be…

Good points Oisin. So true!

Brutally honest but right. It’s Rolex’s play and you’re lucky to be in the audience.

Thank you. Great video!

Funny story about the submariner. Ten years ago i was scuba diving in Fuerteventura, one of my dive buddies was a German guy with a beautiful submariner. He joked: "Yes it's a very capable watch to dive with." while stowing it in his locker and putting his dive computer on the wrist.

Great stuff Oisin !!!

Excellent point. We are in the wanting what they want busines. Perfect summation

The nostalgia room… you nailed it.

If you calculate the average price of the 2024 Rolex releases, what do you get? Is that amount at an “aspirational brand” price level?

I never thought Rolex would discontinue the Pepsi, nor did I think they would discontinue the lefty GMT, and I never expected Rolex to discontinue the fluted motif dials, but why would I or anyone not working for Rolex? What I imagine Rolex does is listen to the crowd and give they what they "want" in Tudor form, hence why we now have a Tudor Coke GMT, but Rolex does as it pleases with Rolex, no matter what people say.

Thanks

• "Rolex are not in the business of giving us what we want. We are in the business of wanting what they give us." • "We want Rolex to not care about us." • "I don't give a sh*t what you want. I'm Rolex; you follow me motherf*cker!" • "They literally don't give a flying f*ck what you care about, what you want and what the market is doing. They're outside of it; they're above it." Never have truer words been spoken! Thank you Oisin.

Thank you for the entertainment as always

15:10 Love this episode Oisin. Spot on. The analogy with bands (ACDC are my go to since seeing them live at the Red Cow in Hammersmith as a nipper…) is so true. Keep up the great work 👍🏻

Seiko does the same. They listen to our desires and then specifically avoid putting those options in affordable watches. You want it, you pay over $1000.

The problem in general terms is that there is a part of all this is akin to shuffling the chairs on the Titanic. The watch industry does not have a Steve Jobs that crushed us with innovations we didn’t dare dream of…which flared out to entire new branches of our lives and made permanent changes in the social fabric. By contrast, watches have generally reached the peak of their utility to our life a long time ago. So what does it come down to now…other than aesthetics? To be fair..sure movements can continue to improve..but they are already well beyond necessary utility today. So where does it all go, other than just waiting for a change in a new product lineup…that, for the most part doesn’t even follow the design maxim: “form follows function!” It all seems to come down to un-ending fainting spells when a new case or bezel or bracelet does not live up to your expectations. I love watches. I have only one..a 20 year old Breitling and aesthetically I do really like some of the new introductions..not surprisingly..Tudor has entered my preview..but with that..why?..other than that’s it’s a nice new thing. By contrast, a brand new Porsche will sport a brand new form while blowing a twenty year old Porsche off the track. I have no such expectations should I eventually spring for that new Tudor.

And this is why you have the best watch channel in this space 👍👏👏👏

Nicely put together in such a short space of time. 👏👏

And a thumbs up for a great honest video!

Plus, for regular people who don't buy gray market and aren't whales with their AD... we may still be waiting to get the call on a release from several years ago. I don't need them to come out with some insane watch that I have to have... because I won't be able to get it. I have my 2 tone rootbeer... and I am waiting on my jubilee BLNR. and thats all I am going to have for quite a long time most likely

You nailed it once again with you synopsis of Rolex, thank you 🙏

Great video 👏. Very level headed and insightful. It gave me a new perspective on Rolex and also the Rolex/Tudor relationship.

This KZfaqr absolutely loves the gold DeepSea. I've never even thought of owning a Tudor. You're absolutely right on all points. We adore Rolex because they're a leader, not a follower. They have the guts to put out a gold DeepSea.

I absolutely love the new grey dial on the RG DD.

spot on, great work.

you nailed it.!!!👍

Well said!

Good point about Rolex leading and customers following . The same could be said about Apple, particularly when Jobs was alive.

What other KZfaqrs' predictions are based on the Pulse of the Market expecting the "Brand" to Fill the Market's Wants so nothing wrong & everything right with that. "Brand" knows this very well but Refuse to Satisfy these Wants maybe to Tease the Market or are made to WAIT on top of the WAITLIST. As for me, I already have Brand Fatigue refuse to play their games thus have happily Moved on to other Brands

Rolex - "I live in the weak and the wounded.....Doc" - a film you may or may not know. The product isnt the watch, its the buyer.

You are spot on!

Divas love their audience but Rolex, the King is above that.

I hope some day they switch all models away from steel to gold.

I thought I was the only one! Great video and I can’t agree more. All the luxury brands do what they want , always have, always will! Love you man, keep delivering the “truth”

Once you've tried on the Deepsea, you know you'll want one!

If I come to Venice. Don’t role out the red carpet……Allllll goood

In my experience, people who are driven to accumulate wealth also tend to like to show it off. Nothing wrong with that and a brilliant and lucrative move on the part of Rolex to capitalise on that. It is a mistake however, and quite arrogant, to assume that everybody fits that particular profile.

If one more person told me the pepsi was going to be discontinued....my god!

The 1908 is really the only brilliant piece I see from Rolex’ releases…

You’re 100% right.

9:54 Two of the world's most iconic brands. Went about it completely differently. I would argue that there's more fans than haters but the haters are the louder bunch. Rolex and McDonald's are two brands that people "quietly support."

I guess rather than wait for a call that may not come I should consider a Tudor.

Rolex is the beautiful girl you covet. She knows you want her and therefore you can't have her. However, you can have her mate who you don't really fancy.

The Tudor solid gold was a surprise. But the price tag phew not for me rather have a solid gold sub for a similar price

Epic perspective. Good work man

More gold and less steel. Rolex are after the wealthy, not the middle class.

Agreed with all your points, well said!

Not sure I’m there with you on this one Oisin. I’m not disappointed by Rolex, I think they are just chasing the higher end market. And that’s been happening for years. So no surprise. That’s not a boss move. let’s look at artisan watchmakers for boss moves.

PERIOD..!! Love it!!

Ugh, unfortunately/fortunately, I think you’re right. What makes you love them, reciprocally makes you hate them. Rolex has got the money to spend on the greatest minds in marketing, possibly available. They figure out what you want, before you know what you want and then they underdeliver/totally surprise, enough to keep you coming back, to see what’s next. Brilliantly/frustrating.

Oisin any ideas as to why the new pieces are mostly bling? Is it a target to ladies, richer individuals, or to steer attn away from sports, or otherwise?

Well said 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Fair points, good show.

It's a misconception that Rolex owns Turdor. In fact, both Tudor and Rolex are owned by the Hans Wisldorf Foundation - they both share the same parent non-profit foundation as owner. They are separate entities, with separate manufactures. Rolex movements are not contained within Tudor watches, nor are designs shared, or extended between the two. That was the past. Cohesion exists and I am certain those meetings are numerous, but quiet. It would be very interesting to learn how that guides what Tudor does.

Awesome video. You are at the top of KZfaq produced content my man. Keep up the great work.

Spot on Oisin. Aside from just liking my Rolex watches because I just do…. I think I have such affection for the brand for the reasons the haters hate. I get mine from an AD. I like that there is a wait list. I wear my Sub to work all the time, I don’t care if it gets a little scratched. Some people question “you’re comfortable with wearing a 10 grand watch to work?”, if I can be bothered I ask that if I bought a Breitling for 6k and now it’s worth 3, then that’s ok?… is it? Punk?

Not a bad insight for a bass player😂 Totaly dug It and now I know where your rock and roll attitude is coming from. Kudos to you mr O Malley!

I gotta admit, I agree with pretty much everything you say here, great episode! 👍

😂 so true, thank you 🙏🏽😊

Cartier and Zenith had some refreshing new offerings. Tudor filled in some gaps in their lineup that I suspect they could have closed earlier but didn’t want to cannibalize their other models

Better just to follow your own gut. I'm not a fan of Rolex, and it has nothing to do with youtubers

I dont care what youtubers say, I really like new gmt master and day date.

The U2 example at 8:25. I liked The Unforgettable Fire as an album. However U2 in various concert tours after 1985 played very little from that album. The interesting thing is that album broke them into larger venues in North America, such as hockey arenas. Before the band was playing clubs on earlier stops in Canada and the U.S. For example, their first stop in Toronto had less than 300 people in the audience. The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum were albums that pushed U2 into playing stadium size gigs. I am sure the same discussion occurs in 2023 and 2024 shows at The Sphere in Las Vegas. U2 chose to focus on their 1991 album Achtung Baby for the Vegas shows, with a few other songs from their catalogue. There were fans complaining about not hearing the older songs. Same when the band toured a few years back focusing on The Joshua Tree album. I have heard the same from fans at concerts for The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Paul McCartney, and others. The bigger your song catalogue, the more the disappointment.

You're mostly right. People do buy the Rolex not the other way around, on that I agree. However, U2 is no longer writing songs that have the mass appeal they used to have. What makes Rolex so amazing is their ability to predict what people want or what people don't yet know they want, and they've been doing it far longer than U2 was writing #1 hits.

100% agree. Rolex are above

I agree with you about the Rolex Explorer 2 being the last 'tool' watch however i think the Deep Sea in stainless is very much a tool watch. If i was working as an operator on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean somewhere, i would have the Deep Sea on my wrist even if im too small for it. I think there is an argument to be made that the Deep is a tool and not a cosmetic over statement.

Lots of valid points. I liked you talked watches and not politics…thanks for that.

I agree. Can you imagine Ferrari building a car because this is what enthusiasts want? There is a lot of click-bait for algorithm results on KZfaq. For example, videos that say “Rolex killer”. I never clicked on these. Of all things that can be predicted, the future is the hardest one. An yes, Tudor is great, but people sometimes forget they belong to Rolex, or the HW Foundation. Great video