Skip to main content

Rolex Racing Bar Graph

I've shared this infographic a couple times on Instagram but I wanted to offer it here as well. It might, perhaps, present better. I also think it is so neat that I decided to share it in a few places online. I'm offering a video I made of a "racing bar chart" of manufacturer prices for 60 Rolex references over 64 years. I used an online list of AD pricing, adjusted for inflation, to generate this. I learned two things: first, Rolex seems to employ a "rabbit" pricing model. Infrequently, there are references (usually in precious metals) that are released that are an order of magnitude more expensive than what has come before. This seems to set the stage for subsequently rapid price increases for the more accessible references in the catalogue. I use the term "rabbit" pricing to describe this phenomenon because athletic races of different sorts will often hire a "rabbit." This is a racer who goes flat out at the start of the race. Other racers will follow close behind, often benefitting from the draft (or perhaps just responding psychologicaly). Using a rabbit keeps the pacing of the race faster in its early stages. Similarly, precious metal "price busters" for Rolexes seem to create higher expectations for what a Rolex might commend. Subsequently, other prices rise quickly.

The second pattern in Rolex pricing made apparent by the graph is the closing gap between highest price and lowest price references. With its catalogue, Rolex historically covered a wider range of price points. More recently, though, it seems to have abandoned the more accessible price points. This may be an intentional or unintentional effort to leave that market segment to Tudor.

Take a look at the Rolex Racing Bar Graph below and let me know what you think in the comments. I have a few more of these infographics which I plan to offer in the near future.

Comments

  1. A very interesting compilation. Just out of curiosity, how would a SS-only 'story' look like? Also closing gaps? Thank you for sharing! -AboutLife

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argon Trademark Dispute Goes to Court

What it might look like if Aragon and Argon watches actually went to court over the trademark dispute. My prior post described a disappointing development for those collectors hoping to acquire an Argon Spaceone watch via the brand's Kickstarter campaign. The campaign had reached over $1 million in funding when Kickstarter's management stepped in and froze the whole thing over an "intellectual property dispute." When I posted about this development on Instagram , Hodinkee editor Tony Traina noted in the comments that another brand, Aragon watches, had filed a complaint with the US Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) back in April (thanks Tony!). Argon's account replied and indicated that they had already filed a registration for their brand name and they were retaining counsel in New York City. On Tuesday, June 27 of this week, more details were offered via a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The case is filed on behalf

Update: Criminal Charges in the Case of the $3M+ Omega Franken Broad Arrow

The Franken Broad Arrow in question. I'm an economist, not a graphic designer. Exactly seven days ago, I received a DM from a friend who works full-time in the watch space. They sent me a link to an article in a German language publication called NZZ. I'm not completely familiar with this publication and I had to rely upon a Google translation of the article, so I was properly skeptical of what I read. The piece buried the lede a bit. It started with allegations that a Omega Speedmaster Ref. 2915-1, nicknamed the "Tropical Broad Arrow," likely had conditions which were undisclosed when the watch sold at auction. The Tropical Broad Arrow achieved a hammer price of approximately $3.25 million in November of 2021 in Geneva. The result generated all kinds of excitement. This price was a new record for an Omega Speedmaster. When I started reading the NZZ article, I initially thought it was a rehashing of an article by Jose Perez . That article had earlier raised imp

In Brief: Wherefore Art Thou Timex?

Last week, news broke in a local newspaper that Timex Group USA conditionally sold their headquarters in Middlebury, Connecticut for $7.5 million. An older Timex that belonged to a family member. The buyer plans to build a "food distribution center" on the property, but the sale will only go through if certain wetlands permits are approved. Moreover, "On May 10, the Middlebury Conservation Commission approved the permit for a food distribution center consisting of a 540,000-square-foot building and a smaller 180,000-square-foot building on a 111-acre site consisting of the 93-acre campus of the Timex property and a neighboring 18-acre property on Southford Road belonging to another Drubner family partnership." Further complicating the matter is the fact that a politician elected to state government managed to slip a clause into a two year budget bill making it even harder for the potential buyer to build the food distribution center. Said politician lives acros