# What's the point of owning a Rolex?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-owning-a-rolex/55132>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 19, 2001, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-owning-a-rolex/55132 "2001-02-19T23:13:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-owning-a-rolex/55132/1 "2001-02-19T23:13:25Z")

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I mean, apart from models that are 18kt solid gold, or festooned with diamonds, what is the advantage of owning a Rolex? Presumably there was a time when the accuracy of your watch was directly proportional to the amount of money you spent, but with the advent of the ubiquitous quartz movements this doesn’t seem to be true anymore. On the contrary there are scores of attractive, equally accurate alternatives at a fraction of the price.

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**Author:** ![ShakeNBake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@ShakeNBake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShakeNBake)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-owning-a-rolex/55132/2 "2001-02-19T23:16:31Z")

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It’s expensive jewelry. Men are limited in their ways to show off when in the office.

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**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-owning-a-rolex/55132/3 "2001-02-19T23:18:42Z")

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The General Answer is “because people want one.”

This thread is closed.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-owning-a-rolex/55132/4 "2001-02-19T23:18:42Z")

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Prestige? A Rolex is your way of telling the world, “Hey, I’ve got so much money, I can waste it on a watch that costs as much as a car, but does the same thing as a $20 Timex.” I prefer the Timex. It does indeed take a licking and keep on ticking. I’m always hitting it on something and the crystal gets scratched. The crystals on certain Rolexes can cost hundreds of dollars.