Watch the Watch: Aron Solomon’s Watch World, November 2015 Update

First, apologies for not having posted this column for a few months. Life has been very happily busy and I’ve been equally happy with my smaller-but-better-than-ever watch collection. When I’m happy with what I have on my wrist and my craving to trade, sell, and acquire more interesting pieces is quite low, so is my writing output on watches.

But today I have something to write. The impetus for this piece comes from some thoughts I tweeted just a few moments ago.

Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the watch world, where I believe the future is about deeply hyperniche pieces. We are now seeing a new generation of watch collectors who not only want a brand and model that speaks to them, they want this conversation to be a bespoke one.

In some ways, this isn’t a new thing. Vintage watches have always scratched that itch for many collectors, allowing them to acquire something well-loved and very different from the modern stock models available everywhere from your local authorized dealer to airport duty-free shops.

The thinking is why have a beautiful but somewhat cookie-cutter modern piece

when you can have a true classic, often at the exact same price point.

We have now entered an era where finding the ultraniche is embracing extensions of what we believed to be the standard, allowing for artistic interpretations of that which we viewed as inelastic in both concept and execution. Nowhere in the watch world is this more prevalent than in the wonderful world of Rolex.

From where I sit as a follower of the Rolex mythology and reality, as well as an owner on multiple occasions, I think that Rolex has been absolutely genius in what they’ve actively and passively allowed to be done to and with their designs and brand. Some parts of the Rolex brand have beautifully become brands of their own — the Daytona and Submariner models have such ardent followings of collectors that they truly have a life of their own. For many people, they think first of Submariner, second of Rolex, a critical delineation.

The first shift in the mindset of Rolex collectors and those who simply love and wear the brand, was to embrace different models. The Submariner became too much of a logical choice for many people. This spurred a few things.

First, some gravitated towards the superior Sea Dweller, which not only comes in different sizes, but is more interesting in almost every way than a stock Submariner. It also motivated Rolex to re-create and update some models that were aging in style and meaning. This brought the creation of modern, larger models of the classic oyster case in a new Datejust and Day-Date, as well as a very different (I’d say far less appealing than the original) Explorer. I have predicted and hoped for three years that Rolex will also recreate the Air-King, which is my favorite watch they’ve ever made. An Air-King in 39mm, instead of the classic 34mm, would be insanely hot and coveted among collectors at an intelligent (US $5,000) price point.

But I digress.

The real movement (pun intended) among Rolex fans and what has breathed a ton of oxygen into the brand is the notion of the bespoke. Rolex has been genius in allowing certain models and the brand itself to become malleable. It is through that malleability that Rolex and their official and unofficial partners have ensured that Rolex will continue to be the world’s leading watch brand for eons to come.

So how does one breathe new life into the staid Submariner? Ask lifestyle/streetwear brand Supreme.

Yes. The same Supreme who makes stuff for skateboarders and aging hipster doofuses such as your author.

Look closely, friend.

My thoughts as follows.

This limited edition sold as quickly as they were made, with those that were put back into play by their owners commanding seriously premium prices.

Those who read my column regularly may remember that I predicted that all-black watches would be hot and continue to be so for a long time. The deep customization of Rolexes has been led by several players, Pro Hunter among them. Look at what Pro Hunter does to a Rolex.

Yes, this will at least double the cost of your watch (Pro Hunter sells the new Explorer for around US $17,000) and demand has exceeded supply.

Pro Hunter isn’t the only one to trick out a Rolex. Here’s an example of Bamford’s excellent work.

And Germany’s Blaken.

There won’t be a logical end point, any artificial limit as to what a Rolex can become. There will always be traditionalists who want a stock Rolex, and that’s fine because these consumers built the brand, made it the true King of the watch world. But it’s Rolex’s willingness to allow others to reimagine and interpret the brand that will drive the company forward and allow timepieces to be created that will define the next next.