The future of Omega vs. Rolex

Not sure it’s all Rolex marketing, that may have seeded it, but Rolex hype seems to have taken on a life of its own.
YouTube and other social media seems to be dominated by people with vested interests in the secondary market.
Personally I can’t see how everyone is ok with paying well over list on the secondary market. Simply if people stop doing this it would make it so much easier to pick up one at an Rolex AD.

I’m content though, nothing personally against Rolex just nothing in their range particularly interests me.
Omega probably most don’t but they have such a range even if I’m picky I can find a few of interest. More choices imo is a good thing.

Again, just thought I'd share a couple of funny examples in my meger experience. Certainly don't expect everyone to know reference numbers or every little nuance or function of their timepieces. Not that big of a deal there, buddy. Again, at the risk of repeating myself, just thought some posters might get a kick out out my comments. It's responses like these that make me shy away from posting on what is otherwise a really fun and informative watch forum....I'm out.

I have a similar experience than you, a acquaintance bought a brand new GMT Master II (even waited on the waitlist to get it). When I saw him with his new watch, he told me that his watch was more precise than quartz and did not have any high level idea of how a mechanical watch work. And the guy is an engineer. Only point he was interested in is the value of the secondary market.

That’s fine if people who have no idea what they buy are ready to shell out $10K on a watch, it’s actually very good for Rolex. It shows how powerful a brand and marketing it has. But I stopped assuming that anyone having a nice watch is passionated.

As it's been said, Rolex are masters of marketing. The age of social media is also to their extreme advantage.

As someone younger, I also grew up with music where Rolex was mentioned here and there, so the younger crowd was definitely influenced by that growing up. That aspect of course still exists to this day.
In terms of technical ability, Omega may be ahead, but I think it will be a while before Omega catches up to or passes Rolex in all phases. Just my 0.2 cents.

There is always a misconception, it’s human nature, that the way things are is the way things will continue to be.

A Rolex is always a Rolex and perhaps with Coca Cola, Mcdonalds and Mercedes the most recognized brands..... Rolex sells 800k to 1.2m watches now but sold fractions of that 50 years ago. In China Omega's market share with younger Chinese has been growing significantly http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2010-03/20/content_9617366.htm and given Asia's rise and the general decline in Western markets interesting things will and can happen. Given there are dozens of cities with 5m or more people we have never heard of then marketshare and positioning there is all important. Omega took an interest in repositioning their brand years ago with Omegamania, probably buying some vintage watches for a premium to make news, effectively allowing them to discount their new models less and taking up a premier retail site in the best arcade in one of the world's premier cities to reposition their vintage watches in amongst Rolex and PP. They have packaged possibly packaged something that most likely never happened better than anyone....

Best of both worlds.

In my opinion Rolex makes fine watches, but due to the brand status, some of the lames people on the planet will identify themselves through brand. The kind of folks who pose with their investment watch, steroid monster pit-bull, lots and lots of wearable gold and Porsche 911 keys. This is the reason I can't stand some of the non-vintage Rolex facebook groups.

Omega makes fine watches as well. The 1120 ETA times were a bit of a let down for me, but since then Omega has picked up the pace.

I’d agree Tag Heuer was one of the ones to own here in the 90s.

Found online 🤮

sorry @STANDY never put one on but I know they were red hot back in the day. Females usually tell me my fly is down or that I dropped my animé figurine so there, we’re even

watches and women. and wealth and whiskies and wine and wishes and wants. Wonderful. and wife. and work.

didnt , just couldnt bring myself to say it

Another fellow Aussie here. I agree with the tag heuer point for us down under. We were smashed with tag marketing. I have one as well.

but in regards to the two brands in question, personally I have opened both Rolex and omega. My fav omega so far was the seamaster 300 I had but I have only had my Connie for 3 days.

the Rolex was a simple oyster date. I loved that watch. Manual wind perfect size and awesome oyster case.

which was better? Still trying to decide....... Rolex was more popular to my generation as I’m 35. But with bond using one etc omega has been given media as well.

Rolex for people that want the best but don’t know what the best is. Not that Rolex isn’t great it is. Awesome watches and history but if you asked me as a teen what is the most expensive watch or best I’d say Rolex because I wouldnt know who PP, VC AP are....

this will never be done.

I have a first gen 42mm PO which I love, a speedy pro and a Rolex sub. The Rolex does so many things better than the omegas I own and the ones I have tried in an AD and the Omega put the Rolex to shame in several areas.

Nothing in the current Omega line up does it for me, but not much does for Rolex either. Only a Daytona which I have wanted for years but will not pay over MSRP and is it too much to want my name on the warranty card? I don't want to sell any of my watches.

There are so many positives and negatives of both. I love the matte dial on my PO; I dislike how easily the AR on the crystal scratches. The speedy is a classic and the hesalite takes a minute to polish up as good as new; but the crown is a touch too small for my sausage fingers to wind easily. I enjoy the manual wind but it is a struggle for me. The Rolex bezel and bracelet seem to be finished to a much higher level. The clicks are very smooth etc. compared to any Omega I have tried. I also prefer it's height over the newer chunky PO's - but then they carry the advantage of being anti-magnetic, dual barrels so a long power reserve which is great in rotation.

If I was to buy another Omega it would be a 1200 series Seamaster. I think the tool watch argument is always funny as from both brands very few actually see any underwater/space/yachting/piloting etc. I use the bezel or chrono for cooking more than anything. After having a HE valve leak on my before I would more than likely take a watch I am happy to sacrifice when diving/swimming.

I frequently see people with chronos running all the time on all sorts of brands because they don't know what it is. Ultimately we are all here because we love watches and have a passion for it; most people don't care. Much like a lot of owners driving an M3 or a C63 AMG just liked the sporty look but the enthusiasts get very tribal and caught up on specifics that many of them are not capable of using but are fixated on.

I don't think a Rolex is the be all and end all and I think their current attitude to customers is rubbish and has been for some time. It must be embarrassing working in one of their boutiques as they have the dregs in stock which will be two tone datejusts and cellini's. For something so hard to buy in an AD there are an awful lot available grey. Whereas an Omega boutique is friendly, welcoming, helpful and if I want a watch that isn't LE and isn't in stock they can get it for me no problem. A Rolex boutique I can walk in wearing a Sub and still feel like I am being looked down upon.

They both do things well, they both do things poorly, but they both have very different targets they are trying to achieve and I don't think either will succeed.

What if Rolex’s comparative limited models soon tires the current generation, you can only post your submariner to instagram so many times.

Yet you could post a different limited edition speedy on speedy tues and get good run out of that or say my FOIS has like 40 nato options that’s almost a year of posts 😀

and that’s just speedmasters 😀

(btw I’m not on Instagram).

Rolex really have cornered the ‘I want’ market, far more people want a new Rolex than there are made each year for the aspirational or functional reasons already covered in this thread.

Omega make watches that are as good if not in some cases better than Rolex but Omega’s are not Rolex and therefore not coveted by the masses in the same way a Rolex is.

Anyone who knows a bit about watches understands that an Omega (or many other brands) will give a lifetime and more service on the owners wrist, it is also readily available (most of the time, Speedy LE’s excepted), and in a lot of cases the financial outlay for the Omega is less than the Rolex.

But the draw of the aspirational Rolex is hard to ignore, you see film stars wearing them, tv personalities wearing them, successful business men and women are wearing them, they look cool, everyone must want one because the store hasn’t got one, it must be the watch to get. And whilst this perception continues the upward march of the mighty Rolex to the top of the watch tree continues.

There has to be consideration as to what Rolex adds to the watch that others do not, one fact which surprised me is that hands on a Rolex are made from gold on all watches, indices are also gold I believe. Now this moves the Rolex watch upmarket as few Omega watches have this luxury. So is the Rolex a step or two further up the luxury ladder than Omega, yes, and I don’t want that to change.

I have my Rolex, a wonderful DJ41, it sits alongside a brace of brilliant Omegas a Seamaster and a Speedmaster, none will be sold all will be passed on to my children at some point as I know that they will all last a lifetime.