According to the latest Morgan Stanley Luxury Watch Report, Rolex currently owns a whopping 32%+ share of the Swiss watch market.
The Luxury Watch Report is not based on direct or complete information, but in an industry shrouded in secrecy, whether it’s Morgan Stanley or media in general, those who want to keep audiences informed sometimes have no choice but to operate with incomplete information when reporting on certain areas of the watch business.
To label such content as “rumors” or “conjecture” is condescending, and if coming from a source that’s owned (censored) by a retailer, is categorically self-serving.
As writers, in the dog-eat-dog world of media, operating without the full picture (hypothetically) can be the difference between reaching an audience or not.
The platform matters, but the content matters more. Content with real thoughts and insights should stand the test of time, versus content where the quantity of writers (and output volume) — not critical reporting — drive views.
With that said, we read yesterday in the Zurich-based biweekly business magazine Bilanz about speculation that Rolex may soon test its Rolex Certified Pre-Owned program in a new dedicated retail store format. Whether this comes to fruition or not, Rolex is one of the few brands with the scale to make such a venture feasible. If such a concept reaches the market, what would they call it? Hopefully not something uninspiring like “Rolex CPO Store.” Especially if there are plans to include Tudor or non-Rolex-owned watch brands.
Another topic, and this is pure speculation, is how Omega might react to the new Rolex Land-Dweller. The two market-leading brands continuously make products that compete with each other, even if there’s substantial space between price points. Reacting is rarely as good as being proactive; however, in this case, we speculate that Omega is studying how the Land-Dweller launch performs, and presumably already has an integrated bracelet model at some stage of the R&D process, ready to make a splash strategically when the time is right.
An Omega archival design, such as the Baby Ploprof Seamaster 120 (Ref. 166.0251), would be a perfect starting point to launch a modern angular integrated bracelet timepiece, especially considering the Swatch Group (which owns Omega and Tissot) already has so much insightful data from sales of its popular integrated bracelet watch, the Tissot PRX. Moreover, considering the success of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and IWC Ingenieur, it seems about high time that Omega joins the category.
