Jeremy Clarkson briefly comments on Rolex watches! ⌚️

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AdministrativeFeed46@reddit

rolex subreddit has always been uptight. just like rolex themselves.

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Chipdip88@reddit

Rolex is the Ferrari of watches. Great product but the owners like sniffing their own farts and you can pretty much the same performance out of a much less expensive make.

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Simoxs7@reddit

You can also just buy a 30€ Casio and it’ll be a lot more accurate than a Rolex and it’ll also have more features…

Its just jewelry for men if you ask me (which is nothing bad I just hate when it’s presented as something useful)

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may I say that I really appreciate Casio, Timex and Armitron? They all kept time very well and they’re pretty durable, and I love they’re affordable as a bag of chips and soda and can be bought in stores instead of waiting for it for unholy number of years? Really great little things.

I do appreciate Rolex and Omega and Patek but at the end of the day, I’m far more comfortable with inexpensive watch brands.

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Chipdip88@reddit

Agreed a digital or quartz battery watch is more accurate. I will admit though that I actually have a soft spot for automatic watches, I love the engineering and mechanical workings of them over a battery quartz or digital. Saying that a Rolex doesn't do anything for me, I love inexpensive ones and have 3 automatic watches myself and all 3 of them together cost less than 1000 dollars Canadian. It's like Miata or a GTI, they do pretty much the same thing as a Ferrari and in many ways are better than one but they cost a fraction of the amount and only stuck up people who you don't want to associate with anyways will look down on you for enjoying it, 99% of people won't care or notice.

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SkipperTheEyeChild1@reddit

The Rolex sub is just people taking pictures of their watch on their wrist looking for affirmation. There’s very little actual discussion of watches.

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Simon_BHA@reddit

It's even worse than that - most of the discussions revolve around the bizarre process of having a Rolex AD deem you worthy of buying one!

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Simoxs7@reddit

This seems to be the new thing with luxury brands, don’t allow people to buy your product before they haven’t already bought a whole lot of other products they don’t want.

Heard the same with in the car community with Ferrari, there are guides that tell you to buy multiple Ferraris in unpopular colors to get invited to buy their exclusive editions.

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DrSFalken@reddit

This is why I wear an Omega Speedy (grad gift) and drive a '68 Triumph. I like nice things but I want nothing to do with modern affirmation culture. I also apprently enjoy barely working electrical systems and oil under my nails.

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AustrianMichael@reddit

Buying $100,000 worth of worthless and unwanted watches and jewelry to then be allowed to buy a Stainless Steel Submariner for retail piece instead of going grey and paying a little extra is just so dumb.

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FailFastandDieYoung@reddit

Ironically, the real watch lovers are in the replica watch forums.

I've never seen obsession like it. People saying "version 4.1 of this fake watch only has 9% chromium content in their steel compared to the authentic one which is 10.7%" and people inspecting parts with an electron microscope

It's the equivalent of someone who has memorized every page of a repair manual for a Ferrari 250 GTO vs an Arab prince who bought one to use as a coffee table in their spare palace.

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JJMcGee83@reddit

That is hiarious. "I bought this $60,000 electron microsope to analize this $90 fake watch."

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FailFastandDieYoung@reddit

I’m joking about the microscope, but there are amateur watchmakers who have $10k worth of equipment/parts so they can build a replica of a $10k watch.

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Sea_End_1893@reddit

Hobbies are great for this. My buddy buys and sells like $60,000 of PokeMon cards each year lmao and I have an uncle with way more than $60k worth of model trains in his hyper-realistic tiny town basement.

$60,000 will buy me half a working Warhammer 40k Knights Legion.

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ZZoMBiEXIII@reddit

Perhaps they are...

WOUND TOO TIGHT?

* ba-dum, tss *

I'm sorry, I'll see myself out.

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No-Ear7684@reddit

You, sir, should go to the top of the class.

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Zamboni4201@reddit

He’s always had a thing against Rolex.

He’s mostly Omega, but I’ve seen him wear IWC too.

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RayKVega@reddit

I think he also has a Breitling and a G-Shock, but I hear he downgraded to just one watch.

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dinopraso@reddit

The only reason I like Rolex as a company is that they donate a lot of money to charity

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goldenbullion@reddit

"Rolex is owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a registered Swiss charitable foundation. Because of this, Rolex pays no corporate taxes and is not required to disclose financial or charitable donations. This lack of transparency has led to some scandals in the past."

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Simoxs7@reddit

So its for tax evasion purposes… how unexpected

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lettelsnek@reddit

legally i believe rolex is a charity? could be a myth idr

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dinopraso@reddit

Yeah they’re a non profit organization

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daern2@reddit

sniff, sniff

Anyone else smelling a tax scam?

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Dependent-Interview2@reddit

The irony

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No-Teaching-5743@reddit

I’m a musician and just yesterday I played at a fancy dress party in a club. Horrible place filled with awful people with shit tons of cash. Old men and young women all tarted up, you get the idea. I’m interested in watches even though, being a musician, I’ll never be able to afford a high end watch collection so I always notice people’s wrists and the concentration of Rolexes last night was through the roof! I decided yesterday I were ever to be able to afford a good watch it would NEVER be a Rolex because I just would never want to be associated to that kind of social circle. 🤮

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surpleg@reddit

Man how do you know they’re all horrible? Ironically, you’re the one judging everyone with a broad brush and projecting.

For sure some would be rat prick douchebags. But your lens and interpretation says more about you. Peace ✌️

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starspangledcunt@reddit

r/Rolex might be the stupidest group of people I've come across. I like the brand, and I have one myself, but man, the people suck.

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noirbourboncoffee@reddit

In high school, I had a fake Rolex for like a week and felt absolutely idiotic about it. Took it off and threw into the garbage. Today when I'm financially stronger, my perception of Rolex remains = trash can. Chinese parts, assembled in Switzerland.

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graytotoro@reddit

Sporty and Powerfunk in shambles.

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snufflezzz@reddit

Rolex is just an aspirational trinket for middle management. The issue is the people that own them think they are expensive watches, they are not.

I know that sounds crazy if you’re not into watches but they are very much low on the totem pole.

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JJMcGee83@reddit

Rolex is an attainable amount of luxury. Sure there are $40,000 and even $200,000 watches but for most people that's a pipe dream. That said even billionares still "slum" it with Rolex.

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snufflezzz@reddit

Yeah I’m aware, I also have a few I just mean outside of the watch world people view them as the pinnacle of luxury watches and they really are not.

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JJMcGee83@reddit

True. Rolex has done a great job at marketing. You can walk around with a far more expensive watch and no one would know you have $100,000 on your wrist. You walk around with a Rolex and most average people assume you're rich or doing well.

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goldenbullion@reddit

Ha they are not "low on the totem pole". Sure Rolex is not ultra luxury but they are still very much a luxury brand more expensive than most watches sold. You sound like a watch snob gatekeeper.

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snufflezzz@reddit

I’m not a watch snob, I own a bunch of watches including a few Rolexes. I’m not saying they are not luxury, I’m just saying they are not ultra luxury like people seem to believe.

In terms of luxury watches, they are low on that totem poll.

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demoncase@reddit

Agreed, it's luxury but not like ultra luxury billionaire trust fund baby vibes like Richard Mille, Patek Philippe etc

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Griftersdeuce@reddit

It's like that old meme that says "started from the bottom now we here" but it's a Motel 6

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RonanH69@reddit

This makes my TAG the unwanted love child between Omega and Rolex

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SokkaHaikuBot@reddit

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RonanH69@reddit

Good Bot

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BlackestNight21@reddit

Bad bot

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MrPejorative@reddit

While I admire the precision engineering that goes into a luxury watch it's a bit like having a gold plated toilet. I'm much more impressed with a cheap yamaha quartz crystal digital watch that keeps good time, with no maintenance.

There's a quartz crystal keeping the voyager space craft in time for 30 years, and nobody has to wind it or change the battery. According to NASA it has a failure rate of 75 in 10^9 hours!

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JJMcGee83@reddit

I think we found May's reddit account.

That said you are correct that a mechanical watch isn't as accurate. There are high accuracy quartz watches that are -/+ a second a month so after a year it might be off by 12 seconds which is wildly impressive.

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MrGDPC@reddit

Doesn't Clarkson wear a pretty pricey watch? I'm not a watch guy so I don't understand it.

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JJMcGee83@reddit

Rolex watches basically have looked the same since the 60s. Compare this Submarinier model from 1968: https://www.ebay.com/itm/267030726099?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=267030726099&targetid=1964692796282&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9033313&poi=&campaignid=19646921471&mkgroupid=144665490686&rlsatarget=pla-1964692796282&abcId=9305263&merchantid=101683712&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAouG5BhDBARIsAOc08RSwcz8Nte22VbjvVmXcKcx5cmidICfJpb1mxVQmtODjEitTzXkwAB8aAlg5EALw_wcB

With this brand new one from 2024:

https://www.rolex.com/en-us/watches/submariner

Yes they update them slightly, the bezel is made of ceramic instead of aluminium, the internals are updated, the lugs are a different shape and size to acount for modern trends but ultiamtely the appeal of a Rolex is that it's basically a timeless design and also that they limited the number that are made which also makes them very sought after to the point if you find one new at a dealer you can buy it and turn around and sell it and make a few thousdand or more depening on the model in question. Dealers know this and will play games with buyers. "If you're serious about this Rolex I might let you buy it if you buy your wife some expensive jewelery or this Tudor watch first." which to us commoners means most people hate Rolex dealers. Rolex could make more (and to be fair the quality might suffer so I can see why they might not want to) to help alleviate this but they seem to kind of like that which some watch collectors find a bit snobby.

There are far more expensive watch brands than Rolex and they will happily sell you one of their watches if you have the money. A Rolex Sub is like $9k if you can find one for sell from a dealer. You can buy a Patek for $25k and they won't play any games they'll just sell it to you. Same with cheaper watches like Omegas.

To put it another way Rolex watches are Porsche 911s and we all know how Jeremy feels aoubt Porsche 911s.

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Disturbed_Bard@reddit

Also lets not forget they are probably the most counterfeited Watch brand around.

If you see anyone in Asia wearing one is very likely a fake.

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JJMcGee83@reddit

That's the thing about a simple design, it's easy to fake. Like Rolex started laser etching their crown logo into the crystal so when the light hits it a certain way you can see it but only with a loop: https://www.reddit.com/r/rolex/comments/yxb2ja/oh_hey_there_really_is_a_laseretched_crown_on/

but I've been told some fakes have started to do this too so if you buy one second hand you never really can know for sure without taking it to a dealer and opening it up.

That's not even counting the "homage" watch brands that copy the design. For $90 you can get this: https://www.paganidesignwatch.com/pagani-design-pd-1661/

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lettelsnek@reddit

not just asia, literally everywhere

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PRSArchon@reddit

How are Rolex watches angthing like a 911? I can go to a random Porsche dealer on monday and drive a 911 home if i have the cash.

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JJMcGee83@reddit

I didn' mean Porsche 911s were hard to get just that the way Jeremy has complained about how the design hasn't really change much.

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catupthetree23@reddit

This guy watches

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Sea_End_1893@reddit

Deep in the lore of wrist watch lifestyles, there are largely two kinds of waches - a watch you purchase for yourself to use as a time-keeping tool, and a watch someone else buys you as a gift, either for service or accomplishment or a genuine thank-you.

Rolexes are gift watches. A person who buys themself a Rolex might as well walk around jerking off. Omegas also fit this description, but typically are less "vanity" expensive than Rolexes so it's not so much of a faux pas if you buy an Omega you really want. Plus, Omegas has the whole James Bond culture and the astronaut culture locked down.

That said, a perfectly capable Seiko 5 has similar styling and robustness as a Rolex Submariner but the Seiko is like $200 vs the Rolex Submariner at $13,000, and the Omega Seamaster at $5,000.

THAT SAID, my finest two watchers were a Casio MDV106DD I got for $50 and an "Omega" "Seamaster" "James Bond Edition" I got from a back alley in Phuket, Thailand for $30.

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ethanxp2@reddit

Yes, he's got an Omega

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FlipStig1@reddit (OP)

In The Grand Tour episodes, Clarkson is usually seen wearing an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean. Not as pricey in comparison to a Rolex!

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A_10L@reddit

Omeeega

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Lympwing2@reddit

Rolex are the Range Rover of watches. Sure they're good, but you're only gonna buy them if you have no taste at all or can't be bothered to research a better option

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goldenbullion@reddit

Disagre to an extent. They are popular for good reason. Similar to saying someone who buys a Ferrari has no taste or can't be bothered to research.

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tothesource@reddit

Interesting you say this now as Rolex will no longer be a sponsor of F1 starting next year.

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FlipStig1@reddit (OP)

Here’s the original Sun column where he shared those thoughts. Heads up, you’ll have to navigate through a strong paywall over there!

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ProtoplanetaryNebula@reddit

I don’t know what link there would be between hammond crashing and the watch he was wearing at the time.

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FlipStig1@reddit (OP)

Drivetribe actually made a video highlighting that connection, hence my comment.

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ProtoplanetaryNebula@reddit

Just to be clear, did Clarkson’s view of Rolex improve after the crash? If it did, then that does make sense.

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olorcanticum@reddit

I usually use archive.is to remove the paywall, but it looks like it archived the article with the paywall intact, (not so) funnily enough. 12ft(.)io did a reasonably good job of removing the paywall for me, but it left the in-text ads/promoted stories in, unfortunately. For anyone looking to read the entire article, he mentions the Rolex bit very briefly towards the end. I removed most of the formatting, because he used a new line for almost every sentence.

"Time to wise up on Rolexes

THE burglar who used a ladder to get into Raheem Sterling’s house while the footballer was playing in the World Cup has been banged up for nearly 13 years. Which means he’ll be out in two months because they need his cell for someone who’s sent a hurty tweet.

That’s not a surprise.

What is a surprise is that while in Raheem’s house, he stole ten Rolex watches. Why would anyone want ten watches? And why would they all be from the same maker? And why Rolex? As I’ve always said, there is only one thing in the world worse than a fake Rolex. And that’s a real one. So it’s good news for Raheem. Because now he doesn’t have one."

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Crafty_Message_4733@reddit

I bought my old man a fake one in SE Asia 20 years ago for $50 that runs on movement, it still bloody works!

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PerceptionGreat2439@reddit

Me too!

My dad always wanted a Rolex, so I got him one on the Spanish Portugal border about 30 years ago for £20. He's since passed away and I still have the watch. It runs as sweetly as it did when I bought it and according to the chap who changes the battery for me, it's a very reliable Seiko movement inside.

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Zofia-Bosak@reddit

Jezza has never really been a person that likes to spend more than is necessary, he's always complained about the costs of extras/options on cars, this video is a good example (after 5 minutes in) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT3pvMb5zEU also one of the reasons he got a Lamborghini tractor for his farm was that he said to Charlie it was cheap to buy.

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RadicalSnowdude@reddit

I can’t say i disagree, although i’m the type of person who if i was a multimillionaire or richer i still wouldn’t buy expensive watches. I just don’t care for watches at all, i had to force myself to wear my Apple Watch when going out. And I don’t see the point of spending thousands or tens of thousands for an item that only tells the time.

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IshouldDoMyHomework@reddit

They don’t do a great job at telling time either. A 10 dollar quartz more accurate and practical than any mechanical Rolex.

They are purely there for either love of mechanical things, or often in the case of Rolex, as status symbol.

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Carter0108@reddit

Who wears a watch in 2024?

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WatchOne2032@reddit

The problem with rolex for me is just that they are bloody ugly.

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lettelsnek@reddit

hate rolex as a concept but i would trade damn near everything i own for a legit chrome rolex

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Stealth_Cow@reddit

Clarkson seems to regularly wear a Seamaster Heritage.

Hammond usually has a Rolex Explorer II "Polar".

James May digs out a shitty Casio, or Timex, thumps the lens to see if it still moves, and then promptly ignores it for the rest of filming.

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