- koimaster
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Rolex price rises for 2022 reasons
Editor’s note: Brendan Cunningham is a Professor of Economics at Eastern Connecticut State University in the US and the man behind Horolonomics, a blog that explores the economic issues in watchmaking.
A riff on Nina Simone’s classic song Feeling Good is a nice accompaniment in these opening days of 2022, particularly when it comes to the Rolex market. Simone’s song is positive and inspirational. The refrain includes the lyrics “It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day, It’s a new life, And I’m feeling good.” For Rolex, it might be more fitting to sing: “It’s a new year, It’s a new quarter, It’s a new price list.” The question is: should collectors feel good?
The new price list means that, if you live in most countries around the world, including America, you will have to part with more of your hard-earned money to buy a Rolex at retail (assuming you are lucky enough to “get the call” from your authorised dealer, more on that later). Generally, this is the kind of thing that makes buyers unhappy. Certain collectors may covet that Daytona so much, though, that they may simply disregard the price increase as they take delivery. There is also the fact that a lot of stuff comes with a higher price these days. Inflation in many countries around the world, including the United States, is running north of 5%. In this sense, Rolex will find safety in numbers: just about everyone is increasing prices.
https://timeandtidewatches.com/a-profes ... ice-rises/
IMHO, these price increases are no different than some people inflating their wealth to get on the forbes list. Rolex is a lower mid-tier "luxury" watch which is made in great numbers but positions itself as rare and a great "investment". Marketing is everything it seems in watches and other things.

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