After ruminating for 24 hours, Paul Altieri, a life-long Rolex collector and founder and CEO of pre-owned luxury timepiece business Bob’s Watches, gives his reaction to the watches launched this week.
While every watch-obsessed Instragrammer was losing their minds over the peace, love and emojis Rolex Day-Date, Mr Altieri’s eye was drawn more to the improvements to more mainstream watches.
“The Rolex YachtMaster 42m Is the Showstopper in my opinion,” he says.
The sporty timekeeper in in RLX Titanium is sleek, monochromatic, and lightweight; a perfect combination and balance, he adds.
Rolex made a big enough splash two years’ ago with its multiple-colour release of Oyster Perpetuals in small, medium and large sizes.
This week, the brand went even further with a new OP decorated with bubbles.
“The new bubbles Rolex Oyster Perpetual? Why not?,” says Mr Altieri rhetorically.
“This is a fun watch, even though there might be a 25-year waiting list on this one,” he adds.
In the anniversary year of the Rolex Daytona, it was widely expected there would be significant launches in the collection, and Rolex did not disappoint.
“The New Rolex Daytona with redesigned case and new caliber 4131 looks virtually the same from the front but the open case back is cool,” Mr Altieri says. “It’s hard to improve perfection so no surprise here.”
As a secondary market specialist, Bob’s Watches is just as interested in the retirement of the ever-popular 116500LN Cosmograph Daytona on its 60th anniversary and replaced it with a new movement, case, and dial.
Mr Altieri approves. “There are subtle changes on the dial but I love the steel rimmed bezel. The new reference number for the steel Daytona is 126500. Good luck getting your hands on a 116500 now. Prices should rocket,” he predicts.
Also benched is the Milgauss, a watch that has seemed on the fringes of Rolex’s plans for years. With the official announcement, Bob’s Watches is looking for older models to appreciate in value, not least because of their quirky look and feel.
Looking across to Rolex’s stablemate, Tudor, Mr Altieri is blown away by the 37mm Black Bay 54.
“Wow, what a great looking watch; a purist-driven 37mm steel take on the Black Bay that makes direct reference to the older version,” he says.
As a Rolex President owner, I was extremely disappointed in the trash from Rolex. Even Timex would have been ashamed of the emoji wheels!