Keep in mind that today’s roundup is our opinion. Not everything is one-to-one, and also, keep in mind that these watches don’t necessarily satisfy the itch you still have to buy a Rolex.
So, the first question to figure out is: Why Rolex? Why did we do this post when members of our team, like Rafael, said he would never buy one? There are three reasons behind our decision.
First, Rolex is a status symbol; even if Raphael didn’t want to own a Rolex, many others did. When we look back in history, Rolex has a solid watchmaking reputation, it has a Swiss heritage, and many influential and iconic people have worn it. Whether it’s royalty, movie stars or celebrities, chances are we’ve seen someone we know wearing a imitation Rolex.
This leads us to the next question: whether they are very good at marketing. Rolex can be seen as very much like Apple in that its technology isn’t always the most groundbreaking, but it is always desirable.
Sure, other watches do everything Rolex can do, and some are even more luxurious. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to argue with their status as status symbols.
Finally, Rolex has some of the most iconic designs. It is often said that imitation is the best form of flattery, given that so many fake Rolexes are out there.
By sticking to a simple little catalog, replica Rolex watches are easy to identify. Speaking of aesthetics, who doesn’t like a nice watch?
So how will this work? Here at The Gentleman’s Gazette, we don’t approve of buying replicas or fake watches, so we’re not going to tell you to do so. I’m also not going to tell you to buy a one-to-one tribute watch.
We don’t give that advice because the whole purpose is to pass that watch off as an original, and we don’t approve of that. If you read our post on alternatives to iconic luxury watches, we would do the same today: name an iconic Rolex model and then go through three different price tiers, one around $250, one around $1000, and one around $1000.