What age should you buy a Rolex? When to buy your first Rolex
Every now and then, we get asked this question, and therefore thought we would answer it once and for all.
“At what age should you buy a Rolex”. And “When should you buy your first Rolex?”.
First and foremost, we don’t really like the way this question is formulated. Because the truth is that most people never buy a Rolex. And buying a Rolex is not necessarily something you “should” do. It’s not an expectation that everyone should buy a Rolex at a certain age and sometime in their life. Most people couldn’t care less about luxury watches in the first place. And secondly, there are plenty of other watch brands besides Rolex to choose from that make exceptional watches – although Rolex does indeed make great watches.
A different way to answer the question that catches the essence better is “How old should I be to buy a Rolex?”
In a way, this question is similar to asking “when should I buy a Mercedes?” or “when should I buy a Porsche?”. The only two real answers are 1. when you want, and 2. when you can afford it.
The age of Rolex buyers has decreased over the decades
Back in the day, let’s say between the 1950s and the 1990s, the demographic of Rolex buyers looked a lot different than it does today. Just look at some of the vintage Rolex advertisements from this era because Rolex captured its audience very well.
One of the most iconic Rolex advertisements from this time, for example, is the ad ”Men who guide the destinies of the world wear Rolex watches”.
Most people would likely think of older men, between around 45 to 65 when they think of a Rolex owner at the time. We are talking about successful and oftentimes highly influential individuals such as world leaders and even presidents.
Rolex’s reputation today is still closely associated with success – after all, we’re not talking about cheap watches here. And secondly, Rolex has built such a strong and prestigious brand and reputation that it is synonymous with success according to a lot of people. In other words, if you wear a Rolex, you are successful. And that’s exactly the association that Rolex has been working hard for decades to build.
This is also reasonable because building success takes time and it’s much more likely that a 60-year-old is successful than a twenty-something-year-old is. This is not just an assumption either.
In fact, a study by the insurance firm HomeProtect found that managers or directors are more likely to own Rolex watches. In their findings, 7.2% of Rolex owners were company directors, closely followed by managing directors close behind. In addition, over 20% of the Rolex owners had either manager or director in their job titles.
The idea that you have at least some level of success if you are buying a Rolex watch is also reasonable because the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people around the world don’t have thousands of dollars (let’s say the average Rolex costs between 8.000 to 10.000) to spend on something that they don’t actually need. Because let’s be real. Whilst a Rolex is an amazing watch that brings you joy and pride, a luxury watch is not something we actually need in our lives. If the sole purpose is to tell the time, you might as well just buy a 10-dollar Casio. But as we all know, a Rolex is so much more than that.
But today, it’s very evident that the popularity of Rolex watches amongst the younger demographic has increased dramatically. In particular, if you look at social media and the people who are showing off their Rolex watches there. Whilst younger people certainly wore Rolex watches decades ago, it was a much rarer sight to see 20-and 30-year-olds than it is today.
What is the average age of Rolex owners?
It’s difficult to say exactly what the average age of a Rolex owner is today as the studies on this are very limited.
In addition, it’s important to point out that Rolex watches last for a long time. Like, for generations when taken care of properly. With this said, most people who buy Rolex watches will have them for the rest of their life. For this reason, it’s understandable why older people will be overrepresented in the statistics of Rolex owners. And unlike what we geek watch collectors may believe, most people actually only buy one Rolex watch in their entire life and not ten of them, which some of the most devoted watch collectors may do.
If we, on the other hand, change the way the question is formulated and ask ”what is the average age of a Rolex buyer”, we are certain that the answer would look slightly different.
This ties in with what we discussed above that the average age of Rolex buyers is declining.
A study by the insurance firm HomeProtect which investigated the types of people who own Rolex watches found that the average age of a Rolex owner in the UK is 68 years old. Moreover, the study found that male Rolex owners outnumbered women by almost two to one. In their survey, 66% were over the are 65 and only 1.5% were under the age of 35. Whilst this study looked specifically at the UK, there’s no reason to believe that the result would have been dramatically different in another country.
With that said, it’s important to bear in mind what we discussed earlier about how most people only buy a Rolex watch once. This is why this statistic can evolve and change quite rapidly as the age for new Rolex buyers is steadily declining. In addition, the study didn’t look at Rolex buyers, only Rolex owners.
At what age should you buy a Rolex?
Frankly, there is no right or wrong answer to this.
You should buy a Rolex when you have the funds to do so, and when you really want to. One of the most common answers to this question that we have seen (which we would also agree with), is that you should buy a Rolex when you are emotionally ready or to celebrate or commemorate an important event or milestone.
From our own observations and data, most Rolex buyers are between 35 and 55 years old. However, that is not to say that you cannot buy a Rolex if you are older or younger than that. In addition to this, we frequently have customers who buy Rolex watches that are between 20 and 25 years old, occasionally even younger than that.
But statistically, the reason older people are overrepresented is that Rolex watches are not cheap. And it can take a long time to save up thousands of dollars. But that is not to say that younger people cannot save up. Some people live very frugally and have a big dream of owning a Rolex. Others just prioritize very differently in their life, allowing them to afford a Rolex at a young age whereas their peers can not.
The most important thing is that you feel comfortable spending that much money on a watch without it financially ruining you. We would advise that you do not empty every little savings you have to buy a Rolex. And the reason for this is that Rolex watches are not a crucial necessity in our life. It’s better to wait, save up more, and buy it when we can buy one with a little more margin in our finances. This can also bring you more peace of mind and satisfaction when you finally buy one.
Buy a Rolex to commemorate a special occasion
The most central answer to what age you should buy a Rolex is when you have the funds. But one of the most common reasons people finally decide to buy one is to mark a special occasion or event in life. Most of the time, people buy Rolex watches simply because they want one. But a lot of people take the leap to celebrate or commemorate an event.
This has to do with the fact that Rolex has a very special and almost magical or legendary status. Buying and wearing a Rolex is just a truly special occasion that really highlights the sense of the importance of the event.
It also has to do with Rolex’s strong brand and continuous branding and marketing efforts. After all, Rolex’s own slogan is ”a crown for every achievement”, which can relate to achievements both financially but also personally.
Only you can decide what a truly special occasion is, but we definitely agree that buying a Rolex to celebrate is a great thing. A Rolex watch will last for generations and will follow you through all of life’s different events. Every time you put it on your wrist and look down on it, you will remember that special occasion that the watch is meant to symbolize. It, therefore, works as a reminder but it also gives the watch a greater meaning and makes you appreciate it so much more.
Some of the occasions and achievements people buy Rolex watches for include having a child, graduating, getting a promotion, your wedding, and so on. Life is full of magical, special, and important events that we should cherish. And buying a Rolex watch emphasizes and cherishes the event’s importance in the best way possible.
Of course, each of these events will take place at different ages. Then it is up to you to decide which events or events are most important to be worth buying a Rolex watch to commemorate. In addition, you naturally also need to make sure that you have the funds secured to buy a Rolex. For example, you may not have the funds for a watch when graduating and therefore save money up until your wedding or your first child to buy one.
In essence, buying your first expensive luxury watch, especially if it is a Rolex is a special occasion in and by itself. And combining that with a special achievement or event in your life will make the occasion an even greater personal importance.
It all depends on your life’s circumstances and where you are in life financially and emotionally for that matter.
