Control. It’s all about control. If you’re not in complete control, others can and will mess things up, and you will be held responsible for it, resulting in a negative image. That’s one thing no luxury brand wants to have to deal with. That’s why Rolex intends to control everything, from creating its alloy to making the parts, assembling the replica watches UK, distributing them, selling them, servicing them, repurchasing them, and selling them again. “The Crown” wants to get a grip on every aspect of its watches’ life cycle. What are the implications of this?
In 2023, Rolex made history when it became the first Swiss watch brand to surpass the CHF 10 billion threshold in sales. That year, it reinforced its dominance by cornering an impressive 30.3% retail market share. According to Morgan Stanley and Luxe Consult, a year later, the market share went up to 32.1%. To put that number in perspective, that’s 300% more than the closest competitor, Cartier, with an 8% retail market share. And do you know what? Rolex’s share of the pre-owned luxury watch market is much bigger. According to vintage Rolex seller Bob’s perfect fake Rolex watches, The Crown has a market share of 73.8%. The brand dominating the market also wants a firm grip on other key elements involving its product. Rolex wants to do it all, and this includes, among other things, controlling where the product is sold and serviced.
When you sell over a million watches annually, keeping them close after the initial purchase is potentially very lucrative. When you sell your in-house product at an in-house point of sale, service it in an in-house service center, buy it back, and sell it again at an in-house pre-owned dealer, the principle from the cradle to the grave applies to Rolex replica watches and their buyers. Rolex wants to be involved in the full life cycle of its product, from its creation to its demise, although a cared-for and well-serviced watch, theoretically, has eternal life.
Rolex has been making watches since the early 20th century and has steadily worked on becoming the number-one manufacturer of luxury watches. Recently, the brand seemed to have upped its pace to further strengthen its position in the lucrative luxury watch market. In 2022, Rolex started its Certified Pre-Owned program. This began with Rolex “CPO” cheap Rolex copy watches for sale at Bucherer boutiques in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. In two years, the CPO program saw a fourfold expansion. Apart from Bucherer, some approved retailers, like Dutch retailer Gassan and US-based dealers Mayors and Tourneau, also became part of the program. The number of approved retail partners rapidly grew from 25 to 107, meaning 217 physical locations globally.
The program works as follows. First, the CPO retail partner sources used Rolex watches at least three years old. Rolex then checks these top replica Rolex watches for authenticity; they are certified and guaranteed if they pass the test. A CPO Rolex comes with a fresh two-year international factory guarantee and shows a physical seal to prove it. A CPO Rolex is a safe choice, but prices are above retail for most pre-owned offerings. That’s the price for peace of mind, something many (inexperienced) watch buyers are willing to pay. Rolex profits from this in every single way.
Speaking of in-house sales, in 2023, Rolex acquired Bucherer, a multibrand retail store with more than 100 locations worldwide, to gain greater control over brand sales and the overall customer experience. This move strengthens Rolex’s retail presence and allows tighter control over pricing and the availability of its watches, especially for high-demand watches. The strategic purchase also positions Rolex to reduce reliance on third-party authorized dealers while potentially expanding its access to additional production capacity. Thus far, 53 Bucherer locations operate as authorized Rolex dealers. Besides that, Bucherer also operates a large after-sales service operation for the brand, and it’s on this aspect of a watch’s life cycle that Rolex is now focusing.
Controlling every aspect of the watch game in and outside the production facilities — thus, making the rules — is taking Heiniger’s vision a step further. It’s a strategy that requires a serious investment. Rolex can afford it. Although the company is under the management of the non-profit Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which keeps Rolex’s annual profits a closely guarded secret, considering the very healthy margins in the world of luxury 1:1 Rolex fake watches, the brand’s 2024 revenue of CHF 10.58 billion means it’s very profitable indeed. So, if Rolex wants to do it all, the company will. It does feel a bit like Big (Watch) Brother is watching you, though.
