Rolex was founded in 1905 by a chap by the name of Hans Wilsdorf (isn’t Google amazing? I can sound like I knew that beforehand) and started off as a humble tool watch company. Arguably, their most well-known model, The Submariner, costs a mind-numbing 12050 CAD (8355 USD) – mind-numbing because you would need to numb the rationale part of your brain to make sense of picking one up – if you can even grab one from an authorized dealer, which is notoriously difficult and rife with dubious sales practices. On the secondary market the watch sells for upwards 30000-60000 CAD (20800-41600USD). Let’s let that sink in for a bit. Do you want a car? Or do you want a piece of metal on wrist that was probably designed by someone with OCD? Do you want to send your kid to college? Or do you want to feel that sweet sweet temporary satisfying dopamine hit that comes from owning something exclusive, with a barrier-to-entry that indicates you’re different somehow and your worth is somehow elevated – maybe even validated?

I don’t own a Rolex – but without fulling understanding why, I understand the appeal of one. I, like many others, really like mechanical watches. In this digital age, where everything is powered by a battery and 1’s and 0’s, the idea of rotating gears, grease and the frequency of spring movements mapping the cosmos’s forward motion, that-is-time, with nothing more than a turn of a watches crown is strangely satisfying. Even though mechanical watches are less accurate than quartz movements they’re just so… cool. A telling of time not powered by chemicals and ions but by the movement of my body – an act of will.

OK. We get it. But… why a Rolex? For those who are not familiar with mechanical watches there are incredible pieces out there for a reasonable (the word reasonable here only as it relates to prices in the watch world) price. Companies like Seiko, Citizen, Orient (questionable name I know) and Tissot make iconic mechanical watches that are high quality, accurate, durable and stylish and cost less than 1000CAD – even less than 500CAD at times. So why for the love of god would anyone spend a kitchen + living room furniture budget on a piece of outdated technology? Many people will reference “the heritage of the Brand” or “the in-house movements”. If you have no idea what I’m talking about – trust me I’m in the same boat. I think it’s all hogwash and to be honest I think it’s very simple – we want to feel important and to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, something expensive and exclusive gives us that feeling – as if we’ve joined the elites of society and I think it temporarily fills that huge gaping void of meaning and affirmation we’re constantly chasing.

But the idea of luxury goods is such a strange idea. Why does anyone want a Ferrari? Oh yeah, it feels incredible to drive in but is it really worth 250000CAD+?. Or a Chanel bag? Maybe because it’s a beautiful design but is it really worth 10000CAD? Or a 100 million dollar house where 90% of the rooms are never used?

Or if I were to entertain another idea: maybe the pursuit of luxury is our resistance to the mass production of cheap consumer goods. Maybe the very idea of consumer products, or us as labelled consumers, conjures up images of cattle farms and The Matrix’s fields of humans ready to be controlled by market forces that often make us feel powerless against the power structures set against us ie. Oligarchs, partriarchy, systemic racism, prejudice established through histories of oppression. And the pursuit of luxury is an attempt to differentiate ourselves in a massive sea of same-same, suburb-housing and fast-fashion that came to define so much of capitalism. And so an object, a possession that is exclusive, different and scarce gives us a sense of autonomy, of power – of feeling like we are not part of the massive inert capitalist machine.

Obviously, though – Rolex is the best-selling luxury watch company in the world, and they are massive beneficiaries of the capitalist market. And in fact, there are around a million Rolexes that are produced each year. Perhaps, chasing for relief from the harrowing realities of capitalism shouldn’t be found in material goods.

I’ll let you all know what it’s like if I ever get a Rolex. More likely that I’ll grab a Seiko though.