Rolex Unsuccessfully Sues Perpétuel

The “Perpetual” element of Rolex SA's trademark is not so distinct that it merits protection from “Perpétuel,” the name of a United Arab Emirates-based luxury watch boutique — that’s according to the ruling by the U.K. Intellectual Property Office.

From similar-sounding names to customized watches bearing its logo, Rolex has been on a war path against trademark dilution lately. These pages reported this year alone on Rolex’s fights against Artisans de Genève, Texas-based BeckerTime and even the greeting card company Hallmark. Rolex is still in a lawsuit against a Florida-based real-estate firm called “Roleks Group LLC.”

In its latest lawsuit, Rolex was trying to block Perpétuel from registering a trademark series in the U.K. But Rolex failed to prove that consumers could confuse “Perpétuel” with the watchmaker's “Oyster Perpetual” brand name.

In an interesting twist, Perpétuel countersued, trying to block Rolex from protecting its international “Perpetual” trademark in the U.K., but was unsuccessful, as well.

Rolex 'Pepsi' Value Drops After W&W

(Data: WatchCharts.com)

The value of the Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO has reversed trend since April 2024, when rumors of its discontinuation proved wrong at Watches and Wonders, a sign speculators are still very much active on the Rolex market.

The GMT Master II with the red and blue “Pepsi” bezel had been defying Rolex's pre-owned market trends since last autumn, as first reported in these pages, amid speculation Rolex would be discontinuing its ultra-popular BLRO at this year’s Watches and Wonders.

Rumors suggested that the failure rate for the manufacture of the iconic blue-and-red 24-hour bezel for the GMT is so high that Rolex would cut the watch from its catalog.

Even publications like WatchPro reported rumors in November that production of the Pepsi bezel was proving problematic, and the reference would be facing the axe in 2024.

New Discovery Shows Rolex Used to Alter Photos

A watch writer based in Australia has recently made an interesting discovery about a Rolex brochure. Nick Gould posted on his Instagram account on Saturday that Rolex tinkered with a picture to show a navigator in the 1950s wearing a GMT-Master while in fact he wasn't wearing one, a sign of how far the brand was willing to go to market its watches as professional tools.

Nick said he had recently stumbled upon the original photo by accident. The 1955 photo shows a navigator taking Loran readings, an early radio system used for long-range navigation. In the original photo, the man wears a white-dial watch that looks nothing like a Rolex.

The picture used by Rolex and captioned “…for pilots, ships' captains, navigators, travellers and members of the Armed Forces” shows a GMT-Master on the wrist of the navigator. Rolex seemed to have super-imposed a drawn GMT-Master 6542 on his wrist — an early method of “photoshopping,” as Nick puts it — and used the picture for the cover of the GMT-Master booklet included with the watch.

Federer Rocks Rolex Daytona 'Le Mans' in New Film Poster

(Credit: Amazon Prime)

Amazon Prime announced this week the documentary exploring the final twelve days of Roger Federer’s career will premiere on June 20, and the official poster released shows the tennis star wearing a Rolex Daytona “Le Mans.”

“Federer: Twelve Final Days” is directed by Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia, and takes a behind-the-scenes look at the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s final moments in his career. A trailer was released on Wednesday.

Anachronistically, Federer is wearing a Daytona “Le Mans” on the official poster though the final days portrayed in the film take place at the Laver Cup in September 2022, nine months before the watch was released.

Rolex High-Profile Brand Ambassador Arrested

(Image source: Rolex)

Scottie Scheffler, a Rolex brand ambassador and the No.1 ranked golf player in the world, was arrested on Friday morning as he tried to make his way into the PGA Championship in Louisville, Ky.

The 27-year-old was booked on four separate charges: felony assault of a police officer, misdemeanor criminal mischief, misdemeanor reckless driving and misdemeanor disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to jail records.

It’s unclear if the arrest will jeopardize his contract with Rolex. The brand stuck by Tiger Woods after the pro golfer pleaded guilty to reckless driving, in 2017.

The records show Scheffler has since been released. “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions,” he said in a statement. “I'm hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.”

Rolex Gears up for the French Open

The second Grand Slam tournament of the season, Roland Garros, begins next week, and Rolex, a sponsor since 2019, has already uploaded an unlisted video on YouTube, featuring the Datejust in Everose gold with a sundust dial to represent this year’s French tennis event.

A slew of Rolex brand ambassadors will tackle the red clay starting Monday, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff and Stéfanos Tsitsipás. And while Świątek won last year’s event, no Rolex Testimonee has won the Men’s title at Roland Garros since Roger Federer in 2009.

Rolex's global director of communication and image, Arnaud Boetsch, who is largely responsible for bringing Federer to the brand, is a former tennis pro himself. Rolex is now sponsoring more tennis players than any other kind of celebrities.

This year’s edition marks a memorable milestone for two Rolex legends. It was 50 years ago, in 1974, that Chris Evert and Björn Borg arrived at Roland Garros as teenagers and won their maiden Grand Slam titles.

2024 Rolex Release Hits the Pre-owned Market

(Photo credit: DavidSW)

David Sylvestre-Williams, who co-founded DavidSW in 2008, a pre-owned watch and jewelry dealer based in Orlando and Miami, listed the first 2024 Rolex release, a gold Deepsea, on Sunday, just one month after its unveiling at Watches and Wonders.

The watch — listed in unworn condition — was sold within hours. DavidSW had priced Rolex's newest gold diver at $75,675.00, a $23,570 premium over retail price.

As always, list price doesn't mean it sold for that much. But given how quickly the listing went, DavidSW must have gotten close to its asking price.

Stallone to Auction off More of His Collection

(Credit: Sotheby’s)

Less than four years after Sylvester Stallone auctioned off some of his watches with Phillips, including a Richard Mille, the Academy Award-winning director and actor is letting go of more of his collection, but this time with a different auction house.

In a video posted by Sotheby's earlier this week, Stallone describes the beginning of his love affair with Rolex after he saw Gregg Allman [of the Allman Brothers] wearing a gold Rolex. He decided to reward himself after filming “Rocky” and bought a gold Submariner. “It's not about keeping time. It's about keeping in step with where you are in life,” he said in the video.

Sotheby's will be presenting 11 pieces from his collection on June 5th, including a rose-gold Rolex Day-Date, which features an olive-green dial and a customized engraving on the caseback.

“This watch provided hours and hours of joy,” he said. “Oh, it says 'Sly' on the back, so I can relate to that. It is just a beautiful conversation piece.”

In Battle of the Crowns, Rolex Takes on Hallmark

(Source: USPTO)

What happens when an American greeting card company, which has used the crown as a logo for seven decades, wants to use the same logo to sell jewelry?

In a trademark opposition proceeding filed with the USPTO, Rolex U.S.A. claims that Kansas City, Missouri-based Hallmark is “seeking to apply a crown mark on goods that are identical or in some way related to Rolex’s famous watches.”

Hallmark has used the crown as a logo since 1952 and filed last year a trademark registration for the logo to be used in Class 14 (jewelry). Hallmark also owns a television channel and a dozen famous brands, but it doesn’t sell watches.

Still, Rolex argues that if the greeting card company is granted a registration for its lookalike logo that extends to jewelry products, that would cause damage to the Rolex brand as it has spent “in excess of $100 million, over the past 60 years, advertising and promoting its crown design trademark” to consumers in the U.S. market.

Tom Cruise Rocks a Rolex Daytona. Again

(Photo by Ricky Vigil M / Justin E Palmer/GC Images)

All of Tom Cruise's moves are scrutinized by the press — and the movements on his wrist, too.

After spending time in Paris for the filming of “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part 2,” Cruise went to London for Victoria Beckham's 50th birthday and made quite an entrance as he stepped out of a black Mercedes. The 61-year-old actor looking sharp in a tuxedo was rocking a Rolex Daytona ice-blue dial in platinum.

This past year Cruise has seemed to feel the need, the need, to wear a Rolex: A white-gold Daytona at the Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix, a Pepsi GMT-Master II, a black-dial Sky-Dweller, and even a Yacht-Master 42 in RLX titanium during the promotion of the last “Mission: Impossible” installment.

I wonder here whether Cruise could reach Paul Newman-level in terms of brand ambassadorship.

High-Profile Watch Auction Could Buoy Industry

(Photo credit: Christie’s)

Eight of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher’s luxury watches will be exhibited at Christie's in New York from May 3 to May 5 before they are going up for auction in Geneva, including a Rolex Daytona reference 6262.

The high-profile auction — a seven-times Formula 1 World Champion selling one of the most iconic racing watches ever made — could be a shot in the arm for an industry that is going through a painful downturn. In April, analysts at WatchCharts and Morgan Stanley said the Swiss watch industry overall could suffer a double-digit decline in exports in 2024. Prices for pre-owned Rolex watches have fallen for the past three years.

Schumacher’s 1971 Rolex Daytona 6262 featuring a Paul Newman dial will be auctioned off on May 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva. More details here.

Rolex For-Sale Listings Have Doubled in 2 Years

Source: WatchCharts, Morgan Stanley

Inventory for Rolex watches on the pre-owned market more than doubled in just two years, the latest sign Rolex owners are trying to cash out as prices continue to fall.

According to the latest WatchCharts & Morgan Stanley research, Rolex pre-owned inventory is at 110% what it was in March 2022 with prices now reaching a three-year low.

Rolex pre-owned inventory rose 8% in the first quarter of 2024.

These pages reported last week Rolex official retailers in the Certified Pre-Owned program have added a staggering 1,200 pre-owned pieces in just one quarter, a jump of 33%.

Rolex's Collection Is Becoming More Unisex Than Ever

(Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex Daytonas with diamond-cut bezels are not new. But it's the first year Rolex is introducing them as official catalog pieces, the brand's acknowledgement diamonds on men's sports watches are joining the main stream.

Professional athletes like baseball player Aaron Judge or soccer player Lionel Messi have been spotted with serti Daytonas.

Still, gem-set bezels on men's watches blur the line between a men's and ladies' collection, a fact acknowledged by the brand.

“This unisex trend has been quite obvious for sometime,” a Rolex representative in Geneva told me. “And it's not just because of gem-setting. For several years now, women have been wearing more masculine watches.”

But Rolex also admitted their popularity depends on the market, as such watches try to strike a balance between elegance and abundance. While they might find a niche in the Americas, the Persian Gulf and South-East Asia, they tend to be less popular in Europe.

As CPO Supply Swells, Rolex Retailers Keep High Premiums

Source: WatchCharts, Morgan Stanley

The Rolex Certified Pre-Owned program continues to expand at a rapid rate, that's according to the latest WatchCharts, Morgan Stanley report out this week, with inventory jumping 1,200 pieces, or 33%, since January, a sign Rolex owners are cashing out during the longest sales decline in recent memory.

Still, official retailers in the CPO program seem to feel less the pressure, as they continue to charge 20% to 40% more than non-CPO dealers in similar areas. They are also few in numbers: Just four CPO dealers hold more than 75% of the total Rolex CPO inventory, according to the latest data.

The 1916 Company remains the most competitive when it comes to Rolex CPO pricing, with an average premium of +18% across more than 900 listings.

Newly Discontinued Rolex Daytona Tops $300,000

(Image: Chrono24)

The Rolex Daytona with the shortest lifespan is now shattering premium records for a modern piece by the Crown.

Discontinued at Watches and Wonders just 10 months after its launch, the white-gold edition of the Daytona Le Mans has skyrocketed in prices, topping $300,000.

Before Watches and Wonders, the watch was trading for around $180,000, already a significant premium over its retail price of $51,400. Just two weeks after its announced discontinuation, the majority of 126529LN listed on Chrono24 exceed $300,000.

Listed prices do not necessarily translate into sold values. But the cheapest Le Mans listed in the U.S. will set you back $280,000.

Why a Rolex GMT 'Coke' in Steel Is Unlikely in 2025

In Rolex parlance, the GMT-Master II was the brand’s flagship piece at Watches and Wonders this year. The model is headlining the official press packet, including a 40-page brochure, a five-minute video and an exhibition dedicated to the GMT’s history. (Last year, it was the Daytona.)

A “Coke” GMT in 2025 would definitely be an important release. But can the GMT be the flagship piece two years in a row? “I don’t think so,” a Rolex representative at Watches and Wonders told me. “It would be very surprising.”

Still, a “Coke” could mark the 70th anniversary of the model. But Rolex’s approach to anniversaries has been unusual for a luxury watchmaker. “We are going full in on the GMT this year even though the model's anniversary is not until next year,” the rep told me. “It's almost our way of snubbing anniversaries by not marking them. We mark them sometimes, sometimes not. But if we do, it is very subtle, like a red '100' on the Daytona Le Mans’ bezel.”

For popular releases, including the BLRO in 2018 or last year’s GRNR, Rolex confirmed its strategy to offer the piece in precious metal first. “Most of the time, when we release a piece, we present it in gold first, then we’ll vary it,” the Rolex rep finally said.

Rolex Is Aggressively Pricing Its Latest Dress Watch

(Data compiled from the brands)

At $30,900, Rolex has decided to price the ice-blue Perpetual 1908 in platinum below market, in a sign it is serious about competing in the dress-watch segment. Watches in platinum often represent the most exclusive material within a collection — a metal that is more expensive and more difficult to work with than gold.

Moreover, the 1908 presented at Watches and Wonders this year features a guilloché dial, a technique that uses a graver to sculpt a pattern into a surface. Until now, the ice-blue color was reserved for the platinum Day-Date and Daytona, both priced more than double the 1908. The movement of the 1908 uses the Syloxi, Rolex's latest innovation in hairspring.

A representative at Rolex in Geneva seemed to agree the brand’s latest dress watch was being priced competitively though she stopped short of saying so.

“For a watch in platinum with a movement that is visible, displayed… honestly… compared to what other brands are doing and what we've seen at the fair, voilà…” the Rolex representative said.