It started with a tweet that echoed what so many of us have felt for years. The Luxury Watch Guy put it bluntly:

“Rolex is out for total dominance…and I’m all for it.”

It’s a statement that caught fire for a reason. The watch world is watching a quiet revolution, Rolex is no longer just setting the standard for Swiss watchmaking, it’s reshaping the entire playing field. And while some see this as a power grab, others see a long-overdue evolution.

From Brand to Empire

Rolex isn’t just tinkering at the edges. This is a sweeping strategy aimed at vertical integration across every aspect of its value chain:

  • Retail: Cutting ties with most Authorized Dealers and acquiring Bucherer and Tourneau to gain direct control of the buying experience.
  • Pre-Owned: Building a certified pre-owned (CPO) program to reclaim resale trust and compete directly with grey-market dealers.
  • Servicing: Transitioning all repair and maintenance operations in-house to ensure consistency and quality control.

These aren’t minor adjustments, they’re tectonic shifts. Rolex is laying the groundwork to become not just a watchmaker, but a fully integrated luxury watch ecosystem.

The Upside: Stability, Trust, and Transparency

For years, the biggest frustration among collectors hasn’t been price, it’s been opacity. Waitlists that go nowhere. ADs who prioritize friends or flippers. A booming grey market that thrives on manufactured scarcity and insider access.

If Rolex can eliminate that chaos, if you can walk into a boutique and either get the watch you want or order it seamlessly, then we’re looking at a healthier, fairer market for everyone. More accountability. More consistency. And ultimately, more confidence for collectors at every level.

It’s not hard to imagine a Rolex future modeled on IWC’s best practices: bright, welcoming boutiques where customer service is straightforward, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful. If the piece is in stock, you buy it. If not, you get it shipped to your door. No cloak and dagger. Just watches and the respect serious collectors deserve.

But Control Has Its Risks

Of course, consolidation comes with trade-offs. Rolex’s plans to push out third-party pre-owned dealers and limit independent repair partners could make the ecosystem feel smaller and less dynamic.

Independent dealers have long played a critical role in the hobby—surfacing rare references, maintaining price elasticity, and preserving access to discontinued models. Removing them too abruptly risks sterilizing the collecting journey.

The key is balance: structure without sterility, control without gatekeeping. If Rolex succeeds in building a transparent, collector-friendly channel without losing the soul of the community that helped build it, they’ll set a precedent the rest of the industry will be forced to follow.

A New Era in Watch Collecting?

It’s tempting to view these moves as power plays. But maybe this is something else: Rolex recognizing the global scope of its influence and finally taking full responsibility for the experience it delivers.

That could mean shorter wait times. Better service. A cleaner pre-owned space. And yes, maybe fewer midnight grey market deals in hotel lobbies. If the execution matches the ambition, collectors could find themselves in a golden age of clarity and access.

The ball is now in Rolex’s court. Done right, this isn’t the end of watch collecting as we know it. It could be the rebirth.

P.S. If you’re not already following @LuxuryWatchGuy1, you’re missing out. His feed is a sharp pulse-check on the watch world with regular insights, hot takes, and of course, the legendary weekly poll: “Are you wearing a watch right now?”

Do us all a favor and vote yes. Because you should be wearing a watch. And if you’re not? Time to change that. Head to your nearest boutique, try a few on, and find the one that makes your wrist feel like home.

Until next time, wear your watches in good health.