THERE IS MORE TO ROLEX THAN A DATEJUST.
by KRISTIN MAYER
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Most everyone who gets into watches, sooner or later, wants a Rolex. Totally makes sense because Rolex sells one out of every three luxury watches. When I was a kid, the marker of success was buying yourself a Rolex.
When Rolex markets to women it begins and ends with a 36mm Datejust. That is what we are told we should buy. That is what we have been lead to like. There is nothing wrong with a 36mm Datejust, but there is so much more to Rolex that you should at least look around before getting that “woman’s” watch the industry is telling you to buy.
For me, Rolex goes way beyond the Datejust. I always go straight to the dude watches, but not the most common one like the GMT-Masters with the red + blue bezel. I give you permission to wear 40mm, chunky, watches but poke around and check out the ones you don't see every day.
My favorite Rolex is the Air-King. As a graphic designer, I could spend 4 hours explaining why it is it is pure genius, 1000x better than a Datejust, and how those big numbers and tiny pop of green + yellow are just so cool! Below I am wearing the original BDlab Tight and BDlab Sports Bra.
Insider tips from the watch nerd: Wearing a Rolex meant for dudes is a bold choice. I encourage it. If you want one, however, you are going to quickly realize that buying a Rolex can be a minor hassle. Rolex watches are in such high demand, you can't just go into a store and buy one. That is changing some in recent months but the fact remains, you can't just roll into a boutique and buy most Rolex watches. The second issue is that fake Rolexes are way too common. This scares the $hit out of me and gives me pause recommending that you causally buy a Rolex on the secondary market. I know I don’t have the knowledge or skills not to get scammed.
For those reasons, my recommendation is if you want a new Rolex you should go to a dealer and put your name on the list. It might take a few months or even a few years but that is the best way to get a new Rolex.
If you don't have a few months or a few years, you want a vintage reference, and/or you are willing to pay a bit above retail there are loads of pre-owned Rolex watches available for purchase but you are going to need someone on your side. We know a bunch of really good dealers. Another good recommendation is Bezel. Their concierge service will help you navigate all of the Rolex models, help you locate your Rolex, authenticate it to make sure it isn’t a fake, and they will even test the watch to make sure it is in perfect working order.
Below is Kristin, her Air King, and team BTS at the BDlab Sportswear shoot last fall.
You can find a link to many of the watches mentioned in this series at my personal link. If you want, you can use the code KRISTINMAYER to receive a sizable discount. Full disclosure, I will also get a small credit to my account. We reached out to Bezel because we used their service before this series and will continue to use them in the future. We asked them to collaborate and help make this happen for you guys. This is not a paid partnership.