I am perfectly happy on the second row. [By the way, I have two sets of amazing season tickets for the Atlanta Braves baseball games, right by the dugout (players bench), and the 3dr row seats are better than the 1st row seats . . . better view of the field.]

Yes, Rolex is a great brand, but when I see the young guy (or the old guy) who has closed his first little real estate deal (or big real estate deal), and run out to buy his entry level Rolex (or big, gold Rolex) . . . who cares ! ! ! Rolex is happy with the profit, and the broker is happy with his new watch, but I am not looking for this experience. I admire the vintage ones, and see that these dominate the market, in terms of volume, but that is also something that doesn't matter so much to me. I enjoy my old Explorer, but one or two is enough for me.

Life on the second row is absolutely OK if (a) these are the designs (and heritage) that we enjoy, (b) we have a nice, friendly community of enthusiasts, and (c) we can buy and sell in a market that has decent depth (and good communication / information). I'm not in this to impress my friends with the Rolex name, or the Panerai look, or the Patek exclusivity . . . I'm in it because I like the watches (and their history), and the members of this community, and seem to be able to enjoy the hobby with a reasonable budget. If I find myself on the second row, that's OK.

Jeff

p.s. -- see below [borrowed from vintage Rolex forum], for example of just how boring things can get on the "front row"!!

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: In my perception Tag Heuer is only a second row brand after the
: major brands rolex and omega. in the vintage world I believe its
: the same. Yes heuer could attract more younger people: but its
: not what I see. most people go for rolex, rolex and again rolex.
: go to a watch fair: most regulars do look for rolex and rolex is
: the main brand offered.

: I agree that the market volume is an important topic: here heuer
: has advantages against rolex and omega: however their brading
: and clever model changes (especially rolex) is nearly not
: present. rolex did this by sudden in the past but is doing this
: on pourpose now. so changing models quickly will result in turn
: on in the collectors world. i also belive that some watch with
: turned dial numbers are not mistaken but may be also part of
: their marketing strategy.

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