Is 15 too young for a Rolex?

[Anonymous]

Received a car at 16.
We did the same for both of our kids.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t gift a 15 or 16 year old a nice watch if you think he might wear it to school at all. Kids that age (especially boys) make stupid choices alllll the time. Even if he is pretty level-headed he probably has friends who are not. I’m also in the camp of not getting a new driver a new car for the same reason.

Let them relax and be a kid and not have to worry about ruining nice stuff

[Anonymous]

My older teen son likes watches and has few other interests, and we might consider a Rolex when he graduates college or gets married if he already has a reasonable car.

[Anonymous]

Lame gift. Must be new money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About a month ago I stopped into the jeweler our family does business with to put my name on a list for a Rolex. The plan was to give it to my son on his 16th birthday in March of 2027. Friends told me it can take a while to get one. Out of the blue I got a call this weekend. The watch arrived Friday afternoon. Am I crazy to give it to him for his 15th birthday?

Rolex screams parvenu, my dear, but you are free to do whatever you want. Your son probably relies on his phone, but if HE wants a watch, and of the Rolex type, why not? Maybe you should ask him first.

I’m certainly not buying him a Nautilus or Royal Oak. His group of friends have all developed an interest in mechanical watches suddenly.

Watch person here. Rolex is like the McDonald's of decent watches. They sell 1.1 million watches a year and pretend to be "exclusive". People buy Rolex because it's the only brand they know.

Get him an IWC, Grand Seiko, or even a Blancpain for 1/3 of the price of the Rolex.

Yeah, they sell a lot. But a Rolex is a beautiful watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About a month ago I stopped into the jeweler our family does business with to put my name on a list for a Rolex. The plan was to give it to my son on his 16th birthday in March of 2027. Friends told me it can take a while to get one. Out of the blue I got a call this weekend. The watch arrived Friday afternoon. Am I crazy to give it to him for his 15th birthday?

Rolex screams parvenu, my dear, but you are free to do whatever you want. Your son probably relies on his phone, but if HE wants a watch, and of the Rolex type, why not? Maybe you should ask him first.

I’m certainly not buying him a Nautilus or Royal Oak. His group of friends have all developed an interest in mechanical watches suddenly.

Watch person here. Rolex is like the McDonald's of decent watches. They sell 1.1 million watches a year and pretend to be "exclusive". People buy Rolex because it's the only brand they know.

Get him an IWC, Grand Seiko, or even a Blancpain for 1/3 of the price of the Rolex.

IWC invited us to their F.A. Jones Portugieser release years ago. They make excellent watches. If he wanted a pilot’s watch they’d be our choice. He wants a diver and the Aquatimer isn’t exciting.

Grand Seiko is meh. I know, hi-beat movements and their Spring Drive are popular with the watch nerds. I appreciate the discipline of Zaratsu polishing more than their designs. Their divers are pedestrian.

Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms is just ugly.

I’d prefer to buy him a Sinn diver for a third of the price but he expressed an interest in a Sub.

I want a Patek Phillipe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? No way, not ever. This shouldn’t be a gift at all. This is a something he should buy for himself, with his own earned money, when he finds enough success to afford something so frivolous. No man (or teen) with any self respect wants a $10k + watch gifted from mommy while he is broke and jobless

He’s most assuredly not broke, and school is currently his job. What an odd perspective you have about gifts.

He does not make his own income. Nothing cool about spending parents’ money on expensive things for yourself

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About a month ago I stopped into the jeweler our family does business with to put my name on a list for a Rolex. The plan was to give it to my son on his 16th birthday in March of 2027. Friends told me it can take a while to get one. Out of the blue I got a call this weekend. The watch arrived Friday afternoon. Am I crazy to give it to him for his 15th birthday?

Rolex screams parvenu, my dear, but you are free to do whatever you want. Your son probably relies on his phone, but if HE wants a watch, and of the Rolex type, why not? Maybe you should ask him first.

I’m certainly not buying him a Nautilus or Royal Oak. His group of friends have all developed an interest in mechanical watches suddenly.

Watch person here. Rolex is like the McDonald's of decent watches. They sell 1.1 million watches a year and pretend to be "exclusive". People buy Rolex because it's the only brand they know.

Get him an IWC, Grand Seiko, or even a Blancpain for 1/3 of the price of the Rolex.

IWC invited us to their F.A. Jones Portugieser release years ago. They make excellent watches. If he wanted a pilot’s watch they’d be our choice. He wants a diver and the Aquatimer isn’t exciting.

Grand Seiko is meh. I know, hi-beat movements and their Spring Drive are popular with the watch nerds. I appreciate the discipline of Zaratsu polishing more than their designs. Their divers are pedestrian.

Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms is just ugly.

I’d prefer to buy him a Sinn diver for a third of the price but he expressed an interest in a Sub.

I want a Patek Phillipe.

My everyday watch is an Aquanaut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? No way, not ever. This shouldn’t be a gift at all. This is a something he should buy for himself, with his own earned money, when he finds enough success to afford something so frivolous. No man (or teen) with any self respect wants a $10k + watch gifted from mommy while he is broke and jobless

He’s most assuredly not broke, and school is currently his job. What an odd perspective you have about gifts.

He does not make his own income. Nothing cool about spending parents’ money on expensive things for yourself

Have you never given or received a birthday gift? Are you unfamiliar with the concept?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lame gift. Must be new money

This.
My kids attend a DC private with the kids of ridiculously wealth and influential families and this kind of thing would be the kiss of death socially, done by a kid who is trying to buy friends but is oblivious to how to get them and is perennially on the outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lame gift. Must be new money

This.
My kids attend a DC private with the kids of ridiculously wealth and influential families and this kind of thing would be the kiss of death socially, done by a kid who is trying to buy friends but is oblivious to how to get them and is perennially on the outside.

No, it wouldn't, lol. You don't know what you are talking about.

Would anyone be impressed by it? Probably not. Social "kiss of death"? No. Nobody would care that his parents got him a Rolex and he likes it.

[Anonymous]

All I can tell you is that when I was in college, there were no dudes less f$&able than the ones wearing big watches their dad bought them.

It’s unfair gender norms, but the look of “daddy’s princess” is worse for boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lame gift. Must be new money

This.
My kids attend a DC private with the kids of ridiculously wealth and influential families and this kind of thing would be the kiss of death socially, done by a kid who is trying to buy friends but is oblivious to how to get them and is perennially on the outside.

No, it wouldn't, lol. You don't know what you are talking about.

Would anyone be impressed by it? Probably not. Social "kiss of death"? No. Nobody would care that his parents got him a Rolex and he likes it.

No, I do. It would not be cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About a month ago I stopped into the jeweler our family does business with to put my name on a list for a Rolex. The plan was to give it to my son on his 16th birthday in March of 2027. Friends told me it can take a while to get one. Out of the blue I got a call this weekend. The watch arrived Friday afternoon. Am I crazy to give it to him for his 15th birthday?

Rolex screams parvenu, my dear, but you are free to do whatever you want. Your son probably relies on his phone, but if HE wants a watch, and of the Rolex type, why not? Maybe you should ask him first.

I’m certainly not buying him a Nautilus or Royal Oak. His group of friends have all developed an interest in mechanical watches suddenly.

His friends have the interest but does he have an interest? I’ll play along, on the chance this post is real. My kids wouldn’t want this so I say no. They would want a car.

I’m not opposed to expensive gifts if you can afford them. We bought our oldest a car and will buy our second kid one at 16. We would never spend thousands on a watch.

He’ll get a car when he gets his license. I’m talking about a birthday gift specifically.

You didn’t answer my question. Does he want this? Does he actually want a Rolex? If he does, get it. If he doesn’t and won’t appreciate it, you are wasting your money. We could afford it but my teen would prefer a pizza than a Rolex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lame gift. Must be new money

This.
My kids attend a DC private with the kids of ridiculously wealth and influential families and this kind of thing would be the kiss of death socially, done by a kid who is trying to buy friends but is oblivious to how to get them and is perennially on the outside.

No, it wouldn't, lol. You don't know what you are talking about.

Would anyone be impressed by it? Probably not. Social "kiss of death"? No. Nobody would care that his parents got him a Rolex and he likes it.

No, I do. It would not be cool.

"Not cool" is not the same thing as "kiss of death socially." No one would care that his parents bought him an expensive watch.