A new report from Brand Finance, the leading valuation consultancy, has placed Rolex amongst the world’s most valuable luxury brands, alongside the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, Hermès, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The only Swiss watch brand to make the top 10, Brand Finance’s findings may not come as a huge surprise, but nonetheless serve to reinforce the fact that Rolex is more popular and powerful than ever.
Just look to your TV screen for evidence of this incontrovertible truth. Several of the most popular recent TV series have used Rolex watches to indicate the status, taste, wealth and aspirations of leading characters. These include ensemble tour-de-force The White Lotus; Your Friends and Neighbors starring Mad Men’s Jon Hamm; MobLand starring former 007 Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy; and The Gentlemen, based on the hit movie The Gentleman starring Matthew McConaughey directed by Guy Ritchie.
Prime Time Prestige: Rolex on TV
For MobLand, also from Guy Ritchie and set in his favorite milieu of the London underworld, the series’ costume designer Rebecca Hale chose a Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN in solid 18k yellow gold with a black dial and matching black ceramic bezel for Tom Hardy’s character, fixer Harry Da Souza, as his one marker of success and ambition. “The watch needed to be versatile yet understated – a sign of ranking in an otherwise minimal wardrobe,” she has said.
In Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, Max Beesley’s character Henry Collins, a boxing promoter and money launderer, can be spotted wearing both a yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date, followed by a Rolex Daytona 16528 in solid gold as his character’s stature increases. As this is not a current model it also adds a bit more depth to the character and shows an appreciation for the finer things in life, not just the newest and shiniest.
In Your Friends & Neighbors, the hit show from Apple TV+, Jon Hamm plays Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a disgraced financier who steals luxury goods when he loses his big job at a hedge fund. In the pilot episode Hamm wears a classic Rolex Datejust 36mm in gold and steel; though later episodes show this to be one of the more understated timepieces in the series, as Cooper goes on to pilfer a Patek Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak among other items.
And last but not least, in season 3 of The White Lotus, the Saxon Ratliff character played by Patrick Schwarzenegger wears a discontinued Rolex Milgauss 116400GV, while his father Timothy Ratliff, played by Jason Isaacs, sports a Rolex Day-Date 228238 in 18k yellow gold with a black baguette-diamond dial. Meanwhile, the incomparable Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett wears a Rolex Datejust 116234 in steel and white gold on a subtle black alligator-grain leather strap.
Rolex Beyond the Screen
The consistent presence of Rolex in popular television series underscores the watchmaker’s iconic role as a cultural benchmark of success and sophistication. Whether it’s a subtle marker of ambition in MobLand, a testament to refined taste in The Gentlemen, or a visual cue of evolving status in Your Friends & Neighbors and The White Lotus, Rolex watches consistently communicate nuanced layers of character depth and aspiration.
This continued prominence on prime time not only highlights Rolex’s desirability but also fuels interest in acquiring these coveted timepieces off-screen. For enthusiasts looking to invest in their own slice of Rolex prestige, reputable dealers like Bob’s Watches offer an extensive selection of pre-owned Rolex watches for sale, bringing these symbols of ambition and achievement within reach. As audiences tune in, they witness firsthand the enduring power of Rolex—more than just a luxury accessory, it’s become integral to narratives of ambition, identity, and success today.
