Watch Memes: Rolex Scarcity Edition

Look, sometimes when things make absolutely no sense, all you can do is laugh. It’s certainly better than crying. While neither of these responses will actually make buying a Rolex at retail any easier these days, at least laughing will help you be in a better mood whilst shaking your head wondering what the heck is going on with the Rolex “scarcity” phenomenon right now in 2021. So please enjoy this collection of fresh memes to ease the pain and to remember that at least, we are all in this together.

@Globalwatchmemes Instagram 

Ahh, my poor dignity! This watch meme posted by @globalwatchmemes on Instagram is all too real these days. If you’re a newbie to the hobby you might think that as long as you have the money in the bank, you can just walk in any Rolex Authorized Dealer and just get your watch that day. You might also think you can just “order” one to be delivered to the store and get it in a week or so. This idea would make perfect sense with most traditional products on the market, but unfortunately with Rolex you would be absolutely dead wrong. Yep, not that easy anymore. Us, “OG” folks remember the days when this was possible, but it seems those days have passed. Now you’re looking at heavy scarcity in cases and mile long waitlists for certain models. OG folks, do you think this is just a temporary phase? Or is this the “new normal?”

@Brodinkee Instagram 

Our buddy @Brodinkee is one of the top watch memers on the ‘gram and we always love his content! He captioned this meme with, “My bakery got a wait list for chocolate 😟.”  Oof, this is definitely one of those “laugh so you don’t cry” situations! The thing is that we love Rolex, but we aren’t affiliated with Rolex, so we personally have no idea if this is true or not, but man, at times, it sure feels this way doesn’t it? One of our writers even speculated that maybe social media had to do with the Rolex “shortage” but most of the comments definitely seemed to think that fair allocation was the real problem. Another one of our (very funny) favorites on Instagram, @watchgringa captioned this with “BAHAHHA! The conspiracy is REAL! 🙈”

@Brodinkee Instagram

Brodinkee strikes again with this meme. It’s so true though! His caption is particularly and painfully true as he writes, “I might still have the voicemail begging me to come take this ugly green sub off their hands.” Who else remembers these days with absolute regret?? Newbies wouldn’t believe that there was a time in which you could find cases full of Rolex Hulks that no one wanted to buy. And now you’d be hard pressed to find one for less than $20K. We just walked into an AD last week only to find a very small variety of steel sports models in 34mm or smaller, a handful of “ladies” Rolex watches and one gorgeous rose gold GMT Master II Rootbeer for around $38K. They did have a few nice Tudor Black Bay 58s and a Pelagos but other than that, the cases were pretty bare. The struggle is real, folks!

@watch.memes Instagram

Hahaha, this meme really strikes a chord, doesn’t it? I love the literal interpretation of all the things related to watch collecting that are “under the surface.” But all watch collectors know that once you decide to jump in, there’s no turning back. Guess we have to take the good with the bad, right? Still cracking up at “sausage parties.”

@watchmakermemes Instagram

Normally if you’re lucky enough to find an active genie lamp in the Cave of Wonders, there’s only 3 basic rules for you to follow: You can’t wish for more wishes, you can't make people fall in love with you, and can't bring anyone back from the dead. Pretty much everything else is up for grabs. Except in 2021, Genie had to come up with one more rule... “You can’t get moved to the top of the Rolex waitlist.” Hahaha, if Genie can’t do it, nobody can. It’s a whole new world out there, am I right?

There’s truth in jest, and sometimes the truth hurts. Yes, these are absolutely first world problems, but misery loves company and we are so glad to be able to share these woes with the best family in the world, the #watchfam. Maybe now is the season to cherish your current watches by displaying them in an Everest watch roll, or swapping out your steel bracelet for a quality custom fit rubber strap that will not only make your watch significantly more comfortable, but also keep that bracelet in mint condition as the value continues to skyrocket.