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Luxury watches can be the most significant investment of your life, so getting the best one out there is crucial. One watch can meet all your needs if chosen carefully. There is no doubt that Rolex is the brand that is on everyone’s list of great luxury watches, but so is IWC.
This IWC vs. Rolex contest will compare both brands from many different angles to provide you with the clearest perspective.
There are various categories for determining what makes a luxury watch truly a luxurious timepiece worth the hype and price point. This article is designed to guide you in your journey of buying the best luxury watch out there.
When it comes to deciding which brand out of the two is better, we can compare them for the following aspects:
- Brand Prestige
- Warranty
- Durability
- Resale Value
- Price points
- Accuracy
- Complicated Watches
Let’s tackle each topic while comparing both brands face to face.
Which Has a Better Warranty?
Warranty is an essential thing to look into before buying a watch. Look for the brand that offers a long-term warranty service. This means that if any mishap were to occur in the watch, the company would take care of it. The company will cover the repairs and handle every process themselves. With this in mind, a warranty is one of the first things you must look into before purchasing a luxury timepiece.
In terms of IWC vs. Rolex, Rolex has recently announced that they have upped their watches’ warranty period to five years. Rolex has the most reliable and trustworthy warranty service in the entire realm of watch brands.
Wherever you go to ask anyone, they will say that Rolex has the best warranty services in business to date. Rolex’s period between services is up to 10 years, which has stood the highest for a long time until recently.
IWC announced in 2019 that they had extended their warranty period for their watches up to two to eight years. This is when you register for IWC’s international limited warranty online in the MY IWC Program. If you have purchased any watch from IWC in the last two years, this applies to them as well.
Both brands come neck and neck in this category, but Rolex is remarkably much more reliable and well respected in this regard.
Craftsmanship
Both of these brands are exceptional at delivering masterpieces in their field. Their gorgeous mechanical watches are an emblem of their hard work and progress throughout their journey. When it comes to showing off the watches’ design and aesthetics, IWC is at the front.
With their transparent case backs, they allow you to see the genius working of the machinery that is inside the watch. Rolex, keeping it classic, uses only solid case backs on their watches. They have excellent calibers, though, which makes up for not being able to see the intricacies of the watch.
We will now discuss why Rolex comes out as a winner over here. It is all in the accuracy of their watches. They build exceptionally accurate watches that are also highly durable. We cannot say this same thing about IWC.
IWC caters more towards the phenomenon of making the watches instead of providing world-class accuracy. Therefore, Rolex is much more recognizable on those wearing it and is much more efficient in terms of quality.
Let’s also keep in mind that Rolex is remarkably known and respected for building their own calibers for their watches. On the other hand, IWC uses the ones constructed by some third party company and then installs them into their watches.
Honestly, this makes a significant impact in terms of quality and marketing. People love a brand that works by themselves to create for the public. IWC watches are still amazing as they utilize in-house built calibers but are still not on par with Rolex exactly.
Resale Value
A single factor does not determine resale value. It can be the brand, the watch’s condition, original documentation, warranty period, and the watch model that defines the resale value.
That said, If you are buying a Rolex, consider yourself in the safest of waters in the realm of resale value. Their marketing has proved for them to be makers of the highest resale value watches.
IWC also has a good resale value, considering they are still a luxury watch brand. They do list higher than some other brands, but in terms of IWC vs. Rolex, Rolex wins.
Price Points
IWC is your friend if you do not wish to spend a ton of money on the first watch you are buying. However, Rolex is renowned and has produced watches that are always proven to be worth every single penny. So perhaps this all comes down to you.
An entry-level Rolex watch is bound to cost you a whopping 150% more than the most expensive IWC watch every will. The Rolex iconic Submariner costs double the amount of the most inexpensive IWC watch to date.
Now you decide if you want an affordable watch or a more expensive exceptional watch. This is definitely on personal preference, but it is a fact that Rolex is highly expensive. It is one of the most expensive luxury watch brands on the market, but it is worth it.
Brand Prestige
The recognition a brand gets is solely down to advertising, quality, and public affection for the products. In this case, Rolex wins yet again due to its higher chances of being recognized than IWC.
As a result of this difference, Rolex is at the top of the game internationally as it is more highly recognized than IWC. IWC does not come anywhere close to Rolex in terms of popularity.
An agency that determines the most valuable watch brands, the Interbrand, has declared Rolex the most valuable watchmaker in the world. Rolex also takes the #1 position as the world’s most recognized luxury watch brand. In contrast, IWC is at the #9 position in this list of the most recognized Swiss luxury watchmakers.
It would not be a stretch to say that you should wear Rolex if you want to impress anyone in this world. Why? It is not that everyone will understand the genius behind the timepiece. But rather, people’s perception is fixated because Rolex is the best and most luxurious watch brand. It is true though that Rolex has worked on perfecting their watches as well. As a result, they have come out as the best of the best.
Durability and Accuracy
Rolex shines in this category. Their many models, such as Submariner, Deepsea, and Explorer, are just magnificent. They test their watches against their new models to make the best. This is not the case for IWC.
You must have heard about COSC certification that accounts for the accuracy of the watch. You will now get to know about the Superlative Chronometer designation that makes Rolex watches around 250% more accurate and precise than any watch with COSC certification.
In the end, we conclude that even though IWC makes more watches that have many features and are complicated, this one factor cannot outshine all that Rolex is giving you. Rolex will make you shine the brightest and never fail you in any category of quality, functionality, or design. It is truly the best luxury watch brand for beginners and collectors and the winner of the IWC vs. Rolex showdown.
