So Rolex has been pissing off watchmakers for the past six months by basically denying Rolex parts to authorized repair centers, in some cases abruptly ending relationships with 20- and 30-year histories. This is because Rolex is consolidating their repair into authorized service centers.
This move is effectively an extension of that - mod your Rolex and it's no longer a Rolex and nobody can fix it for you because nobody can get parts. Rolex, after all, has stated that a Rolex with one non-Rolex part is not a Rolex.
Rolex says that its watches “are known to retain and/or increase in value [after purchase],” making the purchase of a new or “a pre-owned/vintage Rolex watch highly regarded in the watch industry as a smart and reliable investment”. I wouldn't say reliable investment, it depends. But sure Rolex is made of expensive materials, and I think that's why when you sell even an old one, it still be considered very valuable.
Rolexes are largely brass and steel. The ones that are commanding the highest premium over list right now are the steel sports watches; nobody is paying through the nose for the gold models. And from a horological perspective, Rolex is considered a "designer" product, in that it's not a low-end ("fashion") watch like a Tissot or a Shinola but it's also not a high-end ("luxury") watch like a Patek or an Audemars. I changed bands on a Gauthier last summer that costs fifteen times as much as any GMT Master you care to buy and that Richard MIlle that Odell Beckham wore on the field is mostly carbon fiber. Rolexes are valuable (within their channel) because they have brand recognition. They're 70% of the mechanical watch market. And they have brand recognition because they make a reliable, identifiable product. What they're doing here is definitely in their best interests from that perspective, but it's likely to bite them in the ass in the long term. They used to be a much more innovative company but they've been stuck making basically one watch that isn't expensive enough to rest on their laurels.
ahhh... but if you bought a used Ford Bronco, you would expect any mechanic to be able to work on it, and expect any mechanic to buy parts from Ford to do so. That is not the situation with watches - it is legally identical, but with Rolex the equivalent is - no one but Ford dealerships can buy parts - any non-Ford part in your Ford causes it to no longer be a Ford in Ford's eyes - Ford will refuse to work on anything but Fords In other words, buy windshield wipers at Autozone and and the minute you need an engine part, your Bronco is spare parts. This analogy was made fresh this morning by the managing director of Cousins UK. By the way, your Ford dealer would be delighted to work on your tricked-out Bronco. They just won't honor a warranty that's been voided. Since most of the "Broncos" we're discussing here are years and/or decades out of warranty it's a moot point.