After teddy bears, corporate calendars and chocolates with flowers, watches take their place of honor in the list of the most popular gifts. Give a choice and bears with tulips will fade into the background, because who will refuse such a valuable, wonderful and necessary item as a good watch, and even when it's free.
Watches have been given as a token of appreciation for merit since the time the clock was invented. Merits, of course, are different, but let's focus on the recognition of labor, that is, for a job well done. I remember that the publishing house where I once worked gave all employees, upon reaching 10 years of experience, a watch with a company logo - I don’t remember which one, a simple mass-produced product, the price of which was a penny, but this gift was of great value, especially for donee. You walk around the office, you see a watch with a recognizable picture on a person’s hand, and you immediately understand what is valued in your organization, that he/she has more experience in surviving in a corporate environment, and it would be necessary to learn a difficult skill.
Older people should remember the original independent US presidential candidate, billionaire Ross Perot. In 1992, running "on a par" with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Perot garnered 19% of the vote, a feat not seen for a non-Democrat and non-Republican since Theodore Roosevelt (1912 election). I remember him here because in the company of his son, Ross Perot Jr., it was customary to give Rolex as a gift.
Here is how Pero Jr. himself said about it: “In our teams that do an excellent job, there is a tradition of giving Rolex watches as gifts. If you see a manager with a Rolex on his wrist, this is a kind of medal of honor, recognition of high merit.
I don’t know if Pero-candidate had such a tradition in business projects, but it wasn’t his son who invented this, agree?
Rolex as a gift is a popular thing. For example, the well-known Hollywood film actor Keanu Reeves, at the end of the filming of the next John Wick, presented the entire group of Submariner stuntmen with an engraving corresponding to the occasion, in gratitude for a job well done. Steve Carell, whom everyone knows from the TV series The Morning Show and The Office, completing the shooting of the latter, also presented his colleagues in the workshop with Rolex watches and, they say, also Submariner, for a pleasant collaboration. So now you know why you can’t find such watches on the shelves of your favorite dealer, and they ask speculators for them more than gold. Blame Hollywood. America, that is.
Rolex, by the way, was also preferred by the Kardashian family when, filming the last episode of the 20th season of their reality show, they significantly impressed the participants in the filming process with their generous farewell gift. According to rumors, more than $300 was spent, in total 000 hours were handed over - not a bad end to the working day!
By the way, this is not the largest amount that has been spent on Rolex for the workforce. If professional basketball is considered work, and players are workers, then one such worker, John Wall, point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team, spent more than half a million dollars in 2017 on gold Rolex Day-Date, which he handed over to all members of the team . There are 15 players in the team, including Wall himself.
We continue. What other models can not buy a mere mortal? Of course, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. A couple of years ago, popular performer Bruno Mars expressed his gratitude to his bandmates, again for fruitful joint creative activity, by presenting each of them with an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo gold watch. The retail price of one piece at that time was $55. Number of pieces - 400.
On the occasion of the birthdays of the former President of Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev, watches from such brands as IWC and Baume & Mercier were presented as a gift in different years. Usually, on the contrary, gifts are brought to you if you have a holiday, but here the east is a delicate matter ...
Seriously. Suppose, albeit in difficult times, you want to reward employees for good work, celebrate joint successes, but not get off with certificates of honor, calendars and drinking something inexpensive, but on the contrary, leave a good impression about yourself. A watch as a corporate gift is a brilliant idea. Let's assume that you are willing to spend up to 2000 euros on anyone who is worthy. A good amount, especially since with a large order you can count on a discount, that is, the cost of watches “at the price list” will be more than the indicated limit. You, as a knowledgeable person, want a mechanical winding, a classic look (to suit everyone), an understandable brand. What is available, what to look for?
I, do not judge strictly, for some reason immediately liked Armand Nicolet, M02 collection for this purpose. The dial is black and decorated with engraving, so the logo cannot be placed, but you can make a commemorative engraving on the back of the case, around the perimeter of the transparent back cover. Of course, you can decorate the self-winding rotor with a branded engraving, but this will greatly complicate the process, and it’s better to order this in advance so that the manufacturer does it himself, according to your sketch.
Since we started talking about logos. Colleagues sent a link to a foreign material, where they paid attention to the topic of the collection value of watches with the logo of a third-party company. It's not about Patek Philippe with the inscriptions Tiffany & Co or Cartier (yes, there is such a copy, with the functions of a chronograph and a perpetual calendar, on November 7 this unique sample will be sold in Geneva at Christie's auction, they think about $ 3 million to help out), but about the Rolex Air-King with the red and blue Domino's Pizza logo.
The founder of the company, Tom Moynahan, by his own admission, the article says, got into the habit of giving watches in 1977 - it all started with Bulova, as they say, from the hand, then it was “a few Seiko”, and then already “hundreds of Rolex. The recipients were franchise managers who carried out the plan set by the corporation. It's funny, but Rolex "with pizza", like other corporate watches, for a long time remained unnoticed by collectors, was downright hated by the community.
Everything changed when at Christie's in 2020 one such copy was sold for $ 20000, exceeding the wildest expectations by 4 times. The interest of collectors and those who simply want to earn money has grown proportionally - and in fact, quite recently it was difficult to get a couple of thousand for such a rarity.
