When a person buys a Rolex, it only stands to reason that they’d like to have the watch along with its papers and the box that it was placed in when it was made available for sale by the manufacturer. After all, anyone who is going to hand over the money to buy a Rolex is probably going to want to have the full set as opposed to getting only a watch. By the same token, you can sell a full set for a lot more money than you’ll likely get from selling the watch alone, typically as much as 10% more. While a lot of people are more interested in the watches themselves, some have a heartfelt affinity for the boxes. If this describes your relationship with Rolex, you might be interested to find out how the boxes have changed throughout the years. Fortunately, all you have to do is keep reading.
The Early Years
Up until the 1980s, Rolex was as uniform in their boxes as they are in the fine construction of their timepieces. Up until that time, the watch boxes were virtually unchanged for years and years. They were made of wood, covered in green leather and they featured a green velvet interior. That was simply the way it was each and every time, right up until Rolex made the decision that they needed to start changing things up a little bit. After all, the 1980s were indeed a time of change. Ultimately, Rolex wanted to ensure that they were part of that culture as opposed to refusing to change and then getting left behind. As a result, they started making some aesthetic changes to their watch boxes in hopes of being seen as a more progressive and flexible company. As the 1980s progressed, Rolex again made a change, replacing the green velvet on the interior with a beige color. Starting in 1990, things really got interesting. Rolex started making boxes that were specific to gender. Men’s watches were still placed in the green boxes with a beige interior, but women’s watches were placed in a wooden box covered in red leather. The interior of these boxes was also made from red velvet. This was a trend that Rolex continued to use all the way up until 2005 when both boxes were discontinued seemingly overnight. At that time, Rolex decided to make another major change and adopted what they now call The Green Wave box. Instead of using gender-specific boxes, they have a series of three different boxes that they use which vary in size, depending on the size of the watch itself. As you can tell from the name, Green Wave, the exterior of the box still remains largely unchanged from the original Rolex boxes, at least as far as the color is concerned. However, the interior is now covered in a pistachio-colored velvet. The smallest boxes are used for their stainless steel watches while the next size up is reserved for all of their two-tone products. If you purchase a gold Rolex watch, it will arrive in the largest box. Last but not least, special watches made by the company, often those limited in number, come in boxes with a dark green interior.
It’s Not Only About the Box
If you think that getting your hands on a Rolex box is only about having the box sitting around collecting dust, think again. It’s a part of Rolex history. More importantly than that, it contains extremely important information that’s vital to the care of your watch. In the box, you can find papers that cover the care of the watch. There are also papers that authenticate your Rolex watch and those which give you information about the warranty that Rolex provides on all of its products. Last but certainly not least, most of the boxes also contain a bezel protector. Some of them contain additional accessories that are very specific to the watch in question so that you can provide the best care possible for that particular product. Without the box, you don’t have all of these accessories, nor do you have the papers. It’s important to remember that the documentation is vital, especially when you consider the fact that there are some very good imitations of Rolex watches out there that can fool you into thinking you have purchased a genuine Rolex unless you are specially trained to recognize the differences. Obviously, no one wants to get taken. Having the box and the accompanying documentation get you one step closer to knowing that you’re spending your money on a bonafide Rolex and not some cheap imitation.
Don’t Fall for Fake Boxes
Unfortunately, people that are inclined to sell you a fake Rolex watch will even go to the trouble of creating a fake box in an attempt to fool you. As a result, there are things that you need to look for in order to minimize the chances that you’re purchasing something that isn’t what you believe it to be. For starters, the color on a Rolex box is very specific. The fake ones have a tendency to get the color wrong, often with the shade of green being a couple of shades darker than it would be on an authentic Rolex box. The same thing can be said for the color of the interior. That’s why it’s so important to know when the watch was manufactured, as the interior of these boxes has changed over the years. Another thing to look for is the Rolex name itself. Depending on which year the watch was manufactured, the name will appear in various locations. Make sure that it’s in the correct location for the watch that you are purchasing. As you can see, there is quite a lot that goes into manufacturing a Rolex watch. When you’re purchasing a brand new watch directly from the company, you don’t have to worry about whether or not it’s authentic. Purchasing a used watch is a different subject matter entirely. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to not only the watch itself, but also the box. At the end of the day, you can rest assured that you’re getting an authentic Rolex timepiece and you have a beautiful box that you can display to go with it.
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