Wearing A Rolex as an intern
Hey guys,
23 yo coverage intern in a French bank (think BNP, SG, CACIB, Natixis) in Paris and wearing a 126334 Datejust on a daily basis, also an incoming m&a intern. Coming from a non-wealthy family, I truly don't know what image I am giving off. To be fair, before buying it last summer, I had never seen one or had one in my own hands.
Long story short, my dad died when I was twelve and I received money from insurance and a lawsuit. I do not invest this money because I need it to pay for my tuition fees, my housing, and daily expenses. Still, I love watches and I have been following the market since 2015. I do not see my watch as an investment but I know that it keeps its value and I can sell it fast if needed, so I thought it was no stupider than keeping my money in a bank account and bought it.
That being said, I do not wear my watch to show off and I know that I am probably the poorest dude in the bank. I just love it, I think it's the perfect watch for many reasons (ex-aequo with the Casio fw91) and I wear it everyday and love to have it on my wrist. It is also a big motivation factor because I know that I don't "financially deserve" it, so I have to work hard to be one day able to deserve it.
But I am not 100% comfortable wearing it at work, I always make sure it is hidden under my shirt sleeve (especially when talking to a senior banker, md or vp), and I just put it in my pocket when I have interviews. So far I only had positive interactions at work, other enthusiasts who tell me I have a beautiful watch and sometimes asking if my father bought it for a birthday (which I just answer yes).
So my question is, should I just leave it at home to avoid looking like a pretentious daddy's boy ? Can it make you look bad as a trainee? Or maybe nobody cares and I am just overthinking.
Also, first time posting here so please let me know if I am doing something incorrectly. :)
When I was an intern, another intern would wear a Rolex. Nobody cared. I wore some nondescript Hermes too.
That said, the risk/reward matrix here is highly tilted toward high risk, low reward.
I'm not reading an entire wall of context of how you have low enough EQ to even ask that question.
Salty 🧂
it’s not that deep bro
so why'd you write a novel about it
Wearing a watch around you bought with your dads life insurance money if you’re not already wealthy is the real mistake here
- retail price ~10ke, resell price currently ~13.5ke (+25%)
- french inflation 2022 was 5.9%, Livret A was 3.15%.
Not my question though but thanks
That’s if you keep it in a safe — wearing it as your daily and all it takes is one drunk night out or one slick guy on the subway and your return is at -100%
But you didn’t buy it as an investment. You bought in hopes of impressing people at work but are now worried they think you’re a tool.
Good to be concerned about that.
The fact that you had to type this much to justify wearing a Rolex as an intern should be enough of an answer
Sorry your father passed when you were young, and if this your way to grieve who am I to judge. But don’t think it’s worth the risk wearing to the office
Thank you very much for your answer. You must be right. I had my doubts indeed, but considering that all my colleagues wear JLC, Rolex, Patek or Audemars I thought maybe they don't care and it's not abnormal (90% of them come from very wealthy families, a world I know nothing about obviously).
The thought process I typically abide by: if you have to ask, the answer is clear.
That’s definitely not true for someone who’s an intent or new to the industry in general.
I don’t see what the big deal is. If it was a $40k watch I could understand. But $10-15k watch that’s frequently passed down or bought as a present from parents . . people would have to be really weird to judge you for it.
Just do it and don't talk about it. You think everyone is going to care and be looking at you when in reality, nobody gives a fuck about you or what you're wearing.
Nobody cares
Wear what you want. You are not being pretentious.
You are wearing it for you. People will respect that
Most people I know who wear Rolex inherited them from a family member. I’d guess most people would assume that. No need to explain.
If someone bothers you about it just say you were in NYC on Canal St. and bought it from a street vendor.
Didn't even read the topic. A Rolex isn't as important as you probably think it is OP. Wear what you please.
You work in M&A and had the time to write this long post over a Rolex?!
Regardless, people wear expensive items in France and other wealthy socialist countries. I don’t think anyone cares, as long as you don’t go around flaunting. In any case, watches are out of fashion, but who am I to know!
However, its always better to stay under the radar in higher paid professions- you don’t want to be a honey pot for jealousy, inequality etc. for no reason. You can impress the person you like (Bf, Gf, wife, husband etc), but there is no gain in doing these things at work!
Ofc, if you have sales responsibilities or client events, you want to match the desired image, and that may involve expensive suits, decent cars etc….depends.
I second this. No one really cares what you wear unless you go around flaunting. You are just thinking too much.
Maybe it’s different in Europe, but I wouldn’t wear one in the US. I personally wouldn’t care and I’d probably like the person for wearing it because I could talk to them about my own collection. With that said however, some people came from less fortunate backgrounds and might dislike you because of it out of jealousy. Wear it casually outside of the office or maybe just wait until you start your analyst stint. Even now I probably wouldn’t wear my Vacheron or AP as an analyst, just in case it had an inverse impact. Same reason I didn’t wear my expensive suits or watches as an SA, just wanted to play it safe. Ultimately up to you, equally good argument the other way around to not care what other people think and be yourself.
No one will think twice about it. Other than other interns and maybe first year analysts, everyone you work with has the ability to buy a $10k watch - if they don’t have one it’s because they prioritize other things. Don’t be flashy and don’t talk about it and you’ll be fine
No one will think twice about it. Other than other interns and maybe first year analysts, everyone you work with has the ability to buy a $10k watch - if they don’t have one it’s because they prioritize other things. Don’t be flashy and don’t talk about it and you’ll be fine
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