You know we’re living in strange times when someone is willing to destroy the value of his Rolex watch as a silent protest.
That man is a Danish watch journalist and photographer, Kristian Haagen. A regular on the watch press circuit and collector of many fine watches. In 2018 after the GMT’s release, Kristian, like any good man, took the plunge and joined the waiting list to acquire the watch.
Joining a waiting list to buy a new $12,000 Rolex? Sounds insane (and it is) but demand is higher than ever yet Rolex’s supply is well… let’s just say limited. This means the resale “grey” market is hot for those who want to make a buck and those willing to pay up to $25,000 to skip the 3-year waiting list.
Fast forward to this week and Kristian has taken drastic measures to let his 110,000 Instagram followers know that his Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Pepsi’ is definitely not for sale. Kristian has engraved the words ‘NOT FOR SALE’ on the back of the watch. His latest video shows off this crazy stunt and yes, some will say it’s Photoshop but it’s not.
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Yes, I have “Not for sale” engraved on my GMT-Master. No, it is not Photoshop.
We reached out this Kristian to get his take on the tragic turn of events, “Because of the flippin’ flu of the secondary watch market aka ‘grey market’. Sad to see so many watches being flipped right after purchase. So basically it is a reaction to the crazy market we see on the steel sports Rolex’s these days.”
Haagen has a nostalgic soft spot for this watch, “Also, I really love this watch. Wear it a lot. I also have a 1968 Rolex Pepsi, so a great couple with 50 years between them.”
Kristian’s engraving antics don’t stop there. Kristian tells us, ‘On my daughters Rolex case back it reads: If you trade this watch for hash make sure you get at least a kilo. Love Dad.’
This silent protest is surely going to raise a few eyebrows at Rolex and amongst watch enthusiasts all over the world. Head over to Kristian’s Instagram page to check out more of this collection and watches from around the world.