The Vienna Philharmonic Rolex – with added women

The Vienna Philharmonic Rolex – with added women

News

norman lebrecht

January 07, 2024

This is not a hoax.

It is not even AI.

It’s an ad for the limited edition 2024 Vienna Philharmonic Rolex watch.

Read this:

In celebration of its exclusive partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Rolex has unveiled a new limited edition 36mm Day-Date watch. The partnership, which has been in place since 2008, has now been commemorated with this special timepiece, coinciding with the orchestra’s annual New Year’s concert.

The best is yet to come.

The design of the watch draws its inspiration from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and is made of 18-carat gold. The standout feature of the watch is its hand-made dial, which showcases violin and scroll decorative patterns created with filled enamel and etched directly onto the gold base. The patterns are then hand-colored in various shades of green, adding to the watch’s elegance and uniqueness.

Yes. Blah-blah-blah. But here’s the clincher:

The unveiling of the 36mm Day-Date watch was met with excitement from performers and guests at the New Year’s concert, with pianist Yuja Wang and vocalist Cecilia Bartoli among those who got their hands on the special edition timepiece.

Now you know you want one. Right?

While specific sales information for the watch has not yet been released, interested readers are encouraged to reach out to their local Rolex dealers for more information on how to acquire the limited edition timepiece.

Would you ever?

Comments

  • Sue Sonata Form says:

    “It tells the time; see how it works; sheer magic isn’t it?”

    “I hope this dangerous device will never be allowed into the hands of the people”;

    “Dangerous?”

    “Yes, if people once begin to know the time they will no longer call it the King of Time, they will want to know how time is spent”;

    “You’re right; oh, the people must never know”.

    (‘The Thief of Bagdad’, Alexander Korda, 1940)

  • Larry W says:

    While it’s difficult to find a price, other comparable gold Rolex watches go for €43,600 0r about $47,600. Being a special limited edition it could fetch more. Better hurry!

    • Sue Sonata Form says:

      I would absolutely love one but, alas, there are more pressing things on the agenda. I just brought my spouse a Longines as I couldn’t afford a Rolex.

  • Couperin says:

    Not gonna lie, I like green and I like the watch-face.

  • Neil Kirby says:

    Like all special edition Rolexes, I suspect it will become collectable and therefore increase in value, whatever one thinks of the design.

  • Kermita M. says:

    I fail to see the issue here. To me, this suggests that both Yuja Wang and Cecilia Bartoli were performing in the New Year’s concert. Yuja was (is?) a Rolex brand ambassador. So what’s the problem?

  • Jonathan says:

    I don’t understand your issue with this. They are selling a watch. And? At least they aren’t making comments about Yuja Wang’s dress sense.

  • Petey says:

    Any stick will do to beat a dog.
    So what ? “Orchestra sells pricey merchandise” is not so exciting, but thats all it is.

  • Barry says:

    My not-so-limited edition watch keeps perfect time and is dedicated to the beautiful municipality southwest of Bologna, Castel di Casio.

    It cost £15.

  • Wilkes says:

    Rolex and their special editions are highly sought after and demand hugely outstrips supply in a way that the classical music industry can only dream about. It should be an honour to be commemorated by this company.
    So why the snarky tone of this article?
    Probably because it is based on lack of understanding, parochialism and ignorance.
    But judging by other content is that such a surprise?

  • Neil Kirby says:

    My understanding is that this limited edition watch is unlikely to go on general sale and probably will only be available to ‘special customers’; many of Rolexes stock watches have long waiting lists at approved dealers, anyway.

  • John Kelly says:

    The Austrian Mint gold coins are known as “Philharmonikers” and similarly celebrate the orchestra. It’s a musical equivalent of a Krugerrand or a US gold coin. May not be as good an investment as these watches however….

  • freddynyc says:

    How did Yuja become a Rolex ambassador? I realize she’s very talented but don’t associate her with having class……

    • John Kelly says:

      Since when was Rolex synonymous with “class?” Half the guys at my poker game in the Bronx have (genuine) Rolexes. Breguet and Audemars are “class”………

  • Time for a break says:

    The Chinese are probably working on a “homage” version of this watch while I’m writing this. Soon, everybody in Vienna will have one of these.

  • the Piano Whisperer says:

    First the watch: the instrument designs look like they’re cut and pasted from cheesy icons. I’d also like to point out that string instruments are brown, not Kelly or lime green for goodness sake. Okay, okay yes, green is the color of money. Yeah.
    Regarding Wang and Bertoli; who cares?

  • Nicky Sim says:

    Expensive watches are a scam

  • Nick2 says:

    Chopard has made some lovely limited edition Carreras watches with profits going to the Carreras Charitable Foundation which has raised well over €200 million for leukaemia research. I have never been a fan of Rolex watches and would never consider wearing this Vienna Phil one. But another reason for avoiding limited edition watches is that the requirement for regular maintenance can be quite costly. Re Yuja Wang and Cecilia Bartoli, I’d be very surprised if they had not been given complimentary ones.

  • GGV says:

    36mm is too small for me.

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