Asked not to wear a Rolex to work…

Foxtrot Oscar!!. Wear what you want. On a sort of similar note my daughter works Saturday and Sunday till 2 o,clock part time to suit having kids etc. She drives her husband's company car, a big 4x4 Mercedes thing I think it is. She jumped into it other week just after she'd finished as the MD was getting into his an older beat up number. She said he nearly crashed into her staring at her. Note I'm not slagging older cars, I used to drive old bangers myself.

No battery

However, it is more appropriate not to wear things a lot more expensive than your colleagues. I reckon one notch up looks commendably smart, but two or more notches higher will grate. Especially if people are being told "times are hard."

Same 😂 i care very little about these things but each to their own; everyone have different priorities with money

Ask HR if jewellery is covered by any policy that your firm has? If, as I suspect, there is no such policy, perhaps they could explain that this could be considered bullying and an apology from your manager would suffice on this occasion.

This! You need to challenge this, otherwise it could be a gateway to all kinds of crazy shit!

Sweet Jesus what on earth had the world come too? is redundancies due to the fact you have worn a watch for years ?
I wear my expensive jewellery to work all the time along with designer clothes - I love certain things and spend my hard earned money on them. we have redundancies going on at the mo too. but no one would tell me to stop wearing what I wear. some people with millions in their bank account wear charity shop clothes and drive bangers.

I don't even know what a Rolex looks like, so it wouldn't bother me if you were wearing one!

Absolutely nuts. Do you have to downgrade your handbag and shoes as well? No mulberries etc

As a side note my friend wears a Rolex. She is by no means rich or well off but her brother is and he bought it for her many years ago. I suspect if someone told her to stop wearing it she would tell them to stop being so silly..

Boom boom! 😅

I wouldn’t have said it but I would have thought it. In hard times I think it's sensible to be mindful of your privilege. Our former ceo equivalent used to come in in his top of the range merc. It used to piss me off. I'm glad the new one drives a Golf.

At work very few people know my dc went to some of the best schools in the UK and I do minimise how I dress at work. I'm one if the most senior people at the organisation and I prefer to blend. My jewellery is valuable but discreet. I have a nice watch but it isn't blingy. My car's five years old and I'd get an uber rather than drive in in DH's if it's in the garage.

I sort of see her point but wouldn’t have vocalised it.

No need for sarcasm

Years ago, I was a junior in a company going through redundancies, and every day senior management would turn up in expensive cars and suits and still be going out for lunch every day, in between holding meetings about which junior staff were out the door that week. It does lead to an atmosphere.

I've been through redundancy many times (unlucky I guess) and I had no idea what cars people drove, or how much their cars cost, or their clothes.

Seeing them go out to lunch, not sure that would have registered either - didnt for me, but if it had, I would have been cross with the company for paying for it.

I would tell her its that watch or your Patek Philippe which would she prefer you wore? Can't believe the cheek of the woman tbh!

Well tell her to shove her request where sun don’t shine , bloody cheek. And don’t worry about agreeing not to wear it ,you’ve changed your mind you didn’t sign a bloody contract to say you won’t wear it again. You just wear it and enjoy wearing it .Stuff her.

As you were, carry on wearing it. If she mentions it again, just say you've reflected on it and it's best to be true to yourself rather than adjust to what, as a well off person, you think less well off people would take issue with. Because that is deeply patronising to other people, who believed it or not, can cope with people wearing expensive gear if that's what they want to do.

Tell her it’s discriminatory and say no. Or just tell her it’s fake to have an easier life.

Yeah yeah we all got it.

Ooooh this would rile me up. I’d be so tempted to come in the office having ditched the Rolex but sporting an LV bag, Chanel suit, Hermes belt whilst arriving in a Ferrari. I would merrily bankrupt myself trying to wind her up.

I would strut through those office doors of a morning like fucking J-Lo with diamonds dripping from every orifice.

🤣 loved the person who asked is this a wind up meaning your joking about being asked not too wear it , but the owner of the watch said no it’s a Swiss precision battery obviously taking it as being asked is it a wind up watch. 🤣

At a law firm in Manchester a senior person rocked up in a flash new sports car, made several people redundant, and it was noticed. Of course they objected to the person who spent a huge bonus on a new car when that would have covered at least 3 or 4 people’s wages that they’d laid off. That was a mistake but a watch that’s been worn for years? I don’t see a problem with that but someone must have mentioned it.

You wearing a cheaper watch would do nothing to change the fact that there’s a cost of living crisis, that your company is having to make cutbacks and life is tough for a lot of people. Where are the boundaries here ? I’m on a low, fixed income and really struggling . Are my wealthier friends and family being insensitive for living in their own lovely homes , going on holidays I can never afford ? Should they sell up? Stop taking holidays or buying things I can’t buy, in case I feel in any way lesser or more disadvantaged? unless they did some of those things and then passed on the money to me,it makes no difference to my circumstances. They don’t rub their nicer lifestyles in my face, just as I’m sure you don’t draw attention to your beautiful watch . This should be challenged I think. Tell them it’s not happening “on your watch” 🫣

Let’s say you stop wearing it.

The people who notice what watch you wear will either

Wonder why you have bought a new watch (spending money on something unnecessary) - if they hadn’t recognised it as a Rolex

or

Wonder if you have sold it because you needed the money, because the company’s financial situation is worse than they thought - if they had.

Lose, lose.

I see what you did there. Funny

Perhaps she's not the right fit for your firm...
As others have said, of course, in a senior legal position you have a few nice things. If she knew how much your clothes cost would she ask you to wear trackies from Tesco?
When I need legal advice, I expect the solicitor/barrister to have a bit of bling - like @MzHz observes, it's proof of success.

And make sure it's well over £10k!