Asked not to wear a Rolex to work…

[Hydrangeajp]

I've been with my current company for several years in a senior legal role, managing a team. The company's struggling lately - redundancies, pay freezes, and bonus cuts. My own manager recently left, and their replacement (board level), joined last week. After a positive initial face-to-face meet, she scheduled a meeting later that week about the Rolex watch she noticed me wearing into the office.

She told me it was inappropriate and insensitive, given both my seniority and the company’s current situation, and ultimately requested that I stop wearing it to work. She essentially said that "most senior staff already know to avoid wearing expensive, flashy items to work”.

I’ve had this watch for years and wear it daily. I’ve never given it any thought and would think most people wouldn’t even notice it's a Rolex. Am I the completely deluded and inappropriate one here? I was so taken aback and put on the spot that I simply agreed not to wear it, but since then I can't stop thinking I should’ve stood my ground (not because I’m desperate to wear the watch, rather, the whole ask felt excessive and inappropriate?) WWYD? I’d really appreciate an honest outsider’s perspective.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😂😂😂

Certainly not. And I have loads of stuff from various supermarkets, because not only is Armani out of my price range, I have to put money aside for things from M&S. But the point I was making was that suits can be had very cheaply from George, but would you expect corporates lawyers to turn out in them? What would be the point?

Turn up late to the next meeting and say you didn't know the time 😉

😅

😂😂😂

I think the request is totally out of order.

This is a piece of jewellery. Nobody actually needs jewellery - and so it’s not like you’re gorging on a roast dinner in front of starving employees. You are just wearing something you own and want to wear and it has no impact on anyone else.

i don’t own a watch. I would have no issue with someone wearing a Rolex. I wouldn’t be able to tell a Rolex from an Argos cheapie though. But even if I knew it was a Rolex, I still would have no issue. This woman has disappeared up her own arse - imagine goign into a new job and telling someone they can’t wear their watch. I think she’ll turn out to be a very difficult person.

It would be funny if OP went in without the Rolex and someone sent an anonymous e-mail to HR saying "I see Hydrangeajp came in without her nice watch today, is this some crass attempt by upper management to pretend we're all in this together?"

Well someone obviously has otherwise the OP would not have been called for a meeting.

No. This is only evidence that the manager has notice it. because she's a watch watcher and coveting it. That's my point - only those people who know about watches and are jealous watch watchers would notice. your average colleague won't even look any more than you could tell me what colour trousers Mrs Jones in accounts was wearing yesterday.

Rolex must be one of the most recognisable watch brands apart from Casio, maybe.

Unless there's a dress code that says no watches, I'd keep wearing it, it would be like them telling you not to turn up in a BMW when other staff only drive a Ford

I find the idea that only a tiny obsessive number of people can tell when someone is wearing a stonkingly expensive watch quite funny. If no one could tell that you had a very expensive watch on Rolex would sell an awful lot fewer of them. Unfortunately it is often a lot more obvious on a woman than a man because men tend to always wear full sleeves in business wear and women often don't.

It is one of those strange MN quirks that so many posters insist that they are terribly unobservant and never notice ANYTHING about ANYONE. I was once on a thread where a very worrying number of posters swore blind that they had never noticed that UK cars have different coloured licence plates on the front and the back 😳

They were probably confused by calling them "licence" plates, to be fair.

It is one of those strange MN quirks that so many posters insist that they are terribly unobservant and never notice ANYTHING about ANYONE. I was once on a thread where a very worrying number of posters swore blind that they had never noticed that UK cars have different coloured licence plates on the front and the back

Most people aren't very observant though - and it's more about not paying attention or not being interested in something than being observant. As in 'I just don't care so I'm not really looking'.

People are sometimes like that about themselves - have you never seen people do that old 'joke' where they put a book or magazine under a man's chin so he can't look down and say 'what colour tie are you wearing?'. in the days when most men wore ties, it was a notable thing that man couldn't answer the question without a lot of thought, and many just didn't know/got it wrong. It's like those experiments where people just don't notice what you think they would:

What you say about licence plates is totally unsurprising to me. Lots of people don't own a car and just aren't interested. If you aren't paying attention (and bear in mind you don't normally see the same car front and back at the same time) why would you notice? You'd probably think the yellow one has yellow at the front and the white one has white at the back.

Touché.

Yes, apologies. It was meant jokingly - I should have added an emoji (or not posted!)

but the actual type face on a watch is tiny! so I can 100% see how lots of people wouldn't notice - how close do you get to your manager's wrist? Lots of people work entirely remotely - I've never even met my manager in real life - I'm not sure if I've ever seen her wrist, let alone examined it in close enough detail to see the make of her watch.

Usually the people who notice/recognise brand names are the same people who buy them, so it makes sense for it to be quite a small, self-selecting group. Believe it or not but there are huge swathes of the population who honestly neither know nor care about designer items. Perhaps 'rolex' might be recognised because it's such an old brand but, 'Breitling' or 'Patek Phillipe' honestly means absolutely zilch to millions of people (including me who had to google examples), who couldn't guess if it was a £200 "nice watch" or a £200,000 one.

Yeah I find the train of thought "who would notice" a little strange. Some people are more visually observant than others. I would notice because it says the brand right on the watch, and op wears it everyday. I wouldn't think much of it but I would notice the same as any other brand.

OmG I just really laughed at that. Very good! 😅

People who dont care about watches could probably, at a push, spot a Rolex due to the cyclops / jubilee. But beyond that its unlikely.
Maybe a Santos would be spottable as well due to the white dial/square shape/black romans.

Personally, I can spot a luxury watch at 20 paces, but its my job to know them and I'm definitely in a minority.

There are plenty of Rolex that aren't flashy or ostentatious. Many people buy them to either celebrate an milestone (very much a wedding watch for some people) or from inheritance to remember a loved one, usually a parent.

The "people buy them to be flash" argument is.. not a very good one at all if you actually know your watches.

This is also why telling people to take them off is laughable.

I would notice because it says the brand right on the watch, and op wears it everyday. I wouldn't think much of it but I would notice the same as any other brand.c

Would you really notice though? Unless you are sitting next to someone in a meeting where their hands are on the desk or you are right next to them when they look at their watch, most of the time its not going to be something that you even vaguely clock as it's out of sight, down by their side out of your eye line, often covered by a sleeve.

Think about all the people you work with in passing , have worked with - how many of them can you say for sure sitting here right now what brand of watch they wear? or even what colour their watch is? Something very distinctive - a large saucer with a green face - may attract attention but smaller more subtle watches are far less likely to be noticed unless you have a particular interest in luxury watches.

Eg. Personally, I'd notice a Franck Muller watch because there's a particular one that I'd love (but can't afford) and because on some of the designs the colours/ number shapes are noticeable. Lots of people would have no idea what a Frank Muller watch is or the cost of it so wouldn't even clock (!) it.

So I was one of the people late to realise that registration plates are different front and back. It was only when I was trying to order one and was asked front or back that I realised.

And I’ve never noticed what watch anyone else wears. Way back in the swatch years I may have. And I know a friend has an I watch and another has a Fitbit because I got the same one in her recommendation. It’s just not that important to a lot of us.

To be fair I’m equally uninterested in cars. As long as it goes. No idea what my sister drives, or anyone else. Recently realised a friend’s reg is a combination of her and her husband’s name.

Honestly that kind of stuff is so unimportant.

Indeed, first world problems. It doesn't matter 😎

I have no idea what a rolex looks like so I'd have no idea you were wearing one. I wouldn't be envious even if I did know as I have no interest in watches. YANBU.

I admit, I did google Rolex to see what a second hand one would fetch, to see how flashy you were being accused of being, and just how noticeable a Rolex would be.

I was a bit surprised at the prices despite going into it knowing they were valuable. I was equally surprised by just how ordinary they looked. I mean, you’d need good eyesight.

I think she must be jealous. Why else would she notice/care?

I think she must be jealous. Why else would she notice/care?

@Hydrangeajp this is exactly what I think. I bet it's something like she feels that she should (as your superior) be wearing or be able to afford (or more like be willing to spend that money) a luxury watch. She resents the fact that someone junior to her has a better watch than her.

and in her mad jealous world thinks it would look better for her if you stopped wearing it.

on any view it is a mental thing to say to an employee. and its only because she's registered that it is a Rolex. There are many more watches that are far far more expensive that I bet she'd never realise were 'luxury'.