I am surprised they're offering Rolex watches now (click here for a J.Crew Rolex link). I am not sure what to think of this move. Are they really going that upscale now? Will it be too expensive for me to shop at anymore? ;)Rolex For J. Crew?
by: Catherine
Friday July 25th 2008
"While perusing JCrew.com this morning, searching for something amazing and preferably on sale, I happened to click on the jewelry section. Scrolling through it, I saw beaded necklaces, pearl earrings, and then, what’s this, two Rolex watches? Now, the product details are lacking—instead of a product name and description, it says, “Product Short Desc—Please update at the product level,” but unless someone at the company is playing a joke by putting up photos of gold Rolexes with price tags of $4,500 and $5,200, J. Crew has gotten into the luxury timepiece game. Now, will someone give me a J. Crew gift card for $5,000? With it, I could either buy the watch to the left, or 900 pairs of these pearl earrings, which just don’t quite compare."
What do you think about J.Crew selling Rolex watches? Do you think this is the right move for them? What kind of message do you think J.Crew is trying to send its customers (or potential customers)?
I noticed it this morning too. To be honest, I am not going to be buying a rolex from J Crew! That is something for your local reputable jeweler.
ReplyDeleteI think it comes across as foolish to sell rolex's. Are they trying to be a department store now? Silly and actually just off-putting since it comes across as pretentious.
It pushes the "collection" and not the bread and butter regular clothing.
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DeleteAll I can say is WOW...$4500 for a watch at J.Crew??? I wonder if this is the watch Mickey Drexler had on in that interview...the one he wore OVER his shirt sleeve? I really hope they aren't going high end and leaving Madewell for those of us who can't afford to pay that much for the J.Crew line, although it does seem as though the new Fall line has remained fairly reasonable...I hope it continues to stay that way. :)
ReplyDeleteVery strange indeed...
ReplyDelete... and the website is down again. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteTired Memphian - J.Crew is in a partnership with Rolex, so it is reputable. Just like them doing a partnership with eyeglass maker Selima. I think it's cool.
ReplyDeleteI've already printed the page out and left it in my BF's briefcase. You know as a simple reminder of what I want for my birthday.
There is mention in the catalogs of Jcrew selling vintage watches. I just wish it wasn't over 4000$ because it's the exact type of watch I've been searching for for years :(
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if the Candian shipping issue has been resolved? I placed an order this morning for the Tartine in deep persimmon and no message popped up to warn me of delayed shipping. Hopefully it comes soon :D
Tired Memphian I totally agree!
ReplyDeleteFrankly if I am going to buy a rolex I am going to bergdorfs and I will buy one of the vintage ones they have there.
Frankly i think Rolex's are pretty much over priced pieces of garbage now anyway... they used to be better. I don't they they are worht the money.
i agree with what most are saying. i don't mind them having some more expensive items in the "collection" line, because those are still j.crew brand that you cannot get elsewhere. they are not j.crew brand watches, so why would anyone buy them from j.crew? i just don't really get it.
ReplyDeleteI may be biased but I am not a rolex fan. A lot of them are not attractive to me. I got DH a Tag and like it much better than this Rolex.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is nice that they have partnerships with rolex, but if you are going to buy a watch at this cost, it is a good idea (IMO) to buy it from a local jeweler who will be servicing it, handling repairs, etc.
I agree with FFM: I don't want the reasonably priced J Crew items to go away so that we are shopping at Madewell. I like to see the mixture of prices and how they coordinate.
I am an avid JCrew shopper...have been for years, and I love vintage watches and own a few rolexes...but I would never buy a rolex from JCrew. I would rather buy it from a reputable jeweller which can provide the necessary warranties, etc and do the servicing.
ReplyDeleteWith the state of the economy...I would think JCrew would focus on its bread and butter business...and try to keep us loyal shoppers onboard.
With the state of the economy...I would think JCrew would focus on its bread and butter business...and try to keep us loyal shoppers onboard.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. More and more companies are focusing on what works for them instead of branching out right now. Getting back to what works for J Crew (including a working order system :oP ) is the best move IMO.
Alysia, I haven't heard a peep from JCrew, I hope that all of this gets sorted out and everyone gets most of what they ordered but we'll see...
ReplyDeleteI check the site occasionally and still see errors in pricing, I think it may take much longer than first anticipated.
mom-nyc: I purchased my Rolex Presidential from a reputable dealer a few years ago. I am sorry, but somehow saying that I bought my watch at Bailey, Banks & Biddle sounds so much more exclusive than saying I bought it at J. Crew. Just my honest opinion. This is in NO WAY being said to offend anyone. I just feel that J Crew represents my good taste in clothing, but I am not interested in it representing my good taste in watches.
ReplyDeleteThoughts & Observations:
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked at the watch, but is it made specially for J.Crew? Or is it a watch that you could get elsewhere? I don't really see the point of J.Crew carrying things that you can get other places, but if the watch is somehow different in design (even very slightly), then that's fine (in my very non-important opinion.
Okay, I, like Tired Memphian (I always wonder if she is tired most of the time, or just sometimes, or what. I have to young kids and am often tired too), was drawn to the internet early this morning. I am NOT a morning person (a lot of you are teachers and are therefore early risers), but baby C woke me up around 6 EST to eat, and after that I came downstairs and got online. And yeah, there were those Fiona jackets everyone keeps talking about, and they are so darn pretty! There was a 4 petite but I hesitated and lost it, but we'll see if the 4 fits. (I don't really know what size I am now.) Then I was reading Tired's posts later, about calling for free shipping (I had used the 20%), and the customer service guy I got gave it to me (he said I will see the adjustment). Then I asked if I could order more stuff, he said he would have to place a new order (because this was quite a few hours later), but he still gave me the free shipping and 20% off. I only bought two more things, a tee for baby C (for when she is three I think, but it is cute), and a Kate dress that is probably too big, but I do have an enormous ribcage so who knows. I asked him why the Kate dress kept saying select colors for $19.99, and he said there were some colors, but no small sizes. There was a medium in blue, so that's the one I got.
Now, I am optimistic about all this, because I haven't ordered since well before the website changeover, so I haven't gone through any of the problems (except by reading about them here). We'll see.
Anyway, the guy was too accomedating (sp?), everything seemed too easy. I don't feel as shocked as Tired does (that was so funny when she said she was going to throw up), because I just got on the Fiona bandwagon recently, but it was just weird. Nice weird.
Someone somewhere on this board said they thought J.Crew was hiding sale items, but I don't think that is really true. Most or all of the stuff that we found by random searches yesterday showed up in the sale section today, so I think that maybe the random search stuff is stuff that is updated through out the day, and then gets put in the sale section the next morning.
And I too (as others have said) think there will be a lot of great deals coming up. It really seemed like they were cleaning everything out and making room for fall today.
These are vintage watches, one-of-a-kind (although I'm sure Rolex made more than one back in the day, the one-of-a-kind label is more a reference to the individual character that a vintage piece carries).
ReplyDeleteThis isn't that new or different to J.Crew, who has sold vintage items before (the vintage hats from Stetson and other companies seemed to go pretty quickly). They have featured vintage watches in their catalogs for the past 1-2 seasons, courtesy of Michael Ashton Watches in NYC, and I'm guessing the reaction to those is what sparked this. I wouldn't be surprised if they are partnering with Michael Ashton on this. A partnership with Rolex seems doubtful.
I mistyped my screen name. grr.
ReplyDeleteAre the customers who buy rolex watches really shopping at J.Crew? Doubtful.
ReplyDeletei think the idea is to offer customers other items that fit their style attitude. in the most recent 'details' magazine, there is an article about the upcoming nyc men's store. they mention carrying other 'random' items like the tie pins, and things like vintage paperweights. my opinion is that, since they've watched customers scoop up loads of great clothes, they'll want great accessories as well. i think someone mentioned jack spade stores on here before and the similarity there...
ReplyDeletei think it's a smart idea on their part, but i agree with everyone else that i'd rather go to a jeweler than buy a rolex from j.crew. however, i think j.crew is being wise to take this route - it makes them unique. you can't get a rolex at the gap!
mary: Absolutely the people who wear Rolex watches are buying at J Crew!! I sure am! :)
ReplyDeleteHey, I just got shipping notification for a package I received 2 days ago. The email says that it shipped yesterday. Should I expect a repeat package? I remember before the change that I would get the shipping notification 1 day before I got the package...
ReplyDeletemarisa: I had the same thing happen to me the week before last, and I did not get another package...just the one. :)
ReplyDeletemekiki, I have a 13 month old and a 9 year old...Sleep is not always there. For some reason, I woke up at 5am my time two days in a row and saw the items. I couldn't help but jump on it!!!
ReplyDeleteI just got off the phone with CS and she had me on hold to talk to another department. It appears so far that I will get my fionas. I know that there is still a chance I won't. BUT, it's still looking like a chance :o)
I kind of think I'll get my Fiona too. I got a shipping confirmation email for it, and just checked the J.Crew site and it says shipped. The other order (Kate dress & kid's tee shirt) is showing as OPEN. Is that bad?
ReplyDeleteMy fiona orders still say open. I hope I get them....
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