We'll bet you $10 that when you think of a Rolex, your mind doesn't call up images of silver spoons. Yet, before celebrities were showing off their A-list status by strutting around in their Rolex watches, the company was making its bread and butter on watches and souvenir spoons. Discover how Rolex spoons came to be and just why people collect them today.
Rolex Spoons' Hidden History
If you know anything about luxury brands today, you know how often they release whacky products to gain clout and attention. Just look at Louis Vuitton and Gucci's collection of highly expensive (and average) art supplies. Well, Rolex had a similar idea back at the turn of the 20th century.
Jewelry collectors know the story well. Rolex partnered with the Bucherer Fine Jewellery in Lucerne, Switzerland to provide their customers with a souvenir spoon for every Rolex watch they purchased. This enterprise expanded beyond Lucerne across eight different cities.
How to Identify a Rolex Spoon
Most Rolex spoons come with the Rolex name on the top of the handle, stamped into the center of the company's crown logo. Additionally, the various spoons come with several patterns on the spoon's bowl, ranging from a smiling sun to city scenes.
The different cities where spoons were customized and given are:
- Basel
- Bern
- Burgenstock
- Davos
- Geneva
- Interlaken
- Lausanne
- Locarno
- Lucerne
- Lugano
- New York
- St. Gallen
- St. Moritz
- Zermatt
- Zurich
Are Rolex Spoons Made of Silver?
Unfortunately, Rolex spoons aren't nearly as exclusive as their luxury watches are. The spoons have a reputation for being sterling silver, but they're either silver plated or stainless steel. Check for markings on the back to see just how much silver was used in the spoon. Most of them are marked B100 12, which is a very low amount of silver.
However, some later Rolex spoons weren't even made using silver but stainless steel, instead. Of course, these won't have silver markings of any kind of the back.
How Much Are Rolex Spoons Worth?
If you found a display full of Rolex spoons with that crown logo staring up at you, you'd probably think you struck gold. You'd be wrong because Rolex spoons aren't worth as much as their brand name implies.
That isn't to say you can't make a few hundred bucks off of them, but it's not the thousands of dollars price tag Rolex's name inspires. Individually, Rolex spoons aren't worth a lot. Depending on the collector, you could look at prices as low as $10.
Collections of these Rolex spoons do the best at auction and sell, on average, for about $150. These sets usually include spoons from multiple cities. For example, this lot of 6 spoons from Geneva sold for $120 on Liveautioneers. Lucerne is the most common city for these spoons, while New York is the rarest, making lots full of New York spoons slightly more valuable.
Repurpose Your Rolex Spoons Into Jewelry
Antique and vintage spoon jewelry has been around for decades, and Rolex spoons are just one of the many types that have been transformed from something displayable into something wearable. These repurposed rings are cool ways to take something from the past and make it modern. And, this transmogrification also ups their value.
Depending on which spoon they use, jewelers are selling them for about $20-$45 each. For example, Midnight Jo sells Rolex stainless steel spoon rings for $45 each online.
Buy a Watch, Get a Spoon
Luxury brands know how to cut corners on advertising like no other companies do. Rolex perfected this scheme with their complimentary spoons. After all, who doesn't want to buy a watch and get a spoon for free? Yet, there are people who collect commemorative and advertising spoons, so you don't want to throw your grandparents' spoons in the trash. Though you might want to pass up on any you find at the thrift store that're steeply priced.
