Reputation Institute's 2016 Global RepTrak 100 List (source: reputationinstitute.com)

Rolex tops the 2016 global list, receiving excellent scores in Australia, Russia, the UK and the US. The company edged out titans like The Walt Disney Company and Google due to their high ratings for products and services, a key driver in the ranking. Rolex also received a high score in the areas of performance and leadership.

It comes as no surprise that those surveyed indicated that the quality of products and reliability of service offered by Rolex is top tier. The lowest rating attributed to the watchmaker is in citizenship, referring to the perception of the company contributing to charity and protecting the environment. Fortunately for Rolex, the products and services category carries the most weight in the ranking.

It has been speculated that the rise of the smartwatch will have a negative effect on the mechanical watch industry. Baselworld 2016 featured several smartwatch innovations that received  media attention. I think it's interesting to note that Apple was ranked 10th in the 2016 Global RepTrak 100 List, making it difficult to conceive that their Apple watch sales would have a significant effect on Rolex's bottom line.

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