Instagram . . . hope Rolex is paying attention!

[El Cascarrabias]

I follow Rolex on my instagram account. Great pictures!

Although most of the comments are positive, there is a significant number of comments like those below:

zanteboy93
Great watch but can’t buy one in UK brand new, what’s the point of advertising if you’re not going to meet supply demand?

thewatchdealer.co.uk
Why advertise products nobody can buy !?

steffenpe
Just a shame you can’t buy one 😒

cgpesq
I have the original iteration of the DSSD and it’s just AWESOME. Too bad no one can get any Rolex anymore. “Shortage”....

er7cch8o
No stock at AD

mlv_68
Good luck trying to find one in stock

gavowen
I bought an Omega Planet Ocean because Rolex had nothing for me. Best move I ever made.

petrolhd77
Dear Rolex, great on paper as no official dealer is taking orders for this watch ;)

mrpyroteknic
Release more sports models! 🤦*♂️

ssi2301
@Rolex: how can we buy this watch in Europe? Everywhere I am going in W Europe there is a 2-5 year waiting period....

matth_92
Instead of advertising how about purchase order instead of waiting list 🤔

Wonder if Rolex monitors. Wonder if they're paying attention.

My AD has said more than once Rolex is working 24/7. I think he's repeating what he's been told by his Rolex rep. I don't think I believe'em.

At any rate it has sure helped the grey dealers . . .

[watchmework]

If we think Rolex isn't aware of the current state of the market, then we are kidding ourselves here...and they certainly aren't going to change corporate strategy from a grouping of instagram comments.

[sillo]

Originally Posted by watchmework

If we think Rolex isn't aware of the current state of the market, then we are kidding ourselves here...and they certainly aren't going to change corporate strategy from a grouping of instagram comments.

^^^^^

[The Libertine]

Originally Posted by watchmework

If we think Rolex isn't aware of the current state of the market, then we are kidding ourselves here...and they certainly aren't going to change corporate strategy from a grouping of instagram comments.

Truth.

[HappyFish]

I love Rolex for not advertising for trampers!

[pepsiretail]

Rolex are paying attention. I’m sure they are quite pleased their strategy is working.

[offrdmania]

Its exactly how they want it to play out. The more demand there is for the product, the more it becomes worth, the more it trades for, the more status it generates, etc, etc. Rolex knows what they are doing.
They dont want their watches to be compared to those in the Swatch group that had to be bought back and destroyed because the market place was too flooded.

[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

They dont want their watches to be compared to those in the Swatch group that had to be bought back and destroyed because the market place was too flooded.

I read about that! Pretty mind blowing.

[FTX I]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

They dont want their watches to be compared to those in the Swatch group that had to be bought back and destroyed because the market place was too flooded.

Originally Posted by schoolboy

I read about that! Pretty mind blowing.

Richemont did that guys. Not Swatch Group

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/st...ichemont-group

[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by FTX I

Richemont did that guys. Not Swatch Group

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/st...ichemont-group

Thanks for the correction.

I just remember reading about Cartier specifically.

Have a good one!

[exador]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

They dont want their watches to be compared to those in the Swatch group that had to be bought back and destroyed because the market place was too flooded.

I think you're confusing Swatch with Richemont.

[offrdmania]

Originally Posted by exador

I think you're confusing Swatch with Richemont.

Swatch or Richmont, either way its a situation that Rolex is trying to avoid

[oldman2005]

Just like a review there're always unhappy customers. But Rolex strategy of reducing SS manufacturing and shifting toward DJ/TT/PM is working on Rolex bottom line: Rolex sale is at the top at 20%, Omega is a second at 9%. But total Swatch group (Omega, ETA, Longines,..) sale is higher than Rolex.

If you come to Rolex ADs, notice all of the watches on display are higher price DJ/TT/PM compared to other branch AD displays which are mostly SS. Basically Rolex has moved up and left the crowded lower profit SS market for others.

[Fleetlord]

Rolex couldn't be happier !

[oldman2005]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

Rolex couldn't be happier !

Exactly! Notice that customers are adapting to new Rolex strategy: On TRF, notice that more are picking up TT/PM sports. Win-win-win situation for Rolex with larger revenues, ADs with bigger sales, and happy customers with nicer watches

[MercedesHand]

Rolex could not meet current demand even if they wanted to. And they dont want to.

If you want to buy a good watch brand like Omega or go the indie route because you dont feel like waiting for Rolex, nothing wrong with that as long as you're a fan of watches you'll be fine. Not to mention with more $ leftover in your pocket.

But if you're looking at Rolex for the right reasons instead of being a flipper or status as a social media sheeple, let's face it, you will get a Rolex eventually.

Once you have Crown fever you can Buy it nice or pay twice.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by MercedesHand

Rolex could not meet current demand even if they wanted to. And they dont want to.

If you want to buy a good watch brand like Omega or go the indie route because you dont feel like waiting for Rolex, nothing wrong with that as long as you're a fan of watches you'll be fine. Not to mention with more $ leftover in your pocket.

But if you're looking at Rolex for the right reasons instead of being a flipper or status as a social media sheeple, let's face it, you will get a Rolex eventually.

Once you have Crown fever you can Buy it nice or pay twice.

They can't now as the imbalance is so widespread that they would have to turn production almost solely to the hot SS, but back when this was just in one or two small markets like the UK and Aus this could easily have been achieved with a little tweaking but Rolex didn't change a thing even back then.

[Jamie1111]

Originally Posted by MercedesHand

Rolex could not meet current demand even if they wanted to. And they dont want to.



If you want to buy a good watch brand like Omega or go the indie route because you dont feel like waiting for Rolex, nothing wrong with that as long as you're a fan of watches you'll be fine. Not to mention with more $ leftover in your pocket.



But if you're looking at Rolex for the right reasons instead of being a flipper or status as a social media sheeple, let's face it, you will get a Rolex eventually.



Once you have Crown fever you can Buy it nice or pay twice.

Yep


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[Watch This]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

Rolex couldn't be happier !

Perhaps. However the same cannot necessarily be said for their customers. But having read many of your posts, I am certain that you will spin it.

Tell me how you honestly feel about 90% empty showcases. Good look ?

[Fleetlord]

Originally Posted by Watch This

Perhaps. However the same cannot necessarily be said for their customers. But having read many of your posts, I am certain that you will spin it.

Tell me how you honestly feel about 90% empty showcases. Good look ?

I have no reason to spin anything. The overall market speaks very clearly and loudly enough.

The luxury market craves exclusivity and wants value retention. If the luxury good cannot currently provide those attributes, it is OUT.

A handful of disgruntled WIS who lament about the old days of easy availability does not reflect the overall market. It just doesn't...

As for the empty displays, Rolex is addressing this with revamped merchandising to showcase fewer references and feed the exclusivity beast...

Perhaps the general market will change and luxury buyers will prefer readily available products that are essentially worthless after purchase? But for now, this is what is desired by the masses..

[strafer_kid]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

I have no reason to spin anything. The overall market speaks very clearly and loudly enough.

The luxury market craves exclusivity and wants value retention. If the luxury good cannot currently provide those attributes, it is OUT.

A handful of disgruntled WIS who lament about the old days of easy availability does not reflect the overall market. It just doesn't...

As for the empty displays, Rolex is addressing this with revamped merchandising to showcase fewer references and feed the exclusivity beast...

Perhaps the general market will change and luxury buyers will prefer readily available products that are essentially worthless after purchase? But for now, this is what is desired by the masses..

Must agree.....the disgrunted WIS is not a factor for Rolex...whatever the situation currently is, it is working just fine for them.

[playford]

Rolex is an odd brand in that it is seen as the "best watch" by people who aren't really into watches (like buying a merc or a range rover). Good global economy = cash for toys, so demand is simply out stripping supply and huge new markets like china make this demand even higher.

I think we make this into a far more complex situation than it is. A huge amount is being flipped and ending up on the grey market too, so a lot of sport models simply never see a case.

[GoingPlaces]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

I have no reason to spin anything. The overall market speaks very clearly and loudly enough.

The luxury market craves exclusivity and wants value retention. If the luxury good cannot currently provide those attributes, it is OUT.

A handful of disgruntled WIS who lament about the old days of easy availability does not reflect the overall market. It just doesn't...

As for the empty displays, Rolex is addressing this with revamped merchandising to showcase fewer references and feed the exclusivity beast...

Perhaps the general market will change and luxury buyers will prefer readily available products that are essentially worthless after purchase? But for now, this is what is desired by the masses..

There is nothing exclusive about a company that produces 800k+ watches a year, especially with empty displays. The current environment is a symptom of market dynamics, askew or not. It's not an elaborate plan of Rolex to become more exclusive. Rolex has simply found themselves in this situation and are handling it about as well as they can through watering down the AD network through eliminating smaller market shops and attempting to prop up major market stores.

Meanwhile they do have a problem, when looking at the Instagram photo posted on this thread, I cannot imagine this is something Geneva wants to see. A bunch of their watches in plastic bags in the possession some grey market dealer, that's really exclusive. If Rolex wants to fix the problem, they should eliminate the grey market by heavily reprimanding the AD network should they decide to "back door" their merchandise. Perhaps this is already in the works. There is a difference between putting your name on a list for a piece and paying msrp, vs your only available option is the grey dealer with a substantial markup. I don't have a problem with waitlists provided it is an organic market dynamic and not something created artificially to prop up prices by grey markets.

When I walk into an LV boutique, they may not have every piece or what I'm looking for but I will walk out a happy customer. However walking past a Rolex store and debating to go in or not because you don't want to hear it again from the sales person is a failure. As for the business side, sure great for the bottom line but Rolex needs to tighten up their distribution game if they want to really be exclusive. I don't see other luxury brands encountering these issues.

[george023]

Originally Posted by Watch This

Perhaps. However the same cannot necessarily be said for their customers. But having read many of your posts, I am certain that you will spin it.



Tell me how you honestly feel about 90% empty showcases. Good look ?

To this point, I was at the AD at Sydney airport last month, which had undergone a major renovation a year earlier. The place had literally empty showcases. Not kidding, about 10-15 datejusts and 1-2 Sky Dwellers and about 50 empty watch stands. Didn’t even bother talking to the sales rep as I knew I’d get the standard line. Even my wife said that’s not a good look for supposedly the #1 brand in the world.


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[GeorgeA7]

Can't say I understand (from a business perspective) why Rolex would increase supply to equal demand. I mean, seriously. Read way too much about the failure of other watch brands by increasing production. They end up sitting on shelves after supply is met and dealers begin discounting, in result depreciating the time pieces and the corporate image. They clearly are where they are by understanding the market and implementing a business strategy that protects the brand and the consumer. I am sure people that are waiting will disagree.

[moneymike83]

Just like a Ferrari not every day see you someone drive one. That’s what make a Rolex special.


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[Rodrigo082]

Originally Posted by moneymike83

Just like a Ferrari not every day see you someone drive one. That’s what make a Rolex special.


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Incredible - comparing a Ferrari with a simple watch.
Ignorance is amazing

[ras47]

Rolex has to balance protecting the brand with meeting supply. There is a good balance in there somewhere and it's better to err on the side of undersupply than oversupply. Expanding manufacturing capacity is no small thing, and often the cost of ramping up production is a loss in quality.

Rolex is in it for the long haul. They have more customers and potential customers than they can service right now, and a few whiners aside, that's not going to change. A consumer rebellion and boycott is not in the cards.

Rolex "could" make more money by selling a lot more watches, but that's a short-sighted strategy. They're doing just fine financially right now.

[214270Explorer]

Originally Posted by ras47

Rolex has to balance protecting the brand with meeting supply. There is a good balance in there somewhere and it's better to err on the side of undersupply than oversupply. Expanding manufacturing capacity is no small thing, and often the cost of ramping up production is a loss in quality.

Rolex is in it for the long haul. They have more customers and potential customers than they can service right now, and a few whiners aside, that's not going to change. A consumer rebellion and boycott is not in the cards.

Rolex "could" make more money by selling a lot more watches, but that's a short-sighted strategy. They're doing just fine financially right now.

Exactly.

[Muxi]

Yes, it’s working. They’d rather you snapped up the stocks thinking it will be gone tomorrow than haggling for discounts or waiting for a better deal from your AD.