Waiting list myth - Sky Dweller

[smg8]

There is some very curious behaviour from AD's at the moment, specifically their complete fabrication of waiting lists.

Summary version of events;

Friend and I pop into an AD in London last Saturday. Him wearing a submariner, me in a GMT Master - hopefully gives the impression of serious buyers.

He looks at a couple of bi metal options which didn't float his boat, only for the AD to say I've got something I can show you but it's for another customer, but have a look.

They present the bi metal (YG and SS) Sky Dweller with black dial - absolutely beautiful.

He tries it on, says he wants to buy it and they say it's a 2 year wait but I can take your number.

Next day (last Sunday) I email the AD I have a relationship with (I've bought circa 5 watches from them since 2014 and am on a list for a Patek 5711, so I am not their biggest customer by any stretch but have a good relationship there).

He replies saying he is on leave but will respond Weds.

He emails Weds telling me he can get one, and it'll be there the next day. My friend rings Thurs and puts a deposit down to collect today.

Today (1 week on) the AD in London ring and say they've got one for him. The 2 year wait has magically become a 7 day wait Obviously he lets them know he's bought one elsewhere.

Is this unusual? Are Rolex encouraging this kind of thing for some reason? It seems quite a strange way of doing business

[Al1969]

Seem to be the “new” business model with some ADs. Countless threads on AD “behavior”. It’s come to the point for some models customers have to practically beg to spend thousands, also probably why people are moving away from Rolex.

[tyler1980]

i can say that a TT sky dweller is not hard to get at all, so the wait or lack of seems right. They are trying to hype up models to encourage impulse buys absolutely. If it was SS and a blue dial it wouldn't show up in a week without a seriously good relationship.

[Wcdhtwn]

For clarity, did the AD’s get SS or Two Tone sky dwellers? The 2 year wait is for the SS. TT’s and all gold versions seem to be plentiful. My AD has 2 TT and one solid gold and has for a number of months.


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[smg8]

To clarify this is a TT sky dweller, and the AD specifically said for that model (the TT) it would be a 2 year wait.

Which I of course was surprised by as we all know the TT ones are generally easier to get hold of.....which makes it all the stranger!

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by smg8

To clarify this is a TT sky dweller, and the AD specifically said for that model (the TT) it would be a 2 year wait.

Which I of course was surprised by as we all know the TT ones are generally easier to get hold of.....which makes it all the stranger!

i was at an AD once where the salesman was showing some guy some AP's. He was deciding between a diver, a rg44 ,and a ti44. The salesman said they are so rare he would probably never see them again if he didn't buy one today. It was just luck that they happened to all be there at the same time.

I didn't have the heart to tell the guy i owned all three at the time.

Typical AD behavior to get a sale. If its not scarce it doesn't sell, so make it up that it is.

[HogwldFLTR]

Originally Posted by smg8

There is some very curious behaviour from AD's at the moment, specifically their complete fabrication of waiting lists.

Summary version of events;

Friend and I pop into an AD in London last Saturday. Him wearing a submariner, me in a GMT Master - hopefully gives the impression of serious buyers.

He looks at a couple of bi metal options which didn't float his boat, only for the AD to say I've got something I can show you but it's for another customer, but have a look.

They present the bi metal (YG and SS) Sky Dweller with black dial - absolutely beautiful.

He tries it on, says he wants to buy it and they say it's a 2 year wait but I can take your number.

Next day (last Sunday) I email the AD I have a relationship with (I've bought circa 5 watches from them since 2014 and am on a list for a Patek 5711, so I am not their biggest customer by any stretch but have a good relationship there).

He replies saying he is on leave but will respond Weds.

He emails Weds telling me he can get one, and it'll be there the next day. My friend rings Thurs and puts a deposit down to collect today.

Today (1 week on) the AD in London ring and say they've got one for him. The 2 year wait has magically become a 7 day wait Obviously he lets them know he's bought one elsewhere.

Is this unusual? Are Rolex encouraging this kind of thing for some reason? It seems quite a strange way of doing business

Two year wait is for stainless blue models; everything else is less. This has been discussed a lot on the forum. It would have been worthwhile knowledge to have prior to visiting the AD.

[jpjsavage]

I'm enjoying my blue one today. I feel very fortunate to have had this from the beginning of Septembet last year.

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[oldcarz]

Originally Posted by jpjsavage

I'm enjoying my blue one today. I feel very fortunate to have had this from the beginning of Septembet last year.

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I, too, enjoying my blue today.

[maxymax]

I’m in the market for the elusive SS Blue SKD . I contacted 12 ADs in the tri-state area. 5 of them responded back saying ‘No chance, not in the near future and not wait list’ . 5 of them never responded to my query. 1 of them offered to add me the existing wait-list with a $500 deposit. The last one is my regular AD from whom I’ve gotten 5 different high-end watches and this is what he had to say… “That is one of the hottest watches out there. Unfortunately I do not have the ability to deliver that watch in the foreseeable future. I apologize. I certainly wish that I'd be able to deliver that to you, but it is just not currently possible.”

[HL65]

SS different story. TT and gold easy to get!

[Vivalas]

There’s AD’s and AD’s
There’s waitlists and waitlists

All depends on how much stock your AD gets, how long their waitlist is and most of all, how good a long term client you are of them.

[pblondon]

I got my white SS from my AD in London in Jan (I’d been on his list for a few months).

He had a TT that had come in at the same time and was looking for a recommended buyer. As AD’s are actively trying to avoid flippers the in demand models don’t go to completely unknown customers.


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[al1786]

I purchased a TT Skydweller in December last year, even got a small discount on it. I had purchased a black dial SS Skydweller 3 weeks earlier.


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[enjoythemusic]

I've seen TTs sitting in dealer's display waiting to be sold. Not rare at all. SS blue dial is a completely different story.

[Chadridv]

First of all this is the first I heard of any wait list on the TT Sky D. Second, I think there is a lot of games, smoke and mirrors when it comes to ADs, but you were dealing with two different dealers. The fact that one told you two years and another said no wait doesn’t really mean much. I mean, yes, two years is pretty crazy for any TT watch, but why can’t one AD have a long list, and another have no list. It’s not like all the ADs across the world share the same inventory levels and demand.

[smg8]

Originally Posted by Chadridv

First of all this is the first I heard of any wait list on the TT Sky D. Second, I think there is a lot of games, smoke and mirrors when it comes to ADs, but you were dealing with two different dealers. The fact that one told you two years and another said no wait doesn’t really mean much. I mean, yes, two years is pretty crazy for any TT watch, but why can’t one AD have a long list, and another have no list. It’s not like all the ADs across the world share the same inventory levels and demand.

I get this, my confusion was the fact the ones who said it will be a 2 year wait rang the customer back 7 days later to say they've got one for him. That is the aspect I found unusual......

[AK797]

Even in UK a 2 year wait for the TT is pretty ridiculous, obviously didn't like the cut of your jib.

[DoctorA]

Nothing surprises me anymore with ADs!!

[G'ed]

2 months wait for SkyD TT already borderline crazy

[904VT]

Sounds like the person just confused the ~ waitlists for SS (White Rolesor) with the TT...

[Andad]

Sorry to say that the OP's thread makes no sense to me?

[smg8]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Sorry to say that the OP's thread makes no sense to me?

What aspect did you not follow?

[Sarosh]

Unscrupulous lot! These AD’s need to treat their customers properly!!!

[Andad]

Your thread header indicated that the Sky Dweller being scarce was a myth and the waiting list is a fabrication but I know this is true for the SS model in Australia but then it seems that it was a TT model you were referring to?
All based on your AD's information?

What was your final evaluation on the availability of the SS models?

[smg8]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Your thread header indicated that the Sky Dweller being scarce was a my which I know is true for the SS model in Australia but then it seems that it was a TT model you were referring to?
All based on your AD's information?

What was your final evaluation?

I suppose my point was that the first AD in question seems to be deliberately misleading customers as to the waiting list for a specific model. In this case a TT Sky Dweller, which they specifically stated had a 2 year wait, before calling the customer 7 days later to offer him that exact watch.

I just find it slightly strange behaviour, getting 7 days and 2 years confused is quite odd so I can only assume it's some form of deliberate ploy. But not really sure what benefit it has as they simply lost out on a customer who bought it somewhere else

Edited to add the final outcome is he picked up the TT Skydweller and is very pleased with it, so all's well that ends well

[prozac51]

All the proof that supply is finally trickling in after Rolex is back from holiday and many punters on the waiting list might be putting off their purchases until Baselworld 2018. ADs hoarding stock in the safe are getting worried and it serves them right.

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[HogwldFLTR]

I can't think of any reason to buy one of those disaster...

[Bostonbert]

The TT is a walk in item in the US and the white gold is a “wait list” (particularly the blue dial). The dealer wait lists will keep going until the gray market prices start dropping. Some white dial SS SD are showing up a couple of Ks under the blue dials, so maybe in a few months my friendly neighborhood AD will call or email I’ll take a white in a heart beat (the White dial TT my AD had in stock was very nice...except for all the yellow gold on it). Other ADs I called all had the TT versions. My AD had 2 of them. He also has a full white gold with the Romans in stock (pretty, but expensive and I’d scratch it up too much)

Rolex should come up with a “TT lite” Sky Dweller (only the bezel and the hour indices and hands in yellow gold). I would have purchased a “TT lite” SD on the spot for $14400. I think someone at Rolex stockpiled too much gold and now they want to get it out the door.

[Vivalas]

TT is reasonably easy to find.