A Canadian Idiot's guide to buying a Rolex ?

[LVx2]

IBTL

OP I believe you're better pivoting towards other, Rolex or other brand, options. A very tough market region combined with a top coveted piece and an admitted lack of hustle and unstoppable desire will likely doom your pepsi goal. Best of luck in any case.

[PSG]

I wouldn't let your situation put you off.

I have heard an ad say that someone on a list for 2 years with no spend might stand a chance if they are honest and friendly.

I'm not sure it will mean a gmt straight out but perhaps something to lead into that.

I extend my best wishes to your family in light of your service, I have a hundred family members out in your part of Canada.

[Roger Lococco]

Originally Posted by AP365

This doesn't change the fact that what you said is a racist and stereotypical comment.

Imagine if you made a statement about African-American being criminals and then sent statistics to back this up. It is still incredibly racist.

And Craigdwh you look like a racist skinhead already I won't even address you beyond this comment.

Welcome to the TRF! I will respond to your 1st post on the forum, as it was addressed to me.

1. Chinese is a nationality, not a race.
2. Canada has a huge Chinese money laundering problem.
3. It is called "Chinese" money laundering because the money comes from China.
4. Canada has a reputation for being the country with the weakest AML enforcement of any Western democracy.
5. The Chinese money laundering problem in particular started in Real Estate, but has spread to luxury goods.
6. The other side of the country, but there is even a term of art now called "The Vancouver Model" that discusses the issue.
7. You can find MSM articles and government reports that reference Rolex in regard to money laundering.
8. To address the Real Estate problem, the Canadian government placed a 2-year ban on foreign ownership last week.
9. Guess where the money that previously went into Real Estate will head to next. Hint: it will go to luxury goods.
10. Without giving away too much about my bio, I was a senior executive in one of the largest organizations in the world that deals with AML and oversaw the international AML work ... including working with Interpol and other agencies.

Finally, you may want to delete your hypothetical example about crime committed by African Americans.

[alex.cicollo]

Originally Posted by Kerwi

Good day folks,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend.

I thought i would post a final update and let everyone know the conclusion to "The (Canadian) Idiots guide to buying a rolex"

I contacted an AD and had a long phone conversation trying to sensitize them to the situation. They indicated that they understood and seemed to try to be very accommodating and for that they have my thanks. At the end of that conversation i felt brave enough and confident enough to make an appointment to go meet the AD and see the GMT Master II they had as an exhibition piece.

I tried to take on many of the suggestions however at the end of the day, like i mentioned before, my days of shmoozing are long behind me. I have a stutter and i get very anxious and nervous in public spaces and there is not much that i can do to fix that today.

I thought the meeting had gone well, I got to ask many nerdy questions about the watch i've always wanted (To be honest i was hoping i would hate it but i didn't)

I felt a little confused leaving as there was no firm indication of anything. I was told "We don't know what comes in, it might be a bit of a wait but we would contact you if it came in"

This trip was genuinely a nightmare but i left thinking it had accomplished something.

Today i received a message from my Rep saying :

"Dear XXXXX,

This is XXXX from XXXXXX. It was a pleasure meeting you few days ago in our showroom.

I wish to thank you for coming in and taking your time with me for your Rolex inquiry.

Regretfully the GMT Master II featuring blue and red Cerachrom bezel in ceramic in Oystersteel, or in white gold you have expressed interest are currently unavailable at this time. Nevertheless, I will keep you in mind and continuously keep in communication as we receive timepieces in the coming future.

If you have any further questions or other inquiries, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you and I wish you a lovely day."

You can call me stupid (It's an idiots guide) but i don't really know what this means. It reads very succinctly like a f*ck off.

I have thought about it and I don't think i am able to go through that again with another AD (And perhaps another and another) and i'm not going to buy used at 3x msrp (or hell lets be honest not even at 1x msrp it's used, it makes no sense to me to pay more for something someone has already gotten use out of)

So i've decided that this is the end of the journey for me. I will not be attempting any more inquiries as i believe the emails and phonecalls are wasting peoples time and i am not able to put on a persona of a person who is capable of buying 100k in watches.

Thank you to everyone who contributed and i wish you all the best. If i have learned one thing from this experience, it's that the people at TRF and within the community are wonderful, welcoming and kind individuals sharing a wonderful passion.

Hi Kerwi,

Thank you for the update.

Perhaps - if not too stressful for you - you could send an email every other month or so to say “hi, please don’t forget about me, I’m still interested”.

Maybe there are AD reps from Canada on this forum who might consider helping, my friend. You never know. Loads of great people around in this world - you included.

Cheers,

Alex

[buffetwarren]

I would not be put off by that message. It is a standard reply. Just touch base with them every few months. You have nothing to lose other than the 30 seconds or so it'll take you to send a text message or email. The wait time for a Pepsi is years so just be patient.

[Roger Lococco]

Originally Posted by buffetwarren

I would not be put off by that message. It is a standard reply. Just touch base with them every few months. You have nothing to lose other than the 30 seconds or so it'll take you to send a text message or email. The wait time for a Pepsi is years so just be patient.

Exactly. He will have to be at the right place at the right time. But sending a monthly email reminder is very easy and requires no investment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AP365]

Originally Posted by Roger Lococco

Welcome to the TRF! I will respond to your 1st post on the forum, as it was addressed to me.

1. Chinese is a nationality, not a race.
2. Canada has a huge Chinese money laundering problem.
3. It is called "Chinese" money laundering because the money comes from China.
4. Canada has a reputation for being the country with the weakest AML enforcement of any Western democracy.
5. The Chinese money laundering problem in particular started in Real Estate, but has spread to luxury goods.
6. The other side of the country, but there is even a term of art now called "The Vancouver Model" that discusses the issue.
7. You can find MSM articles and government reports that reference Rolex in regard to money laundering.
8. To address the Real Estate problem, the Canadian government placed a 2-year ban on foreign ownership last week.
9. Guess where the money that previously went into Real Estate will head to next. Hint: it will go to luxury goods.
10. Without giving away too much about my bio, I was a senior executive in one of the largest organizations in the world that deals with AML and oversaw the international AML work ... including working with Interpol and other agencies.

Finally, you may want to delete your hypothetical example about crime committed by African Americans.

Thank you. Long time lurker. I had to step in after reading your comment. You can debate semantics around race/nationality all you want, or provide what I agree are factual statements around the money laundering. It doesn't change the fact that what you said is prejudiced/racist/stereotypical.

Again, can I say that I'm afraid to wear my Rolex in my city because of robberies done by a certain race? And then give you stats to back up that a certain race commits more crimes? Absolutely not. So please do not do it again.

[ArtNouveau]

Originally Posted by buffetwarren

I would not be put off by that message. It is a standard reply. Just touch base with them every few months. You have nothing to lose other than the 30 seconds or so it'll take you to send a text message or email. The wait time for a Pepsi is years so just be patient.

Me too. I didn’t interpret that as an outright rejection, just a “not now” as I’m quite sure they don’t have either watch in stock currently unallocated. Be patient OP and keep in touch, costs nothing to keep trying.

[CarlOver]

Originally Posted by Kerwi

Good Day everyone,

I am sure this topic has been discussed ad nauseam however my search has turned up dry.

I am a month away from my military retirement and I thought it would be an opportune time to treat myself to my first Rolex. (Don't let my account age fool you. I made this account very ambitiously in 2011)

The obstacles that stand in the way seem a little daunting because I do have PTSD and am no longer the sweetest and most outgoing person, specially in public.

I have called one AD in Toronto who told me to come in to try on a watch for the exhibition program but made it very clear that they do not have any watches for sale.

I live a little outside of Toronto (Prince Edward County) and as much as i'd love to just drive 4 hours to look at a watch I've known i wanted since 2011 it isn't really feasible to just get told that i can't put money down for one or have a chance at purchasing it.

A lot of the information here is geared at someone capable of going into multiple AD's and building rapport and those aren't things I'm going to become good at.

So i guess my question is.

Is there a point in further pursuing this ?

Or is the idea of purchasing a new Rolex in 2022 just too complicated for an idiot's guide ?

Seems like your current decisions are going to ensure you don’t get a watch from your AD. In a later post you said that you don’t want to pay a over MSRP. Take a trip with a friend or family member and hopefully you make a solid connection and then just wait for it to come it for you. Best to you!

[Tim Plains]

Originally Posted by Kerwi

You can call me stupid (It's an idiots guide) but i don't really know what this means. It reads very succinctly like a f*ck off.

That's not a F-off, look at it this way, it's closure. They didn't have to email you afterwards but did out of courtesy and I would rather deal with people like this who flat out say no with "regretfully" rather than someone who leads me on.

You could try following up with them a couple times a year when you're passing by the area, it wouldn't hurt to just stop in, ask how it's going and how the Rolex situation is, but don't get your hopes up. A BLRO is a very big ask, but you never know, and may get lucky.

Alternatively, maybe consider getting a "lesser" Rolex to start, it won't lose any money, or look to other brands. Tudor makes an excellent and similar GMT. Omega doesn't have a BLRO bezel but are just as good.