Not sure how this happened ..... INCOMING!

[SMD]

As the title indicates, I am a little stunned and confused as to how this all happened. As I have written a few times in the past, my interest in APs and watches more generally has been waning, to the point where I have not even worn a mechanical watch for the last three months! The current environment leaves a lot to be desired by someone who has been, shall we say, an AP fanboy for about 9 years now. It was not the fact that AP would (obviously) prioritize its VIPs but that something seemed to be breaking down in the allocation process. Models that are pseudo “application pieces”, (meaning models that require approval from the boutique manager and higher ups to be sold) all seemed to be ending up in the grey market. That people I know buy a watch, flip it, and then buy another, are feted as big spenders when they are simply recycling the same $$ and contributing to the flipping culture that is alive and well at the moment. That there was no room for the buy and hold customer devoted to the brand. The transaction nature of the industry just turned me off.

So when you combine the current environment with the mixed experiences I have had at my local boutique (which I won’t rehash) I was pretty much done with AP. I wasn’t going to sell what I had because I bought them for a reason and those reasons did not change. But I had no interest in playing the game of trying to win the allocation lottery. Instead I decided I would go in and have the bracelet on my 26237 and in the process see what had changed at the boutique now that most of the staff had turned over. So three weeks ago I head into midtown (yuk) and the boutique was super busy, never seen it so busy. Waited patiently while a sales rep I have never seen before helped someone else. When he finished up he happily changed out the rubber strap and then we chatted a bit. He was fantastic, could not have had a better experience. Pulled up my profile, saw what I had long ago indicated an interest in and wanted to know if it was still accurate. I told him a version of the story above, love the brand but my interest had been waning. Also walked me through the Code line (yes, yes I know but they are much better in person and I think they have potential given the case design) and said he would put himself on as my second point of contact (the boutique manager was listed as the first point of contact). I thanked for his time subsequently by email and that was that. Fast forward two weeks and he asks me again if there is anything else I was interested in, I respond and again that was the end of it. Next day I am at the gym over lunch and he calls me cell. I did not want to take the call at the gym so I let it go to voicemail. No message. Weird. I email him and let him know I am tied up but what’s up. He calls again and this time I find a place to pick up the call at the gym. He asks if I still want the piece that I had indicated an interest in several years before. I told him, uh yeah, and he responded by letting me know that he will have one in an hour and do I want it. Stunned. No idea how it came to be or why, but I finished up and then headed back up to midtown (still yuk) and shall we say the rest is history.

The buying experience was phenomenal and my sales rep could not have been better. I won’t bore you with all the details but the experience was the best I have ever had with AP and I am very thankful to my sales rep (I don’t want to name someone publicly without their consent, even when positive).

I apologize in advance, the pictures suck though this piece makes me want to try harder.