My first Rolex, and a note of thanks

[EverCloserUnion]

Hello all,

My first post as a first-time Rolex owner, and I wanted to start with a note of thanks.

I knew little about Rolex (other than that I wanted one) when I started out so this forum was a fantastic resource – you’re all extremely generous with your knowledge and experience.

Secondly, my experience buying a Rolex – I’d love to know if this is typical.

The Rolex was a ‘reward’ to myself for completing a mid-career MBA (I’d promised myself a Longines if I could finish, perhaps a lower end Breitling or equivalent if I could bag a ‘distinction’, and a Rolex if I could finish first in class. So, a Rolex it was).

The experience at my nearest AD in the southeast of England was very positive: extremely courteous during my ‘walk in’ visit, willing to take my details, and frank in that my first choice watch (an OP with a green face – 41mm dial) would probably take three to four years.

A few weeks later I was walking past the same AD. Looking in the window, a lot of the watches had ‘exhibition only’ stickers. But a rather nice DateJust (41mm, Azurro blue face with roman numerals, jubillee bracelet) didn’t. Surely it couldn’t hurt to ask?
45 minutes later I left with the watch on my wrist, a silly grin on my face, and my 8-year-old daughter asking a little too loudly for comfort in a crowded street if ‘Daddy was happy with his new Rolex. It’s really shiny!”.

The SA’s take on matters was that the Rolex market is returning to something like normality, with the Covid spike and supply issues now easing.

Again, my question: does this square with the experience of others or was I fortunate to find a lower-demand Rolex appealing?