Flying to AP Store in NY

[macrowatch]

Well done!

[eal15]

Originally Posted by THWatch

Quite a week for you, congrats!

Just curious, did you have to pay the NY sales tax?

Im also from the Toronto area. I wanted to do the same in terms of coming to NY to pick it up on a specific date but they also said they don't hold the watches. The offered to send the watch to me in Toronto which I think is the model they are trying to execute. I'd pay my own provincial tax and in my currency.

[eal15]

Congratulations OP, I flip flopped on which one I wanted and am now waiting. They offered me the black dial 43 in August but I changed my mind for the grey titanium. I prefer the one you got but 5 years ago I didn't go for a ceramic bezel and want one now. Beautiful piece though and congrats. lol, they never offered to take me out for lunch and my wife and I were there forever, lol.

[thekman]

Originally Posted by just1time

I have read various experiences with the AP Boutique, well here is my Story;

After booking the appointment last year, I had to reschedule and postpone the appointment for a few weeks because of covid restrictions.

Finally, I caught a 4am flight to NY last Friday for my appointment. Sadly, flight was cancelled last minute. Other option was through Detroit with a 4hour layover. A normal 45mins trip turned into 7hr trip. I wasn't t broken. I took it.
Fortunately, they offered a direct flight at 11am instead. I happily took that. I went back home to sleep for a few hours. Took off at 11am, landed at LGA at 1pm. Weather was bad and My scheduled ride took forever. I ended getting there about 40mins past my 3pm appointment.

The individual I had the appointment with had left but a nice lady attended to me.
I was surprised by how young and racially diverse the reps at this store were (I am used to majority of reps being older Asian womenat almost every Rolex AD in Toronto...No pun intended). To be honest, I expected the AP reps to be more stuck up and whatnot. It was the exact opposite.

She brought some watches which I was excited to try. Keep in mind, with how tough it is to attain one with no history, I had zero expectations. I was just excited seeing these pieces in real life...and trying them on. Plus It was my first time visiting NY in 5years. It was safe to say I couldn't be disappointed even if they tried. As such, I allowed myself to be free and be my natural self.

I tried on various pieces including the 50th anniversary ROO in Steel black and Titanium blue. It was easy for her to see how attracted I was to these watches.

Long story short, I spent 30mins trying the watches and talking about them. But I ended up spending about another hour at the store cause we hit it off talking about life and other things. It got very informal with me cracking lots of jokes, making the whole staff laugh and whatnot. It was fun. I still had zero expectations.

At the end I had to leave to catch my flight back. She suggested we exchange numbers. She collected all my data and punched it in their system. I was excited when she said she liked my energy and my story. And that she would be happy to help me achieve my AP goals (her exact words). She even offered that they take me for dinner but I declined given I had a flight to catch. She gifted me a nice AP Polo shirt and a nice AP umbrella. And said she would probably see me sooner than later.
That made me hopeful and I figured the visit was worth it....Afterall, it only cost me $240 CAD for a same day return ticket. I spend much more on rubbish anyways.

I left to catch my flight home. On my way to the airport I get a call from her. She sounded excited. She asked if I could pick it up today if she offered me a watch. I was dumbfounded to be honest. I couldn't believe it. She said I am full of life and positive energy.
I told her I am very honoured and would love to but I have to catch a flight. Moreover I didnt prepare to spend $55k CAD right there given I honestly expected nothing of such nature. She said no worries. I texted her saying I can be back there on Tuesday to buy it OR could even wire funds on Monday and fly down on Monday to pick it up. She said they don't hold watches but she would try to convince her manager to let her hold it for me. Lo and behold, bad weather caused the Flight out to be cancelled last minute. I was drained. I booked a hotel and slept still relishing the feeling of trying the beautiful watch on. I flew back to Toronto next morning. I didnt hear or read from her all weekend. I wasn't disappointed and didn't dwell on it. I was in fact happy she considered me.

Fast-forward to 9:30pm Monday night, I get a text while am at the gym. She said she was so sorry cause she thought she replied my text (she later showed me her phone and there were text messages from 200 clients...no lie). She said she made it happen and I NEED to get down there if I wanted it. I was so excited and pumped...I think I lifted twice what I am capable of lifting at the gym :)

I went upstairs and booked a ticket for next morning....Tuesday 11:30am flight. Next day, I Stopped by the bank to wire a chunk of the money to be safe. Almost missed the flight but made it in nick of time. Begged the lady to let me board...lol

I Arrived at LGA around 1pm. Again, my scheduled ride delayed. I spent 2hrs at the airport waiting around. He finally shows up and then says he still has to run another 40mins errand...FML. 1.5hrs later, I got to the AP store....time was around 4:45pm. They close at 6pm. I was happy I got there with some time to spare. She was excited to see me but sadly tells me she hasn't seen the wire transfer. My heart sunk deeper than the Titanic did.
I didn't sweat it. Told her I had to rush back to airport to catch flight back BUT that I could pay the balance and fly back to pick up the watch a few days later. She persuaded me to stay overnight that it would certainly show up by morning.
I obliged. I Booked a hotel by Times Square, went for some good food and enjoyed the city with a friend that met up with me.

I was a little worried cause Sometimes a tiny mistake on the info sheet when sending a wire can cause it to fail. However, I Woke up this morning to her text saying "Gooood Morningggg"..."Oh, I got the wire btw" (her exact words). I was happy. I told her I would be there by 11am.
I Showered and walked through Time Square to Central Park and circled back to the store. She is all smiles and welcomes me with a hug. She brought out a fresh unworn watch which felt different since it hadn't been handled by lots of hands the way the tester I tried on had been. It had the plastic and everything.
I Paid the balance and I was off to the airport. I arrived 45mins later. I thought it was a dream at this point. But when I Got home, I opened the box and there was a AP watch there. All this was reallllll...lol

Well, Thats my story. If the reps at the NYC boutique store are reading this, Thank you for a wonderful experience. Can't wait to see you again AND CAN'T WAIT TO GET MORE TIMEPIECES : )


That's my story with the AD NYC Boutique and how I got my very first AP. I know different people get different experiences. I have no advice for anyone other than be yourself AND its real when I say they feel you out to ensure you are not a flipper.

Now for pics : )

Congrats man, amazing story! What kind of models were they able to show you to try on? The boutique next to me never has anything to try on, You mentioned the ROO, did they have any of the new 43mm offshores, divers or any regular ROs?

[Jsol]

Phenomenal story and I bet AP will treat you like a VIP from here on out. Congrats.


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[squall1]

OP congratulations, it looks great on you. Quite the display of dedication on your part, thanks for sharing.

[DoraTheExplorerII]

Wow, congrats and what a story.

So that's the minimum we need to do to get an AP.

[GWL2]

Great story and congrats. Looks great!


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[CAWatchLove]

Love stories like this. This story is what the forums were built for. Many congrats

[Bustelo]

Originally Posted by dauster

or in the hotel as I have seen in another thread. AP hotel with minimum 3 weeks stay to get on wait list

They have the perfect place for you to wait.. AP themed rooms @ $1k+ per night. People would do it, too!

[only1swami]

Originally Posted by thekman

Congrats man, amazing story! What kind of models were they able to show you to try on? The boutique next to me never has anything to try on, You mentioned the ROO, did they have any of the new 43mm offshores, divers or any regular ROs?

Same question! i visited NYC in Nov and they had a handful of pieces on display but nothing to try on.

I called again today as I was going to be in town but seems they're fully booked Friday and Saturday with appointments. But did mention they have a good selection of stuff from new the new drop to see/possibly try on

so if you're looking to visit/try on stuff, best to book at least 3-4 days in advance

Let us know what they had

[only1swami]

Originally Posted by just1time

I have read various experiences with the AP Boutique, well here is my Story;

After booking the appointment last year, I had to reschedule and postpone the appointment for a few weeks because of covid restrictions.

Finally, I caught a 4am flight to NY last Friday for my appointment. Sadly, flight was cancelled last minute. Other option was through Detroit with a 4hour layover. A normal 45mins trip turned into 7hr trip. I wasn't t broken. I took it.
Fortunately, they offered a direct flight at 11am instead. I happily took that. I went back home to sleep for a few hours. Took off at 11am, landed at LGA at 1pm. Weather was bad and My scheduled ride took forever. I ended getting there about 40mins past my 3pm appointment.

The individual I had the appointment with had left but a nice lady attended to me.
I was surprised by how young and racially diverse the reps at this store were (I am used to majority of reps being older Asian womenat almost every Rolex AD in Toronto...No pun intended). To be honest, I expected the AP reps to be more stuck up and whatnot. It was the exact opposite.

She brought some watches which I was excited to try. Keep in mind, with how tough it is to attain one with no history, I had zero expectations. I was just excited seeing these pieces in real life...and trying them on. Plus It was my first time visiting NY in 5years. It was safe to say I couldn't be disappointed even if they tried. As such, I allowed myself to be free and be my natural self.

I tried on various pieces including the 50th anniversary ROO in Steel black and Titanium blue. It was easy for her to see how attracted I was to these watches.

Long story short, I spent 30mins trying the watches and talking about them. But I ended up spending about another hour at the store cause we hit it off talking about life and other things. It got very informal with me cracking lots of jokes, making the whole staff laugh and whatnot. It was fun. I still had zero expectations.

At the end I had to leave to catch my flight back. She suggested we exchange numbers. She collected all my data and punched it in their system. I was excited when she said she liked my energy and my story. And that she would be happy to help me achieve my AP goals (her exact words). She even offered that they take me for dinner but I declined given I had a flight to catch. She gifted me a nice AP Polo shirt and a nice AP umbrella. And said she would probably see me sooner than later.
That made me hopeful and I figured the visit was worth it....Afterall, it only cost me $240 CAD for a same day return ticket. I spend much more on rubbish anyways.

I left to catch my flight home. On my way to the airport I get a call from her. She sounded excited. She asked if I could pick it up today if she offered me a watch. I was dumbfounded to be honest. I couldn't believe it. She said I am full of life and positive energy.
I told her I am very honoured and would love to but I have to catch a flight. Moreover I didnt prepare to spend $55k CAD right there given I honestly expected nothing of such nature. She said no worries. I texted her saying I can be back there on Tuesday to buy it OR could even wire funds on Monday and fly down on Monday to pick it up. She said they don't hold watches but she would try to convince her manager to let her hold it for me. Lo and behold, bad weather caused the Flight out to be cancelled last minute. I was drained. I booked a hotel and slept still relishing the feeling of trying the beautiful watch on. I flew back to Toronto next morning. I didnt hear or read from her all weekend. I wasn't disappointed and didn't dwell on it. I was in fact happy she considered me.

Fast-forward to 9:30pm Monday night, I get a text while am at the gym. She said she was so sorry cause she thought she replied my text (she later showed me her phone and there were text messages from 200 clients...no lie). She said she made it happen and I NEED to get down there if I wanted it. I was so excited and pumped...I think I lifted twice what I am capable of lifting at the gym :)

I went upstairs and booked a ticket for next morning....Tuesday 11:30am flight. Next day, I Stopped by the bank to wire a chunk of the money to be safe. Almost missed the flight but made it in nick of time. Begged the lady to let me board...lol

I Arrived at LGA around 1pm. Again, my scheduled ride delayed. I spent 2hrs at the airport waiting around. He finally shows up and then says he still has to run another 40mins errand...FML. 1.5hrs later, I got to the AP store....time was around 4:45pm. They close at 6pm. I was happy I got there with some time to spare. She was excited to see me but sadly tells me she hasn't seen the wire transfer. My heart sunk deeper than the Titanic did.
I didn't sweat it. Told her I had to rush back to airport to catch flight back BUT that I could pay the balance and fly back to pick up the watch a few days later. She persuaded me to stay overnight that it would certainly show up by morning.
I obliged. I Booked a hotel by Times Square, went for some good food and enjoyed the city with a friend that met up with me.

I was a little worried cause Sometimes a tiny mistake on the info sheet when sending a wire can cause it to fail. However, I Woke up this morning to her text saying "Gooood Morningggg"..."Oh, I got the wire btw" (her exact words). I was happy. I told her I would be there by 11am.
I Showered and walked through Time Square to Central Park and circled back to the store. She is all smiles and welcomes me with a hug. She brought out a fresh unworn watch which felt different since it hadn't been handled by lots of hands the way the tester I tried on had been. It had the plastic and everything.
I Paid the balance and I was off to the airport. I arrived 45mins later. I thought it was a dream at this point. But when I Got home, I opened the box and there was a AP watch there. All this was reallllll...lol

Well, Thats my story. If the reps at the NYC boutique store are reading this, Thank you for a wonderful experience. Can't wait to see you again AND CAN'T WAIT TO GET MORE TIMEPIECES : )


That's my story with the AD NYC Boutique and how I got my very first AP. I know different people get different experiences. I have no advice for anyone other than be yourself AND its real when I say they feel you out to ensure you are not a flipper.

Now for pics : )

congratulations! wear it in the best of health!

[dauster]

huge congrats and nice write up - for the next piece could they not just ship the watch after you wire the funds ?

[Overwatch]

That’s awesome, congrats. There’s some really good people at AP. I love to see this.

[VogelPhoenix]

Quite the story! Congrats!

[10XRolex]

Love the perseverance. Congratulations.

[GW44]

Great story and excellent to hear a plan come together like this.

Funny we don’t read more of these “good news” stories for our Uk members…..

[thekman]

Originally Posted by only1swami

Same question! i visited NYC in Nov and they had a handful of pieces on display but nothing to try on.

I called again today as I was going to be in town but seems they're fully booked Friday and Saturday with appointments. But did mention they have a good selection of stuff from new the new drop to see/possibly try on

so if you're looking to visit/try on stuff, best to book at least 3-4 days in advance

Let us know what they had

Hey man, I recognize your name from BWSG. Unfortunately Boston never has anything to try on. Nice to hear that NYC may have some of the new stuff. I will try to get down there and check out the new pieces.


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[just1time]

Thanks guys.
The watch is truly stunning.Not very flashy. And no one would ever guess its at that level of pricepoint. I honestly believed my first ever watch that would cross the $30k mark would be the DD40. But I now know this hobby will definitely make my pockets bleed. The consoling part of it is I DON't baby my watches. I do with them as I do with everything I buy with my money; I take care of them but ensure I USE the hell out of them as long as I have oxygen running through my lungs. I went to a few burials last year. It was shocking to me that the dead are not buried with all the nice things they own. For that reason alone, I intend to USE everything I own while blessed to be alive : )

Originally Posted by THWatch

Quite a week for you, congrats!

Just curious, did you have to pay the NY sales tax?

Sadly, yes. Was told as long as its picked up in person I have to.
I will pressure them to ship the next one out of state.Every dollar saved goes a long way....Times are hard out here for a pimp : )

Originally Posted by eal15

Im also from the Toronto area. I wanted to do the same in terms of coming to NY to pick it up on a specific date but they also said they don't hold the watches. The offered to send the watch to me in Toronto which I think is the model they are trying to execute. I'd pay my own provincial tax and in my currency.

Yup, You would pay 6% duty + 13% taxes I believe. About $10k CAD to customs.
Am not a bad person but also don't have a Halo over my head. I didnt pay this.
To each his own : )

Originally Posted by Jsol

Phenomenal story and I bet AP will treat you like a VIP from here on out. Congrats.


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I would imagine so. My first piece was at no ordinary price-point. Hopefully, That goes a long way. Who knows. I did see a girl come in all decked out in expensive Chanel, looking for a Tourbillion piece for her father. She was mentioning how her dad spends 7 figures a year. She was SHUT down and told he is best to keep looking for the piece at whatever AD he bought those from. I believe relationship is highly focused on with AP. I can't remember it was mentioned or am just thinking it but I think they are focusing more on present owners of AP watches rather than newcomers. I guess one can argue that most newcomers might be flippers hence that attention diversion. Who knows, don't quote me :)

Originally Posted by DoraTheExplorerII

Wow, congrats and what a story.

So that's the minimum we need to do to get an AP.

Yes, plus you have to be handsome like me and have an angelic voice : )

Originally Posted by dauster

huge congrats and nice write up - for the next piece could they not just ship the watch after you wire the funds ?

For different reasons, I would rather pick it up. The experience goes a long way for me. Also, shipping it to me forces a 20% tax out of my pocket when it comes through customs. I can't afford that : )

[Jonah10]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing


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[just1time]

I believe someone asked for multiple pics from different angles for reference. Been busy but I kept it at the back of my mind to do.
Hope this helps anyone interested.
My wrist is 7inches.
And the watch is a perfect fit for my wrist. It’s not too big, not too small. It’s just perfect for my wrist. The skydweller which most say is too big is noticeably smaller compared to this on my wrist.

[eonflux]

Congrats!!!
Great story

[Commandopat]

Great story, glad it worked out as well as it did!

[Jgives]

Loved the read. Congratulations and wear in good health!

[1st amg]

Amazing success! Wow, what a story