Random AD Musings

[ArtNouveau]

I was back in my hometown for the holidays and managed to get in a visit to my AD on Christmas Eve to chat with my long time SA. They had the biggest array of exhibition pieces I have seen in any dealer, not just the most common ones but some of the more obscure models.
I asked him if they had anything at all available for immediate sale, even a high dollar jewel encrusted women’s piece and the answer was no. He says many folks walking in are very taken aback by the current situation, remember that most Rolex buyers are not the collection/investment obsessed ones we see here. Just someone who wanted to walk in and buy an occasion piece or gift.
The other thing that came up in conversation was the longtime local store that suddenly lost their franchise. Rumor is they blurred the line a bit too much between their new and “pre-owned” stock. Believe it or not of course, but he says RolexUSA frowns on their dealers using any tactics or policies that might seem a bit shady to the consumer.
He does believe they will get more stock this year as a result, says this year was great in general for them but some models seemed a lot scarcer than before. Deliveries resume mid-January and he thinks my red OP41 can’t be too far off.
The store had lots of traffic that morning, it was good to see and be seen, you know that whole relationship thing.

[rmwill]

My AD thinks my Coral OP41 is just around the corner also. Fingers crossed!

[vh2k]

Nice post. Thx.

[Grapenut]

It is nice to see some stock and try different references on. Was really surprised to see a blue sky-dweller as an exhibition piece.

I know it is frustrating for folks unaware of the current watch environment, but a better experience to at least try on a piece to see if it is really worth waiting for.

[malba2366]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

]. He says many folks walking in are very taken aback by the current situation, remember that most Rolex buyers are not the collection/investment obsessed ones we see here. Just someone who wanted to walk in and buy an occasion piece or gift.

Exactly! This is why the current situation is bad for Rolex and I think they will act to fix it as quickly as they can. Many on here don't see this, but the core customer for Rolex is the 50+ year old men who have done well and want to buy a nice timepiece for themselves, and then get one for their spouse and then maybe gift a piece to their children on a special event 10-15 years down the road (graduation, wedding etc.). These people are not willing to buy from grey market dealers - especially at elevated prices - and have to worry about authenticity and a lack of warranty. It will cost Rolex sales when these people go to the Omega boutique down the hallway and see that those watches are pretty nice and buy that instead and then talk about it to all their friends who may not even know of any "nice" watches besides Rolex. Watch collectors such as ourselves are second on the list, but a more fickle bunch than the previous group. The crypto bros and flippers who are into watches for investment potential will quickly figure out that even with a small downturn they can't make any money as it costs them minimum 20% of grey retail price to sell a watch.

In my area multiple small ADs have been removed over the last few years and have been replaced with freestanding boutiques...I suspect this may be by design as it is much easier for Rolex to audit the sales as it will be harder to hide watch sales in with other goods.

[SaintMickey]

When I picked up my SubDate before Christmas I was told "its just a matter of time" from my AD for the two I want.
I have no reason to doubt based on what I've gotten so far in 7 months.

[Cigars&Watches]

Interesting about the other AD losing their status due to shady practices. Thanks for sharing.

There was a related thread about this recently.. Still many people on here don’t think ROLEX gives a bleep what ADs do..

[S52]

Originally Posted by malba2366

Exactly! This is why the current situation is bad for Rolex and I think they will act to fix it as quickly as they can. Many on here don't see this, but the core customer for Rolex is the 50+ year old men who have done well and want to buy a nice timepiece for themselves, and then get one for their spouse and then maybe gift a piece to their children on a special event 10-15 years down the road (graduation, wedding etc.). These people are not willing to buy from grey market dealers - especially at elevated prices - and have to worry about authenticity and a lack of warranty. It will cost Rolex sales when these people go to the Omega boutique down the hallway and see that those watches are pretty nice and buy that instead and then talk about it to all their friends who may not even know of any "nice" watches besides Rolex. Watch collectors such as ourselves are second on the list, but a more fickle bunch than the previous group. The crypto bros and flippers who are into watches for investment potential will quickly figure out that even with a small downturn they can't make any money as it costs them minimum 20% of grey retail price to sell a watch.

In my area multiple small ADs have been removed over the last few years and have been replaced with freestanding boutiques...I suspect this may be by design as it is much easier for Rolex to audit the sales as it will be harder to hide watch sales in with other goods.

I agree with your sentiment. This situation is going to hurt Rolex in the long run.

Once the whole investment/ instagram/ tiktok crowd grow weary and moves on to the next "fad" (which will inevitably happen) I think AD's are going to find themselves with stocked display cases and no "regular" customers to sell watches to since they have all moved on to other brands or have just been put off by the rude "dont even think about it not gonna happen" attitudes going on now at many AD's.

[ks58]

It’s not going to hurt Rolex in the long run. Anything wanted and of value will make the company more desirable. The typical buyer will wait longer and want it more.