Rolex moving away from ADs?

[pp4daytona]

Saw this post and wondering if this is what Rolex is doing.
Are they going to do the same as AP?

[Roger Lococco]

They should. I hope this is the direction that Rolex heads.


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[bluestreak]

Originally Posted by Roger Lococco

They should. I hope this is the direction that Rolex heads.


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Why? Just make it harder for people to see watches..


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[amphr1]

Then my relationship with AD would be worth nothing. And then I'll be forced to see the Rolex AD on market st in downtown San Francisco where immediately after exiting the Rolex boutique you'll likely encounter one or more homeless and also random crazies yelling into the air, or shading looking characters eyeing at shopping bags with expensive brand logos.

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[tekno]

This would solve so many issues for the guys wanting new watches.

All the BS cut out completely.


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[AbeFroman]

I’m interpreting that post as they didn’t have a standalone section dedicated to Rolex only.

We know there’s only 1 or 2 boutiques worldwide that are actually owned by Rolex corporate (none are in the states). The rest are ADs that had to build out a dedicated section in the past few years.

[Atmwireless]

Don’t see this happening any time soon. Too big to flip the switch overnight

[garyk]

Originally Posted by Atmwireless

Don’t see this happening any time soon. Too big to flip the switch overnight

Agreed but it does seem to be happening...

[S.Explorer]

Not convinced they want the hassle of retail but it seems they're definitely moving to corporate ADs.

[WilsdorfNDavis]

Originally Posted by AbeFroman

I’m interpreting that post as they didn’t have a standalone section dedicated to Rolex only.

I agree, sounds like they didn't want to shell out the big bucks in this downward facing economy for a store remodel to have a separate Rolex area.

[np2016]

Good I had a great relationship with my sa at a local AD. After my sa left I had to start all over again at the exact same AD and now doubt I get any timepieces I want to add to my collection.

[pp4daytona]

Originally Posted by WilsdorfNDavis

I agree, sounds like they didn't want to shell out the big bucks in this downward facing economy for a store remodel to have a separate Rolex area.

They did have a Rolex section.

[WilsdorfNDavis]

Originally Posted by pp4daytona

They did have a Rolex section.

Gotcha...I searched online and didn't see any pictures of their Rolex area.


Then perhaps they are referring to having a stand-alone Rolex boutique store that sells nothing but Rolex.


There's one like that in San Diego that I just visited that is owned by Foutane all the way up in Carmel by the Sea in Northern California.

[MILGAUSS88]

They are trying to keep the gray market strong.
Prices went down recently, so they are probably hoping this will help the gray dealers out.

Kind of like when they cancelled the popular OP41 colored dials.

[train-time]

It seems that whenever Rolex cuts ADs, it always is effective on the 1st of a month. They fall off the Rolex website at the same time. It's probably just another round for AD cuts taking effect.

[ArtNouveau]

That’s a very misleading press release. That AD could have lost its franchise for a number of reasons, but Rolex taking over its retail path is not at all what’s going on.
In the US at least all of the Rolex only Boutiques are owned by existing ADs who presumably paid big bucks for the honor. For that they are promised the most inventory.
The next notch down would be to create a separate room within the store for Rolex, this has become the norm for a few years already.
The dealer in question may have been asked for a more expensive buildout and declined, done something RolexUSA believed to be a breach of their contract, or simply wanted to tighten/rearrange that market area. They are NOT about to start building company owned stores.

[Calatrava r]

That was the AD's statement on the reasons for their loss of AD status. The manufacturers who have gone with strictly corporate owned boutiques have very small annual output which is easy to centrally manage. With a million plus watches a year, I believe Rolex still needs its corporate partners.

[ArtNouveau]

PS: whenever I hear of a store closing like this I go check the website store locater to see if a couple smaller market dealers I am aware of made the cut. As of today both of them are still listed but then again so is Jackson Jewelers. Will check again tomorrow.

[Tim Plains]

It's possible they were caught breaking Rolex policy and this is you tell the public without airing any dirty laundry.

[Rollieo]

Rolex doesn’t own any boutiques. All the stores that are “Rolex Only” which seem like Rolex opened boutiques, are still independently owned. For example the Rolex store in San Jose.

I don’t see Rolex moving to owning the retail side. I do see them slowly but surely moving to more Rolex only stores though. It starts with a case, then a section, then part of the store, then the whole store. What brand wouldn’t want that?

[superpop]

Salem OR is a tiny market, surprised they even had an AD there. I would guess they are slowly picking off these small time players in smaller markets. There a 3 AD's up the street in Portland.

[TheHulk]

Just lost my AD as well. Hate it for them and me....

[Bxtek]

I've heard this idea rumored quite awhile back. Makes total sense though if Rolex wants to take more control of their retail end. With boutiques, at least they cannot try to get you to buy thousands of dollars in other types of jewelry, or other brands of watches before helping you with the Rolex you want. The only thing for sale in Rolex boutiques are Rolex watches!

[JR16]

This exact question is posted every few months and the answer doesn’t change - no, Rolex will not give up their AD network. It would be a losing business proposition and no reason to do it. So, again, the answer is no.


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[omar-rye]

Can you imagine if Apple didn’t have their own retail setting. Rolex is leaving a lot of money on the table

[donas]

I thought this had been in effect, seems Rolex stopped shipping watches a couple years ago.

[MRBolton]

I don’t understand why any AD wouldn’t do the Rolex requested build-out at this point in time. Seems like it would pay for itself in no time to keep Rolex happy.

It’s tough to imagine the AD lying in such a public statement, but that is a very strong accusation.

[Mendota]

Originally Posted by AbeFroman

I’m interpreting that post as they didn’t have a standalone section dedicated to Rolex only.

We know there’s only 1 or 2 boutiques worldwide that are actually owned by Rolex corporate (none are in the states). The rest are ADs that had to build out a dedicated section in the past few years.

Yeah, the founder of Hodinkee said during a recent podcast interview on "Business Breakdowns: Rolex" that they own one store in the world, and this is only because the shop in Switzerland was owned by a close friend of the president of Rolex and is located close to HQ. I forgot what he said the circumstances were regarding why Rolex ended up buying the store but they are close friends and it just morphed into that deal.

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[ArtNouveau]

Originally Posted by MRBolton

I don’t understand why any AD wouldn’t do the Rolex requested build-out at this point in time. Seems like it would pay for itself in no time to keep Rolex happy.

It’s tough to imagine the AD lying in such a public statement, but that is a very strong accusation.

And just like all the “My dealer says” threads I believe I can confidently state that Rolex corporate does not share their future marketing plan to an AD they are giving the axe to.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by tekno

This would solve so many issues for the guys wanting new watches.

All the BS cut out completely.


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The boutiques are all owned by AD’s and they sell you the same BS