Rolex uk seem to have introduced even more rules......part 2

[GBD]

Retaining the warranty card may make it harder for the owner to sell, but will have no impact on warranty use or transfer between owners. In the US at least, the warranty follows the watch, and whether the AD holds on to the plastic card or not, the owner of watch, no matter who that is, is entitled to use it.

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[Jay (Eire)]

Any measure that improves the average buyer's access to the watch they want is good.

If that means I might have restrictions placed on my reselling of a watch I bought within 12 months of purchase because I don't have the guarantee card then so be it. I'm ok with that.

[Jacobson]

But it won’t.

Many ADs sell to grey market knowingly. They will just find ways of circumventing their own rules.

All this letter says is that lists are just a list of names. High value clients will always get first refusal.

[watchmework]

Next.

What a terrible situation.

[Car32]

Originally Posted by RolexNorth

What's the deal with the UK these days, London for that matter. I hear you can't even get a ham sandwich in that city anymore.

Actually they’re short on KFC

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.be51268ff045

[kaiserphoenix]

Soon you will need to show your passport, run biometric tests, criminal record test, lie detector, family heritage, credit checks to buy a submariner.

[cloudplay]

Originally Posted by bp1000

As for favouritism due to purchase history, shove it. Disgusting. The kind of short sighted mindless drivel frequented by certain evil dictators past and indeed present

But is there any part of the luxury industry that goes strictly by a some global waitlist? High end cars - no. High end leather goods - no. If there is so much demand such that Joe/Jane Schmo can queue up and then turn around and sell their new SkyD, GT3 or Birkin for an instant profit, first come, first served will go out the window.

It would be interesting to know how much of their profits dealers make from their "VIP" customers, compared to the regular clientele, but is hard to expect them to say know to the guy who buys a new car for each season or has their entire house decorated with Hermes trinkets.

[MinMay]

cool.

[slocke0624]

Anyone who has passed an introductory economics course understands that shortages exist when prices are below the "market price." Raise the prices and most of these problems will go away. Watches will go to the consumers that value them the most and the grey market will shrink.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Bigblu10

No offense to all in the UK but I hope this type of nonsense doesn't spread across the pond to here in the US. But then again, you never know...

It will almost certainly if your grey prices keep rising. UK is just a few months ahead of US.

[topfuel25]

it’s time Rolex and Ads get rid of the flippers and hoarders who trade

[train-time]

Excellent

[np2016]

The easiest solution to all this drama is. Rolex worldwide only warranties the watch to the person whose name is on the card and the warranty no longer just follows the watch owner to owner. This will dramatically reduce the costs a Grey or flipper can sell a popular model for.

[Bigblu10]

Originally Posted by np2016

The easiest solution to all this drama is. Rolex worldwide only warranties the watch to the person whose name is on the card and the warranty no longer just follows the watch owner to owner. This will dramatically reduce the costs a Grey or flipper can sell a popular model for.

People will still buy. The warranty thing is overrated. Only a tiny percentage of new watches ever need warranty work. I would still buy a new watch without a warranty. If something goes wrong, worse case scenario I pay RSC for a service to have it fixed.

[jonnyz1245]

Originally Posted by np2016

The easiest solution to all this drama is. Rolex worldwide only warranties the watch to the person whose name is on the card and the warranty no longer just follows the watch owner to owner. This will dramatically reduce the costs a Grey or flipper can sell a popular model for.

Unfortunately that is not possible, at least in the US. The warranty follows the product in the US and not the owner. As long as the warranty hasn't expired, the company has to honor it regardless of who owns it, 1st buyer or 5th.

[Ichiran]

The best way is to move out of Rolex and into other under-appreciated brands.

[S-F]

First world problems sound so trivial at times.

[WEST HAM ROLEX]

Originally Posted by Bigblu10

People will still buy. The warranty thing is overrated. Only a tiny percentage of new watches ever need warranty work. I would still buy a new watch without a warranty. If something goes wrong, worse case scenario I pay RSC for a service to have it fixed.

Yes, have my friends on lists for the SD43 and Deepsea Blue

Have told their AD they can remove the plastic and keep the warranty card

If it helps,,,,who knows

Got the card for my D-blue but asked to have plastic taken off

You wouldn't buy a Bentley and leave plastic on the stealing wheel...would you?

[Seibei]

What a silly situation. Dealers sell to preferred buyers, that is buyers who buy a lot of watches from them. The buyers who buy a lot of watches from them are most probably grey market dealers. That leaves the normal customer high and dry, with no option but to buy from grey market dealers.

If you, and other people who buy Rolex watches want this to stop, then insist on buying your watch from an AD, not grey market. Also, on principle, insist on never paying more than the recommended retail price.

Of course what I wrote above is sensible, but there are plenty of people with money who are willing to pay a hefty price to circumvent waiting lists.

What can be done?

1. As a consumer, only buy from an AD.

2. Rolex and dealers should find out who the re sellers are and ban them from buying new Rolex watches.

3. Make the 5 year warranty non transferable. It follows the owner and the watch. If you sell your watch before the 5 years is up the warranty is void.

4. Raise prices of the models that are most popular and think about lowering prices of the ones that are less in favor.

5. Increase production of the most popular watches.

[Clasper]

The strange thing is whilst I could understand the register of interest including just one store (so people do not apply in multiple stores), what I can't understand is the one watch rule (unless I misread it) as this just means if I want a Daytona C and a new SS Pepsi GMT II then effectively I would register at one of their stores for one of the watches and instead go to one of their competitors for another watch. This doesn't make sense as first of all they might lose a customer in the longer term and secondly they lose the business.

The other parts make sense keeping warranty cards etc, as I'm sure it will put off some people considering flipping, but the one register rule will only drive someone elsewhere as collectors and probably their best customers will want to be on a number of lists naturally. It's a great way to lose your best customers, plus I'm sure some of these customers buy other watches/jewellery when they are in their stores.

[Tony-GB]

Originally Posted by Bigblu10

No offense to all in the UK but I hope this type of nonsense doesn't spread across the pond to here in the US. But then again, you never know...

When the UK sneezes...

[haberdashery]

These new rules are all well and good, but what about the insane levels of stock pouring into UK grey dealers from outside of the country, from places like Southern Europe?

If this is only a UK thing it won’t make a blind bit of difference. In fact people are still flipping watches minus the warranty card, with a promise of sending them on after 12 months.

I don’t see how this can be applied to existing Aurum customers. I’ve bought both ceramic Daytonas from their group. If there was ever a watch to flip for a quick and tidy profit, it would be the 116500. But I still have both with absolutely no intention of selling either, the same for the rest of the SS models I purchased from Aurum group.

This is probably being done with the best of intentions by Rolex UK and Aurum group, but I think it’s a huge mistake.

[Benjo74]

Originally Posted by AK797

Nope we've had another official letter where Rolex directed Goldsmiths to implement this, ADs don't care who buys their watches, only Rolex does to preserve the brand name.

Ah, I see, I didn’t realise that. In that case, who needs a warranty card (other than a reseller)? If your watch breaks down and the AD is out of business (worst case scenario) then Rolex would have to still honour the warranty as their records show you bought the watch and they know you have no warranty card as the dealer withheld it on their instruction. This means it’s a bit annoying but no big deal.

That said, if a genuine buyer decides the watch isn’t for them and wants to trade it for another, then that’s their right as owner and the warranty card needs to be part of the package. Glad I’m not a flipper!


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[Benjo74]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

thats something like 70% of the UK Rolex market and includes Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb, and Goldsmiths... as well as some stand alone mono brand Rolex boutiques.

Good point.




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[Benjo74]

Originally Posted by Busyboy

Don't think that's the deal,



CEOs don't fire the canteen staff for cold beans, they get the chef to do that

Not really the same thing.


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[oldman2005]

Wow, so much rules! But from what I read here UK ADs typically have no SS sport to sell anyway, so rule or not seemed like it makes no difference

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by oldman2005

Wow, so much rules! But from what I read here UK ADs typically have no SS sport to sell anyway, so rule or not seemed like it makes no difference

its a catch 22. They do have watches, not a lot though. They are being very selective with who they sell them to because they are nervous about people flipping them so they are in the back in the safe, and only people they know are being offered them (generally). So it creates the perception that there are no watches and that contributes to secondary premiums, which leads more people to consider flipping which is what they are trying to avoid in the first place.

[OmegaJJH]

I'm on a waiting list for a Hulk at a non Arum group AD here in the U.K. and they called me up last week with an update on my watch but dropped in to conversation that waiting lists will be far more difficult to get on in future. He didn't elaborate and I didn't think anything if it at the time however it seems to be a trend that the OP is informing us of.

[BLNR Nairobi]

For some reason this does not bother me so much ...if, and only if, it makes it easier for people to get watches. It’s annoying to see TS’ with dozens of LVcs, BLNRs and Daytonas. There was a thread late last year of a seller with (literally) a bunch of LVCs scattered all around.
As someone who buys to keep, I don’t have much of an issue with this. At most, a slight irritation.

[Golf&Watches]

It is becoming a rather frustrating situation. I have bought over twenty from two AD's over the last ten years (all sports models, including four PM), currently own nine, I have never flipped any (traded them back to AD), I have shorter waits than most, but it is getting absurd. Rolex make more watches! Scale back the number of datejuts that sit there for months. I don't care if you flood the market, I have no interest in the second hand value, just raise your production capacity. I'm close to choosing another brand.