some frustration with buying new rolexes

[Basque1]

I had a conversation yesterday with a rep from AD (reputable Rolex dealer in NY) and for e to be able to see and feel how it fits a SD James Cameron I had to set an appointment at a specific time.

I was hounded to place a deposit just in case someone put $$ down before I can see the watch. I repeatedly turn that aggressive sales pitch down.

She the promised to call me if the watch was either arriving next day and ready for me to see. Miraculously within 10 minutes the watch would be available for me to see and try out today at a specific appointment time. This was close to unbelievable. I will let you all know how it goes today... I am sure that they had the watch there and will be pushing very aggressively for me to buy it today... will see.

[904VT]

Originally Posted by Basque1

I had a conversation yesterday with a rep from AD (reputable Rolex dealer in NY) and for e to be able to see and feel how it fits a SD James Cameron I had to set an appointment at a specific time.

I was hounded to place a deposit just in case someone put $$ down before I can see the watch. I repeatedly turn that aggressive sales pitch down.

She the promised to call me if the watch was either arriving next day and ready for me to see. Miraculously within 10 minutes the watch would be available for me to see and try out today at a specific appointment time. This was close to unbelievable. I will let you all know how it goes today... I am sure that they had the watch there and will be pushing very aggressively for me to buy it today... will see.

That's a dirty little Rolex AD secret. Almost every AD, has at least 1 example of all those "hard" to get watches in their safe. Just waiting for the "right" customer. At least it's been that way in the US. They also, always just happen to have one that was "ordered" for another customer, that hasn't been picked up yet. Those are likely the ones waiting for the next big purchase lol. Good luck

[Basque1]

Originally Posted by 904VT

That's a dirty little Rolex AD secret. Almost every AD, has at least 1 example of all those "hard" to get watches in their safe. Just waiting for the "right" customer. At least it's been that way in the US. They also, always just happen to have one that was "ordered" for another customer, that hasn't been picked up yet. Those are likely the ones waiting for the next big purchase lol. Good luck

Well here is a picture of the SDJC that I saw and tried on today (1st gen) 166660 the watch is in fact gorgeous and fits well, being a big guy myself I have other 44 mm watches and I can handle the size and weight. The picture was kind of rushed so it does not do good justice as there are some smudges at the 12 point area due to the handling but it is still a nice watch, the price is attractive and it might come home with me... stay tuned

[bdex75]

And people wonder why I won’t buy new Rolex.


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[codecow]

I didn’t have any problems securing my slot for the GMT.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by codecow

I didn’t have any problems securing my slot for the GMT.

not everyone has a 5522 to wear into the AD. It has the power of persuasion.

[V25V]

Ok, I get the frustration but you could have posted in one of the other hundred threads bitching about this.

[codecow]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

not everyone has a 5522 to wear into the AD. It has the power of persuasion.

This is so true. The 5522 gives the wearer the power of second sight and makes him or her the chosen one. So it shall be written, so it shall be done!

[maizerage25]

This is real simple, if you have a bunch of watches already and an AD relationship then this is great for you. High value retention and preferential treatment.

If you don’t, it sucks real bad. You can’t get the watch you want and either have to buy other pieces to develop the relationship and/or pay gray market prices.

[tng11]

The worst is when you've spent lots of money, bought multiple pieces from the same AD and they give you the cold shoulder or screw you over. That just happened to me. So it could be worse at least, as you're not pot committed. Starting again with a new AD is difficult in this market.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by tng11

The worst is when you've spent lots of money, bought multiple pieces from the same AD and they give you the cold shoulder or screw you over. That just happened to me. So it could be worse at least, as you're not pot committed. Starting again with a new AD is difficult in this market.

...and then you remember its only a rolex and enjoy your AP, PP, and soon your FPJ.

which in retrospect makes it all the more ridiculous.

[tng11]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

...and then you remember its only a rolex and enjoy your AP, PP, and soon your FPJ.

which in retrospect makes it all the more ridiculous.

Yup, that's the thought I had last night. Rolexes are mass produced watches and this supply manipulation game is ridiculous given that. Some ADs have lost their integrity and business sense, and will lie, cheat and manipulate clients for their gain. Collecting Rolex has become a rat race, and I don't need to add another rat race into my life.

[_speedmaster_]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

...and then you remember its only a rolex and enjoy your AP, PP, and soon your FPJ.

which in retrospect makes it all the more ridiculous.

That's the thing. I could understand Rolex's market manipulation, if others were doing it on the same level.

It seems crazy to me that, recently, I've had the opportunity to easily source from boutiques a FPJ Bleu, AP ROs and a 500 piece (worldwide) limited edition Blancpain FF. Each of those brands are as, or more exclusive than Rolex.

I'm not exceedingly rich mind you, and I haven't pulled the trigger on any (maybe the Bleu in my future). But is this not backward? Shouldnt it be harder to get a 500 production piece watch? Shouldn't it be harder to get a watch from a world renowned in house manufacturer that produces less than 1k watches a year?

[AK797]

Originally Posted by _speedmaster_

That's the thing. I could understand Rolex's market manipulation, if others were doing it on the same level.

It seems crazy to me that, recently, I've had the opportunity to easily source from boutiques a FPJ Bleu, AP ROs and a 500 piece (worldwide) limited edition Blancpain FF. Each of those brands are as, or more exclusive than Rolex.

I'm not exceedingly rich mind you, and I haven't pulled the trigger on any (maybe the Bleu in my future). But is this not backward? Shouldnt it be harder to get a 500 production piece watch? Shouldn't it be harder to get a watch from a world renowned in house manufacturer that produces less than 1k watches a year?

But there isn't crazy demand for these pieces, if there was, such as on the 5711, you get the exact same situation. People keep saying it shouldn't be so hard to get a Rolex, and it wasn't, but we all know now what a bumper year 2017 was for global wealth and this is the result. It's 95% this and 5% Rolex manipulation.

[SpeedyTuomas]

Originally Posted by tng11

The worst is when you've spent lots of money, bought multiple pieces from the same AD and they give you the cold shoulder or screw you over. That just happened to me. So it could be worse at least, as you're not pot committed. Starting again with a new AD is difficult in this market.

I am actually facing this problem at the moment in my home country. Feels very weird business-wise but oh well.

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by tng11

The worst is when you've spent lots of money, bought multiple pieces from the same AD and they give you the cold shoulder or screw you over. That just happened to me. So it could be worse at least, as you're not pot committed. Starting again with a new AD is difficult in this market.

This happened to me a little over a year ago and I haven't stepped foot inside the AD since. Not going to. Since then, I have bought two Tudors and Rolex from a different AD.

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by Rolex addict

This happened to me a little over a year ago and I haven't stepped foot inside the AD since. Not going to. Since then, I have bought two Tudors and Rolex from a different AD.

it has gotten to a level of insanity with some AD.

Dont buy a watch to establish a relationship if you dont want the watch to begin with. the main reason is the AD can simply treat you the same afterward as there will always be a bigger "VIP".

What I learned recently is you can always find the watch you want if you are resourceful. paying a slight premium far exceeds playing games.

I will give everyone a few examples. When the PS3 came out I wanted one badly. So what did I do. I tried to preorder it but couldnt. I actually secured a spot and then Gameworks could not deliver on it so I was SOL. I made the determination I wanted one so I went on eBay and bought one for double MSRP. $830 for a $400 model. Did I regret it? No. I was the first person that had the PS3 that I knew and I played that thing for 7 years before it died. The best decision I made was to pay the premium and enjoy the first year when you couldnt get one.

Similarly when the Wii came out I kept calling Target and figured out they got shipments on Tuesdays. I went in on a Tuesday and bought 2 Wiis. I wanted to buy them all but they wouldnt let me. I gave one Wii to my friend to really wanted it (for MSRP) and kept the other. He was shocked when I showed up at his door with it.

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by Etschell

it has gotten to a level of insanity with some AD.

Dont buy a watch to establish a relationship if you dont want the watch to begin with. the main reason is the AD can simply treat you the same afterward as there will always be a bigger "VIP".

What I learned recently is you can always find the watch you want if you are resourceful. paying a slight premium far exceeds playing games.

I will give everyone a few examples. When the PS3 came out I wanted one badly. So what did I do. I tried to preorder it but couldnt. I actually secured a spot and then Gameworks could not deliver on it so I was SOL. I made the determination I wanted one so I went on eBay and bought one for double MSRP. $830 for a $400 model. Did I regret it? No. I was the first person that had the PS3 that I knew and I played that thing for 7 years before it died. The best decision I made was to pay the premium and enjoy the first year when you couldnt get one.

Similarly when the Wii came out I kept calling Target and figured out they got shipments on Tuesdays. I went in on a Tuesday and bought 2 Wiis. I wanted to buy them all but they wouldnt let me. I gave one Wii to my friend to really wanted it (for MSRP) and kept the other. He was shocked when I showed up at his door with it.

Exactly!!! If you are resourceful enough, you can get what you want.

[tng11]

Originally Posted by Etschell

it has gotten to a level of insanity with some AD.

Dont buy a watch to establish a relationship if you dont want the watch to begin with. the main reason is the AD can simply treat you the same afterward as there will always be a bigger "VIP".

What I learned recently is you can always find the watch you want if you are resourceful. paying a slight premium far exceeds playing games.

I genuinely believe some people who have and can foster great relationships with their ADs. More power to them if they can find the gem of an AD that is honest and straightforward with them.

Otherwise, I'm much more cynical about this whole developing a relationship with an AD business. I made friends with the staff, was loyal (spending 6 figures in the course of a year), referred a lot of business to them, and checked in quite frequently. That didn't matter in the end (a few other things happened too), they decided to burn bridges with me.

It's a fool's errand to buy pieces you don't want to get to the pieces you want. You're better off time and money wise in all likelihood by just paying the premium (if any).

[David5807]

Originally Posted by tng11

I genuinely believe some people who have and can foster great relationships with their ADs. More power to them if they can find the gem of an AD that is honest and straightforward with them.

Otherwise, I'm much more cynical about this whole developing a relationship with an AD business. I made friends with the staff, was loyal (spending 6 figures in the course of a year), referred a lot of business to them, and checked in quite frequently. That didn't matter in the end (a few other things happened too), they decided to burn bridges with me.

It's a fool's errand to buy pieces you don't want to get to the pieces you want. You're better off time and money wise in all likelihood by just paying the premium (if any).

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by tng11

I genuinely believe some people who have and can foster great relationships with their ADs. More power to them if they can find the gem of an AD that is honest and straightforward with them.

Otherwise, I'm much more cynical about this whole developing a relationship with an AD business. I made friends with the staff, was loyal (spending 6 figures in the course of a year), referred a lot of business to them, and checked in quite frequently. That didn't matter in the end (a few other things happened too), they decided to burn bridges with me.

It's a fool's errand to buy pieces you don't want to get to the pieces you want. You're better off time and money wise in all likelihood by just paying the premium (if any).

so which watch was it? the pepsi?

[Unsubscriber]

Originally Posted by tng11

Otherwise, I'm much more cynical about this whole developing a relationship with an AD business. I made friends with the staff, was loyal (spending 6 figures in the course of a year), referred a lot of business to them, and checked in quite frequently. That didn't matter in the end (a few other things happened too), they decided to burn bridges with me.

Sounds as if you had a terrible experience that ruined the relationship you thought you had and, even worse, maybe soured you on the whole enterprise. I’m very new to all this and am pondering how best to establish myself with a local AD (though I’ll confess that the transactional nature of these relationships will likely preclude their rising to any level of great trust or expectation for me). Would you mind sharing more about how they let you down, if that’s possible without revealing more than you’re comfortable disclosing?

[AutoBay]

Originally Posted by tng11

The worst is when you've spent lots of money, bought multiple pieces from the same AD and they give you the cold shoulder or screw you over. That just happened to me. So it could be worse at least, as you're not pot committed. Starting again with a new AD is difficult in this market.

This is why I am a firm believer in building relationships with smaller ADs. The big ones will never care until you're spending stupid money. The smaller ADs actually appreciate your business and the lists are just shorter. Go for the small guys, support small business, and get your pieces faster at MSRP :)

[Tanner]

Originally Posted by AutoBay

This is why I am a firm believer in building relationships with smaller ADs. The big ones will never care until you're spending stupid money. The smaller ADs actually appreciate your business and the lists are just shorter. Go for the small guys, support small business, and get your pieces faster at MSRP :)

This is very true.
Did business with a small AD for the first time last year on an SD43 and she got me one after only 3 months.
Now she has put me top of list for pepsi and rootbeer.

And believe me i tried and tried with larger ADs in london and was just ignored.


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[Roll the Lex]

Originally Posted by AutoBay

This is why I am a firm believer in building relationships with smaller ADs. The big ones will never care until you're spending stupid money. The smaller ADs actually appreciate your business and the lists are just shorter. Go for the small guys, support small business, and get your pieces faster at MSRP :)

Yup.
The local AD had a sub nd and date, exp 2 both in black, white dial, and a milgauss, exp I. I asked about the new holy grail and they said they don't do lists because they get so few that it's not worth it.

The drawback is that you have to pay tax. But I guess in this current climate if you pay msrp and tax, it's worth it I guess.

[904VT]

I have 2 ADs i give business to. One was a more recent addition where I bought 2 SS professional watches over the last 2 years. I asked about the Daytona the day it was announced at this AD (being a month only after buying a Sub). I was promised I'd be put on the list (they won't do by dial, just by watch with Daytona which is fine). Well 2 years later I'm still waiting. Bought another watch from them since .Heck I don't even think that list is real, just some imaginary list in the sky that you move off of and into purchase que whenever they feel like it

[cht]

I think the number of these threads reflects the magnitude of this issue...

I agree, it's making it impossible for regular people to commemorate acheivements with a rolex purchase, which is what MOST people do outside this forum.

This is turning Rolex into an exclusive douchey elitist brand...and that sucks when the brand didn't use to be that way.

[Watch This]

Originally Posted by cht

I think the number of these threads reflects the magnitude of this issue...

I agree, it's making it impossible for regular people to commemorate acheivements with a rolex purchase, which is what MOST people do outside this forum.

This is turning Rolex into an exclusive douchey elitist brand...and that sucks when the brand didn't use to be that way.

That about sums it up for me too.

[topfuel25]

Originally Posted by cht

I think the number of these threads reflects the magnitude of this issue...

I agree, it's making it impossible for regular people to commemorate acheivements with a rolex purchase, which is what MOST people do outside this forum.

This is turning Rolex into an exclusive douchey elitist brand...and that sucks when the brand didn't use to be that way.

Well there are a number of people who loves it this way and repeatedly proclaim how their AD has them covered and takes care of them so the average joe who’s saving up for his one and only Rolex (which is probably a sports model) is basically told to get out of their elite uncaring face

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by topfuel25

Well there are a number of people who loves it this way and repeatedly proclaim how their AD has them covered and takes care of them so the average joe who’s saving up for his one and only Rolex (which is probably a sports model) is basically told to get out of their elite uncaring face

AP and Patek have been this way for years. I don't think the complaining has been as bad, though. I may be wrong. I don't visit Patek and AP forums often. Either way, it is a shame that people save for a long time, sometimes years, to get a Rolex (or other fancy watch) and face the current situation.