EXPOSED - Grey Dealer Spills the Beans on ADs?

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by Robf52

Trouble is the AD's have to package the high demand SS pieces to entice the greys to also take the slow moving pieces that Rolex ships to them.

Which pieces are slow moving nowadays?

Every steel watch is sold.
Most gold watches are on order and if it's a Daytona it's sold. DD40 = sold.
Two tone also sells well.

I doubt they have any hard moving pieces besides those really quirky ones but there aren't many of those. Plus I don't see greys with small sized female datejusts for sale, so where do they go?

[fsprow]

Obviously Rolex could crack down on this if they wished.

As it is, Rolex makes a profit - the AD makes a profit - and the reseller makes a profit if he sells the watch for over what he paid plus costs (inventory, taxes, space rental etc.).

Everyone is happy and the ultimate buyer has his choice of purchasing or not at a negotiated price.

Seems like a freely functioning market to me.

[eanzenberg]

Originally Posted by Robf52

Trouble is the AD's have to package the high demand SS pieces to entice the greys to also take the slow moving pieces that Rolex ships to them.

This is the answer. Grays have to take both hot and non-hot models. People here only focus on hot models. Don’t forget you can get non-hot models on grey for 35+% off, if you want.

[eanzenberg]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

Which pieces are slow moving nowadays?

Every steel watch is sold.
Most gold watches are on order and if it's a Daytona it's sold. DD40 = sold.
Two tone also sells well.

I doubt they have any hard moving pieces besides those really quirky ones but there aren't many of those. Plus I don't see greys with small sized female datejusts for sale, so where do they go?

All the models you can buy today in a Rolex AD that sit on the shelf are slow moving. Yes, they exist. DJ, DD, women’s lines.

[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by eanzenberg

All the models you can buy today in a Rolex AD that sit on the shelf are slow moving. Yes, they exist. DJ, DD, women’s lines.

I'd read the women's DJ is the best selling reference Rolex has.
dP

[Tavli3]

Originally Posted by vh2k

IF Rolex really wanted to crack down on this (but we all know they don’t)...

They could hire an auditing firm to visit a few hundred big grey dealers, capture serial numbers of a few thousand watches, and easily get a list of the top 50 offending ADs. If you trace dozens of new watches back to a single AD, you can reasonably surmise those guys are funneling bundled inventory to brokers — instead of real customers.

Relatively easy thing to do... if they considered it an actual issue. ;)

On what authority would a rolex auditor have over any Grey dealer to get him to allow an audit of his Rolex inventory??

[PhilLynott]

The guy taking that video and talking was one of the most unbearable people I've ever seen. Good god man, the poor lady was just doing her job and politely "requesting" you don't take pictures. Just say no problem and go on with your day.

[Tavli3]

Originally Posted by djyolky

It was actually, haha. The joke is on anyone who thinks Rolex cares what happens once their watches reach the ADs, or if you flip the watch, or anything along those lines. Something I've been trying to relay for quite some time.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

I think it's obvious from watching the video that Rolex cares, that was the whole point of the video basically. The owner explained it pretty clearly that he doesn't want the serial numbers exposed because the dealer/broker he bought the watches from would get in trouble if it got back to Rolex. Meaning the AD could lose his franchise.

The question is to what extent is Rolex taking it seriously?

As far as the fairy tale about ADs having to sell inventory to brokers that doesn't sell cause they have no control on what they get, I had to laugh cause all I saw were the hottest watches that ADs sell before the take them out of the coffins.

[Benzsiam]

Every hot brands do the same thing...Rolex /AP / PP.

This is not anything new.

[Doc Savage]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

• ''I have a medical exemption''. Dude is a joke. How can you be +50 years old and use this excuse. And if you have a medical exemption I think it's better to stay inside. And then he still shakes the owners hand, come on...
• Everyone knew this already right?

You got that right. I expected to hear some of that Sovereign Citizen BS come out of his mouth next.

[triple.lindy]

Originally Posted by Seddyspaghetti

Not sure if this applies to the hot models though. I doubt ADs have a problem selling those.

There were nothing but hot models in the window he didn't want photographed. Pepsi, Hulk, Batman, Daytona, etc.

[minhc88]

Originally Posted by Seddyspaghetti

Not sure if this applies to the hot models though. I doubt ADs have a problem selling those.

They bundle the hot models with the hard to sell PM ladies watches. That's why we can't even get submariners now.

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[Lamontre]

Originally Posted by DaveDhc

I must be missing something. If you want a Rolex, you can wait in a line

Indeed you are missing something, and it’s precisely that even you are willing to wait patiently in a line to get a SS Rolex from the AD, they won’t let you and simply don’t want to sell you unless you are a regular.
It reminds me that funny story , when nightclubs are refusing access to young men by saying “sorry, its for regulars only”, but well “let them in once and they’ll become regulars” !

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by eanzenberg

All the models you can buy today in a Rolex AD that sit on the shelf are slow moving. Yes, they exist. DJ, DD, women’s lines.

I have my doubts to be honest. In the past yes, perhaps, but today in the current market I doubt it.

[smym18]

Originally Posted by PhilLynott

The guy taking that video and talking was one of the most unbearable people I've ever seen. Good god man, the poor lady was just doing her job and politely "requesting" you don't take pictures. Just say no problem and go on with your day.

Look at his YouTube page. Middle aged man with 186k followers going around filming himself and strangers all day just to get a reaction out of people who don't want him filming things. What an absolute loser this guy is. Just leave people alone.

And he has a gofundme so other people can pay for him to travel around and be a crappy person.

[vh2k]

Originally Posted by Tavli3

On what authority would a rolex auditor have over any Grey dealer to get him to allow an audit of his Rolex inventory??

Auditors would simple pose as secret shoppers or just document, photograph, or video record easily visible dealer inventory from public view. Who needs the dealer’s permission?

The whole point of the video is that one is allowed to photograph anything one can see from a public space. Those are fundamental rights in countries such as USA, Canada, and U.K.

[Oyster Sauce]

I’ve visited that store! Remember getting pretty excited because of the window display of all the hot SS Rolex watches, but then being crestfallen to find out from the owner that they are grey market.

Nonetheless, I found him to be a straightforward guy and was fun to chat a bit with him. Tried on various watches. Seemed similarly straightforward in the video. I do feel sorry for the security guard...she was just doing her job...and with respect and dignity.

[101031-28]

#TheUglyTruth

[BartM]

I bought my first rolex 12 years ago and never noticed the serial was also inside at 6 o’clock. Just checked the one I’m currently wearing and yes there is a serial lol
The rest of the information in the video was already known right?
And the guy making the video is annoying. Why would you even want a video of your wife drinking a coke in front of a shop window where you didn’t even go into.

[vh2k]

Originally Posted by PhilLynott

The guy taking that video and talking was one of the most unbearable people I've ever seen. Good god man, the poor lady was just doing her job and politely "requesting" you don't take pictures. Just say no problem and go on with your day.

He is a police accountability and civil rights activist and educates people on (United States) 1st Amendment protected activities — like recording the police and capturing video footage in public.

He doesn’t have to do whatever a security guard asks. Is it annoying or unusual? Sure. But it does educate citizens on our rights to film in public.

[Rado63]

Glad so many of you have helped me understand the point of this video. AD's sell to Gray market, Serial numbers can be tracked to original source, you can take pictures from the side walk, and something about my 1st amendment rights in public spaces. Thank you for sharing.

[brucethemanlee]

Originally Posted by PhilLynott

The guy taking that video and talking was one of the most unbearable people I've ever seen. Good god man, the poor lady was just doing her job and politely "requesting" you don't take pictures. Just say no problem and go on with your day.

he was nauseating and just being condescending

[DaveDhc]

Originally Posted by Lamontre

Indeed you are missing something, and it’s precisely that even you are willing to wait patiently in a line to get a SS Rolex from the AD, they won’t let you and simply don’t want to sell you unless you are a regular.
It reminds me that funny story , when nightclubs are refusing access to young men by saying “sorry, its for regulars only”, but well “let them in once and they’ll become regulars” !

I purchased my new watches from DaveSW. I am not waiting in any lines. We'll I take that back, I am waiting on a custom build refractor that is two years in the making. But generally, I don't have patience when I get excited about something ... got to have it now.

[DaveDhc]

Originally Posted by brucethemanlee

he was nauseating and just being condescending

I thought he was reasonable, logical, and polite. He didn't want to be pushed around by someone who had no right to do so. I was actually impressed with how he carried himself. He was fully within his rights to make a video.

[Madman37]

Originally Posted by synrrgy

That's interesting, video sheds a good light on how the broker - dealer relationship works. Thanks for sharing.

I like the way he used the word broker instead of AD

[GMT Aviator]

Originally Posted by davedhc

i purchased my new watches from davesw. I am not waiting in any lines. We'll i take that back, i am waiting on a custom build refractor that is two years in the making. But generally, i don't have patience when i get excited about something ... Got to have it now.

ap?

[MannySDG]

I wish he would have asked what the prices for each of those watches in the window were...

[vh2k]

Originally Posted by Madman37

I like the way he used the word broker instead of AD

You may have missed that part. The AD offloads a bunch of pieces to brokers, who then sell to a bunch of grey dealers. So, ADs aren’t dealing with other dealers directly. ADs are selling pieces to “customers” (actually independent brokers) who serve as the middlemen to the grey dealers and take a slice of the cut.

[fixinbones]

So do AD charge more than retail to the greys for hot items like hulks and blros and discount below MSRP for slow movers like DJs?

[JRell]

Whoever they are, shady ADs, independent brokers, grey dealers, no respect for their devious ways they earn a quick buck. Real class act!