Gifts For AD?

[1William]

I have a twenty year plus relationship with my AD and the GM I deal with. They treat me well and go above and beyond for me. I consistently modify bracelets, order straps, buy/sell/trade watches with me and I am in the store a least once a week. I do tens of thousands of dollars of business with them annually and refer significant business to them. I also gift my GM a few gift cards a year to various nice restaurants, usually around $150. At Christmas I also usually do something nice as a thankyou. I have found that relationships are the basis for a lot of good experiences and I am appreciative of everything the store does for me and that is how I choose to say thank you.

[Marcjvr]

No need as I heard all ADs are going to instate Prima Nocte...

“For the privilege of allowing you to spend your money, we get 1 night with your spouse”

[MINOLI]

I just bring a bottle of whiskey every couple times I'm there, we usually open it and have a few.

[Jakey]

Originally Posted by CLTRolex

I’m going to bite my tongue and not respond with my thoughts.

Me too.......Its bleeding thou

[Cigars&Watches]

I gifted the first time I picked up my Rolex because I was so happy to finally have one. As long as your gesture is genuine and not intended (they know) to bribe them some how I think it’s fine.

[NachoNeal]

Apparently at least two philosophies on this issue.
Are you the type that gives a gift to your barber for squeezing you in and giving you a good haircut? Or are you they type that wants to (or does) receive a gift from your barber for your continued patronage?

[liberalclown]

In the current state of the market, I don't think showing appreciation is sucking up. Imagine your SA arranged a Daytona, he/she is handing you $15k, a Pepsi or Kermit $10k, even a Sub or Explorer few grands, and you get it before the next guy on the list. So nothing extraordinary but box of chocolates or a mass market single malt like Mac 12 is not sucking up but to show appreciation. Don't compare this to regular sales, of course they make commission out of sales, but the nuance in Rolex is that sales doesn't have to be you.

Maybe in EU things are different, but here in US the tipping is a concept where you even declare the amount in the tax forms, average being 18% in hospitality business, so $50-$100 gift for a $10k watch is usually less than 1%.

If you are gifting for future purchases, you may be disappointed though. No gift guarantees you the next watch, because there is always a bigger fish with bigger spending accounts.

[Benzsiam]

Originally Posted by 1William

I have a twenty year plus relationship with my AD and the GM I deal with. They treat me well and go above and beyond for me. I consistently modify bracelets, order straps, buy/sell/trade watches with me and I am in the store a least once a week. I do tens of thousands of dollars of business with them annually and refer significant business to them. I also gift my GM a few gift cards a year to various nice restaurants, usually around $150. At Christmas I also usually do something nice as a thankyou. I have found that relationships are the basis for a lot of good experiences and I am appreciative of everything the store does for me and that is how I choose to say thank you.

This is the way many generous people do.

[dtwer]

Give them gifts because you enjoy doing so, not because you think you would get something in return. You would mostly be disappointed if you are the latter.

[Oxfordian]

I did take in a large box of chocolates for the SA and the rest of the sales staff, but this was more of an apology for messing them about when I kept changing my mind about what I wanted. I tried on so many different watches only to later change my mind, eventually i settled on a BLRO and a CHNR.

Didn't do me any harm when I asked for the new Submariner last September, it arrived inside 3 weeks, shame the BLRO or CHNR haven't arrived as quick but such is life.

[KMalone]

The same people who complain about not getting the newest/hottest Rolex are the same one's offended by the idea of giving a gift to their AD. Do you think there may be a correlation between the two?

I've NEVER even worn a watch! In August 2020, I decided I just had to have a Rolex and then discovered they weren't readily available. So I started a small campaign to get one. This included sending Thank You notes and a gift (wine) after I made initial contact with the AD via phone. I sent $125 bottles of vintage wine and some artwork (NOT prints, but actually Commissioned pieces customized with their name and jewelry store logo) from Ben Li (google InkDial). I targeted 4 AD's. I had ZERO spend with these AD's. My initial contact was by phone and a follow up note/gift. Several weeks later I visited two of the four. To date three have sold me a watch! Oddly enough, the ONLY AD that hasn't sold or offered me a watch was the store where I spent $2k on a pair of earrings for my wife.

Between August '20 and January '21, I was able to purchase a Submariner, GMT Pepsi and a 36 mm OP with the Tiffany blue dial for my wife. These are some of the HOTTEST and most UNATTAINABLE watches on the market today! FULL STOP.

I've spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500+ total on wine and artwork. I'm currently holding (depending on market rates) about 2-3x the MSRP in equity on these watches.

You also need to remember who your competition is . . . do you think the AD's VIP whale client who has $100k spend balks at sending a $125 bottle of wine? If you want to stand out . . . standing with just your hand out will NOT do the trick! Don't hate the player . . . learn to play the ****in' game!

Everyone seemingly has forgotten that these watches are luxury goods marketed to people who can afford a $25k watch. You aren't buying a Ford Focus people!

So yeah . . . I'll kiss a little a**, buy some gifts and get what I want.

Perhaps it would behoove y'all to try the same tactic?

P.S. I'll have a SS Daytona with the white dial for Christmas per my favorite AD. This is the same AD that called me on 12/23/2020 and told me to come get my GMT Pepsi on Christmas Eve. I told him that I wanted a white dial SS Daytona. He agreed and said he'd put it in his safe and he'd see me Christmas 2021! AND He'll get a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle in return. Seems to be fair and equitable to me!

let the hate begin . . .

[Texex]

I see it this way

Option A: be a big spender at an AD buying undesirable models or other jewelry

Option B: go gray and pay double or more

Option C: wait, sometimes forever

Option D: spoil your AD/SA a bit.

Option E: don’t get the watch you want


I prefer to buy a $100 bottle of whiskey vs paying gray or buying a bunch of Datejusts or pearls my family doesn’t want. Everyone must choose a option, I don’t see another way but there is no wrong option. Whatever works for you.

And for those who say my patronage and a smile are good enough or they can enjoy their commission, you are actually choosing option C.


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[Munch520]

I took mine coffee and would stop by to chat and that's about it. A nice bottle of Dalwhinnie or something might be nice though.

Either way, the GM had my most recent purchase squirreled away in his office until I got there. I thanked him a few times profusely and he finally stopped me and said, "Listen I get it, but you're the customer. We are to be thanking you."

IMO, that's the correct mindset. And if your AD is of that mind, anything beyond a small show of gratitude would probably be over the top.

[joli160]

No I don’t. Should be other way around.

[Meyrin]

I have never given anyone a "present" after spending a large amount of money to buy something from them, be it a car, apartment, sail boat, Steinway piano...or a Rolex. And I'm not about to start now. As for "relationships" with an AD: I don't have to have a "relationship" with my BMW (another mass-produced luxury article) dealer when I buy a new car from them. I don't know when or how all this "relationship" shenanigans started, but I find it distasteful, to say the least. Just the way I see things...

[Anton911]

What,a gift to the AD for spending thousands of pounds,you have got to be joking,right?
They should give you the gift.Personally I don’t give gifts to kiss the ass of the AD,never have never will.

[XtraCrispy]

NO...I've never given my SA/AD, nor any other salesperson, a gift for letting me buy something from them - that is their business!

I have received many gifts over the years from high-end purchases I've made from sales people thanking ME for my business. Remember, without customers, these places would all be out of business.

[Dini]

I have never gifted anything. Tbh I’d feel pretty awkward in doing so like I was trying to bribe them. I’m appreciative to them and they know it. My SA could have offered the BLRO to so many other clients with a spend history bigger than mine. The one thing I do is I recommend all my family, friends and more to them. My SA appreciates that and that to me is the best thing you can do for the SA/AD, along with just being a genuine person with a genuine interest in watches.

[Marcjvr]

Originally Posted by KMalone

The same people who complain about not getting the newest/hottest Rolex are the same one's offended by the idea of giving a gift to their AD. Do you think there may be a correlation between the two?

I've NEVER even worn a watch! In August 2020, I decided I just had to have a Rolex and then discovered they weren't readily available. So I started a small campaign to get one. This included sending Thank You notes and a gift (wine) after I made initial contact with the AD via phone. I sent $125 bottles of vintage wine and some artwork (NOT prints, but actually Commissioned pieces customized with their name and jewelry store logo) from Ben Li (google InkDial). I targeted 4 AD's. I had ZERO spend with these AD's. My initial contact was by phone and a follow up note/gift. Several weeks later I visited two of the four. To date three have sold me a watch! Oddly enough, the ONLY AD that hasn't sold or offered me a watch was the store where I spent $2k on a pair of earrings for my wife.

Between August '20 and January '21, I was able to purchase a Submariner, GMT Pepsi and a 36 mm OP with the Tiffany blue dial for my wife. These are some of the HOTTEST and most UNATTAINABLE watches on the market today! FULL STOP.

I've spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500+ total on wine and artwork. I'm currently holding (depending on market rates) about 2-3x the MSRP in equity on these watches.

You also need to remember who your competition is . . . do you think the AD's VIP whale client who has $100k spend balks at sending a $125 bottle of wine? If you want to stand out . . . standing with just your hand out will NOT do the trick! Don't hate the player . . . learn to play the ****in' game!

Everyone seemingly has forgotten that these watches are luxury goods marketed to people who can afford a $25k watch. You aren't buying a Ford Focus people!

So yeah . . . I'll kiss a little a**, buy some gifts and get what I want.

Perhaps it would behoove y'all to try the same tactic?

P.S. I'll have a SS Daytona with the white dial for Christmas per my favorite AD. This is the same AD that called me on 12/23/2020 and told me to come get my GMT Pepsi on Christmas Eve. I told him that I wanted a white dial SS Daytona. He agreed and said he'd put it in his safe and he'd see me Christmas 2021! AND He'll get a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle in return. Seems to be fair and equitable to me!

let the hate begin . . .

Lol they are just watches

[JoDesian]

As a person in aviation industry, we are the ones that upgrade our most valuable clients from time to time. I have never seen a passenger gifting me whiskeys because they bought business class ticket. To me this whole relationship thing with AD, is the new problem of rising middle class with low self esteem.

[steveclr]

For me, no. In extreme cases such as for 1 Williams, yes. If you believe the AD has done you a favor, I can see sending the shop some coffee, doughnuts, etc, but I'd keep the monetary value low. I'd like the gift to appear as a sincere thank you instead of a bribe for the next purchase. By bribe, I mean trying to kiss their @$$ which I could not bring myself to do.

[Kowaco]

I think we’ve been locked down too long.

[Hardhat]

I have done exactly this. It wasn’t to bribe for my next piece, it was to show appreciation. I have read all the horror stories and want my ad to know that I do truly appreciate them. They helped me get a sub for my sons birth, with no prior history. They treated my family great, and gifted me a Rolex wallet, along with gifts for my family. I took a great bottle of bourbon and some cigars to the owner and SA. I just wanted to show my gratitude for the way we were treated. Flame if you want, but I call it being appreciative during these times.

[Benzsiam]

Originally Posted by Hardhat

I have done exactly this. It wasn’t to bribe for my next piece, it was to show appreciation. I have read all the horror stories and want my ad to know that I do truly appreciate them. They helped me get a sub for my sons birth, with no prior history. They treated my family great, and gifted me a Rolex wallet, along with gifts for my family. I took a great bottle of bourbon and some cigars to the owner and SA. I just wanted to show my gratitude for the way we were treated. Flame if you want, but I call it being appreciative during these times.

Great!

[REQUIEMnJADED4U]

Originally Posted by Kowaco

I think we’ve been locked down too long.

Truer words never spoken.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Kowaco

I think we’ve been locked down too long.

Must agree...how did we get into bizarro world where customers gift tangible goods to vendors? It’s really the other way around.

The best “gift” to an AD is sending customers their way. It’s an intangible with benefits.


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[AF_Rob]

Originally Posted by 77T

Must agree...how did we get into bizarro world where customers gift tangible goods to vendors? It’s really the other way around.

The best “gift” to an AD is sending customers their way. It’s an intangible with benefits.


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Exactly, I sent people to a particular SA via email.


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[CLTRolex]

Usually for a watch I get to the AD 20 minutes before they open, daily to be the 1st one in the store. Then when I make eye contact one of the SA (usually earl, magmus, or Stacy) I lick my lips and saunter towards them. I take out a roll of ones and begin slowly leaving a trail behind me like breadcrumbs, to show a massive wealth flex. Then I ask, did you receive any shipments last night. Usually I get a lot of The No act. But once every 4 years (or so goes the pattern) they take out their list (which I am on all), and they allow me, ALLOW ME, the opportunity to buy a date just.

[KWT]

I have a relationship with my AD for more than a decade and bought about 15 watches from them. When I buy a watch sometimes I send a gift like a tie to the seller. A couple of months ago,
I contacted the seller to add me on the waitlist for a ss Daytona white dial ( they were not taking names) and got it within three days.

[jamesbondOO7]

This is really bad.
I get chocolates from Rolex when I get a watch serviced.