Am I the only one who actually kind of likes this market?

[JSolution]

Originally Posted by AK797

The market is what it is, there will always be watches you can't or don't want to afford or can't find easily, Rolexes at retail are beyond the reach of the vast majority of the gen pop, gold Rolexes are beyond most SS buyers, and gold Pateks beyond those guys, and on and on it goes. It just so happens the market for SS Rolexes has changed hugely in the last few years but this is the new normal for those entering the market now, just as all the other barrier price points of various watches and brands have been all this time.

I agree I think Rolex are putting extra effort into Tudor recently to try to cater
For the lower end of buyers.

[DC116710LN]

Somewhere in between what the market was and the what the market is now would be ideal to me

[HideMyWalletPlease]

I have a lot of really nice watches that I never wear anymore. They are all going up in value. I have everything I want too. I cannot imagine wanting another bad enough to jump through the hoops again. Since I stopped buying a year ago, the ADs probably wouldn’t help me. There is a new me every week. Strange thing is I don’t want to sell them.

[gnuyork]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

I like that username, you a dev?

But yes, you have it straight :) He's turning 40, not 4. If the gift isn't available on his exact birthday he's not going to go to his room and pout, or tear the head off his sister's doll. If (when) this takes 6 months to pull off and requires me driving around to every dealer in the region then, yes, I would say that adds an extra element of it being special that he will reflect on forever. If I bought him a ___ brand, which can be bought at every AD in the world, he may still love the watch. But for sure it would lack the additional dimension of the giver putting in far more effort than simply pulling a CC out of the wallet and swiping.

Each to their own, if that makes it special for you and your brother, so be it. I can't agree, but I'm trying to get my first Rolex without success at an AD. The ones I wanted (OP39 and Exp 39) have been such a long wait that they have become discontinued as I was waiting. I don't find that to be desirable at all.

[jtli202]

I like it when you have a few models on high demand (ie Daytonas, batman, blue skyd, etc.) but when literally every mens watch from the brand isn't on the shelves it's a bit riduclous

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[flyboyyy]

I guess it's a double edged sword. As a personal thing, I'm happy with what I have, and waiting for another doesn't bother me so the market doesn't bother me.

From another perspective though, it really sucks. I still like to do the old fashioned thing and give my employees a Rolex when they hit 20 years. So far that's been 3 folks in the past with 4-5 more over the next year. Trying to find them a nice DJ or something is impossible now. So much so that I just went and bought a DJ41 this morning for one of my employees via a Trusted Seller here on TRF...a bit over retail, but no bull to deal with and no wasting entire weekends driving around to a bunch of AD's.

AD's have suggested that I buy them a Tudor or Omega or something. While both great brands (and I have bought some employees Breitlings in the past), it just doesn't have the same cache' as getting a Rolex (at least in my opinion) to non WIS's.

[HideMyWalletPlease]

Originally Posted by flyboyyy

I guess it's a double edged sword. As a personal thing, I'm happy with what I have, and waiting for another doesn't bother me so the market doesn't bother me.

From another perspective though, it really sucks. I still like to do the old fashioned thing and give my employees a Rolex when they hit 20 years. So far that's been 3 folks in the past with 4-5 more over the next year. Trying to find them a nice DJ or something is impossible now. So much so that I just went and bought a DJ41 this morning for one of my employees via a Trusted Seller here on TRF...a bit over retail, but no bull to deal with and no wasting entire weekends driving around to a bunch of AD's.

AD's have suggested that I buy them a Tudor or Omega or something. While both great brands (and I have bought some employees Breitlings in the past), it just doesn't have the same cache' as getting a Rolex (at least in my opinion) to non WIS's.

You sound like great boss, businessman, mentor. Well done. Of course, equal treatment is important too so hopefully things won’t get too difficult to secure watches for other employees.

[HiBoost]

Originally Posted by gnuyork

Each to their own, if that makes it special for you and your brother, so be it. I can't agree, but I'm trying to get my first Rolex without success at an AD. The ones I wanted (OP39 and Exp 39) have been such a long wait that they have become discontinued as I was waiting. I don't find that to be desirable at all.

Yeah, that definitely sucks, sorry to hear that. It seems like a balancing act for sure. If it's hard, but achievable, that (to me) makes it more special. But if it's just impossible then obviously that doesn't work and would be super frustrating. On the other hand, if the AD is truly completely off the table as an option in your market then that makes going gray less of a mental struggle of "cost vs time" or "principle vs expedience". It basically simplifies it all to a single question: "Is watch X worth $Y to you?"

[marine 337]

#3

[marine 337]

Originally Posted by pepe01

it seem everybody here. Don't care about buying experience at ad.
Everybody care about "watch" or "investment"


i say this because i never buy expensive watch.
Next year is my 20th anniversary, i want to buy explorer 2021 to for her because she would like to replace her 20years tag heuer link which use everyday.

When buying a gift for anniversay, i imagine that we have a good dress walk into the beautiful ad, select and try watch and choose "explorer i". She wear it at the ad and we come back home with a good memory with a good brand watch rolex.

But in fact with this rolex situation, i have 3 choices:
1. Buy from gray market at somewhere (yes, we can get "watch" but not buying experience with a watch to remember)
2. Play game of ad to buy no need watch (i don't use watch for around 10 years, i see time from my mobile phone)
3. Forget about rolex and buy her other gifts.

Thank you.

#3

[marine 337]

Originally Posted by pepe01

It seem everybody here. Don't care about buying experience at AD.
Everybody care about "Watch" or "Investment"


I say this because i never buy expensive watch.
Next year is my 20th anniversary, i want to buy Explorer 2021 to for her because she would like to replace her 20years Tag Heuer Link which use everyday.

When buying a gift for anniversay, I imagine that we have a good dress walk into the beautiful AD, select and try watch and choose "Explorer I". She wear it at the AD and we come back home with a good memory with a good brand watch Rolex.

But in fact with this Rolex situation, i have 3 choices:
1. Buy from gray market at somewhere (Yes, we can get "Watch" but not buying experience with a watch to remember)
2. Play game of AD to buy no need watch (I don't use watch for around 10 years, i see time from my mobile phone)
3. Forget about Rolex and buy her other gifts.

Thank you.

#3 is fine

[gnuyork]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

Yeah, that definitely sucks, sorry to hear that. It seems like a balancing act for sure. If it's hard, but achievable, that (to me) makes it more special. But if it's just impossible then obviously that doesn't work and would be super frustrating. On the other hand, if the AD is truly completely off the table as an option in your market then that makes going gray less of a mental struggle of "cost vs time" or "principle vs expedience". It basically simplifies it all to a single question: "Is watch X worth $Y to you?"

I hear ya, but honestly no Rolex is worth paying over MSRP via gray for me, unless it worked out about the same with tax... so far I have not found that to be true. Not even on a flippin' datejust last time I checked. Luckily I have plenty of watches I enjoy, and my next watch will likely be JLC or GO Sea Q, also I've been strangely attracted to the Doxa Sub for a long time, but never committed. Maybe now's the time. Or I'll just enjoy my collection and try be content.

I did have the opportunity to buy a friend's mint Exp 214270 (he only wore it very sparingly inside during the pandemic and decided to offer it to me for basically his cost, which was MSRP plus his tax). It was right before the Rolex announcement this year, and I had just literally bought the new Speedmaster a few months prior, I wanted a brand new Explorer/AD experience for my first, and we just had a baby in Feb (despite my wife's encouragement to buy it), so I thought I would just wait and see what the Rolex announcement brought... to my utter surprise the 39mm Exp was discontinued. I had all kinds of excuses to talk myself out of it, but now I'm definitely kicking myself. Lesson learned.

[doboy007]

I think it’s little too tight right now. I didn’t mind pre-COVID level.

[Madman37]

Originally Posted by flyboyyy

I guess it's a double edged sword. As a personal thing, I'm happy with what I have, and waiting for another doesn't bother me so the market doesn't bother me.

From another perspective though, it really sucks. I still like to do the old fashioned thing and give my employees a Rolex when they hit 20 years. So far that's been 3 folks in the past with 4-5 more over the next year. Trying to find them a nice DJ or something is impossible now. So much so that I just went and bought a DJ41 this morning for one of my employees via a Trusted Seller here on TRF...a bit over retail, but no bull to deal with and no wasting entire weekends driving around to a bunch of AD's.

AD's have suggested that I buy them a Tudor or Omega or something. While both great brands (and I have bought some employees Breitlings in the past), it just doesn't have the same cache' as getting a Rolex (at least in my opinion) to non WIS's.

That is really nice of you we get nothing for 20 years where I work. Maybe a clap. Don’t buy an omega slowmaster just save your dough.

[teck21]

Originally Posted by flyboyyy

I guess it's a double edged sword. As a personal thing, I'm happy with what I have, and waiting for another doesn't bother me so the market doesn't bother me.

From another perspective though, it really sucks. I still like to do the old fashioned thing and give my employees a Rolex when they hit 20 years. So far that's been 3 folks in the past with 4-5 more over the next year. Trying to find them a nice DJ or something is impossible now. So much so that I just went and bought a DJ41 this morning for one of my employees via a Trusted Seller here on TRF...a bit over retail, but no bull to deal with and no wasting entire weekends driving around to a bunch of AD's.

AD's have suggested that I buy them a Tudor or Omega or something. While both great brands (and I have bought some employees Breitlings in the past), it just doesn't have the same cache' as getting a Rolex (at least in my opinion) to non WIS's.

You could still buy them Rolex watches, just not from your AD?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zewill]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

I'm sure that sounds a bit crazy, but as I read the dozen daily "where are all the watches?" / "is it possible to bribe an AD?" / "will the hype ever subside?" posts on here, reddit, and pretty much any place which discusses Rolex, I have tried to imagine the world becoming what all these people seem to be wishing for. One where you walk into any AD and you walk out with whatever watch you want. That doesn't actually sound that great to me. It feels like it would take away some of the fun of the game.

This of course presumes you can, eventually, get some watches, with some patience. Which has been my experience over the last year. The AD came through for me for an anniversary and pulled off 2 special orders. But the watch I've been trying to get for my brother's 40th (in 10 days) probably isn't going to happen despite me working with 4 different ADs in 4 different cities. On the one hand, that sucks. On the other hand, I'll get it eventually, and when I do, I think it'll have more meaning to both me and to him given the effort it took to acquire.

Do any of you see this silver lining as well or am I just losing it? ;)

Enjoying the game? No it’s not really a game when you don’t get to play it. Enjoy the conversations with your brother in a few years « bro remember that 40th bday gift? » … « er no, not sure you got me anything that day… ? I did get a card tho… The bday card that said « watch will come later »