End of an era

[adg31]

Today marks something of a personal watershed for me having owned Rolex watches for the past 30 years of my life since I turned 21. I even considered myself something of a fanboy for the brand for much of that time.
However after an awful experience with their UK Service Centre last year I decided that I really didn't want to rely on them for future service of my watches.
Thanks to the Watchfinder team I sold my final two Rolex watches today for what I considered a fair price so am now Rolex free!
It is interesting to see how the Rolex brand has evolved over the years from being a maker of slightly understated, good quality watches - that were readily available - and supported with excellent service.
Today, they increasingly seem to have become a piece of jewellery which they are giving you the privilege of buying. However this is only if you make it to the top of the AD list and will put up with nonsense such as sticker removal and Warranty Card retention before you can be trusted to behave as required.
At the same time their customer service has (in my experience) tanked to a low point of 'why are you complaining that we scratched your watch whilst trying to regulate it?'
Not exactly a rant but I wanted to mark the end of a personal era - and also say how good I found Watchfinder to be when selling a watch if anyone else is looking to sell their watch.



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[joli160]

Care to enlighten us about your experience ?

[samson66]

Originally Posted by adg31

...they increasingly seem to have become a piece of jewellery which they are giving you the privilege of buying. However this is only if you make it to the top of the AD list and will put up with nonsense such as sticker removal and Warranty Card retention before you can be trusted to behave as required.

Sorry to lose you buddy and I understand your frustration. It's hard to disagree at all with the quote above. I guess since I'm a more recent inductee into the Rolex club and I only want the two I have, the supply and AD nonsense hasn't hit me as hard as most. Hope to see you again...

[037]

Sorry to hear. What brand will you move to? AP? Patek? Something else?

[c41006]

Looks like you slowly fell out of love with the brand due to a multitude of factors. Nothing wrong with that.

[tyler1980]

once your brand experience is soured, the watches become tainted. I get it.

With an AD you can just change, but if the bad experience was with the brand itself as yours was?, its over. Same thing happened to me with AP. Great watches but once they lose that special something its never the same and you cant stand wearing them.

If your experience was mostly AD related then maybe reconsider and find a new AD as it seems like it was a combination of things.

[SWISSAHOLICS]

AD nonsense, sticker removal, warranty card retention, waiting lists are just some of the things that now make the buying experience unpleasant.

[SWISSAHOLICS]

Originally Posted by 037

Sorry to hear. What brand will you move to? AP? Patek? Something else?

AP and Patek are no different....try buying their sport or boutique models....you will get the same snobbish attitude. And some ADs "want" you to spend money first on other less popular models before you become "worthy" to buy the sport models.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by SWISSAHOLICS

AP and Patek are no different....try buying their sport or boutique models....you will get the same snobbish attitude. And some ADs "want" you to spend money first on other less popular models before you become "worthy" to buy the sport models.

its AD specific. If you get that treatment in a Salon or an AP brand owned boutique then yeah i would boycott the brand. If its an AD then no. IMO its a big difference if you are getting that treatment from the actual brand or an independent company selling the brand's products.

[AK797]

Can you tell us which watches you sold to WF and their offer prices? Seems they are tightening recently.

[toxicavenger]

they are following in Ferrari's foot steps it seems

[watchmework]

I can understand your frustration and reason to move on. Glad you were able to move your last two pieces, good luck with your future watch endeavors.

[ROLEX MAN]

Yes you are right, and I admire you for posting the truth!

But, I will not let go of mine just because of these games that are played by AD's.

I have had ROLEX "only" for 35 years (as a watch)

Not as a "statement"

[Fabrice M]

I am sorry you had a bad experience.

[avega357]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

its AD specific. If you get that treatment in a Salon or an AP brand owned boutique then yeah i would boycott the brand. If its an AD then no. IMO its a big difference if you are getting that treatment from the actual brand or an independent company selling the brand's products.

Good point, some AD are better than others. There very snobby ADs and some that treat you right, which are the majority, remember this is luxury, there are going to be snobs

[andrewjb88]

Can you talk about your bad experience? just I am sending my watch there soon (going to deal directly with the RSC rather than through an AD) but the watch was my late fathers and want to know what I'm letting myself in for!

[oldman2005]

Can't blame you, Rolex has taken out the fun out of buying a simple basic SS sport watch, in many way it's can be an unpleasant experience. Rolex AD won't sell the watch if you don't have enough privilege (VIP,VVIP,...) buying used is like walking a land mine with many scammers waiting to rob you (check out the watch-out sub-forum) and you have to pay more for 2nd hand watch.

But there're so many other great watches out there.

[FinWatch]

I feel sorry for your bad experiences.
As a newcomer to Rolex-world (I bought my first last Summer) I have not felt this waiting list -process as insulting or negative experience. Why? Because I have not experienced any other way. In Summer 2017 that was the only way to get certain Rolex models, and for that reason I accepted the situation as it was—no other options available. First I bought what they had in store (classic op39, which I recently sold) and then I started to dig in deeper into R-world...
Because not knowing any other options, I have grown to appreciate this process. For me to get a certain Rolex model knowing that it is very hard to get, is an adventure. My Hulk I have been waiting for now almost a year. I flew to Amsterdam to get my Daytona last September. SD43 I got accidently from AD from Switzerland. When travelling, it has become a new hobby for me to walk through Rolex-shops. Certain airport stores (for example Amsterdam, Schiphol) don’t have any waiting lists and you might get one SS model rightaway if you are lucky.
Listening to my experiences too much, my friend decided to have his first Rolex, Hulk. He heard that he has to wait approx. 2-3 years. He accepted the situation as it is, because he too has not experienced any other way. He started saving his money right away and said that this is unique experience for him, like a journey: to wait something for 2-3 years! Ofcourse you could buy new Hulk right away from grey market, but that would ruin the journey—and you should have plenty of money to do that.
In Finland the AD’s are excellent. They offer 100% Luxury service and they are not removing stickers and holding warranty cards. Finnish mentality is such, that if they would do that, no-one would buy.
Holding cards etc. is just unacceptable.
I can totally understand the frustration, if you have experienced such a change for last decades. For me, as a rookie, waiting is not a big deal. That is just what I am used to. For me the one and only watch brand is... Rolex.


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[douglasf13]

Originally Posted by toxicavenger

they are following in Ferrari's foot steps it seems

Which is an odd business plan for what essentially constitutes a mid-level Mercedes.

[Oscarpapa]

Originally Posted by adg31

Today marks something of a personal watershed for me having owned Rolex watches for the past 30 years of my life since I turned 21. I even considered myself something of a fanboy for the brand for much of that time.
However after an awful experience with their UK Service Centre last year I decided that I really didn't want to rely on them for future service of my watches.
Thanks to the Watchfinder team I sold my final two Rolex watches today for what I considered a fair price so am now Rolex free!
It is interesting to see how the Rolex brand has evolved over the years from being a maker of slightly understated, good quality watches - that were readily available - and supported with excellent service.
Today, they increasingly seem to have become a piece of jewellery which they are giving you the privilege of buying. However this is only if you make it to the top of the AD list and will put up with nonsense such as sticker removal and Warranty Card retention before you can be trusted to behave as required.
At the same time their customer service has (in my experience) tanked to a low point of 'why are you complaining that we scratched your watch whilst trying to regulate it?'
Not exactly a rant but I wanted to mark the end of a personal era - and also say how good I found Watchfinder to be when selling a watch if anyone else is looking to sell their watch.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good points alot of folks will concur with and yes I have bought and sold at Watchfinder in the past and found them fair and reasonable.

[CalSRQ1]

Sorry to hear. I’ve had bad service experiences with other brands too.

Rolex certainly is playing games...but then they have their work cut out for them to keep the public interested in wearing outdated and antiquated technology on our wrists. They could please all us forum members and still be out of business in a month. They have to play the long game to sell a million horses and buggies per year ...and that takes a mindset that isn’t always compatible with us that remember the tool watch era.

[Anthony4579]

The overall Rolex experience has changed. Supply is tighter but I wonder how much of that is due to global demand that wasn’t there 5 or 10 years ago (developing markets like China as an example). It was just in the recent past that Rolex was culling retailers in the U.S. The first jewelry store in the U.S. that I bought Rolex from and subsequently bought 4 from lost their dealership. Also we are in one of the longest economic expansions of modern times that has most likely brought new people to the brand. And it appears Rolex’s approach was to not make any meaningful increases in capacity. All of which combined is either driving the shortages or significantly contributing to them versus Rolex actually cutting back production. The next economic downturn will show how purposeful the approach has been.

I think that the level of service has declined. I used to be able to stop in and get small scratches polished or brushed out at the RSC in NYC. They recently stopped offering that service and now want you to send the watch in for a service to have scratches dealt with. While that may not be a bid deal to some, it was something I really appreciated. Given how many watches I have and how much money I have sunk into the brand it is disappointing.

Having said all that, I am still a fan of the brand and looking to add additional watches to my collection but will have to endure a frustrating wait. But on the flip side I will enjoy taking advantage of the tightness on the watches (higher used values) as I cull some from my collection to help pay for the new additions. Where as sellig old to buy new watches on other brands might mean you would have to take a significant loss.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Anthony4579

The overall Rolex experience has changed. Supply is tighter but I wonder how much of that is due to global demand that wasn’t there 5 or 10 years ago (developing markets like China as an example). It was just in the recent past that Rolex was culling retailers in the U.S. The first jewelry store in the U.S. that I bought Rolex from and subsequently bought 4 from lost their dealership. Also we are in one of the longest economic expansions of modern times that has most likely brought new people to the brand. And it appears Rolex’s approach was to not make any meaningful increases in capacity. All of which combined is either driving the shortages or significantly contributing to them versus Rolex actually cutting back production). The next economic downturn will show how purposeful the approach has been.

I think that the level of service has declined. I used to be able to stop in and get small scratches polished or brushed out at the RSC in NYC. They recently stopped offering that service and now want you to send the watch in for a service to have scratches dealt with. While that may not be a bid deal to some, it was something I really appreciated. Given how many watches I have and how much money I have sunk into the brand it is disappointing.

Having said all that, I am still a fan of the brand and looking to add additional watches to my collection but will have to endure a frustrating wait. But on the flip side I will enjoy taking advantage of the tightness on the watches (higher used values) as I cull some from my collection to help pay for the new additions. Where as sellig old to buy new watches on other brands might mean you would have to take a significant loss.

i think they make less watches and i think demand overall is lower, worldwide. They are stimulating demand with further artificial scarcity of selected watches but i still think the starting point is with less overall watches. I don't think its an accident COSC stopped releasing brand specific certification numbers, as we use to be able to get a very good idea of Rolex production since all movements are COSC certified. Now we only know how many overall certifications they give, and not a brand speficific breakdown. IMO Rolex is the only brand with enough pull to have caused this to happen. I suspect the motivation was to mask lower production, as that looks bad and could be interpreted as a sign of weakness.

[Rolex fan 61]

Sad to hear about your bad experiences, thanks for sharing, take care.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by FinWatch

I feel sorry for your bad experiences.
As a newcomer to Rolex-world (I bought my first last Summer) I have not felt this waiting list -process as insulting or negative experience. Why? Because I have not experienced any other way. In Summer 2017 that was the only way to get certain Rolex models, and for that reason I accepted the situation as it was—no other options available. First I bought what they had in store (classic op39, which I recently sold) and then I started to dig in deeper into R-world...
Because not knowing any other options, I have grown to appreciate this process. For me to get a certain Rolex model knowing that it is very hard to get, is an adventure. My Hulk I have been waiting for now almost a year. I flew to Amsterdam to get my Daytona last September. SD43 I got accidently from AD from Switzerland. When travelling, it has become a new hobby for me to walk through Rolex-shops. Certain airport stores (for example Amsterdam, Schiphol) don’t have any waiting lists and you might get one SS model rightaway if you are lucky.
Listening to my experiences too much, my friend decided to have his first Rolex, Hulk. He heard that he has to wait approx. 2-3 years. He accepted the situation as it is, because he too has not experienced any other way. He started saving his money right away and said that this is unique experience for him, like a journey: to wait something for 2-3 years! Ofcourse you could buy new Hulk right away from grey market, but that would ruin the journey—and you should have plenty of money to do that.
In Finland the AD’s are excellent. They offer 100% Luxury service and they are not removing stickers and holding warranty cards. Finnish mentality is such, that if they would do that, no-one would buy.
Holding cards etc. is just unacceptable.
I can totally understand the frustration, if you have experienced such a change for last decades. For me, as a rookie, waiting is not a big deal. That is just what I am used to. For me the one and only watch brand is... Rolex.


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It's not really about the Finnish people it's about the Finnish flippers and if you have too many Rolex will do the same there too, pretty sure they don't care about such a small market to give you a pass.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by douglasf13

Which is an odd business plan for what essentially constitutes a mid-level Mercedes.

But not perceived that way, the vast majority of people think of a Rolex as a Ferrari or Porsche, and thus I think it is pound for pound the strongest brand out there, and why the market is as skewed as it is now.

It was always this way but now social media has meant hype can build on hype like a mania we've never seen before, and I think a collapse in SM more than the economy is actually needed to return the markets back to balance in this day and age, so I can't really see it. This is the new norm imho.

[benlee]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

once your brand experience is soured, the watches become tainted. I get it.

With an AD you can just change, but if the bad experience was with the brand itself as yours was?, its over. Same thing happened to me with AP. Great watches but once they lose that special something its never the same and you cant stand wearing them.

If your experience was mostly AD related then maybe reconsider and find a new AD as it seems like it was a combination of things.

What happen with AP? Care to elaborate?

[PJitz]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

i think they make less watches and i think demand overall is lower, worldwide. They are stimulating demand with further artificial scarcity of selected watches but i still think the starting point is with less overall watches. I don't think its an accident COSC stopped releasing brand specific certification numbers, as we use to be able to get a very good idea of Rolex production since all movements are COSC certified. Now we only know how many overall certifications they give, and not a brand speficific breakdown. IMO Rolex is the only brand with enough pull to have caused this to happen. I suspect the motivation was to mask lower production, as that looks bad and could be interpreted as a sign of weakness.

Too much speculation Tyler

[1William]

I understand how you can fell the way that you do. Good luck moving forward.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by benlee

What happen with AP? Care to elaborate?

sort of a combination of things and overall they just dropped the ball every step of the process with a really, really bad service experience.

They offered to take me on a manufacture visit to make up for it, and then stood me up and never actually arranged it. Since no one arranged the trip they first blamed "IT issues" for not being able to send me an email to me to arrange the visit. They called other people who went on the trip to arrange, but not me and they have my phone number. Then they said it was my fault i didn't reach out to them to ask why my trip hadn't been booked and offered to send me anyway with a few days notice. That was the last straw as its not my job to make sure they do their job and the idea i would have to chase them down is ridiculous. At that point i just sad no thanks, im done

Two other UK members then reached out to me via PM to tell me that they also had been "offered" manufacture visits when they complained about poor service and were also ghosted by AP and never actually went on the promised trip.

Some people think they are great and maybe they are but they are not consistent and i tried to give them the benefit of the doubt several times, but it was like they didn't care. I thought going direct to AP in the first place would be an advantage, and i wish i hadn't as i saw behind the curtain and i didn't like it. Had i just dealt with an AD instead, then i never would have known and none of this would have happened... and I might still buy AP. Not knowing is probably better