Your experiences buying from any of the 4 Rolex Authorised Dealers in Sydney, AUS

[clau2076]

Hi Forum,

If you've purchased from any of the 4 authorised Rolex dealers in Sydney, Australia. I'm interested in your experience buying from them please.

WHY?


I'm planning to buy my first Rolex. I want to get the Submariner Date Model# 16610 new. I've had a look at the 4 authorised dealers (AD's) in Sydney

J Farren Price
Swiss Concept Store
Hour Glass
LK Jewellers

The current RRP for new Submariner Date new is $8025 AUD and since their all AD's the prices are the same across all 4 AD's.

Therefore the only point of differentiation between the AD's is

-avaliabilty
-price (ie if they give me a discount if I pay by cash)
-purchasing experience
-post sales servicing of the watch

-From your own experience have you purchased any new Rolexs from either of these 4 AD's?

-If so what is your experience in dealing with the AD?

(i.e. arrogant sales staff, only interested in closing the sale, not helpful when asked questions, not knowledgable in Rolex's, only interested if your buying a rolex now....etc)


-Which AD do you recommend?

Thank you

Chris

[Rob_b]

Hi Chris

I haven't bought anything in Sydney. But I'll let you in on my Brisbane experience.

I had 2 options. One AD with ROLEX and TUDOR only (bigest range in Australia apparently ). The 2nd AD had Patek, Panerai, Cartier, Omega at the time etc. None did after sales servicing, it all goes to the Melbourne RSC. Neither would replace the broken Lume Dot in the trinagle on the bezel of my SD

I went with the Hour Glass because of its extensive range of other brands. Their knowledge was excelent and they had what I wanted .

No discount on SS sport watches though

I'm sure someone from Sydney will chime in

Rob

[clau2076]

thanks for the reply Rob appreciate it

[eminere™]

The Hour Glass is great. We do our watch shopping at its stores here in Sydney as well as in Singapore. Friendly and competitive pricing. Ask for Kelly Phua.

My friend's been to J. Farren-Price and she says that the staff there are absolutely stuck up and arrogant.

[GBJIV]

J Farren Price - I think J Farren Price is awesome. Julian is very responsive, very helpful. I would definitely recommend him to anyone on TRF.

[clau2076]

GBJIV do you remember Julian's surname?

thanks

Chris

[Denny M]

I also had a fantastic experience with the Hour Glass. Ask for a guy named Homern. There was another guy there that looked like Kramer from Seinfeld, i'm glad i didn't get him serving me!

Also ask for a big discount. You should easily get 10% off but push for more.

Tried J Farren price, this old guy (not Julian i believe) told me in very curt terms he could only give me 5% so i walked.

[Andad]

Hi Chris,

You are looking for a "V" and you have just under $7000.

Good luck.

[Proand]

[QUOTE=Denny M;1035283]I also had a fantastic experience with the Hour Glass. Ask for a guy named Homern. There was another guy there that looked like Kramer from Seinfeld, i'm glad i didn't get him serving me!

That guy at Hour Glass you think looks like Kramer is called Serge. He is actually ok. Farren Price don't generally offer big discounts but their service is A1. Swiss Concept are also ok. Ask for Stella (although she seems to deal a lot with mainland Chinese tour groups these days so is often busy).

[Nicey]

Alright Chris
LK Jewellery was fantastic with me last year got a great deal on my 16610
ask for Rose

[Denny M]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Hi Chris,

You are looking for a "V" and you have just under $7000.

Good luck.

I can't believe just 7 months ago i picked up a brand new sub for $6k.... Glad i bit the bullet then.

[Denny M]

[QUOTE=Proand;1035315][QUOTE=Denny M;1035283]I also had a fantastic experience with the Hour Glass. Ask for a guy named Homern. There was another guy there that looked like Kramer from Seinfeld, i'm glad i didn't get him serving me!

That guy at Hour Glass you think looks like Kramer is called Serge. He is actually ok.

I'm sure he's alright. Just found him a bit intimidating with that thick russian accent and bouffant hair.

[clau2076]

Thanks to everyone in the forum thats offered advice

Please keep it coming!

[2careless]

Originally Posted by Denny M

I can't believe just 7 months ago i picked up a brand new sub for $6k.... Glad i bit the bullet then.

That's a good catch mate! I still think it's best to buy outside Aus, e.g. NZ - with AKL ticket at $200 return, we can do a day trip

[Denny M]

Originally Posted by 2careless

That's a good catch mate! I still think it's best to buy outside Aus, e.g. NZ - with AKL ticket at $200 return, we can do a day trip

Thanks Kai. Surely a day trip would be more than enough time to see the sights of Auckland too.

Incidentally i'm thinking of taking a cheap(er) vacation at the end of the year to a nice tropical place like Samoa. Reckon they'd be any AD's there?

[ROLEX MAN]

Hi chris sorry I can't help, I allways bought overseas!

[RollieKid]

I bought my first rollie (and only...for now ) last November at Swiss Concept. The guy I dealt with was Thai Duong, he was very patient and nice, even though I spent close to an hour deciding which model I wanted....

[charliec]

Never bought in Sydney my man. Although I have had dealing with Hour Glass in other regions...

They are very keen to do business with anyone right now!!! Don't forget they have AD's throughout Asia also and are feeling the pinch. Especially whan an employee runs of with $100000's worth of stock as was the case a few weeks back!!!

[eminere™]

Originally Posted by charliec

Never bought in Sydney my man. Although I have had dealing with Hour Glass in other regions...

They are very keen to do business with anyone right now!!! Don't forget they have AD's throughout Asia also and are feeling the pinch. Especially whan an employee runs of with $100000's worth of stock as was the case a few weeks back!!!

That wasn't The Hour Glass - it was Cortina Watch.

[charliec]

Originally Posted by eminere™

That wasn't The Hour Glass - it was Cortina Watch.

My mistake, sorry !!

There are so many Hour Glass boutiques in Singapore the law of average dictated my thought process..

Thanks for the public correction and subsequent humiliation !!!

[reddc5r]

Hey mate..I used to live in Melb and Hour Glass there offered great service. Also try the AD in Adelaide..good stock levels and more willing than other cities to offer discounts.

I'm thinking Auckland is also a great place to make a purchase lately given the exchange rates.

[eminere™]

Originally Posted by charliec

My mistake, sorry !!

There are so many Hour Glass boutiques in Singapore the law of average dictated my thought process..

Thanks for the public correction and subsequent humiliation !!!

No humiliation intended mate.

The thief, believed to be the store supervisor, made off with about S$7.9m in watches, including a Patek Philippe 3939 watch worth around $500,000 and a set of four Vacheron Constantin Les Masques watches worth about the same amount.

For those interested in reading more about one of the biggest heists in Singapore's history, here's a link to the breaking news story on The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_319773.html

More stories easily Googleable.

[Nods]

I purchased my GMT in Singapore payed 8K sing. Then I got about $sing700 back from the GST return scheme, at the airport. The sing dollar is about the same as the Oz, so you do the maths. So look at going overseas. Even if you want to buy in sydney, do a trip to Auckland or similar afterwards you will get the GST back, which depending on what you want to buy will pay for the trip. Make shore you wear it as they will hit you on the return if it is new, (IE unused).

[Argojai]

You should call one of the Rolex AD's in Auckland (Mansors or Partridge Newmarket) and find out what the current RRP for the 16610 in NZ is. You could always try to negotiate a deal with them over the phone too. They can sell you the watch excluding GST (12.5% of the purchase price), and I believe they will most likely ship directly to your address in Aussie without you having to go to NZ. If you can get a discount of say, 10% then work out the exchange rate vs. AUD, then you can calculate your total outlay. If it does work out to be cheaper than buying locally in Sydney, that gives you some ammunition to tell your local dealer that you have the option to buy from NZ and it is quite a lot cheaper. Maybe they can match the price and save you the hassle of going through the shipping etc especially on your first Rolex purchase. If you do want to buy from Auckland, I'm pretty sure JJ (our resident NZ expert) would be glad to help you. I would help you but unfortunately I'm living in Hong Kong now. Good luck with your purchase.

[clau2076]

thanks for all the advice

Please keep it coming

[Nods]

Originally Posted by Argojai

You should call one of the Rolex AD's in Auckland (Mansors or Partridge Newmarket) and find out what the current RRP for the 16610 in NZ is. You could always try to negotiate a deal with them over the phone too. They can sell you the watch excluding GST (12.5% of the purchase price), and I believe they will most likely ship directly to your address in Aussie without you having to go to NZ. If you can get a discount of say, 10% then work out the exchange rate vs. AUD, then you can calculate your total outlay. If it does work out to be cheaper than buying locally in Sydney, that gives you some ammunition to tell your local dealer that you have the option to buy from NZ and it is quite a lot cheaper. Maybe they can match the price and save you the hassle of going through the shipping etc especially on your first Rolex purchase. If you do want to buy from Auckland, I'm pretty sure JJ (our resident NZ expert) would be glad to help you. I would help you but unfortunately I'm living in Hong Kong now. Good luck with your purchase.

Be careful if customs see this freight coming into OZ they will hit you for the Australian GST (10%) and any other applicable duty. They are looking as well, its their job. If the duty and GST comes to less than A$50 they waive the import duties. (probably not the case for any Rolex) You need to go over there mail the empty box back and come back with the watch on your wrist.

[devidosan]

Hi,the best place in sydney 4 my experience is j Farren price..excellent service..ask for lewis the best..
The submariner cost $8025 they give you 5 % discount,if you pay cash probably 8 %...plus if you travel you get 10% back at the airport
so basicly you get the watch for AUD$6862 0r $6660 great deal buddy...
Good Luck!

[clau2076]

thanks guys for your feedback. Its great information. Please keep it coming.

From what I gather so far. Please correct me if I'm wrong

-J Farren Price: getting mixed feedback from the forum here on this AD. Some of you say they have great service. Versus others that say their stuck up and arrogant. However what seems to be general consensus is the max discount they will offer if paying by cash is 5%

-LK Jewellery, Swiss Concept and Hour Glass from what you guys are telling me. These 3 AD's are owned by a larger Asian parent company. And as such their more open to negotiate in their price. And will offer up to 10% off if paying by cash

Is this a correct summary of the views I've been getting so far? Please feel free to contradict or add your own views if you think differently

Thanks

Chris

[Andad]

As I said. Expect to pay around list less 10% - 12%. PM me if you can't.

[jamesw]

I bought my M series SD from J Farren Price one year ago. Got $500 off. I walked in wearing shorts and t shirt and was treated very well. Nicole was the ladies name.