Lots of high demand sports watches not being bought

[eugenetsang]

I'm curious to see if your region is doing the same as mine. I'm in NYC and I see a lot of jewelery stores (non AD) selling high demand Rolex sport models. Some are used and other are new.

Some have been sitting on their display window for a few years now. None being sold. My friend recently moved to Krakow Poland... Same case with the stores over there.

Rather than waiting 3+ years for a high demand watch from the AD, why aren't ppl flocking to these markets to buy the watch of their dreams?

What's your thoughts?

[norcalgt3]

Price and authenticity issues potentially

[vh2k]

Originally Posted by norcalgt3

Price and authenticity issues potentially

Agreed. Price, authenticity, condition (old), and retailer reputation/trustworthiness.

[eugenetsang]

Originally Posted by norcalgt3

Price and authenticity issues potentially

Authenticity, they are all legit as far as I know. The jeweler that I see them at has a high reputation and wouldn't jeopardize their reputation associated with shady business.

As for the price, it's not much higher then the ones you see on the secondary market...

Same can be said about the stock in Poland. I just find it odd that no one is gobbling up the stock that's not being sold...

[HideMyWalletPlease]

I suspect that a few years ago when these watches were slightly less than msrp, people just thought “I would rather pay a little more at the AD”. Now that these watches are way above msrp, people want to try and get lucky at the AD.

[dannyp]

How do you know they’re “the same” as opposed to just replenishments from other flipper (assuming current models)?

[brandrea]

Maybe they aren’t the same watches you’re seeing

[eugenetsang]

Originally Posted by dannyp

How do you know they’re “the same” as opposed to just replenishments from other flipper (assuming current models)?

That's because they show the same 3 hulk's and etc... Unless their business model is to keep X amount of models out on display, then sure... I can see them replenishing their showcase with precisely with the same amount of stock all the time.

But that doesn't seem to be the case. How often do you see hulks in the wild? Especially the same amount every time I pass by...

I'd assume at least 1 would be sold at the end of 3 months on display.

[drrd]

Originally Posted by eugenetsang

I'm curious to see if your region is doing the same as mine. I'm in NYC and I see a lot of jewelery stores (non AD) selling high demand Rolex sport models. Some are used and other are new.

Some have been sitting on their display window for a few years now. None being sold. My friend recently moved to Krakow Poland... Same case with the stores over there.

Rather than waiting 3+ years for a high demand watch from the AD, why aren't ppl flocking to these markets to buy the watch of their dreams?

What's your thoughts?

Just sounds a bit vague to really comment on.

Any specific pieces? Age/condition/price? Pictures?

[eugenetsang]

Originally Posted by drrd

Just sounds a bit vague to really comment on.

Any specific pieces? Age/condition/price? Pictures?

I took a video to show my friend who moved to Poland. He was supposed to go check them out when he came back to visit. So as I was passing by the store, I shot a quick video of the same inventory that the store had from his last visit.

They have hulks, ceramic Panda Daytona, air king... Tiffany blue OP... Strangely enough, the store has a lot of different models.

Seems like more than the ones we saw at the new Rolex/Tudor store in Meatpacking.

I would screenshot the video. But that means I will need to host the pics on another site... I don't want to sign up for it..

[ArtNouveau]

The prices at the reseller dealers are outrageous, that’s why they sit there. Someone must be paying reseller prices but not me.
I only buy/have watches I wear, if I can’t get it from my AD I don’t get it.

[Mike I]

Ditto.

[eugenetsang]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

The prices at the reseller dealers are outrageous, that’s why they sit there. Someone must be paying reseller prices but not me.
I only buy/have watches I wear, if I can’t get it from my AD I don’t get it.

I'm on the same boat as you. Also buy if the price is right.

I figured the price would be higher. But someone with deep pockets would pay for them. Heck, dsw was listing batman's for $18k+ and ppl were still buying them.

That would be the same with the ones I see at the store.

[drrd]

Originally Posted by eugenetsang

I took a video to show my friend who moved to Poland. He was supposed to go check them out when he came back to visit. So as I was passing by the store, I shot a quick video of the same inventory that the store had from his last visit.

They have hulks, ceramic Panda Daytona, air king... Tiffany blue OP... Strangely enough, the store has a lot of different models.

Seems like more than the ones we saw at the new Rolex/Tudor store in Meatpacking.

I would screenshot the video. But that means I will need to host the pics on another site... I don't want to sign up for it..

If it's an established dealer selling as-new in-demand models then can only be the price that stops the pieces selling.

I had an interesting stroll round Maastricht a couple of years ago. Even back then the ADs had only a few pieces and all very 'normal'. One AD had a grey right next door and their window was packed, seemingly with one of pretty much everything and all at a big premium.

[amphr1]

I wonder what the price negotiation is like at these gray stores. I mean if the watch isn't moving sales at the price they're asking for, wouldn't it make more sense to lower it? My guess is that it's also probably available to buy/bid on Chron24 at the same time.

[sportsfan0704]

People are buying these watches. Just not people on this forum. If you know someone who is a jeweler in the diamond district and trust them, there’s no reason to not shop there if you’re local in nyc. However with so many trusted options available here on the forums and elsewhere, this subset of the population isn’t buying those watches. The average person doesn’t even know that only Rolex AD is authorized to sell Rolex if I had to guess.

[norcalgt3]

Originally Posted by eugenetsang

Authenticity, they are all legit as far as I know. The jeweler that I see them at has a high reputation and wouldn't jeopardize their reputation associated with shady business.

As for the price, it's not much higher then the ones you see on the secondary market...

Same can be said about the stock in Poland. I just find it odd that no one is gobbling up the stock that's not being sold...

Being close to secondary market when there is a ton of competition online doesn't make it enticing. Secondary pricing is high already.

[Xerxes77]

I think they sell very good….. because if the watch don’t move the grey market don’t move too….

[sunnyd]

I'm not flocking to a grey market dealer to pay 50%+ over MSRP to buy the watch of my dreams...

[bob sims]

Originally Posted by eugenetsang

As for the price, it's not much higher then the ones you see on the secondary market...

MUCH being the operative word in that sentence and likely the answer to your query.

[Kelvin Knight]

I am convinced greys are just trading amongst themselves at this point, inflating prices as they go to make their margins. They aren’t satiating swarms of hopeless buyers in this market. They’re still the same greedy jewelers who used to shiest everyone for their Rolexes pre-2017. Always remember that.

[sportsfan0704]

Originally Posted by Kelvin Knight

I am convinced greys are just trading amongst themselves at this point, inflating prices as they go to make their margins. They aren’t satiating swarms of hopeless buyers in this market. They’re still the same greedy jewelers who used to shiest everyone for their Rolexes pre-2017. Always remember that.

I think this is largely the case. Think about how many grey sellers advertise that they can get you almost anything you want in 24-48 hours even if they personally don’t have it in their possession the second you pay.

[ltmgeller]

Price

[bob sims]

Originally Posted by Kelvin Knight

I am convinced greys are just trading amongst themselves at this point, inflating prices as they go to make their margins. They aren’t satiating swarms of hopeless buyers in this market. They’re still the same greedy jewelers who used to shiest everyone for their Rolexes pre-2017. Always remember that.

Wishful thinking. There are simply a ton of people with a ton more money than most of us have and spending an extra 10 or 20 grand on a watch they want is of no more consequence than water off a duck's back.
I envy the life expectancy of the I WILL NEVER PAY OVER MSRP crowd on this blog-they are obviously going to live hundreds of years longer than the rest of us. I am far from rich but I paid 8k over retail for one watch in April and am preparing to buy another for 5k over retail next quarter. I still get a printed newspaper and I see far too many people my age and younger, even far younger, on the OB page every day of the week.

[midshipman]

Noticed the same thing! Gotten the Rolex bug this year and was in London’s Hatton Garden last week and the shop Windows were filled to the gills of rare sports models. I was kind of shocked and how many stores had multiple hulks etc in the window. Was tempted to ask prices but didn’t dare. London streets are still quiet and no one seems to be doing much shopping. Stores very empty. Even stranger, when I bought my first Rolex this year from a brilliant local AD, put my name on the list for one I really wanted and expected to wait years for and got the call yesterday saying it’s mine to collect on Saturday! Just under 4 months on a 126710 BLNR - quite shocked to be honest!

[MrGoat]

Originally Posted by brandrea

Maybe they aren’t the same watches you’re seeing

This!! I visited my grey dealer not to long ago and saw an almost identical 16613LB with Swiss only dial. Those watches can’t be that common. However the exact picture they have on their website is the picture of my watch. Not the one that’s actually for sale.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[huncho]

Originally Posted by Kelvin Knight

I am convinced greys are just trading amongst themselves at this point, inflating prices as they go to make their margins. They aren’t satiating swarms of hopeless buyers in this market. They’re still the same greedy jewelers who used to shiest everyone for their Rolexes pre-2017. Always remember that.

you mean the same "greedy" jewelers who gave much bigger discounts on ALL rolex models before this all started? 10-15% on steel and 20-25%+ on gold...

no one was buying from ADs back then, go look at posts from 2016 here and everyone was telling people to go grey because every watch was cheaper there

[Kelvin Knight]

Originally Posted by bob sims

Wishful thinking. There are simply a ton of people with a ton more money than most of us have and spending an extra 10 or 20 grand on a watch they want is of no more consequence than water off a duck's back.
I envy the life expectancy of the I WILL NEVER PAY OVER MSRP crowd on this blog-they are obviously going to live hundreds of years longer than the rest of us. I am far from rich but I paid 8k over retail for one watch in April and am preparing to buy another for 5k over retail next quarter. I still get a printed newspaper and I see far too many people my age and younger, even far younger, on the OB page every day of the week.

Gotta respectfully disagree with you here, Bob. While there are definitely players in the market, they aren’t even close to bolstering it. I know heavy hitters - they get their watches from AD’s almost exclusively and they don’t want to or need to flip them ever.

There is however, an army of goobers on Instagram and YouTube hyping and manipulating watches, cars, and designer clothing to death causing a run on the bank. That’s what we’re witnessing. It also appears to be backfiring.

[Kelvin Knight]

Originally Posted by huncho

you mean the same "greedy" jewelers who gave much bigger discounts on ALL rolex models before this all started? 10-15% on steel and 20-25%+ on gold...

no one was buying from ADs back then, go look at posts from 2016 here and everyone was telling people to go grey because every watch was cheaper there

And in order to give you or I that kind of deal they had to completely obliterate someone else’s wallet when they procured inventory. Now they’re selling bruised up watches for whatever Chrono24 algorithm and Instagram posts dictate. So what’s your point?

[huncho]

Originally Posted by Kelvin Knight

And in order to give you or I that kind of deal they had to completely obliterate someone else’s wallet when they procured inventory. Now they’re selling bruised up watches for whatever Chrono24 algorithm and Instagram posts dictate. So what’s your point?

a lot of their watches back then came from ADs, no one was buying brand new watches from ADs just to sell to greys at a loss because that would make no sense back then when everything was available. yeah they probably lowballed the used watches but that's what happens when cases are full and every watch is available