After buying my DJ41 today I sat supping a glass of the AD's champagne (unfortunately with lacklustre bubbles), and chatted to the AD about watches, specifically Rolex SS Sport models.

The outcome of the conversation was that I could now order a SS Sport model, this was the way that the dealer worked, to ensure that his customers received a Sport watch it is expected that the customer buys another watch first, when SS watches arrive they are offered to those that are on the waiting list that have bought Rolex watches from them, the more you have bought the earlier you get the call.

So, the AD asks 'what did I want to put my name down for, was there anything else that I wanted, did I have anything coming up that I wanted to celebrate'?

I had a few watches already listed on their database, a few minutes of tidying up the list and I now have the following SS watches on my want list;

A Submariner (date) - this is possibly available within 12-18 months,
A GMT Master Pepsi - Possibly available within 24-30 months. Batman is likely to be available in round 5-7 years
A Sky Dweller with a white or black dial in around 18-24 months. BUT, if I want the blue dial Sky Dweller then I may have to wait until...............................forever, the list is sooooooo long.

Out of curiosity I asked if they had a Submariner in store, I wasn't overly fussed if was SS or PM as I have never seen one in the wild, and having put my name on the waiting list for one I thought it would be nice to actually see one. The AD laughed and said I doubt it but I'll have a look, 5 minutes later and I am holding a Stainless Steel Submariner Date in my gloved hand (it was being picked up in a day or two when the buyer could get into the store).

The AD thinks that the Submariner may get an upgrade in time for Basel 2020, the watch is overdue an upgrade, if this happens then supply of the watch will dry up whilst the new movement version is rolled out, waiting time could rise considerably.

PM Professional models are not as difficult to get hold of compared to SS although waiting lists still apply in a lot of cases, just not as long both in terms of names and time.

Overall I felt that the conversation was straight with minimal if any bull, the AD clearly wants to help their customers get hold of popular watches and is going to work with their customers to get the watch they want, yes the customer is going to have to wait but their buying history will determine when they get that call.

Is this ethical, I don't know, but I do know that if I want a Submariner I can just go onto their waiting list but I am going to rise up the ladder very very very slowly, I do appreciate that if I have spent a bit of cash in the store on other Rolex watches I will climb that same ladder much quicker. Harsh on those looking for a one-off purchase but fair on those that have put money across the counter.

Finally, I was surprised to get a 10 year guarantee with the watch, the dealer provides a 5 year guarantee that commences after the Rolex warranty expires.

 

Sounds like you had a great conversation, even if the Champagne was lacklustre. Where are you based?

 

and for a moment I thought United Airlines frequent traveler benefits are being tougher to achieve these days I’m glad all my Rolex itches are out of the way and don’t have to deal with such non sense. Plus, I get to pick my own drink to celebrate.

 

SE England, i'm sure that someone else having a conversation with an AD elsewhere will have a different viewpoint afterwards but it was a good chat, and I am quite keen on a Submariner.

 

You pay us to kiss our ass and maybe lick our balls too then perhaps if we're feeling nice we'll charge you too much for something to stroke your ego and make you look like every other prick with more money than sense. Really...

 

Ha glad I don’t care about getting a rolex.

 

As someone who doesn't own, nor want a Rolex, I am amused at these developments. It seems like yesterday one could walk into a Rolex AD and walk out with three of everything. All of a sudden there is a waiting list and Rolex is harder to get than entry into Studio 54 in the late '70's! Am I the only one who smells a rat here?

 

Sounds like a typical Rolex AD conversation .

 

So you don't like Rolex then? Not totally sure from your reply

Oh and I'm not a prick nor do I have more money than sense.

 

What is rubbish, please expand on your statement and enlighten us.

 

I don’t think it’s directed at you, you actually went in wanting to buy a non-sport model and didn’t just buy it to get bumped up the list. And I appreciate the report that the AD’s are indeed condoning the multiple buy practices to bump up the list- this proves that Rolex is no longer interested in courting the middle class- watch for college graduation gift- market.
I just think many of us who have been buying watches for a while, including Rolex, are bemused and sickened simultaneously at the current “Rolex experience”. When I see threads (not yours) where people exclaim how “lucky” they are to have only had to wait 12 months, buy 3 gold models they didn’t want, and finally “only” had to pay MSRP for their new sub....wow.

 

That just sums up what Rolex is and what they think of general public.
It seems to me they want to get up with brands like PP and the rest that sound cool but I cannot spell to save my life.
It somehow wants to dis attach from being compared to a sub tier brand like Omega and play with the big boys.

 

As long as people are willing to be put on a waiting list for an expensive trinket they have never even seen in real life, practises like the ones seen with Rolex dealers are only to be expected. No offense to you Martin, you do whatever you like with your hard-earned and good on you for that. I just find the whole situation astonishing.

Sounds like you had a good time, thanks for the insight

 

I looked for a sub no date to buy as a present for a friend. After 2 years I gave up and bought one off a grey dealer. Its a sad state of affairs.

 

For me, the part that is rubbish is your statement:

Your AD is engaging in some of the most onerous practices one can imagine in a retail environment, and you are talking about him like he walks on water. I understand that these practices are common in the ultra-luxury car market, but that doesn't make them them acceptable, especially for a mass-production watch like a Rolex.

 

Yep. This situation didn't simply just arise. It's being manipulated by Rolex because they want the best of both worlds: cache and exclusivity of PP while still pumping out a million watches a year. And as I've pointed out elsewhere, it's not China. If anything, demand should be slowing there for a variety of reasons: end of the gold rush, maturing and slowing economy, Xi's crackdown on conspicuous consumption.

I put myself on a waitlist for a batman (5-7 years! why even release it?), and the AD is supposed to be asking for deposits soon. If they don't ask me for one by the end of the year with a firm delivery date, I'll just get on with my life. It's a watch, not a new kidney.

 

So, to use an analogy— if you’d like to buy a certain Chevy car, you must first go to the dealer and buy any other car, at which point you’ll be added to a list of people who have also bought cars and who are now waiting to buy another car? Sounds awesome.

 

We laugh at this but this is the way luxury car dealers have done business for years. My father in-law was the second person in the US to take delivery of the MB CL500 when it first came out (almost 2 decades ago-wow, time flies). He didn’t get that car because he just walked in off the street- he had purchased multiple cars from them so when he said he wanted one-he got it despite a waiting list for them.

 

Yes I did have a good time thank you, my new watch is just awesome.

As for Rolex practices, well I have put my name down for a number of watches that I like, I'm not overly fussed about the practice if I'm honest, I have not parted with any money just expressed an interest in a watch in the same way that many other people have done. When the watch arrives at the dealers I am able to view the watch and I can buy or decline, not a cent has changed hands.

With new watches from any of the major brands costing a lot of money, I am not convinced that I should expect to see all these watches in AD's around the world, I'm not convinced that they should be readily available for us to look at or hold. Do people really expect to just wander in off the street and buy a watch costing in excess of £5k, and have a choice of bracelet type, dial colour and whether the watch is SS or PM?

I get that people don't think that Rolex are in the same league as PP, AP, VC or JLC and a few others but they are very much towards the top of the tree and an incredibly popular brand. I have Omega watches, I have Longines watches and now my first Rolex, I was surprised how quickly I received the call considering the comments that abound about getting Rolex watches in SS plus finding out that the DJ41 was being added to that list, if I am honest I expected the end of this year or early next year before I got the call..

I fully appreciate that I am a newbie in getting in to this horology hobby and compared to others I know basically 'sod all', but I have spent time reading the forums and I am walking around with my eyes open, so getting told about waiting lists is nothing new or unexpected.

Will I buy another Rolex, maybe, will I get another brand, maybe. I've only just received the DJ and loving it, so for now the waiting list can work away in the background and if my name comes up, I'll look at whatever whenever and make a decision. For now life is too short to worry or stress about whether a watch comes in or not, if it does great, if it doesn't, well there are thousands of other watches out there, I must like something.

Now where is my precious.......