Conversation with my Rolex AD

I am not overly attracted to the brand. Mainly because I disagree with their pricing/distribution policy and I think they speak to the wrong audience. However (being a vintage watch guy) I really appreciate the Rolex sports models from the 60/70s era.

Reading all these AD stories about the availability of SS models, grey market dealers and speculations about supply and demand is very entertaining. I'm just curious to see where the fuzz about the modern ceramic models will take the market and the brand.
I will lean back, grab some popcorn, keep reading all threads and enjoy my 5513 😉

Once upon a time there was a well marketed watch brand that existed in the mountainous regions of Europe, their watches had an excellent build quality, good accurate movements and standards that others aspired too. Over time these watches began to be sought after by those with an eye for a quality product that would last and last.

Then there was a crisis, many other watch brands were bought to their knees in this crisis but not 'The brand', they survived and came through the crisis stronger than ever, their stock was now sought after and revered. 'The brand' found that after the crisis it had a new market of customers, these people came not just from traditional areas but from places where owning one of these timepieces wasn't just about having a nice watch it became a status symbol, it was cool to be seen with this brand of watch, but not any watch but just those watches that came from 'The brand's' line of 'Professional' watches.

As a result demand soared, 'The brand' couldn't / wouldn't (delete as appropriate according to opinion) produce enough of these watches and demand rapidly outstripped supply.

Some enterprising entrepreneurs realised that there was a market to be exploited and started getting as many of these sought after watches purchased as quickly as they could, they would happily pay over the odds as they knew that they could sell their second hand watches to this nouveau rich market who would happily pay well over the increased price the entrepreneur had paid and so the grey market was born.

Others realising that they could buy a watch at 7000 and sell it for 10000 to the entrepreneurs started hounding dealers for these watches, offering the dealers backhanders for access to these watches and some succumbed.

But many dealers didn't go this route and they stayed loyal to their customers but with demand outstripping supply their shelves were empty, they were also finding that people buying these 'Professional' watches were immediately selling the watch to the entrepreneurs for a profit.

Dealers started to fight back, they made people wanting a 'Professional' buy another watch from 'The brand' first, and then made the customer wait for 'the Professional watch', and because of the popularity of 'The brand's' watches that wait could be a long time, a very long time for watches deemed 'The Watch to Own'.

Now, many customers refused to buy another watch from the dealer, they just wanted one watch, sometimes to keep and be their watch but for others it was still the chance to make a quick profit.

So those customers who wanted the watch but wouldn't wait bought from the grey market, their piggy bank ripped open to fund a greatly overpriced watch but they were happy, they proudly showed the watch on their wrist and on internet forums loudly slated 'The brand' for not making more watches.

Those who refused to buy another watch from the dealer but still wanted a 'Professional' watch went on the AD's waiting list, a mysterious list that seemed to have different rules for different people. These people protested loudly on the internet forums complaining that dealers never had watches for sale, waiting lists were a joke etc etc.

Some people said that if you had relations with the dealer (sorry that should read a relationship, it could be platonic but who actually knows 😀), then you could work your way up the mysterious list and like magic get your watch.

Those that entered into a relationship with the dealer were able to get watches that others were struggling to get. The issue was just how good a relationship you had to have with the dealer to get your watch. Some stated many many thousands of the local currency had to change hands to get you watch, other stated that they just had coffee with the dealer (we've all heard that one 😀).

But, in all of this 'The brand' did nothing other than continue to produce the same number of watches as they did before, the watches were now more refined than they ever had been, the sparkle had not lost its lustre (unlike the champagne at my dealers 😉), the watches were were just as sought after and there was seemingly nothing that was going to happen to burst this bubble.

So customers are encouraged to buy other watches from 'The brand's' 'Classic' range and once you have done this you are given the key to the magic world of sought after 'Professional' watches, the mysterious waiting list still exists, it now appears that you have jumped up many rungs on the ladder because you bought a 'Classic' watch, you have kicked some poor sod down the ladder who refused to play the game, but you are closer to your goal of owning one of the rare 'Professional' watches.

Hang on what's this, if I want that watch named after a race circuit in America I have to wait 10 years, and I have to wait 10 years for a watch with a blue dial and a spinning bezel, but if I buy some watches made of gold I may find that i can get these watches sooner, so there's another ladder.......😲

So, unlike the fairy tales that we are used to this one has no happy ending, only that whichever way you choose to get your watches is your choice, you earn your money and you have every right to spend it entirely as you wish, It is not for any of us to pass judgment on how people freely spend their money.

We can agree or disagree over the way the brands work, but it isn't going to change. In the fullness of time I can see other brands going down this route, it cannot be cost effective to have hundreds if not thousands of watches sat in dealers window or safes around the world, it is far better for those brands who are deemed to be at the higher echelons of watch making to have waiting lists for watches, making watches and selling them quickly will improve their cashflow and not tie up money for either the brand or the dealer. We may not like the way that 'The brand' operates but it is not stopping their continued rise in popularity or reducing the number of watches that are being sold.

I hope that you like my take on 'The brand', its a bit of fun but from my limited time collecting watches, I have 4, it sought of sums up how I have seen the brand portrayed. Clearly the way that the brand operates is divisive for many and not popular. I'll leave you all to comment, rip to shreds, like or dislike my little fairy story. I think that when SWMBO reads this she will tell me I need to get out more 😁.

My day to day cleaning and tough job watch is a 10 year ld Citizen chronograph, quartz powered, never serviced and scratched to pieces, when it dies it will be replaced by something cheap and cheerful to do those tough jobs we all hate.

As for what is Rolex, well I think it depends on where we come from, for me it is the DateJust or the OP, watches that were there at the start, or at least their relatives were. I like the professional range but for me at this moment in time, DJ is king. (only because its the only Rolex I own so I may be a bit biased 😗)

One thing i learned after getting into the rolex "game": waitinglist = AD doesn't want to sell it to you.
Fact is they have no problem selling any of the popular SS sports watch. They don't have to sell it to you.

A batman is harder to get than a pepsi? Crazy people 🤨

You're right, the AD doesn't have to sell the watch to you, but they want your business so it is in their interest to work with the customer to provide the watch at some point.

It is in the customer's interest to work with the AD to obtain the watch they want, this usually means that you call in on a regular basis, have a coffee with them, talk about watches, show your enthusiasm for the watch you are after and let them know that you have funds available to buy the watch. Be proactive, polite and pleasant, you never know you may just be in the right place at the right time.

Not so easy when the nearest AD is 70 miles and 1.5 hours away.

You need a coffee when you get there , appreciate it’s not easy for everyone

Well we are going to have to disagree, this is not a bunch of crap.

Yesterday my AD phoned me to ask me how I was getting on with my new watch, the call was only a couple of minutes long and was a simple courtesy call, we talked about my new watch and I was reminded that the store are there to help if I needed any. The SA I dealt with also asked me not to be a stranger and when in the area pop in for a chat and a coffee.

Why are they doing this, simple to cultivate a relationship with me, I have just spent a large sum of money with them, I have indicated that I may be in the market for another watch someday so it is in their interest to keep me on side as there maybe another sale at some point in the future. And you know something, I am happy to drink their coffee, it saves me having to spend my money buying one whilst I am out.

Also, if I am in the position to buy another Rolex then I am in the position of having a AD who knows what I am looking for and will know when i have funds available, once this comes together they will know that there is profit to be made if they can connect all the dots.

So is having a sociable relationship with your AD worthwhile, yes, what have you to lose.

As for shops having to have a full set of watches this expectation is just bonkers.

Who in their right mind will stump up around a million quid per shop to stock a complete range of watches just too cater for those that are too inflexible to accept that the world has turned and this is not how business is done nowadays.

Will Rolex sell more watches, no, the current demand is outstripping supply so the watches are always going to be in short supply. The dealer will get a delivery, some stock will go in the window, some stock will be kept out back as they have calls to make to let people know that the store has a watch that the individual has expressed an interest in, do they want to buy.

And this stock that the shops have to have, where is the stock going to come from, Rolex? Well they are certainly not going to suddenly build more factories and assembly lines to build all these watches are they.

Rolex are not going to provide tens of thousands of watches to fill dealers windows and display cases around the world, it simply isn't going to happen.

I am unsure why people persist in going on and on about this.

If you want the latest and greatest Audi, BMW, Mercedes or Jaguar uber sports car then you need to know your dealer, if you have a relationship with them then you can get the new hot of the assembly line M / RS / AMG / XJR very soon after it is launched, you will get one if you just wander in off the street but you will wait and wait as the dealer will deal with the regulars, the people they know first.

This practice is not new it has been around for years, it is not going to change, so we either go with the flow and accept it or keep throwing our toys out of the pram and have a rant about the situation.

Me, I am going to keep in with the AD, after all I may just want that new watch next year and I would like to know that they will provide it for me. If you don't want to go down that route, well that is just fine, it is your choice and you are free to do entirely as you please as I am.

Agreed.

If a DJ41 is all it takes that honestly isn't that bad. I for one am holding on modern subs for a 2020 update!

I bought a Batman in 2015 @£200 below list. There is no chance I could do that today. The market has moved on while the product has remained broadly the same.

When I look at the price of watches I always wonder if the current level is sustainable, and then the price goes up again and I wonder why I did not buy more watches when they were "cheap". Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

People who buys fakes because they don't want to wait for the real deal are not Rolex aficionados, they are sheep of a very insecure breed. A pathetic state of affairs. Not new, but pathetic nonetheless.

that's just not true. peeps buy reps for all kinds of reasons. i have no problem with anyone buying one and nobody else should either. if owning one gives you a better self worth or makes you feel better about yourself it's a good thing.

if i owned the watch company, then yeah, i would discredit them and the product though.

Or, they know it's a fake but the fake will fool 98% of the headwaiters and babes who they want to fool...

Jumping the waiting list by buying a less popular model is annoying, but a common tactic when there's high demand for a scarce item. If they can't or don't want to raise the price to what the market will bear, they can still make out quite well. This isn't just watches, but car dealers with exotic models, or even lots of regular cars and one hot seller. There are probably other fields as well. At least this Rolex dealer was straightforward about what they wait would be and what the customer would need to do.

Well fake watches have no quality control and while having a movement failure may just mean that you’re late to a meeting, when your Chinese faux-lex is made with Cadmium and you get kidney failure that sucks. There is also reporting that the income from fake watches is sometimes used for terrorist financing. I wonder if that makes somebody feel good about themselves.

If I can’t afford something then I won’t buy it. I don’t have a fiberglass Ferrari replica on a Pontiac fiero frame and I don’t have a fake Louis Vuitton belt. I can’t afford a Ferrari and trying to trick people into thinking I have one won’t make me feel better. I’d rather take pride in owning a Chevy Camaro.