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None.
Honestly, I’ve let go of any expectation. And, the impulse is passing.
Part of my interest was curiosity to see what it was like, trying to buy an OP from a Rolex AD. I mean, not even a Daytona or a stainless steel sport model. And now, my curiosity has been sated, even if my desire hasn’t.
Any other group of merchants that I sent an unsolicited email to, I’d be getting all sorts of email solicitations from them by now, whether related to my original request or not. But not a single one of the Rolex dealers I was in contact with has put me on any mailing lists.
(I get that some think I should be all over an AD, with periodic phone calls to them and stopping by occasionally. If it were a rare piece, I might well be doing this.)
I’m convinced now. Rolex doesn’t need my business and could care less about whether they sell me one or not.
That’s fine. It’s not like the watch is my (or anybody’s) holy grail.
I wish the best of luck to all the flippers out there.
Today’s listings
I’m convinced now. Rolex doesn’t need my business and could care less about whether they sell me one or not.
Do you want the watch? Yes? Then do this: find the nearest AD, go see them, tell you exactly what watch you want and tell them you're willing to give them a deposit. They won't take one, but take the name of the salesperson and give them a call every couple of weeks for an update. A critical element here is that they know this watch is important to you, and it's for you. If they are a good, established AD with people that have been there a while, you're the kind of customer they want, even if you don't buy a few watches a year. Eventually, you'll get it. It's taking much longer these days because of world-wide demand, and C-19 stopped production for a while. But it sounds like you have patience and that's all you need. I've gotten every Rolex I went after by just waiting, and, true, over time I developed a relationship with my AD which has helped but it started with one watch. The online watch community with all its flippers and associated creeps have really gummed up the works, and that's why you need to meet them in person. Best of luck.
Do you want the watch? Yes? Then do this: find the nearest AD, go see them, tell you exactly what watch you want and tell them you're willing to give them a deposit. They won't take one, but take the name of the salesperson and give them a call every couple of weeks for an update. A critical element here is that they know this watch is important to you, and it's for you. If they are a good, established AD with people that have been there a while, you're the kind of customer they want, even if you don't buy a few watches a year. Eventually, you'll get it. It's taking much longer these days because of world-wide demand, and C-19 stopped production for a while. But it sounds like you have patience and that's all you need. I've gotten every Rolex I went after by just waiting, and, true, over time I developed a relationship with my AD which has helped but it started with one watch. The online watch community with all its flippers and associated creeps have really gummed up the works, and that's why you need to meet them in person. Best of luck.
With Rolex the answer is painfully simple. Any watch you want can be purchased at MSRP from your AD. Your invitation to come down to the store is the first step. The AD will then offer you something else you don't want, but you buy that watch. You buy a watch or two or three that you don't want. Now you become a preferred client. Next thing you know you are being offered pieces from both classic and professional ranges. The painful secret is you have to buy. You will loose money in the long term because you can't sell every one of the watches at a profit, only certain models are really hyped and expensive and the AD won't sell you two or three at at time, but they will sell you multiples if you keep buying whatever they put in front of you. Even OP turquoise dial has become a specialty item.
If your market is different, then your AD maybe selling to people who don't have much purchase history. Maybe that AD is selling outside his shop to get rid of some other pieces which are harder to move. That's just a speculation.
As for me, I won't go into any specifics about my purchase history but I have in the past owned just about any hyped piece. At the present time I am not currently buying any Rolex pieces.
Skydweller purchased from RB in Las Vegas; Sub purchased from AD in Austin, TX (which may as well be viewed as the sum of Austin, Dallas, and Houston for “market” purposes).
Then, do you work at an RB/AD and this is the source of your info first stated earlier? Or instead you’re saying that back some unknown time ago when you purchased “hyped pieces” from Rolex the way you worked your RB/AD was as you earlier stated?
Or are you instead-instead recounting a view that is not from first hand experience?
Your assertions earlier were authoritative and detailed, and so it seems reasonable to offer some glimpse as to their source; I appreciate how via forum posts this could seem a challenge, but as noted before, if this world you describe is the vast majority of “the real world” and I’ve been living in an alternate universe, I’m genuinely curious to understand better - and only intending to be direct.
As for the OP’s experience: it’s been an entertaining ride this thread - as he intended - but it’s never been an earnest attempt to purchase a watch so much as an attempt to do just enough to make a mockery of what may be required to purchase such a watch. Salespersons ask to meet in person, he scoffs, etc.
I get it, it lays bare the irony or embarrassments underlying the whole circus, and that’s good commentary: but it’s not an earnest attempt to purchase something that is hard to purchase.
I’m fully in support of people only preferring to purchase watches when they’re kissed up to and fed champagne, or instead just recoiling at the tables being turned and having to be the ones to kiss up.
But be it unique real estate, rare vehicles, hard to get reservations at a show, or anything else that is in demand = I personally don’t find it unnatural to negotiate, including negotiating people’s egos.
But only to a point: I personally wouldn’t buy anything of any material expense that I did not want in order to get any modern Rolex.
It sounds like you used to, or used to be on the sales side?