My rumor contribution:
Just got back from the brand new SF OB, they had a US HQ brands person there for the opening. He said the following;
1- He said the same as many others had heard, VIP priority allocation being dictated on Country level. He added: Larger purchases taking priority over many small purchases so not just total dollars spent. (One $12k watch is better, not equal to, 3ea at $4k for allocation)
2- I am taking this one with a big grain of salt BUT he did say they would end production in 3-4 years so there is no overlap with THE NEXT SNOOPY…. (New Snoopy every 5 years?!?)
Again, a one hour+ conversation with one of the US Brand Managers so only rumors but rumor #2 is interesting if it comes to pass.
Of course when they cancel/return your deposit… (Houston OB said they returned about half the deposits, so people left are guaranteed … made me chuckle)
Wondering how many deposits they took.
Other boutiques stopped taking deposits when HQ sent the directive… did Houston continue accepting them?
Called and spoke to the manager if a rather large U.S. OB from where I obtained my 321, and have had my name “on the list” for the Snoopy.
Me personally for the Snoopy, I asked to be “on the list” months after release, didn’t put down a deposit, etc.
Here’s what this OB manager reported:
Since deliveries started, they’d received a total of 10 pieces (less than 1/mo).
They have an additional 27 people on the list who have paid full deposits and Omega has told them are guaranteed a Snoopy.
HOWEVER, the full deposit list used to have 69 people, but months ago Omega contacted them with the list of names of people with deposits who should stay on the list and will receive a watch, but the other 40+ people needed to have their deposits returned as they will not be guaranteed a watch.
So what did that mean for me, with my name “on the list” but having never paid a deposit (much less had one returned)?
He said (remember, this is a salesperson) that now my name is on a backup list with a few others like me (no deposit ever paid but a valued customer), but also together with those 40+ people who had their deposits returned - and that basically if one of the 27 deposit buyers above decline their watch on delivery, the OB could select from the backup list whom to distribute the watch. And (salesman warning again), that my name was right near the top of that list (suggesting people who had deposits returned were not necessarily given pole positions on the backup list).
As with all rumor and intrigue around these rarer allocations, this is just one manager, at one OB, in just one market, talking to just one customer in a salesman-sales relationship - take it with whatever grain of salt you like to assume.
Still, in the way it’s an interesting dovetail with the original topic of this thread.
Moreover, I see no reason to doubt the manager’s assertion that they’ve received less than 1/month. So if that pace hold, and if it’s further true that 27 individuals with deposits are guaranteed a watch, the 27th person may be 3+ years deep before “the call.”
TBH, I haven’t followed these Snoopy speculation threads in a very long time, so I may be repeating long known rumors, or long dispelled rumors.
But if I’m to believe my OB manager, my personal shot of a Snoopy reduce to: over the next two+ years, people with deposits down at that point for over 2+ years *might* decide after all that to reject their allocation (despite 2X+ secondary market values), and more than just one or two of those folks need to do so for my place in the backup list to be reached.
Below is from a different thread here RE deposits being returned:
So there is one factor to keep in consideration:
When the returned deposits were placed?
I’m not sure of that. All I know is that this OB did stop taking deposits at some point.
But, my impression from the OB was not that HQ made them return deposits based on timing of deposits. Instead, he said HQ contacted them with a list of names that needed returning. And, the way the conversation went, I would think he would have mentioned if the list of names was obviously dictated by timing of deposits.
But, who knows!
In any event, one might think the deposit-returning phase has completed and so if you currently still have a deposit then currently Omega still views you as “guaranteed” to have a watch.
One other tidbit relevant to the Snoopy discussion just above: while talking to my OB about the NEW321, he said he’d heard they may only produce them another few years. With reports of the same RE Snoopy, it may be an unsurprising feature of these “limited production” items to be limited not only in annual production but also number of years being produced.
Only people who have prior snoopy purchase history are allowed to put a deposit down for the 55th.
Wondering how many deposits they took.
Other boutiques stopped taking deposits when HQ sent the directive… did Houston continue accepting them?
I have no interest in any Snoopy and have no beagle in the hunt, but I just can't see the interest in being on a list where you may get the watch in 2024/5. That would take all the joy out of it for me and make me feel like I've been strung along. This isn't a Roger Smith bespoke watch which would be worth a very, very long wait, it's a mass produced model that for whatever reasons is dribbled out to the retail market in small numbers. And if you have paid in full, or with a hefty deposit, it really makes little economic sense. But people seem to be stuck into this model for whatever reason. It's an ok iteration but certainly not the most attractive or compelling Speedmaster made in the last few years. The Speedmaster world is large, and the larger watch world even larger, in the $10k range.
The watch looks great... it’s difficult to get and resells at an hefty premium.
It’s not really difficult to see why this is a success, no?
Whether the watch looks 'great' or not is personal opinion, I have not seen one in person but I know enough about the colors to know what it would look like in person. Just because it is difficult to get and sells at a premium (for now) may spell success for Omega, but what about the lonely collector? Whether or not it is worth it to wait years to get 'the call' is up to each individual. I choose not to get involved in these games, to those that find it a compelling exercise, good for you and enjoy the long and winding road to collector nirvana.
