Rolex Daytona waiting list

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Like the Speedy Tuesday, I suspect there’s a difference between how many people are willing to sign up to be in a waiting list and how many are willing to plunk down the needed coin when a watch becomes available.

A family friend was showing his new Daytona white-face on Christmas Day. He wasn’t on any waiting list but does purchase a fair number from his local preferred AD. At any rate, they offered it to him somewhat out-of-the blue and he decided to go for it.

Lighting wasn’t great but here it is, and a shot with it next to my Exp II for reference (apologies for not wiping my smudges from the PCL’s... while I find the overall dial attractive and the 40mm size with narrow bezel a nice combo, I think the bracelet should be entirely brushed to make it a better package as a sports watch)
They both look nice I will admit seeing them like that a nice exp looks less cluttered.
 
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Like the Speedy Tuesday, I suspect there’s a difference between how many people are willing to sign up to be in a waiting list and how many are willing to plunk down the needed coin when a watch becomes available.

A family friend was showing his new Daytona white-face on Christmas Day. He wasn’t on any waiting list but does purchase a fair number from his local preferred AD. At any rate, they offered it to him somewhat out-of-the blue and he decided to go for it.

Lighting wasn’t great but here it is, and a shot with it next to my Exp II for reference (apologies for not wiping my smudges from the PCL’s... while I find the overall dial attractive and the 40mm size with narrow bezel a nice combo, I think the bracelet should be entirely brushed to make it a better package as a sports watch)

when (if????) my number finally comes up and i get one, first thing ill do is send it to LAWW to get brushed, purists be damned. like the GMTc, the DaytonaC should have come brushed. the guys at LAWW are true artisans.

 
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There are quite some other watches you could try first to get in to Rolex....
it is just a availibility and demand game, and to be honest, i understand that policy is to deliver regular/loyal customers first in stead of someone passing buy, ordering it and after pick-up never to be seen again. I think it is a difficult task of placing these certain watches with the right people. At the end, there are always more people disappointed then happy.

Got a Breilting and couple of Omega's, and a Tag and do swap these around a bit - at least the Omega's. Had a DSOTM and a Breitling Aerospace Evo up til recently. Not really a Rolex specific purchaser as buy what I take a fancy to, but the Daytona is certainly my holy grail. Whether in 4 or 5 years time I am remains to be seen - or I might get impatient and buy elsewhere!

There is a Tudor I have been looking at from the same shop so may trade one and show willing.

thanks for your input guys.
 
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The white face looks great with the black bezel. How much is the actual selling price without the premium?
 
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Wow, only here for a day and I learn something new.
Had no idea these were so hard to get!
This would be the only other chrono I would ever own other than a Speedy Pro... and probably the only Rolex I'd own.
 
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The white face looks great with the black bezel. How much is the actual selling price without the premium?

This Retail at £9100
 
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The white face looks great with the black bezel. How much is the actual selling price without the premium?
Retail in Michigan is in the $12k’s USD.
 
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Retail in Michigan is in the $12k’s USD.

So if you are in a rush, buy one on ebay or chrono 24 but then you pay a premium of about $7k on top of the retail price. Reminds me of the 16520 Zenith Daytona during the 90s where you also pay double of the retail price from the ADs.
 
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when (if????) my number finally comes up and i get one, first thing ill do is send it to LAWW to get brushed, purists be damned. like the GMTc, the DaytonaC should have come brushed. the guys at LAWW are true artisans.


Do you have the address of LAWW? Are they better than ABC?
Edited:
 
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Do you have the address of LAWW? Are they better than ABC?

I havent used LAWW but I have used ABC. However, when I used ABC, it was when all their best guys still worked there. They have since moved on to LAWW. Im sure ABC still does great work but Ill be sending my watches to LAWW when I need something done. Here is the contact info for LAWW. Beau is a magician!

http://www.lawatchworks.com/about.html
 
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Wow, only here for a day and I learn something new.
Had no idea these were so hard to get!
This would be the only other chrono I would ever own other than a Speedy Pro... and probably the only Rolex I'd own.
That is exactly where I am at but the wait... :-/
 
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So if you are in a rush, buy one on ebay or chrono 24 but then you pay a premium of about $7k on top of the retail price. Reminds me of the 16520 Zenith Daytona during the 90s where you also pay double of the retail price from the ADs.
Got better things to spend £5k on than line pockets of people who buy to sell due to Rolex' enforced limits (knowing they can do just that and got orders in years ago!!). I can wait.
I may buy a Tudor from the AD and start building a relationship as not purchased from him before and there is one I like - once the kitchen and building work is complete lol...do need to sell my Seamaster Planet Ocean titanium first though so another reason I'm in no rush thanks to ongoing building expenses lol.
 
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The previous model Daytona had a modified Zenith El Primero in it for over a decade. Up until this version Rolex never had an in-house automatic chronograph. Some of the manual winds didn’t have Rolex movements either if I remember.

If you want to get technical, any Rolex before 2004 was purchased by Rolex from their movement supplier (Aegler) until they finally bought them out...depends on how you define the seemingly indefinable "in house" term.
 
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"5 year wait it would go to our VIP members"

I mean yeah I guess guy.
 
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I really like the whiteface...
I am not willing to wait for more than 18 months for a new watch
 
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The whole “establish a relationship w an AD” circus to then wait two years to get a watch is nuts imho. I am not John Mayer I am not Hodinkee I am not at the front of the line. But I sure as hell work hard enough to pay full retail ( or get a meager % off msrp to) at an AD to then have the honor and privilege to maybe get a watch in 2 years. To each is own plus the screw down pushers would drive me nuts.
 
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I was told 5 years in my UK one put my name down like a shot
 
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Could have bought one on a recent work trip to NZ.
I asked to look at a modern sub at a AD and was told they could get a Daytona from another store in a few weeks if I wanted but no Subs or sports watches at the moment. Spoke to the ladies at the OB for a while as it was quiet. Mentioned all Rolex sport watches were hard to come by lately in NZ and it was going to be a few months before they could get any and if would only be 1or 2. (and this was a few weeks away from Christmas?)
Was one of those AD with the little Rolex Boutiques inside so I thought they would have had at least one sports watch.
Was in Christchurch
 
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With deposit you can probably cut your waiting time in half
True and that might be worth it, if the wait time wasn't still 2.5 years.