Never had to wait more than 3 weeks for any of the Rolex watches I have bought from my AD, the longest wait was for the new Submariner which came in after 12 days but I couldn't collect it for a further week as I was away on holiday.

As for Rolex being a better fit that I am not sure of, my Speedmaster moonwatch is extremely comfortable on my wrist, and has been on my wrist for a few holidays without any issues at all. I think that fit is very much a personal thing and comes down to shape and size of a person's wrist and how a person wears their watches.

Movements, well that is a very debatable point, my Rolex watches keep better time than my Omega's and having a display caseback on a watch where 90% of the movement is hidden seems a pointless exercise, now a Speedmaster with a nicely polished movement is a joy to view. Overall a display back isn't important when making a watch choice.

But I do like Omega, I like the variety of watches in the range and the fact that Omega watches can go under the radar whereas a Rolex is seen as a statement. Both brands can live happily together and the watches can sit side by side in any watchbox.

 

Funny thing is the Rolex buyer is paying for all the marketing.

As it was once said when I was a marketing rep in the 90s (for a cigarette company - Rothmans ) for every $5-10k Rolex sold there is a month of a billboard paid for by the new watch owner.

 

You're one of the few, not the many... you know that, right? Your situation and circumstances have intertwined with fate and given you a relationship with an AD for whatever reason it came about. Can't apply your AD relationship and Rolex wait time turnaround to everyone else. By all means though - congratulations for having secured that. Lots of people chase that for a long time - and some (like myself) never get it.

 

I have been lucky in all my dealings to get my small collection together, I have worked hard over the years to get the funds together and now am able to buy a few pieces to enjoy and ultimately pass on to my children.

In addition I have worked to build a relationship with the dealer and with the sales assistant that I try to see whenever I visit the store, the SA and my wife will chat about jewellery whilst I browse the watches, and I think that this relationship is beginning to pay dividends.

Watches of Switzerland required everyone to register their interest for the new Submariners, when I did this I asked the SA how long would it be before my name came up, would it be around a 12-18 month wait? My SA replied that they didn't know but hoped that it would be less but they had no indications when watches would arrive, I assumed that all the VIP's would be well ahead of me and that if the watch came within 12 months I would be happy.

To get the call just 12 days later was a shock, a big shock, and that the store was happy to hold the watch for a further 7 days as I was away was an even greater shock as I thought they would tell me sorry but we have plenty of people wanting this so if you can't come in then well call someone else. So to pick up the new Submariner within the launch month was a real privilege.

Was it fate, I don't know, what I do know is that I have a great relationship with the store and my SA which I believe in some way helped me get the new Sub so quickly, so when people slate Rolex AD's I will defend their name as I have had nothing but politeness, help and great service in my dealings with them.

Yes I have been lucky to get this Sub so quickly, yes I know that other people have waited longer before they got theirs and I know that some are still waiting and sadly may have to wait a while longer. But the key to me is the AD and my relationship with them, without that interaction I have no doubt that I would be on the outside looking in and wondering why I cannot get that watch.

 

I had purchased the PO 39.5 and really wanted to like it but something was just off. Ultimately, I sold and purchased a PO 8500 Ti. The 42mm seems to be just right.. With respect to Rolex and Omega proportions, it's seems that Rolex makes a lot fewer changes to their sizes, albeit 2020 introduced a new size, they had remained the same for 20+ years!? Whereas Omega keeps making changes to the size and shape of the PO line; perhaps because they don't have it dialed in yet. My prediction is that they will revert to the 42 case size for the PO in a few years as the current line-up seems to be north of the mean. At the end of the day, they are different brands and I don't think we want Omega to become like Rolex.

 

The 2500 series 42mm PO was the best in terms of size and thickness. The 8500 and 8800/8900 are all too thick for me.

 

For me, the saving grace for the 8500 is the Titanium version which I love. It really lightens it up and makes it wearable without being top-heavy.

 

Don't you just love threads on OF, the way that the topic is ignored and we go off piste and discuss all kinds of watch related (and sometimes non watch related) subjects, this time it is the case diameter of the Seamaster and the thickness of a Planet Ocean, just how bizarre is that when the OP created the thread to comment on Rolex waiting lists.

Brilliant, just brilliant.

 

No point in talking about the waitlist since most people can't even get on one now for any popular references.

 

Yet I read threads on TRF from people getting new professional watches from their AD's with little or no previous purchase history, there is a train of thought that due to Covid there has been a blip in normal trading patterns and it is a good time to try your luck. After all nothing ventured, nothing gained, what's the worst that can happen?

 

Well too late for me now since I've gone down the Snoopy path. The day I put down my deposit for the Snoopy I was originally planning on going to the Rolex boutique (they're located in the same mall) but there was a private event going on. Instead I went to Omega and decided for the Snoopy.

 

Good luck I hope you get one

 

My AD waiting list got to 5yrs and then closed. I called recently and still no opportunity, I’m a previous customer too. I’ll try again in a few months. I’m a very patient person but quite frankly this is starting to grate on my interest. Must be very frustrating for struggling jewellers trying to keep boutiques running in these times, people lined up with cash waiting and no product to sell. I get the impression the business may not be there in 5 yrs, let alone a Rolex, the AD sounded genuinely concerned for the future

 

I agree with your sentiment, COVID is a real leveller and anyone who values Obtaining Rolex more than someone’s livelihood needs their head checked.

I’d like to see Rolex increase production of SS models to support business, if the demand is still intact, It might just save a lot of independent ADs from going under.

 

As we’re on the subject, I picked up the new edition of Revolution magazine yesterday. I admit I’ve never read it before but I enjoyed its founder’s message on the opening pages, a diatribe of almost two pages bemoaning the current situation with Rolex availability and how, and I quote, “fucked up” it is. Then I turned to p120 and saw the magazine has awarded Rolex its Brand of the Year award. Not sure what’s more “fucked up,” to be honest. But I doubt I’ll be reading it again.

 

I had a 45 minute conversation with the owner of Gunderson’s in Omaha, NE, several weeks ago. Gunderson’s is the only Rolex dealer in Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. I’d been on her list for several pieces for one year when I asked for an update on my progress. One of the models she received all of two pieces across her four stores over six months. The others she unapologetically indicated the wait would be another six to seven years.

She literally has zero control over her inventory. Rolex tells her what she is going to get to sell. SS Sport pieces are allocated to her, and I can only imagine her allocation is dependent on selling precious metal pieces or lower demand pieces. There is no way for her to order or otherwise reliably obtain the pieces I was asking about. When I asked about a SS Daytona I was immediately offered a two tone Daytona instead. I couldn’t get a SS GMT-2 but getting a Rootbeer GMT wasn’t going to be a problem. She has a “whale” that spends $10-20K EVERY MONTH that wants the platinum Daytona that she can’t satisfy If a piece you’re interested in is discontinued before you can purchase it, tough luck. How are you supposed to do business with an AD that literally can’t obtain inventory? I legitimately believe she would very much have liked to sell me what I wanted to buy.

When I asked her why sites like Bobs Watches have an abundance of GMTs but an authorized AD can’t get them, she didn’t have a good answer. I would have pressed my questions to Rolex itself, but it refers all questions to an AD network that has zero control over what it has to sell.

Why give money to a company that manufactures scarcity in collusion with its ADs who then try a bait-and-switch scam on you into buying watches you don’t want? Rolex couldn’t care less. The AD is the customer, not you or I. If you truly want or “need” a Rolex, suck it up and pay the gray market price because you can’t rely on an AD network that can’t control its own inventory. Otherwise pick a different brand. You shouldn’t have to play games or beg to spend thousands for any watch or brand.

 

Marketing 10 /10
quality of product 9/10
distribution/sales/AD 0/10

 

Hello everyone. I’m new to the world of fine watches, and this is my first post anywhere, so go easy on me.
My conclusion is that it will be better for my emotional and financial state to hold my nose, go on eBay or the grey market, and pay the 20% or more, over retail, and buy the new Rolex that I am in love with. Today. Hear me out.

I found out the state of affairs the usual way. I call an AD. Do you have the watch that I want? No? Any idea when you might get one? No? Can I get my name on the wait list? There is no wait list? This simply can’t be.....but yet it is.
First, the financial aspect. I am generally a tightwad, and it infuriates me to see the retail price on the Rolex website, and then look on auction sites, forums, or the grey market, and see prices substantially higher to actually get my hands on one. But my choices are limited. If I want to buy one at an AD, and not pay over retail, the only real option is to establish a relationship with them. But this is a false economy, and let’s call it what it is. “Establishing a relationship” generally means that you will buy a number of luxury watches that you don’t want as much as the Rolex, at full retail price, over the course of years, for the possibility that they may eventually get the watch that you want most. This will likely cost tens of thousands of dollars. Yes, we all have plenty of watches that we want to buy anyway, but you will generally not get the best price all the time at one AD.
Of course the ADs are on board with this arrangement. They can reap years of business while promising nothing in return.
So in plain dollars and cents, I don’t think the “relationship” with the AD is a money saving proposition.

In terms of emotional cost, what is it worth to spend years scouring the internet and going to dealers (authorized and not) in hope of coming across that one watch at RP. I’m all for delayed gratification, and maybe eventually things will turn around and supply will meet or exceed demand. But how long do I really want to torture myself.

Anyway that’s how I see it. The hard truth is that market value for many Rolexes is above RP. This doesn’t happen much in any marketplace, which is why it rubs us the wrong way. But if you want to have that one watch now, it may be best to just buy it at the price that the market demands, and I doubt you will regret it.

Thanks for reading, and like I say, I’m new, so if you veterans can enlighten me on anything, I’d appreciate it.

 

You made a correct assessment. Getting a Rolex at retail is basically down to luck. Some are able to get one after only weeks of waiting, even without purchase history, others wait fruitlessly for years.

You didn't mention what model you're looking for, that is certainly a relevant detail in this. But if you're saying that you have to pay "only" 20% above retail, that should mean that the watch model is available at retail after only a couple of months waiting at most. That's a delayed gratification I would certainly be able live with.

Not wanting to stray into a "investment potential" discussion, in the end what it comes down to is how much are you prepared to pay for it? Even though they Rolex prices are heavily inflated, there actually are people paying double retail for a Daytona or a GMT. Not many but still everyone is listing their watches at those prices in the hopes of catching one of these big fishes. Me personally, I would not even pay Rolex retail prices if I did not know that I won't lose money should I ever want to get rid of the watch. Even though I admire their products, the price is simply higher than the dispensable coin that I am willing to spend on a watch that doesn't carry exceptional value for money, except for the fact it has The Crown on the dial and is (over)hyped.

 

Just buy another brand, problem solved.