Is this the same for Rolex as well? Does this mean there are still some independent watchmakers who have Rolex parts accounts?
I've never had (nor wanted) a Rolex parts account - I already have more work that I can handle so there was never a business need to desire an account. I still serviced these watches occasionally, because parts were available on the open market (I bought a bunch of parts from a retiring US watchmaker at one time for example), but I service very few these days - maybe one every year or two. In Canada, where I am, there have not been truly independent accounts for a very long time. The only accounts here are at Rolex AD's who put the money into having an on site watchmaker and shop.
In the US those truly independent accounts, in other words people who do not work for an AD but just have their own business and are certified by Rolex, are mostly gone now. It's a bit of a long story, but there was a some deception involved I believe...
There was a time when watch companies would send watchmakers parts they wrote in asking for, free of charge - the good old days that were long before my time in the industry. But at one time it was apparent that the Swiss industry in particular employed monopolistic practices, and by 1960 they and their industry associations were considered a cartel by the US government, and a consent decree was imposed.
Back in 2006, Rolex applied to have this consent decree removed - information here:
https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-do...-motion-rolex-watch-usa-inc-order-terminating
The final agreement has Rolex paying $750,000 to cover costs. Essentially, this removed the restrictions on Rolex to limit the supply of parts and was a real turning point in how they operated.
Curiously, the AWCI (originally the AWA back in 1960) - the trade organization representing watchmakers in the US, agreed to this. This seems rather strange considering that this group represents watchmakers, and to be honest the membership were not pleased. However, the AWCI was working with Rolex to develop the CW21 watchmaker certification process at this time, and not long after the consent decree was removed in 2007, Rolex announced that all watchmakers with a parts account had to become CW21 certified by the end of 2010, or they would lose their accounts. The AWCI and Rolex were considered "partners" at this time.
Everyone was required to take the 4 day long test, and these were held at AWCI headquarters near Cincinnati - you had to pay for the test, pay for the travel and lodging, and you lost a week of income. They also ran refresher courses to prepare watchmakers for the exams. I was in many of those classes just for my own continuing education, and all the watchmakers with parts accounts were shitting bricks because they knew they would likely be out of business if they lost their accounts. They were also very bitter that their own organization was involved in the removal of the consent decree.
The AWCI said that other brands were going to adopt this CW21 certification as a requirement, but none other than Rolex ever did. When I was at Swatch in NJ for training on servicing the co-axial escapement years ago, someone in the class asked the instructor about Swatch adopting the CW21. The response:
"That's got nothing to do with us. That's a Rolex thing."
Then some time went by, everyone was (reasonably) happy, and Rolex just started closing all these parts accounts anyway. In all Rolex agreements, there is this clause:
"Both the parts account and Rolex are free, at any time and for any reason, to discontinue their business relationship, without cause and without prior notice."
So Rolex played the long game to get rid of the consent decree, the AWCI got played, and US watchmakers paid the price for it.
This is one reason why I personally get frustrated when people say these companies operate the same way, or that all of them are cutting off parts supplies. It's just not true at all. There are some very good companies to work with, and I personally count Swatch among them. I don't agree with everything they do certainly, like since 2015 they have jacked up prices to sometimes absurd levels on things. But for the most part all my own experiences working with them have been good. They have helped me when needed, and sometimes even recommended me to people for vintage repairs. It's a good working relationship. As long as I do the work right and don't be an idiot, they leave me alone to run my business and we are both happy.
A good friend of mine is a watchmaker for a Rolex AD here in Canada, and when he told me how Rolex operates with him, it was astonishing. With Swatch I can order whatever parts I feel are appropriate for me to have in stock at any given time, so if I want to order 50 mainsprings for a specific caliber, I just order them and nothing is said. In contrast Rolex won't let him just buy the spare parts he wants to stock - he has to only order what's needed for a specific watch in front of him. He must log the replacement of every part (even a screw) to a specific serial number. He must take a photo of that watch on a specific pad the Rolex provides., He must be able to pull up the records of any watch he's serviced if Rolex asks him to. It is extreme micro-managing.
Another good company is Nomos in Germany. I recently ordered some parts for a customer's watch, and the first thing they said was thank you for taking care of one of our customers for us. They actually sent me the parts before I paid for them (actually even before I had a copy of the invoice) to help speed up the process.
The contrast between Rolex (you should be happy we allow you to buy parts from us) and Nomos (we are happy you are helping us) is huge. Personally I prefer working with companies who want to work with me, not against me.
Sorry, this ended up being much longer than I intended...
😉