Astonishing discussion with my local Rolex dealer.
Discussion
Maxym said:
Talking to a sales guy in WoS yesterday, he told me that even the bi-metal sports watches are very hard to come by now, or 'hot items' as he put it.
And yet the other AD I was in yesterday had a Bi-Metal Daytona in the window 
I think some are forgetting that everyone who works in their AD is a sales person. They are ramping up the game in order to push the harder to sell models, something that has been a thorn in any ADs side for years.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
And yet the other AD I was in yesterday had a Bi-Metal Daytona in the window
I think some are forgetting that everyone who works in their AD is a sales person. They are ramping up the game in order to push the harder to sell models, something that has been a thorn in any ADs side for years.
Interesting. WoS had nothing 'of interest' Rolex-wise, nor did Mappin & Webb across the road and nor did Harrods. Did you snap up that Daytona? I think some are forgetting that everyone who works in their AD is a sales person. They are ramping up the game in order to push the harder to sell models, something that has been a thorn in any ADs side for years.
Maxym said:
Interesting. WoS had nothing 'of interest' Rolex-wise, nor did Mappin & Webb across the road and nor did Harrods. Did you snap up that Daytona?
No, no point really. They depreciate badly and are imho quite an old fashioned looking thing.Having sold my Sea Dweller I am looking for something else but the only really interesting pieces were not what I fancied, in the windows were Yacht Masters, Explorers, Milgaus etc. The usual suspects
So said:
If anyone is holding out for a new Pepsi, might I suggest looking at an original? Better proportioned watch and there are so many in London dealers’ windows there cannot be any being worn and discounts must be available.
I'm likely to get a new Pepsi very soon from my AD but I'm half inclined to go for the older one. As you say, much better proportions. I wore the new item at one of those Rolex events and the new GMT case just felt too heavy for the Jubilee.tgclowes said:
So said:
If anyone is holding out for a new Pepsi, might I suggest looking at an original? Better proportioned watch and there are so many in London dealers’ windows there cannot be any being worn and discounts must be available.
I'm likely to get a new Pepsi very soon from my AD but I'm half inclined to go for the older one. As you say, much better proportions. I wore the new item at one of those Rolex events and the new GMT case just felt too heavy for the Jubilee.Maxym said:
Talking to a sales guy in WoS Regent Street yesterday, he told me that even the bi-metal sports watches are very hard to come by now, or 'hot items' as he put it.
I should have snapped up the non-date S/S Sub I saw in Verona the other week. Last month an AD near Stuttgart had a S/S date Sub and a Batman.
Again there was a bi-metal sub (gold with black face) in Listers in Ilkley along with the explorer 2, I think looking for Rolex sports watches in London ADs is a waste of time. I should have snapped up the non-date S/S Sub I saw in Verona the other week. Last month an AD near Stuttgart had a S/S date Sub and a Batman.
Edited by Maxym on Thursday 14th June 09:30
Looks like I have joined the Rolex wtf is going on queue of bystanders.
Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
soofsayer said:
Looks like I have joined the Rolex wtf is going on queue of bystanders.
Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
I guess the people getting the sought after models from the ADs have lots of real money. Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
The ADs must get sick of people suddenly wanting a SS sports Rolex for no other reason than the current market situation I guess they get tired of the phone calls and the walk ins that just want a SS sports watch for no other reason than that. My local AD manager said he gets fed up with the calls and hasn't got anywhere near enough to please his regular customers so has to refuse unknown buyers as it's a waste of everyone's time.
But if you really want one you can buy one today, plenty available in the after sale market on CH24, you'll lose the sellers premium upon taking delivery but that would be the same if the market was normal at the AD.
Edited by Wills2 on Saturday 16th June 21:54
tgclowes said:
So said:
If anyone is holding out for a new Pepsi, might I suggest looking at an original? Better proportioned watch and there are so many in London dealers’ windows there cannot be any being worn and discounts must be available.
I'm likely to get a new Pepsi very soon from my AD but I'm half inclined to go for the older one. As you say, much better proportions. I wore the new item at one of those Rolex events and the new GMT case just felt too heavy for the Jubilee.soofsayer said:
Looks like I have joined the Rolex wtf is going on queue of bystanders.
Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
Same experience over here in the US at my local AD recently. Couldn’t get me out the store quick enough and certainly a tone of being fed up.Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
Wills2 said:
I guess the people getting the sort after models from the ADs have lots of real money.
The ADs must get sick of people suddenly wanting a SS sports Rolex for no other reason than the current market situation I guess they get tired of the phone calls and the walk ins that just want a SS sports watch for no other reason than that. My local AD manager said he gets fed up with the calls and hasn't got anywhere near enough to please his regular customers so has to refuse unknown buyers as it's a waste of everyone's time.
But if you really want one you can buy one today, plenty available in the after sale market on CH24, you'll lose the sellers premium upon taking delivery but that would be the same if the market was normal at the AD.
I fancied a daytona because I liked the look of it out of all the rolex watches. Wasnt aware of the daft speculation going on. Not bothered about flipping it, although I get the impression thats what many buyers motivation seems to be judging by the huge premiums for second hand / nearly new examples.The ADs must get sick of people suddenly wanting a SS sports Rolex for no other reason than the current market situation I guess they get tired of the phone calls and the walk ins that just want a SS sports watch for no other reason than that. My local AD manager said he gets fed up with the calls and hasn't got anywhere near enough to please his regular customers so has to refuse unknown buyers as it's a waste of everyone's time.
But if you really want one you can buy one today, plenty available in the after sale market on CH24, you'll lose the sellers premium upon taking delivery but that would be the same if the market was normal at the AD.
There was zero discussion with the salesperson beyond what I have already posted. No attempt to engage me on other rolex watches or brands they stock. I have never seen a daytona in the flesh, dont know what it would be like on my wrist. I even asked if they had one to look at, its not rocket science for the salesperson to think ‘this guy is looking to spend £10k+ on a watch so lets give him 2 minutes and see if he might like something else we can actually sell him’.
Monkeys being paid peanuts.
soofsayer said:
Looks like I have joined the Rolex wtf is going on queue of bystanders.
Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
I was gazing at their Rolex display last month and a saleswoman came outside and asked if I needed any help, perhaps she was hoping I'd buy a gold datejust Foolishly I walked into Frasers in York this afternoon to enquire about Daytonas. The sales woman gave me the same ‘no chance, waiting list a mile long, we keep the guarantee for a year’ speech.
If she could have physically pushed me out of the shop I think she would have done so. Not a ‘have you considered a...’ or any positive dialogue.
Never will I buy from that business. I doubt I will ever buy a Rolex after that experience, not that they could care less.
Customer service is a joke.
I do wonder when the worm will turn and those of us will real cash in the bank and not plastic money will have the last laugh.
soofsayer said:
No attempt to engage me on other rolex watches or brands they stock.
I think the reason that, a number of times, I have never actually bought an explorer II, is the strange attitude of some of the people selling them. I have witnessed the same in clothing shops and, obviously, some dealerships.Unpopular opinion I know, as people will say you buy the product, but really when I am looking to buy something that I have worked hard for, I want to buy it from someone who cares about the product and wants to cultivate a long term relationship.
If I sold watches and didn't have the specific model a client was after I would at least look to engage them with alternatives and act like an enthusiast so they remembered we cared and hopefully would come back to us.
I suppose with the demand outstripping supply some AD's don't need to work for it and it shows.
soofsayer said:
I fancied a daytona because I liked the look of it out of all the rolex watches. Wasnt aware of the daft speculation going on. Not bothered about flipping it, although I get the impression thats what many buyers motivation seems to be judging by the huge premiums for second hand / nearly new examples.
There was zero discussion with the salesperson beyond what I have already posted. No attempt to engage me on other rolex watches or brands they stock. I have never seen a daytona in the flesh, dont know what it would be like on my wrist. I even asked if they had one to look at, its not rocket science for the salesperson to think ‘this guy is looking to spend £10k+ on a watch so lets give him 2 minutes and see if he might like something else we can actually sell him’.
Monkeys being paid peanuts.
Oh I get that there is no excuse for poor service and these places are full of lots of beautiful watches that are available there and then so yes she should have asked or shown you other alternatives or failing that you could have enquired what else they had that was suitable? But perhaps she'd lost you by then. There was zero discussion with the salesperson beyond what I have already posted. No attempt to engage me on other rolex watches or brands they stock. I have never seen a daytona in the flesh, dont know what it would be like on my wrist. I even asked if they had one to look at, its not rocket science for the salesperson to think ‘this guy is looking to spend £10k+ on a watch so lets give him 2 minutes and see if he might like something else we can actually sell him’.
Monkeys being paid peanuts.
if you're looking for a nice watch start a thread on here as you'll get plenty of suggestions and recommendations on what to buy and where to buy it.
A good alternative watch would be an AP royal oak chronograph, stunning piece of watch making that you might like, good luck with the search.
Wills2 said:
I guess the people getting the sort after models from the ADs have lots of real money.
The ADs must get sick of people suddenly wanting a SS sports Rolex for no other reason than the current market situation I guess they get tired of the phone calls and the walk ins that just want a SS sports watch for no other reason than that. My local AD manager said he gets fed up with the calls and hasn't got anywhere near enough to please his regular customers so has to refuse unknown buyers as it's a waste of everyone's time.
But if you really want one you can buy one today, plenty available in the after sale market on CH24, you'll lose the sellers premium upon taking delivery but that would be the same if the market was normal at the AD.
I have been fortunate to be able to buy any SS model I like at retail over the last few years, with very short wait times. The ADs must get sick of people suddenly wanting a SS sports Rolex for no other reason than the current market situation I guess they get tired of the phone calls and the walk ins that just want a SS sports watch for no other reason than that. My local AD manager said he gets fed up with the calls and hasn't got anywhere near enough to please his regular customers so has to refuse unknown buyers as it's a waste of everyone's time.
But if you really want one you can buy one today, plenty available in the after sale market on CH24, you'll lose the sellers premium upon taking delivery but that would be the same if the market was normal at the AD.
It’s not so much about having or spending real money. I’ve spent well into six figures, but most of that spend was on SS sports models. My route into Rolex was a TT GMT when I knew very little about the brand, and at that point had never even seen a SS GMT. Then I bought the Mrs a Datejust, then from there when I enquired about SS sports models it was never an issue and I have been looked after very well ever since. I’ve also bought bits of jewellery for the Mrs from that AD. Nothing outrageous, just a few pairs of earrings when I’ve peed her off.
I think I would probably be disappointed if I tried to buy a SS Daytona straight off the bat too. Luckily I didn’t really know much about the brand, and I wanted a TT GMT as my first decent watch.
A lot of ADs are using SS pieces as a carrot nowadays - “buy a Day Date and we’ll let you buy a BLNR”, and so on. I don’t agree with this, but with such limited SS stock you can see why they a) sell to their existing customers or b) try and bundle them with PM watches to make more money.
It helps that the AD I deal with are really nice people and I get on with them really well on a personal level. I don’t mess them about when they call me with a watch either. I always make the trip within 48 hours, no messing around cobbling together funds at the last minute, or trying to stall and buy time. They also like it when I go in with a watch on that’s covered in scratches and chunks missing from the bracelet, they can see I actually wear them - and I don’t make the short walk to Watchfinder for a quick buck.
At a recent event I met some of the whales who also buy from this store, and yeah, my spend is absolutely peanuts compared to theirs. One of them has spent more on two iced out watches than I’ve spent on 15+ purchases with them. There have to be 10+ absolute whales that deal with this AD, but they still value my custom.
Not sure where I’m going with this, but increasingly buying a SS Rolex is a bit of a charade. You can either kiss your dignity goodbye and play the game, or walk away. I hate playing games, but I think most ADs would treat you fairly if you buy a few other bits from them, then start asking about SS models. Obviously if there’s literally nothing else you want, that’s a none starter.
Souring SS Rolex at RRP will only get harder I think, as they continue to Patek-ify the brand. The mind boggles though, because at the end of the day every single watch in the line up is mass produced. There are thousands and thousands of them out there, but demand is insatiable so it gives the illusion of exclusivity and rarity.
Now if you want a real challenge, try buying a stainless Patek 5711 or 5712 at retail with no purchase history. Patek’s games are another level in my experience, especially if you’re trying to buy through Aurum Group!
Gassing Station | Watches | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff