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Child Item

How hard is it to get the rolex you want

Bren_C

Hi All,

I've a birthday of significance coming up in 18 months and have decided to treat myself with a rolex, I had decided on the new air king but as the work bonus went well I can go for a GMT. Had resigned myself (if you can call it that) to the blue one as Pepsi was only in white gold but see now that they have a steel version with a jubilee strap. They seem to be selling for mad money 20k on chrono 24 etc. and none if the irish jewllers can shed any light, so what my best bet at getting one from a retailer at close to RRP? I'm in Switzerland 2/3 times a year for work so is that an option......

B

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AmberGold

I've a BLNR, Dec '18, bought by me from a Rolex dealer in Ireland, rarely worn, excellent condition with some light signs of desk diving on the clasp which could easily be polished out, no flea bites or scrapes.

I'm considering selling to fund another purchase, anyone interested please PM me with your details, location, what you'd be willing to offer etc.

To be honest, I've got an offer from Watchfinder for €12,550 and I won't accept less, just not sure when I'll be back in the UK to do the deal.

893bet

Dante Delicious Magnum wrote: »

They are not twice retail, they are around 9k retail little less, but I know of them changing hands for surprising amounts, and there is one on adverts overpriced little at the moment for 13.5k. the fact its not news make no difference, a new one is second hand 1 second after you put it on, send it back to Rolex and it will return good as new 8 weeks later.

If its the watch you want, just bargain hard and you will get it for 12500-13k.

8350 retail.

Sold mine for less than 12 last week. Prob could have got more but took an easy transaction rather than dealing with a total stranger.

They are a stunning watch no doubt but all Rolex divers leave me a little....meh.....I have concluded.

AmberGold

893bet wrote: »

8350 retail.

Sold mine for less than 12 last week. Prob could have got more but took an easy transaction rather than dealing with a total stranger.

They are a stunning watch no doubt but all Rolex divers leave me a little....meh.....I have concluded.

What are you wearing now, any plans to replace?

893bet

AmberGold wrote: »

What are you wearing now, any plans to replace?

Aquanaut for last few days (first time in a month).

Eyeing up some thing nice. Most likely a Calatrava or an A Lange and Sohne.

The below have caught my eye in particular! The Calatrava in particular straddles the sporty yet slim dressy space that I like.

5296g-001

And a 1815 221.025

Rootsblower

Wow sweet watches especially the A Lange. I’d be happy with just the Aquanaut. I can but dream I suppose

Cyrus

AmberGold wrote: »

I've a BLNR, Dec '18, bought by me from a Rolex dealer in Ireland, rarely worn, excellent condition with some light signs of desk diving on the clasp which could easily be polished out, no flea bites or scrapes.

I'm considering selling to fund another purchase, anyone interested please PM me with your details, location, what you'd be willing to offer etc.

To be honest, I've got an offer from Watchfinder for €12,550 and I won't accept less, just not sure when I'll be back in the UK to do the deal.

Just post it ?!

Wibbs

I've a soft spot for the Lange stuff I have to say. Gorgeous quality in the hand.

shutup

Just my two cents.
You are nuts if you’re prepared to build up a relationship with an AD so you can get up the waiting list for a watch.
Think about doing that for any other type of shopping. Would you be so submissive to a pub, restaurant, supermarket or department store?
How could anyone spend lots of money in order to gain the right to spend lots more money.

Jude13

893bet wrote: »

8350 retail.

Sold mine for less than 12 last week. Prob could have got more but took an easy transaction rather than dealing with a total stranger.

They are a stunning watch no doubt but all Rolex divers leave me a little....meh.....I have concluded.

I am really annoyed to say this and it may change over time but I completely get what you mean. I have wanted a gmt pepsi since as a kid my dads pal had one. I dreamed that some day I could, the new SS one came out and I was lucky to get it retail but I prefer wearing my explorer, I think it may be that the jubilee bracelet is a bit blingy or that the colour attracts too much attention.

Always Tired

shutup wrote: »

Just my two cents.
You are nuts if you’re prepared to build up a relationship with an AD so you can get up the waiting list for a watch.
Think about doing that for any other type of shopping. Would you be so submissive to a pub, restaurant, supermarket or department store?
How could anyone spend lots of money in order to gain the right to spend lots more money.

Do you actually think that's an appropriate analogy in any way? To compare buying a pint that costs fiver, that you can buy on any paved street, that will be consumed in a matter of minutes and is gone, to a watch that you can't get anywhere, that costs 5 figures, that will keep most or possibly increase its value, that can be passed down generations.

I get if you don't want to play the little games rich people play but that was just a really daft analogy on many levels. When your target market is people with plenty of dosh, the only way to make them desire your product besides quality and legacy/brand recognition is scarcity. In fact that's how you make sure the ones with the dosh are willing to part with loads of it. They need some kind of challenge! And the shops need to sell more than just the popular watch of the moment to keep afloat im guessing.

And you will often get perks for being a regular in a pub ad well! Lock ins, the odd freebie etc.

893bet

shutup wrote: »

Just my two cents.
You are nuts if you’re prepared to build up a relationship with an AD so you can get up the waiting list for a watch.
Think about doing that for any other type of shopping. Would you be so submissive to a pub, restaurant, supermarket or department store?
How could anyone spend lots of money in order to gain the right to spend lots more money.

It’s too late in the current market to build a relationship, unless you are gonna buy precious metal Daytona’s or huge 20k diamond rings etc. A couple of 5-10k purchases means you are just a face in the crowd.

There will be exceptions to this, but they are the exception.

Only an increase in supply or a global changed in demand will change that.

Apollinaris

I’ve found reading this thread very entertaining and interesting. I’ve never been more convinced the next financial crisis is imminent and just around the corner. It’s going to be a very bad one.

Anjobe

Apollinaris wrote: »

I’ve never been more convinced the next financial crisis is imminent and just around the corner. It’s going to be a very bad one.

It will start on November 1st if BoJo gets his way!

Wibbs

Apollinaris wrote: »

I’ve found reading this thread very entertaining and interesting. I’ve never been more convinced the next financial crisis is imminent and just around the corner. It’s going to be a very bad one.

I dunno about financial crises coming but the current steel sports Rolex market interesting alright. And it is current. While like any marque there have been highs and lows of supply and demand, the fever we're seeing at the moment is only a few years old. It's a fantastic bit of marketing from Rolex, who on top of making solid quality mid tier watches from the get go they were and remain extremely good at that part of the business.

Their founder Hans Wilsdorf was a genuine 24Kt genius at understanding and then exploiting, even changing some of the fundamentals of the watch business. I mean he was a guy who very early on saw the potential of the wristwatch for men and concentrated on that, while the rest of the Swiss industry kept rattling out pocketwatches alongside the new fangled wristlets.

And while contrary to popular belief and even their own marketing(though these days they're mostly leaving that stuff to their fans, again genius marketing) they were almost never innovators in watch designs and concepts they very much kept up to speed with the latest tech before they became trends and often made them into a trend. EG they weren't close to being the first to invent a waterproof watch, or a screwdown crown, or the automatic movement, Hans saw the potential of those ideas and gathered those concepts together in one design, the Rolex Oyster and created a market. And while every man and his dog might have a diver watch today, in the 1920's it was hardly a sure thing at all. Even as late as the 1960's if a man or woman were wearing a diver's watch they were almost certainly divers or swimmers and you'd not see one at a board meeting. Today they're pretty close to "dress wear" and on the watch brand marketing side that's largely down to Rolex too.

Cyrus

Cheaper pay the grey premium than build a relationship!

Rootsblower

Cyrus wrote: »

Cheaper pay the grey premium than build a relationship!

If you don’t mind a pre-owned watch.

Personally I’d prefer to buy another watch for my Mrs and have my name on warranty card than buy a grey at a premium. I was going to buy a Sub date from a grey dealer. Watch was in perfect condition all above board but the name on the warranty card not being mine turned me off.

I was talking to my wife on the subject and she said she’d never wear pre owned jewelry either but to each their own

Then again all my warranty cards and COSC certs are sealed in ziplock bags in a safe and my watch boxes are wrapped up in paper and locked in a filing cabinet in the attic with those little bags of silicone beads. BTW I’m not mad!!!

Cyrus

Rootsblower wrote: »

If you don’t mind a pre-owned watch.

Personally I’d prefer to buy another watch for my Mrs and have my name on warranty card than buy a grey at a premium. I was going to buy a Sub date from a grey dealer. Watch was in perfect condition all above board but the name on the warranty card not being mine turned me off.

I was talking to my wife on the subject and she said she’d never wear pre owned jewelry either but to each their own

Then again all my warranty cards and COSC certs are sealed in ziplock bags in a safe and my watch boxes are wrapped up in paper and locked in a filing cabinet in the attic with those little bags of silicone beads. BTW I’m not mad!!!

If it’s pre owned but unworn what would you care? If having your name on a plastic card is that important I can’t really help you

Eoin

Wibbs wrote: »

Today they're pretty close to "dress wear" and on the watch brand marketing side that's largely down to Rolex too.

Maybe in the same way that a Range Rover is no longer the preserve of well off farmers / land owners but more of an aspirational/luxury purchase (and a gravel driveway is as off-road as many get). I assume that most people back then didn't own a racing chronograph or pilot watch either, as they were specific tool watches.

I think it's as likely just a reflection that life is thankfully less formal these days in general.

Rootsblower

Cyrus wrote: »

If it’s pre owned but unworn what would you care? If having your name on a plastic card is that important I can’t really help you

What would I need help with?

Cyrus

Rootsblower wrote: »

What would I need help with?

Irrational behaviour

Rootsblower

Cyrus wrote: »

Irrational behaviour

I would like a 126710BLRO. The cheapest unworn example on Chrono24 is €16775 a full €7825 above retail price.

If I go to an AD and say buy my wife a nice watch or ring or bracelet worth €7825 then I have 2 nice pieces for the same money the result being I’m happy and the wife is happy, what’s irrational about that, granted I’d much rather pay retail and not have to buy anything else but I’d rather pay the extra to an Irish AD than some grey seller in Belgium

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Wibbs wrote: »

Today they're pretty close to "dress wear" and on the watch brand marketing side that's largely down to Rolex too.

Paul Pluta said in a recent video (he is a genius about 5% of the time) that all watches are dress watches these days. Discuss?????

On the buying new things, I dropped a Rolex in for service today. In 2 months it will be back, stickers on, warranty recharged, documents intact, as good as new and polished factory spec. Costs about 600-800 euro. The watch will be fully disassembled and re-polished and cleaned. All seals replaced and any part showing any wear or that is common to wear replaced with a new part. There will not be a single trace of any owner on the watch. I always factor this in especially if the watch is more than a few years old.

If you like the "retail experiance" more power to you, its an expensive experiance (we are not talking unobtainable Rolex here). I would always rather spend my budget on something better that has already depreciated than something new. Horses for courses.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Rootsblower wrote: »

I would like a 126710BLRO. The cheapest unworn example on Chrono24 is €16775 a full €7825 above retail price.

If I go to an AD and say buy my wife a nice watch or ring or bracelet worth €7825 then I have 2 nice pieces for the same money the result being I’m happy and the wife is happy, what’s irrational about that, granted I’d much rather pay retail and not have to buy anything else but I’d rather pay the extra to an Irish AD than some grey seller in Belgium

You will have to spend a lot more than €7825 to get that watch. Maybe add a zero on the end of that and they will remember you name. Its not fair but its the way it is. Also that 80k piece of jewellery is only really worth about 50k so its cheaper just pay the premium. Watches like that are a reward for customers that buy high value, high depreciation (read high profit) items.

ArphaRima

Samsonite 187 wrote: »

I really don't mean to come across as a troll or a dick.

But you really are in a situation of your own making.

You had good purchasing power. You bought 4 watches. All models an authorized retailer would be happy to sell and negotiate on. You went down the grey market root. Maybe got those watches at a little less.

Now you want a super duper hot watch that the whole wide world and his mother, father, brother and sister wants at retail with out ever purchasing in that shop before!!!!

Seriously??? These shops are getting thousands of emails a week asking the say thing. They literally can pick and choose who they want to sell to.

When you ask can I get a hot watch they are repling you need to build up a relationship they are 100000000% serious.

These Jewellers have thousands of clients that will buy Rolex and Patek. They don't need you. What they want is loyal local clients that buy everything from them.

To build a relationship they are not asking you to spend money on things you dont want to buy. They are saying if you fancy an omega come to us. If you want a breitling come to us. If you are buying an engagement ring come to us. If you want wedding rings come to us. We want to be your one stop Jewellers. Then if you want something hard to get no problem.

If you jump from shop to shop and support grey market retailers. Then you are the cause. Anyone that has given any money to a grey dealer is the cause of the crazy Patek and Rolex prices. If you had spent your money at authorized you would have built a relationship and 100% would be able to get those models.

Just my two cents.

That's certainly one way to put it, no matter how wrong you are!

I saved many thousands on my various watch purchases over the years. All because I was in a position to shop around.
I got 5 watches from 4 different countries, 2 from ADs, 2 from independents, and 1 from a personal seller. All bar one with my name on the papers.

I thought I was doing the right thing by refusing the excessive grey market prices, and I still do. Buying from them when it makes sense, and not when it doesnt seems the prudent thing to do. After all, my dealers didnt magic those watches into their stock; they were buying them from ADs and I was getting warranties from them.

I have some leverage with a planned purchase of watches and jewellery, I'm back in Europe and I am just trying to be strategic about this and not rush.

Personally I’d prefer to buy another watch for my Mrs and have my name on warranty card than buy a grey at a premium.

A couple of 5-10k purchases means you are just a face in the crowd.

My thinking too; but I'll see.

@AmberGold
Thanks, and I appreciate this a solid offer, but I will decline. Best of luck; I'm sure you will get more than that.

Rootsblower

I have bought my Mrs a nice bracelet recently to build a relationship with an AD, the bracelet was a nice few bob but it’s for her birthday. In return I will be collecting a black sub in the next few weeks, I will post pics when I get it. The total price for watch and bracelet is slightly less than what I would pay a grey reseller on this island for an unworn pre-owned Sub. I now have a relationship with the AD I have my eye on a black bay 58 maybe next year(fantastic watch) I don’t fancy a batman,Pepsi or hulk but I would like a blue dial Datejust on fluted bezel which is really hard to get at the moment so we will see.

Cyrus

Rootsblower wrote: »

I would like a 126710BLRO. The cheapest unworn example on Chrono24 is €16775 a full €7825 above retail price.

If I go to an AD and say buy my wife a nice watch or ring or bracelet worth €7825 then I have 2 nice pieces for the same money the result being I’m happy and the wife is happy, what’s irrational about that, granted I’d much rather pay retail and not have to buy anything else but I’d rather pay the extra to an Irish AD than some grey seller in Belgium

The nice watch or ring won’t be ‘worth ‘ 7825 that’s the point

Also spending 8k won’t move the needle in any event , from what I’ve heard buying a gold day date will get you the s/s watch you want which is a false economy unless you really want a day date at retail

Anyway you are missing the point what I said was if the watch is un worn do you really care if your name is on the plastic card that comes with it ?

Edit / what fitzgeme said

Cyrus

Rootsblower wrote: »

I have bought my Mrs a nice bracelet recently to build a relationship with an AD, the bracelet was a nice few bob but it’s for her birthday. In return I will be collecting a black sub in the next few weeks, I will post pics when I get it. The total price for watch and bracelet is slightly less than what I would pay a grey reseller on this island for an unworn pre-owned Sub. I now have a relationship with the AD I have my eye on a black bay 58 maybe next year(fantastic watch) I don’t fancy a batman,Pepsi or hulk but I would like a blue dial Datejust on fluted bezel which is really hard to get at the moment so we will see.

I thought you do want a Pepsi ?

I wanted the date just as well just got onto my man at watchfinder and had it in a week . Come to think of it I have built a relationship with them, my hulk , Portuguese and dj41 are all from there and they always give me excellent prices on part exchanges

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Blackbay 58 for sale in weirs to whoever, saw it today no relationship required, one in Applebies too and a Tudor GMT Pepsi (they have IWC, Brightling, Tudor which was news to me?). Unless its Stainless Rolex or Sports Patek your after all you need is a credit card and a smile on your face. One beauty for me of having the Rolex I want is that I can get off this flipping Rolex train and buy some "interesting" watches.

Cyrus

The 58 isn’t bad if only they didn’t have those rivets

I wouldn’t bother having one if I already had a sub. Sorry if it offends any one but the Tudor gmt is a shambles and is only sought after because people can’t get a blro .

And if you ask me, the jubilee belongs on the date just , looks wrong on the gmt

Samsonite 187

If you buy from the grey market because you can get the not so popular models cheaper than you can at the authorized dealer. The don't complain when a grey dealer is more expensive for a hot watch.

That's the market that's the way it is and you have helped to create it.

I mean there is a guy here that was complaining that he couldn't get an Aquanaut at retail in Ireland. But he has just sold his GMT blue now for profit.

Shops don't what you doing that. That's why they are being so picky with who they sell to.

I have a friend who got engaged at Christmas. Went to his local Jewellers bought a ring for I think for 4k. Put his name down for a Sub date. Got it in 3 months. He had been on a wait list in London for a year and still hasn't heard anything.

He bought a Tudor GMT last week and even got a bit of discount.

Has his name down for a GMT batman told he will have it next year.

They didn't force him to buy anything he didn't want. He wanted those things he went in shot the **** with the sales guy had the bants. And built up a relationship.

Sales guy now knows him. Knows he is a good egg is not flipping his watches. Happy to sell to him.

It's not hard to get these watches at list.