Rolex disappointment!

Welcome to the frustration of being a customer of a brand that literally could give two shits about you being a customer.

There are many childishly simple things that Rolex could do to help customers out.  A decent watch registry could be one of them but I just don't think they care.  

It's actually very funny.  Cartier actively maintains a serial code registry for watches that enter their service network.  Omega does as well. Jaeger Le Coultre has a user friendly web interface where you can type in a serial number and it spits out the model name and service history.  Very cool!

The problem is, Rolex makes pretty good (if overhyped) watches.  Little will change until it starts biting them in the butt.

I couldn't agree with you more.   I just don't understand why they can't tell me if the watch has already been there for service and if so, doesn't it make sense that the actual owner who has proof should be able to ask about where the watch is.

They could but that would require effort and, as mentioned before, they just don't care because it doesn't stop people from buying.

I'm not even a Rolex hater here...I own a 116503.  But it's a company that just doesn't care much for your customer experience.

Exactly. I don’t hate Rolex at all and own one, but they really don’t care about their customers. I think they’ve had to worry about the customer in so long that it’s not part of what they thing they’re responsible for anymore. This is what happens when a company doesn‘t have to compete with anyone. They could do more, but why bother?

That is unfortunate to have your watch stolen, terribly sorry. Rolex certainly tracks ownership for original sales (at least in recent years) and service, but once it leaves the first buyer, all bets are off, so it would not matter if it was Rolex, Cartier, etc. No brand's service center is going to call the original owner and say, "Hey do you still own this?" because they know watches get flipped, gifted, etc. They will run the serial number against their Reported Stolen registry, but that is about it.

 Couple questions:

• Did you complete your request with Rolex to report the stolen watch? (Complete and submit their Missing Watch Report, and submit supporting docs (police report, insurance claim, original receipt, and papers).
• Did you talk directly to the service center or an AD?

Since you were not aware of the policy and over ten years lapsed, I am not sure what you expected them to do. Had they received and serviced the watch during that time there is nothing they can do about it present day. If they told you, "Yes Abhi, we received it through an AD in Abu Dhabi for service." What would you have done with that information? They would not tell you who or what they did at that point, because they serviced it in good faith and to them, they have no idea how the watch ended up in the person's hand. Again, their pieces get flipped all the time. Not to mention they have no police authority and cannot possibly know the statute of limitations (long since passed/In Florida it is 5 years). 

Here is the good news, from others' experiences, here is what could happen; Assuming you took the right actions with Rolex, you have a chance. If the watch comes through the service center for service, they will flag it and you will then work with Rolex to claim the watch, which can also be a long process, but assuming you have everything you should be all set. If you did not complete the forms and provided documentation, sadly you are out of luck. 

It does suck if the other person bought it via a grey dealer, or another outlet, because they will totally be out of the watch and what they spent, but that is a whole other topic. 

Edit; this is not a Rolex-exclusive issue. One could CTRL+F and replace Rolex with just about any large name; Cartier, Omega, Breitling, etc. Same policies apply. 

Sad thing to lose such a watch, right? 

From what I've heard, even if you report the watch stolen, and Rolex finds it in their network, it won't be returned to the owner. They keep it for themselves. That Paul ex Rolex AD on YouTube talks about this a lot. Have you seen his videos? He's pushing Rolex to make public the stolen registry, but to no avail. 

Rolex just isn't into service. My expectation is that Rolex would want to know if they have serviced a stolen watch. You may have been able to track the watch down and recover it. Receiving stolen goods is still a crime on a few places . 

this is another in a list of items why I won’t collect Rolex. This is unethical behavior on the part of Rolex. Keeping info AWAY from paying customers while requiring the customer to jump though hoops for the privilege of giving them money only for Rolex to then not tell you your own watches service history ? Name any other company that treats them its customer base this way intentionally ! It sucks your watch was stolen and Rolex treats you like your the person who stole it 

This is another reason why I keep putting off the purchase of a GMT or Submariner. It's like stealing a car at a fraction of the size and most get away with it. These watches are disassembled and their parts are sold off.

I cannot imagine losing one, my heart is with the OP. I bet them getting returned is rare, but it does happen and there are stories out there, including ones from my local AD. We can bash Rolex all we want, the brand has it’s issues, but this is not a Rolex exclusive issue. I’m willing to bet other brands are similiar.

Returning stolen watches/property can be tricky, again take Rolex out of this, could be any brand. If a Swiss or Japanese company confiscates a reported stolen watch, they seemingly leave it to the parties to sort, especially if both have bona fide claims. The legal interpretation for bona fide purchase doctrine can vary from country to country (not a lawyer and will leave it to one of many here), but I imagine it gets tricky after multiple sales. I recall this thread from earlier this year where Rolex sent a letter that specifically says they stay out of it and leaves it between the parties to settle (photo below). Not the same case of course, but simply using it as an example.

It gets extra complicated with an insurance pay out because of the Recovered Property Condition (something I can speak to). The watch then becomes property of the insurance company unless the policy holder returns the full payout.

Last note; Paul was not an AD, he was a flipper for years, which is a big difference. The video he made about ”his” GMT not being returned was when he was a flipper. He bought them from the original owner, then flipped them to someone who scammed him on the payment, who in turn sold it to someone who purchased it in good faith. It sucks that he was scammed, but I imagine there is more to the story than we know. His bread and butter is sensational headlines which is the type of content I traditionally ignore

Did you get it insured? Please tell me you got your money back through insurance.

Yes I have reported it by submitting a Missing Watch Report as well as the police report filed on that day.  I have everything from receipt of purchase, to original box + papers.   

And I also talked directly to the service center.  They said that they can't tell me if it was in there for service, to protect the privacy of the people who had it serviced.  My issue is, I am still the rightful owner of that watch and have proof of that.  So anybody else that has handled it since then is dealing with a stolen watch that still has only one true owner.   

That is awful, sorry. Hopefully they put you in touch with their legal team like they have for others. 

Unfortunately, I did not.   I was young when I bought it and was not aware you could even insure a watch LOL.  That's how naive and young I was when I bought it.  I bought it in 2000, when Rolex sport watches were relatively "affordable"  ... but yes it still hurts. 

You're absolutely right.  They just don't want to get involved.  I get that.  But I think they would have an even more loyal following if they were to do right by their passionate customers.   As a matter of fact, the way they have handled my case has prevented me from buying another Rolex.  I would love to pickup a piece or two, but this feeling in the pit of my stomach would have to go away and that can only be done if they did right by me.  

I'm sorry to hear that. I know how much it hurts when something like that happens. 

You live and learn, the hard way sometimes.👍 I know I have.

Ah, Rolex.  This disregard of paying, loyal customers is yet another reason I will never add one of their watches to my collection.  Rolex doesn’t care.  If it wasn’t apparent in the games they play to just buy a watch from them in the first place, they will find a way to drive the utter disregard of the customer another way.  It’s just a watch, and no watch is worth allowing yourself to be treated the way Rolex and the AD network treat people.

Rolex is like willy wonka. Pretty good chocolate but we know F*** all whats going on in there. 

Yeah, that whole conspiracy thing was bizarre. I think he's still emotional hurt from losing his GMT Rolex. And somehow blames Rolex. 

I've had read, with CPO Program that it will help them do just his, maintain a serial number registry. 

But I agree with you. I've owned one Rolex (preowned) and never again, they are overhyped and over priced. 

I am paraphrasing but someone once said, "Rolex makes nice, quality, $1,000 watches". That is true. 

YouTuber Paul Thorpe has talked quite often about this frustration with Rolex as they reportedly maintain a secret stolen-watch registry (but won't confirm or deny that) that conceivably would be very handy to Rolex owners who've had their watches stolen. I'm sure their lawyers have advised against it. If I were in your position I'd certainly want to utilize whatever tools could be brought to bear. It's unfortunate that Rolex won't help in those situations. 

Thank you for that.   I'm definitely considering legal options.  My Son is a law student and he said this would be a really interesting case study to take up with one of his professors to see what options could possibly exist.  

First, so sorry to hear about the theft Abhi. Even after all this time, it can't be easy to square away the loss.

I'm no fan of the way Rolex treat their customers, but I wonder if an element of them going silent on a retrospective request like this is also the data protection regulation around all this. 

Since GDPR became law in 2018 across European countries, there are lots of data processing issues that are problematic in large organisations. It's easier to apply prospectively (i.e. from this point on for new requests, Rolex is in compliance with GDPR) than to delve into what might be on file from the past.

Under GDPR a data breach can cost 4% of global turnover. That's a lot of Rolex watches!

Sorry to hear about your loss but as stated above it all comes down to data protection.i just purchased a Rolex from a non AD and it came with a certificate to prove it hasn't been reported as stolen