Visit to a Rolex AD
I'm starting to get a real interest in getting a Rolex Explorer.
I went today to the closest AD from where I live to try and see if I could get my hands on one, or even better on two: for a chance to compare the 36mm and the 40mm.
Here are a few shots of the 36mm:
And here is the 40mm:
then side by side:
A couple of other things:
I had a very friendly conversation with the lady in charge of the Rolex sales. I now need to make up my mind about whether or not buying one of these and if so which one. Then she'll put my name on the list. She said it'd take about a year to get one.
I left with a magazine and a 2023-2024 catalog:
The overall availability of watches in the store was pretty good. a nice variety of Tudors (BBs, Chrono panda and reverse panda) lots of IWCs, Panerais, Cartiers etc.
I think I might start to sell my watches and reconfigure my whole approach to the hobby...
Airline pilot, expat, musician, and a bit of a watch nerd
40mm IMHO
That’s what disappoints me about this brand, why can’t you just go in and one……
That’s what disappoints me about this brand, why can’t you just go in and one……
I will not buy one because of this reason!
That’s what disappoints me about this brand, why can’t you just go in and one……
Supply and demand I guess. They're highly popular but the manufacturing process of pieces so refined, tested, certified takes time. It doesn't really bother me to be honest. I'd rather wait and get the watch at retail rather than funding speculation on the used market.
The 40mm looks great
40mm IMHO
That was really what I expected, but I have to say the 36 is very charming. Also, this design leaves a lot of real estate to the dial and the 40mm looks a bit large.
It's by no means an easy choice
If you know what you want, go for it. Nothing wrong with having patience. Good luck!
The one year is marketing hype. Availability is getting much better. And I agree with the others; the 40mm looks great on you.
Supply and demand I guess. They're highly popular but the manufacturing process of pieces so refined, tested, certified takes time. It doesn't really bother me to be honest. I'd rather wait and get the watch at retail rather than funding speculation on the used market.
Yep I understand but, they make about a million a year, why can’t you just go in and say I want X model and wait for it to me made and delivered, all this rubbish sbout being on a waiting list just winds me up!
I agree with you the only Rolex I would purchase would be an Airking and absolutely not grey market….
Yep I understand but, they make about a million a year, why can’t you just go in and say I want X model and wait for it to me made and delivered, all this rubbish sbout being on a waiting list just winds me up!
I agree with you the only Rolex I would purchase would be an Airking and absolutely not grey market….
They had one in the store. It’s not for me, but I have to admit it looks good!
Supply and demand I guess. They're highly popular but the manufacturing process of pieces so refined, tested, certified takes time. It doesn't really bother me to be honest. I'd rather wait and get the watch at retail rather than funding speculation on the used market.
I get it but it’s not for me. I do think a lot of it is marketing and the image of exclusivity. Rolex makes more watches each year than most other Swiss makers so I don’t buy it. They do it cuz they can.
I get it but it’s not for me. I do think a lot of it is marketing and the image of exclusivity. Rolex makes more watches each year than most other Swiss makers so I don’t buy it. They do it cuz they can.
You might very well be right, I honestly don't know the numbers.
36mm looks great.
A year?! What a crock of.................. So many other watches out there that are better.
A year?! What a crock of.................. So many other watches out there that are better.
I suspect it’d be way shorter
40mm of course
it appears to be a 50/50 tie 🤣
I'm Team 36! And my wrist size is very close to yours (6.75") Got mine back in May after a going on the list in mid-January. So a little less than 4 months. Plenty of anecdotal reporting on WC and other forums that wait times for the Explorer has been falling over the past year, so fingers crossed you won't have to wait a year.
Not sure if it mattered or not, but I had a watch purchase history from the AD...a Tudor BB58 I picked up about a year and a half prior, and long before I decided on the Explorer. I mentioned that when I registered my interest in the Explorer/"got on the list" - and was wearing the BB58 when I did as a visual hint I wasn't a watch flipper. Whether that made any difference I can't say, although I don't think it hurt any. That said, I wouldn't buy something I didn't want just to develop a purchase history with an AD. I agree with all the other posters...having to wait for a watch from a company that makes more watches than any other Swiss brand just doesn't seem right. Heck, I waited longer for my Baltic MR01! But it is what it is.
Bottom line, assuming grey market prices remain above retail and you can afford to wait, your best bet is to wait.
all agreed. thanks for the input, and congrats on your Explorer😉
Most of the time I'm trying not to be an impulse buyer. It wasn't my intention to come out of this store with 27 brand new watches purchased franctically on a massive line of credit.
Instead, it was the first time that I was sitting down in a Rolex AD, having a chat around a few premium products, considering if it's a purchase I'm willing to make, and how it might play out.
Rolex certainly have their specific marketing strategies, which may include making prospect customers believe the availability is lower than it actually is. I don't mind. If it's a watch I'm going to keep until a few weeks before I pass, what does it matter if it took me a few months to get?
Also, I'm not quite sure about all this. I can afford it that's not the point. Right now, I'm trying to gauge if I should use this amount of money to buy a premium watch I like, buy gold coins, invest in some sort of fund, keep it in the bank, put a lump sum into my mortgage or 74 other things.
So this visit was a very relaxed event, with no pressure or frustration on anyone as far as I'm concerned.
And while I'm thinking about it I have some nice publications to read through, printed on thick paper and free of charge. all good, really.
Wants and needs my friend, wants and needs. A luxury watch is 100% a want and not worth buying on credit or otherwise undermining your finances for. If any of those 74 plus other things are needs...
Welp, there you go, the watch can wait.
If you can swing it without skimping on the needs, I say go for it.
At least that's the calculus I use. So if and when you the watch...pics, lots of pics!
Wants and needs my friend, wants and needs. A luxury watch is 100% a want and not worth buying on credit or otherwise undermining your finances for. If any of those 74 plus other things are needs...
Welp, there you go, the watch can wait.
If you can swing it without skimping on the needs, I say go for it.
At least that's the calculus I use. So if and when you the watch...pics, lots of pics!
Oh I absolutely agree with the wants and needs!
As for pics, if it comes to getting the watch, rest assured there’ll be plenty of those!
Id go 40mm. Beauty of a watch
Id go 40mm. Beauty of a watch
It really is. I think I’m leaning 36…
Go for 40
Love the watch. Love most everything Rolex makes but I can’t stomach the courting required to get one. Feels like a job interview or you acting in a play…
Love the watch. Love most everything Rolex makes but I can’t stomach the courting required to get one. Feels like a job interview or you acting in a play…
Haha. As a matter of fact the sales lady casually asked me what I was doing for a living and I could see how my response triggered a subtle but noticeable change in her attitude towards me, like “oh ok, we can talk”.
Kinda felt a bit like a micro-interview 🤔
Ignore size suggestions. Buy what YOU feel fits your wrist. And yes, the Explorer is awesome! I’ve owned 3 of them over the past decade, and it will always be GADA watch
Ignore size suggestions. Buy what YOU feel fits your wrist. And yes, the Explorer is awesome! I’ve owned 3 of them over the past decade, and it will always be GADA watch
Thank you, that’s good advice.
I’m going to head back to the AD to have another look at them. I find them both attractive in their own way. Just need a bit more time of soul searching.
Ignore size suggestions. Buy what YOU feel fits your wrist. And yes, the Explorer is awesome! I’ve owned 3 of them over the past decade, and it will always be GADA watch
As a matter of fact I didn’t ask for size advice in the original post, but it quickly became some sort of a team 36 VS team 40 conversation 😂
I know people hate the wait, but I think it’s part of the journey. Delayed gratification and all that, right?
Of course, the shortcut is to go with a trusted dealer, then you’d have it on your wrist within a week 😀
I think with the current Rolex catalogue, the Explorer is the best of the bunch.
If you pick it up and stick with Rolex for a while, you may find the older 5-digit references more charming at some point. That was the case for me as I had the 12470, 116710LN, and 114200. Eventually, the large “look-at-me” numerals on the GMT bezel got to me and I moved it on. I ended up with the 16570 and have been much happier despite the slightly worse bracelet.
As a matter of fact I didn’t ask for size advice in the original post, but it quickly became some sort of a team 36 VS team 40 conversation 😂
😂🤣 that battle of 36 vs 40+ will never go away. I’ve worn both sizes comfortably, although I will admit my current collection leans heavily in the 36mm camp BUT that’s MY personal preference (shrug). What I personally dislike is the rude/crass replies or making it a masculinity issue. The first wrist watches (circa WW1) started out as pocket watches strapped to the wrist so they were relatively huge (think 42mm+), then they mostly shrunk down to 32-36mm (and stayed that way for DECADES), and crept up in size during the tail end of the 20th century. That history alone should tell you that’s there’s no “right size.” Once again, buy what you feel looks right on YOU (and screw whatever anyone else thinks)!
My vote is for the 36. I think they say the wait is 12 months to test if you are really interested, I got the call after 9 weeks.