Used or Grey Market Rolex
Where I live it is almost impossible to be in the same room as a Rolex. Yesterday I was out of town so I looked up any Rolex dealers and went to take a look.
First of all the Jewelry store was in a strip mall in a very seedy part of town.
I walk up to the door and have to be buzzed in. So that was extent of their security.
They have a display case with about 20 Rolex watches on display.
None of them were what I would expect to see. All of them were well worn and in far worse shape than any watch I have ever owned. Bracelets are scratched all over. The watch was fairly good shape but obviously very used.
They had a two tone bluesy Sub so I asked to try it on. I tried to look for any tells that it might not be real. To be honest I just couldn't get past the shape it was in. Who would buy a Rolex and let it get in this shape.
I asked how they authenticate the watch and only answer I got was "the owner looks at it".
I have always heard if you wind a Rolex you can just feel the precision of the movement. So I tried that and it didn't feel any different than winding one of my Seiko's.
They wanted $11,200 for this beat up watch.
So from this experience I decided almost at that moment that I definitely would never buy a Grey Market watch. There is so much risk of it being fake at this point(Timepiece Gentleman) it is just too big of a risk.
So if Rolex refuses to ever accept me as a customer I am OK not ever being a customer. I am not interested in falling prey to these scammers. I can enjoy much cheaper watches alot more than I could have ever enjoyed the watches I saw yesterday.
There are definitely some sharks swimming in those waters, but there are also a lot of legitimate grey market dealers. Always best to research first.
Dealing with local dealers or pawn shop is not necessarily reflective on the whole market. IE, I would never do business with any of those youtube channels that glorifies watch flipping like the idiot you mentioned, or any of his associates, but have no issue looking at Bobs, David SW, Crown and Caliber, etc.
I love the history of several Rolex models. And I love the place Rolex used to occupy in the world of watches. But the more Rolexes I handle, the less enamored of them I've become. They're nice, but they're not superlative.
Want 904L steel? Buy a Ball. But it's going to nick and scratch easier than 316L. Worried about salt water corrosion? Rinse the thing off.
Want accuracy? Omega and Tudor are both offering METAS now, at lower prices.
Want something that feels rugged and substantial? My Superocean feels better assembled and has higher water resistance than any Submariner I've handled. I paid less than half the price for a new one and got it exactly when I wanted it.
Would I still like to have an Explorer, Explorer II, or no-date Sub? Sure. But I'm not paying hype prices for any one of them.
This doesn't sound like grey market, more like secondary market which is just pre-owned. There are plenty of grey dealers and pre-owned that are legitimate and will have watches in new or nearly new condition. Right now for many models (those not in high demand) you should be able to buy at fairly close to retail too. I recommend doing some research on better grey or secondary. They are out thwre.. Also, with an AD it's not a matter of "acceptance" but rather patience. You might be surprised, as things are loosening up a bit lately, depending on the watch you want. Good luck!
Nothing wrong with going to a used/pre-owned dealer BUT before you buy the watch, “buy the seller” first. If you trust the seller, then run away. Rolexes are big money and there’s nothing wrong with paying a bit of a premium from a legit dealer for that extra piece-of-mind