ENOUGH WITH THE ROLEX HYPE

So there are more watch brands than Rolex? Tell me more…

God I hate the Offshore so much, it's a 40K brick. 

And I love my 70s Rolex, but I would never buy a grey market/second hand Daytona (or several watches worth the same), I would get this instead:

I love watches more than cars, but I will never spend several 10s of Ks in a watch.

I would rather get a Zenith for much less than 10K (if I want a chrono). 

I don't mind the watch it's just the non watch people wearing them as a status symbol. Ask 80% of them what they think of Hans Walsdorf and they would probably ask what film did he appear in.

100% agree

Totally agree, hence the "hype". 

Agree!  At 58 years old, I hate the snobish attitude that the AD's have.  The only watch I want to buy is one I can go into a store and buy or online.  Tell me I have to wait on a list to pay my hard-earned money and I'm out.    My favorite brands are Timex, Bulova, Hamilton and Longines and lucky for me, I can go to the store anytime I want and purchase them.

I got rid of my 70's era Rolex Submariner back in the early 90's because too many of the guys I saw wearing them had got them just for status, not utility.

Of course shortly after I unloaded it the prices started to take off they've never looked back. 

😢😢😢

Luckily, I got into Tudor Subs as a result, and have no regrets.  😊

I like my Rolex. Shock horror.

Shall I go now? Clearly this is not the platform for me?

Nah, mate. You're all good. 

It's the hype and the secondary market prices, as well as the cocky waiting lists of several years, that turn many people off. Especially since there are so many great alternatives out there.

What hype - this is a relatively Rolex-free platform. If it were Seiko or Grand Seiko you’d have a case.

If you are moaning about Rolex in general, this is kind of played out.

Tell me about these other brands…

Disagree.

You're comparing:

Rolex Daytona - $14,550

vs.

AP Royal Oak Offshore - $33,300
JLC Master Ultra Thin Moon - $10,600
Zenith El Primero - $8,600
TOTAL - $52,500

My favorite brand has long been Omega. I can easy go into any AD be treated well and get whatever watch I want within reasonable time even if it's not on display. Just last week I placed an order for the new green Seamaster. The AD said it will arribe in the October time frame explaining that's it's usually the time W&W releases arrive at the stores. Had a fun talk about watches drank coffee and had a general great time.

Dude, he was AWESOME in the Mandalorian!

Rolex makes great watches. That no one can deny. The fact that it's overly hyped drives watch nerds away. If you are a one watch guy you will wait a couple of years to get a watch you really want. I on the other hand have many watches and suffer from serious OCD so when I want a new watch I want to be able to get into a store and buy it 😁

I mean this as well - I was getting there 😂 ruin my fun

Popular, desirable, and the de facto choice when many people consider a luxury watch. That doesn’t mean that I think they are the pinnacle of what a watch is, nor do I agree with the majority of the watch buying demographic who do, but I’m not going to change the status quo. I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up at one if I had the opportunity to purchase one again, but I’m not on any lists as I’m quite satisfied.

I’d still get (and have) a Rolex Daytona at MSRP ($13,500 last year) over the other options presented without question and I know many others who have too. Not saying it’s easy, but if you have a good relationship with your AD it can happen. TBH, I don’t particularly like any of the options presented. I like the brands, just not those models. Now, if you are talking about secondary prices, it’s a different story, but still wouldn’t take the other three if given to me.

PS, let’s hope WC doesn’t turn into a crap on Rolex forum. Already too many of these posts. Like Hermes, Porsche, Ferrari, etc before it; Exclusivity is part of the brand, if one doesn’t understand that, I don’t know what to tell you. Move on and let others enjoy their watches, regardless of brand. They make close to a million watches sold at MSRP each year, most by honest ADs to honest customers, regardless of whatever conspiracy theories some folks may have.

Completely fair points

That's great man, but it's just not the experience of like 90% of people. If it was just a matter of being respectful, friendly and dressing well (and being patient) in order to get one, then the secondary market simply wouldn't exist in the way that it does. 

The fact is that virtually every Rolex SS sports watch sells way above retail on the secondary market, and often several times over retail. This is undeniable. So either 90% of people trying to get hold of them from AD's are knuckle dragging troglodytes that don't understand the basics of social interaction, or there's something else going on and the people who are arguing (absolutely bizarrely considering that EVERYONE in the watch community knows the score with Rolex in 2022) that getting one is just a matter of demeanor, dress sense and patience are being massively disingenuous.

I do not believe that is what is being said. The secondary market exists because last year they made 800K watches across a planet that has 56 million millionaires, and infinitely more people who simply want one. As someone who is fortunate enough to have a good relationship with the AD, there are multiple factors.

• ADs know what the secondary market looks like and they know every Joe with a $15K credit card limit wants to make a quick buck. My SA gets 50-60 calls a day, no interest in doing any other business, and never stepped in the store. Weeding the well-intended/enthusiast from someone trying to make a quick buck is near impossible. Existing relationships matter. The COVID market only exasperated that.
• ADs have little, to no, control over what they get. They get what they get based on allocation and the size of the store. A small to mid-market AD may get allocated two Daytonas a year, but they may get 20 31mm diamond-encrusted DateJusts. They have no say of their allocation, so when they are allocated a hot piece, they want to ensure it goes to the clients that do business with them. Biz 101, take care of the clients that take care of you.
• Be nice, knowledgeable, and acknowledge the reality of the market. Regularly popping in helps, but not as much as buying other products. Buy a used watch, buy a Tudor, Omega, etc. Buy your partner their gifts there every year (earrings, bracelets, etc). Point is, if you are in the system as a regular client with a history, it means a lot more. You would be surprised how little one would have to spend before they start offering watches from the back. 
• Contrary to conspiracies, ADs, at least most in the US, have CRMs to keep track of all their clients and inventory. They cherish their AD status because it drives other sales and fear losing it because they sell to people who simply flip the watches.  Certain clients, with a spend history will have access to more watches. Not saying there are not a couple of bad apples, but most of the ADs are part of larger corporations and their status as AD is too valuable to risk selling "out the back door." 

I get not wanting to do the above and that is cool, whether you have the capital or not. In this space, there are so many amazing watches but let's not crap on the watches simply because we do not want to play along. In the luxury space, whether we like it or not, that means exclusivity.  Walk into a Porsche dealer and ask for a RS3 or RS4. Walk into Hermes and ask for a Birken Bag. Walk into Ferrari and ask for a 296 GTS. Unless you have a history with any of those places, it is not going to happen.  

Agreed. Guys OP is talking about the market price, not the retail price. It’s basically impossible to get one new at retail anymore. This goes for almost every Rolex. They go for multiple times the retail and it’s definitely not worth paying for with all these other great options out here. I’d love an Explorer. But for less than the cost of one used ($8k-$10k) I got a Black Bay 36 and 58! 

this seems to be the case doesn’t it?

LMFAO

@AllTheWatches and @robdominic nailed it. I worked for many years as a marketing director at an AD (not a Rolex one, but we carried about 30 brands and operated over a dozen stores) and the name of the game was to keep clients happy so they keep coming back. If a client has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with you, of course you’re going to do everything possible to get them the model they want.

We used to have to battle/beg for allocation of hot watches and worked hard not to piss off brands and/or clients. 

Oh, and I think Rolex makes fantastic watches and I’m definitely not embarrassed to say it. 

Perhaps you feel that way but that doesn‘t make it true. Perhaps not where you reside but yeah, one can get Rolex at SRP from ADs. It doesn’t sound like you’re speaking from experience. 

Seems that’s the trend lately

Name the store or the AD that are selling one at MSRP at this very moment. 

For a moment, I thought a forum should include freedom of speech and the right to criticize a brand. Turns out this isn't the case for Rolex groupies. SHOCKING 

That's pretty much my view of it as well. Thanks, appreciate you sharing the view!