@tempus I got the Daytona 116503 at MSRP first time walking in with no purchase history and here's my story:
I am 24 years old that dress pretty casually (was wearing Levi jeans and Puma Suede that day) and I don't have any purchase history with Rolex in general let alone that AD. And I was offered the TT Daytona the first time I walked into that store. I was traveling from NH to Albany to go to Frank Adams since they have amazing reviews and I found the Rolex boutique at Long's jewelry in Nashua NH a bit disappointing. The guy who worked at Long's was very nice and we chatted for a good 30 mins that day and he let me try on a bunch of watches including the Daytona. But when asked about wait times he said even the Milgaus has a 1-2 year wait time which I thought did not reflect the market at this point.
So I drove 3 hours to Albany to see Frank Adams and I told them that I am not local. I tried on a bunch of Rolex watches and when I was about to leave he went in to "grab me a business card" but ended up coming out with a TT Daytona that just came in. He said they only called one client before I came in today and he turned it down and decided to give it to me without calling others. He even did a NH sale for me since they do sell stuff online and saved me 8% sales tax. Here are some of the things that I think I did right:
1: I love the TT Daytona over the SS, and the TT tends to be easier to get, in some cases, significantly easier.
2: I expressed understanding for these watches and talked about their history, and I made him know that I love these watches passionately and will keep it forever if I can. (which is true)
3: I talked about wanting to establish a relationship with an AD and I am looking to buy my mom a basic oyster perpetual next year (also true)
4: We talked about other brands and what they do right. Many folks who work at Rolex AD from my observations look down on fanboys since they might luster over the brand more than the watch themselves, and by complimenting Omega, Tudor, and of course, my Grand Seiko, it kind of build a connection between me and him who is also very much into watches.
He told me that I think that's a worthy wrist for this watch to live on at the end :) Needless to sell I will keep coming back for their amazing cocktails and talk watches.
I truly think that larger ADs have all but the most sought after reference numbers in stock, it's just about making them want to sell you one instead of the long list of waiting.
Please let me know if any questions and best of luck!!
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