Rolex Boutique

They sell wishes there. They used to sell watches but they all went to people that overspent in their jewelry section. At least the fake sellers carry inventory you can buy.

If you were in NYC, they get hundreds, if not a thousand plus, folks a day in there a day kicking tires and the chains are not the best to work with, so not surprising. If you go to smaller market non chains, you will likely find much better service. The reality for big cities is they have a built in clientele of regulars who buy most of their watches. It is really hard to crack that circle.

I’m sorry you had that experience. I work with two boutiques, one in Ohio and one in Florida. Have gotten nothing but outstanding from both of them. BUT… both are smaller, family owned boutiques and not chain stores or Rolex brand boutiques. That might be the difference. Is there any place close to you like that?

Rolex being Rolex drove me straight to Omega, where I find excellent experiences every time. Rolex ADs, and their snooty attitudes, have iced the brand out of even consideration for me. Others may feel differently, but the experience of the OP is exactly what I experienced the times I visited a Rolex AD.

While on a road trip, I came to kick the tires in Grande Prairie, Alberta and got a free catalogue (hardcover!). Very pleasant and cordial experience for someone with no intention of buying a Rolex. That's a high-income oilfield city with a lot of stupidly wealthy people, but maybe not so many hobbyists. Of course, they had literally nothing actually in stock.

Side note: reading that catalogue sure taught me how to create brand magic out of nothing. I can't believe they're marketing one of their alloys as "Rolesium".

Most of my experiences with Omega have been great as well.

I've posted many times my experience: over 20 Rolex watches purchased from same AD over 30 years. Wife, ex wife, ex girlfriends, family and friends have me to thank for their Coronet wrist candy. Example my wife owns 3 to my one old Explorer II. I asked my AD to put me on the Submariner list for my son. I was told I need to buy some diamonds at their September diamond event. Fuck Rolex Goodbye . Lovely watches and ugly people. Done

I'm going to use this to my advantage at some point and tell people that I'm going to buy a Rolex and that if they don't believe me, they can come along. Then we'll go and I'll make ludicrous offers to pay double retail and ask if I can buy two or three. It seems this is a safe bluff.

Honestly, as someone that experienced the same thing as the OP, why would a curious new customer give Rolex another look? After a few of these ‘Rolex Buying Experiences’, why would I give the brand a chance? No watch is worth what Rolex and their ADs expect potential customers to accept. It’s just a watch, and Omega kicks their ass on specs, availability, and customer experience every day 24/7/365.

It’s just a game you have to play. Don’t buy jewelry just to score a Rolex.

Thank you for sharing your experience. As a customer with an established purchase history, you deserve better treatment. Rolex just doesn’t care.

I hear you, but will use this as a quarterly reminder that Rolex does not sell you a watch, your local AD does and not all are created equal. If one was buying a Toyota and had a bad experience at RipYouOff Toyota, but drives up the street to HappyTime Toyota do they blame Toyota or the dealer? Same applies to watches.

There are millions of customers with different experiences, they are (largely) not going on a forum and raving about the experience. I have a great relationship with my AD and my experience was nothing like the OPs.

The other aspect people do not like, but would do the same thing if they were in the AD’s place, is an allocation based model. Art, cars, jewelry, handbags, clothes, etc. The more exclusive brands are not about how much you have, what you want etc, it is how good of a client are you.

I appreciate your response. But I’m never going to give the brand a chance again. It’s just a watch, and not worth lowering myself to accept the attitudes I experienced at the ADs (more than one) that I visited. I just don’t think the watch is worth the BS.

My Rolex AD is also my Omega AD. And also my Cartier, IWC, Breitling, Longines, etc. AD.

They haven’t sold me a Rolex in years but they’re still super nice and work with me on other brands.

Still, I can blame them for not selling me a Rolex. They are still getting regular deliveries of Rolex inventory. They just won’t sell me any.

That is just stupid of their sales critter. 30 years of buying history and you still have to jump through hoops?

Shakes head

It's a strange business model. I purchased my first Rolex by saving from age 16 to 18. I actually bought the watch (Datejust Fluted Bezel, black dial, Jubilee bracelet who knows what size case) on layaway. My thinking was that I was committed to buying something I wanted. Whew! Learned a ton. My family thought I was dumb. I learned to always pay cash for luxury goods (there was no finance charges but making payments sucked) I kept that watch for 15 years . Anyway I digress. Rolex makes some great pieces. Rolex is making some ugly choices. I own other brands but I now I am really learning about other brands. Can you beat a Coaxial Omega Movement? Maybe with a Grand Seiko Spring Drive Movement. Longines is on fire. Sinn just pumps out beautiful tool watches. I could go on. If an AD called I'd but the Sub and stuff it in a safe. I've never done that with any watch I own. To be clear, all of my watches live in a safe when not on wrist. I wear them all. Any new Rolex would just collect dust until I gave it away. Seems like I'll never nbe confronted with this issue. My point, the fun is gone. Even if I had a available piece it's just not fun.

How do I become a member of your family? 😀😂🤣 for the free gifts…..

Well I now follow you. Thats a start 😀.

Can’t believe how difficult it’s been the past few years to buy a Rolex branded watch at full retail 🤬

And yet you appear to keep going back to them. They know they’ve got you and can string you along as for as long as they need/want to.

LOL my kids would tell you they have earned it! So would my wife and ex-'s! I'm following you as well. That Titanium Certina looks awesome. I hope you review it. Looks like a monster value!

I’ve got three Rolex, my wife has five and only two were purchased new at an AD (both lady Datejusts).

The service was good on both occasions (London ADs) but I’ve had a very poor service when asking about more popular models for myself at various ADs.

If the waitlist was managed fairly and you could check in to see where you were in the queue, I would have no problems waiting years for a Daytona for example.

But it’s not. I got talking to a guy on vacation once and he had every Rolex sports model you could think of. When I asked how he said he paid the manager £2k-£3k directly for every watch purchased at list. So when someone like me comes in what chance to I have against that.

I think this post sums up my experience pretty well. I had one bad experience at a Rolex AD, but mostly my experiences have been good.

By the way, when I was at an Omega boutique chatting about the silver snoopy and the green dial gold speedmaster, they gave me the same speech about purchase history as we're used to hearing from Rolex ADs - even though I've bought two Omegas at retail.

Love this recount of what it is to be Rolexed: https://youtu.be/oD_Ja-Q-7Pc

As we're all aware, it is a game of supply and demand. The ADs would like to be able to sell £10k watches to everyone who wants one, but their supply is restricted by Rolex. In order to make the most amount of money with the limited supply they have, the AD needs to be smart in who they sell to. Is it a one off purchase, or is the sale part of repeat business (past or potential)? As a business, would you like to sell 1x £10k watch, or 4x £10k watches and some Diamond rings? It's just business at the end of the day.

I have come to accept I may only buy one new Rolex in my life. And I am not a big fan of the depreciation from new, of other brands. So I am not likely to be the repeat customer an AD is looking for. It will be hard for me to buy a brand new Rolex from an AD.

However, I suspect the grey market premium (£2-3k) on a barely used pre-owned model, is roughly equal to the money I'd waste in unwanted purchases "building the relationship" with an AD. It just so happens that I prefer smaller, less shiny pieces, so I am perfectly happy in not bending over backwards and buying a brand new sub from an AD.

Where I think the situation gets unnecessarily merky, and tensions flair, is when you have built up a spending history with an AD with the intention of buying something more popular, only to be told "no". That would be an incredible betrayal of trust. To avoid those situations, if I were to realistically plan on strategic spending at a single AD, for the express purpose of getting on the daytona waitlist, I would be choosing a backwoods dealer, with low footfall and other brands and jewellry. With sales reps I can spend hours chatting with about watches great and small. Someone I can genuinely trust. Not a faceless WatchesOfSwitzerland type place with endless staff turnover.. I would probably wait longer - quieter ADs get less stock. But I would at least be investing more confidently in a definite result.

A monk walks into a Rolex AD and he calmly, serenely eloquently shuffles to the counter and approaches the concierge / “ salesman” and says; I understand your a non profit? smiling widely with both hands out with his begging bowl …To which the salesman states , sarcastically, Aren’t you a non materialist and haven’t you taken a vow of poverty?

Smiling widely the monk says oh ! yes, I am going to donate it to that begger sitting in the parlour !

Smiling widely , But there is no begger in the parlour? The monk replies oh but I think your mistaken ! That poor man in the Hugo Boss suit seems to be crying to your other junior salesman , saying he can’t afford to buy those other watches to get on a thing he anguishly whined was a “Waiting list” so I saw immense suffering and wanted to release him from his suffering, so as a good bodhisatva I beg you please provide alms to me for good dharma to relieve this poor man from his suffering…..

Now the punch line is , there is no end to this story

The end.

@thinkbip well what exactly do they say that you feel it equates to go away? I own a few Rolexes and have been to various Rolex boutiques and have never felt any SA told me anything that equates to go away. Even while perusing their displays, I’ve over heard numerous conversations SA have with their customers politely explaining the demand dynamics and that getting the desired Rolex will take some time. Not sure that equates to “go away”.

Now if an AD tells you, you have to buy XYZ, in order to get a Rolex (while i wouldn’t be happy), it’s just business. There is not one person on WC who wouldn’t do the same if it was their business. Anyone who says otherwise, I just wouldn’t believe it.

Same here. Got 4 Omegas now. 😂

The problem was specific with Rolex boutiques, not authorized dealers at other stores. The salesperson at the boutique told me to buy the Rolex I wanted from the AD where I purchased one previously. ADs: no problem / boutiques: problem. I heard stories and read posts, but wanted to see how a boutique would respond if I simply wanted to purchase a watch or get on a waiting list.