Not a Rolex person so I assume that the models I see in dealers windows are either unpopular models that don’t sell, or are window dressing models that aren’t actually fully functioning watches.?
If to buy a desirable watch you first have to buy a bagful of undesirable, gaudy, over priced tat, then I guess it makes the grey market a reasonable channel?
Unfortunately the practice also perpetuates the production and selling of undesirable, gaudy, over priced tat.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I had a similar poor experience in Aspreys. The salesperson bluntly cutting me off before I'd even mentioned which steel sports Rolex I was interested in and suggesting ' you should go and talk to whoever you are a regular customer of. We can't help.'
Combined with body language they may as well have told me to f*** off. Other ADs are much more polite and make you feel welcome even if they can't/won't help on a batman/pepsi/Hulk/ etc.
This doesn't reflect well on the relevant salespeople and their organisations, and there's several retailers I wouldn't touch because of bad service and/or poor attitude (not just watch ADs I hasten to add): I see no point in rewarding poor behaviour with business, and I'd always rather support a firm that does its job well.
The real gripe I have here is with the manufacturers; not that either have ever been high on my personal list of must-haves, but Rolex and Patek don't cover themselves in glory by restricting supply so tightly. I know the marketing-speak rationales for it (Swiss watchmakers a rare breed, handmade this, handmade that, etc etc) but it's just good old market-making, really. Which, again, isn't a behaviour that I personally feel any need to reward. Plenty of other interesting watches out there, after all!
In fairness the ADs, especially in london may get 50 or multiple of this daily enquires about impossible to get pieces.
Deal with that daily and eventually anyone will snap with the boredom of repeating the same thing over and over. It must be frustrating being a sales person with no stock.
I think myself extremely lucky to be in a position whereby my local jeweller, the one who supplied my wife’s engagement ring, our wedding rings, her eternity ring, my first ever watch of value (paid for with my first ever ‘bankers bonus’) and numerous other shiny things, also happens to be a Rolex AD, who has allowed me the great privilege of joining a many years long waiting list, for a trinket made of unobtanium (stainless steel for goodness sake!).
I had no idea how honoured I am until reading this thread. I think it’s probably something to do with being a loyal customer?
Gosh, this watch collecting thing is a right old carry-on isn’t it?
The real question is, if they did have a desirable Rolex model that you wanted, would you still buy it from them even after the bad service?
I think a lot ADs think that customers will. Good manners doesn’t cost anything though.