Newbie Watch person

The jeweler is telling most of the truth. It does depend on the model Rolex you are searching out. What model interests you?

 

Yes he is correct. Unless you have an established and very liquid purchase history, you can forget placing an order for a Rolex. My suggestion is to check out a few vendors here who are trusted. Alternatively, you could join "The Rolex Forum" as there are numerous trusted sellers there. Some Rolex pieces have come down in price close to MSRP with the grey or trusted sellers.

 

Yep, that's pretty well on point.

In the last few years I have only had one Datejust offered to me. It wasn't what I was looking for at that time. I ended up going pre-owned, unworn for my Daytona and my other Rolexes (Submariner, Oyster Perpetual and, recently Datejust) were all pre-owned.

While the Rolex Forum is a valuable resource also check out Chrono24.com They have probably the widest selection of anywhere as far as finding what you like.

Did you have a particular watch in mind?


PDG

 

As others have responded- yes for the most part what you were told is true. Some suggestions/options FWIW:

Reach out to @flat_plane_eddie or @Cigarzman on here- Both are great guys- very knowledgeable and trusted/ethical sources to obtain NIB or slightly pre-owned Rolexes with proper tagging, box, documentation etc. <there are others on here as well so no disrespect to them>

Rolex just announced a "Certified Pre-Owned" program where you can obtain pre-owned Rolexes through Authorized Dealers (ADs) with Rolex factory warranty etc. - Albeit at a significant premium over MSRP.

A good friend was recently in some godforsaken place in Alaska and apparently the Rolex dealer actually had new watches in the case for sale- I wasn't there so it's hearsay but he owns a Daytona and several Tags so not a neophyte- So if you have the desire to travel to Alaska for whale watching, glaciers and things of that sort perhaps you could actually walk in and buy a new Rolex at MSRP.

I've bought three highly-desired Rolexes and two highly-desired Hauers from my AD and am on the list for a LHD GMT II with estimate of two years out- Just for reference.

Good luck- While it's a PITA to obtain one they are fantastic watches and solid investments if you don't pay 3x retail- And if you do and enjoy/love the watch than who cares

Cheers

 

The market is easing up. Try a few dealers if Rolex is what you are looking for- its not a few years wait. Maybe a few months. The names mentioned above- I would not hesitate to buy from.

 

As an interesting conversation point, I was recently out of town and visited an AD who had an amazing selection on-hand. However, every watch was displayed with a "Not For Sale" tag on it. I handled many of them and they felt quite legitimate. One secret I was informed by another source stated that if the hands were at 10:10 then the watch was likely only a mock-up. Every one of the watches on hand had hands that were in other positions. I got to try on an Oysterflex Daytona and saw the left handed GMT among probably 30 or so others.

I had been to that dealer before many times and during all the other visits I had only ever seen or been offered lady Datejusts and a single Datejust 36. I wasn't in the market for a DJ36 right then, so it wasn't the right watch for me at that time.

I am still hoping for a Pepsi or my wife likes a mint green DJ that I saw - it had the galaxy bezel. It was quite a stunning watch in my opinion.


PDG

 

Wasn't the one and only AD. They haven't had any in the case other then the display ones for years. They also told me that the Rolex pre-owned ones will be the display models with new movements, over MSRP, and 1-year warranty. During the summer, a few "dealers" open up along the cruise ship routes, but not ADs. Usually second-hand Rolex. In the "old days" lots of tourists went home with new Rolex and no sales tax from Alaska. Not any more.

 

I see you’re in the Bay Area. Try Happy Jewelers in Fullerton, talk to one of the owners, Gabe. You can look on his website also.
My wife and I have bought several Rolex’s from him, and friends of mine have bought an additional 5-10 Rolex’s from him.
Tell him Mike and Yvonne referred you.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

 

It is very hard to get a new watch from AD in big cities. Especially if you want a ‘hot’ watch.

Buy some jewelry and bundle it with a watch if you actually want the jewelry.

If not, it could be cheaper just to go grey.

Market is cooling though, so it is a bit easier now if you are patient.

 

YMMV, definitely check around, you might find more availability than you might think.

Personally, I’ve never been a Rolex guy. I have always found their sport watches to be too small for my large wrist. Recently, Rolex recently came out with the Deep Sea Challenge which is a 50mm watch. I stopped in to my local AD to inquire, and they had only received one and had quickly sold it. I told them to put me on “the list”. At that point, I had never purchased anything from them, although I did have them send off several Panerai and IWC watches for service. I wasn’t an existing customer of any historical value. The next day they called me and said that they had a regular Deep Sea (44mm) come available and asked if I wanted it. I said, “sure”. I figured I could always trade it towards the Challenge, if and when my number came up.

I kind of like that Rolex AD’s are like Ferrari in that they sell at MSRP. I checked Chrono24 at the time I bought my Deep Sea and got the sense that the market was still over MSRP, so I felt decent about the deal. It’s a cool watch and I actually like it more than I thought I would.

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@azzurribaggio
One of my major pet peeves on a forum is someone asking a question and then three weeks later still a ghost.
You start a thread with a question to the community expecting people to take the time to respond then have the common courtesy to chime back in with a “thank you.”

 

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In a follow up to my previous post in this thread.

I got a call about two weeks ago regarding the mint green datejust for my wife. The one they had on display became available. So, now my wife has her watch. I am still supposedly on their list for a Pepsi GMT. I don't have high hopes, but would really love to find one.


PDG

 

True, you cannot go to an AD and immediately leave with a Rolex. It takes months and more often than not more between 1 and 2 years in order to get one (talking about sports model). You need to establish a good relationship with your AD, which does not mean buying jewelry and watches you do not want: instead an AD needs to feel that you are a genuine buyer (not a flipper), that you know the models (showing why you want a particular timepiece), that you are passionate, …

The 1st watch is the most difficult. I have 4 different Rolexes (all different sports models and all bought new at an AD), my passion was enough to get me thru the door (+ not a flipper, I wear a different Rolex when I say hello to my AD several times a year at the Mall).