Do ADs currently actually have nothing or is there a new policy from Rolex?

[Son Goku]

As the title suggests I’ve noticed pretty much across the board on the forum members reporting that their ADs have essentially nothing in stock at the moment. I’ve personally visited a few ADs recently and can confirm the same.

I find it hard to believe that Rolex isn’t sending any stock at all to any AD so are ADs more than ever just keeping watches in the safe?

[sj24k]

This has been asked and answered A LOT. Search around and you will see.

Combo of factors, but mostly due to limited production and desirable models immediately going to customers who’ve been waiting for them so they never make it to the cases.

Sure, some in the back waiting to be bundled, and some coming in the front door and going out the back door to resellers.

In about 2 minutes it’s all gonna get blown up with assorted theories, so hang on…


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[sski]

confirmed....bare shelves / display case; i did see 2 cellinis though (both beautiful, but not what i was looking for.) the sales associate was very friendly and kind- and she did put me on 'the list' for a GMT, so there's that.

[JRell]

I think it is just a long list of people that are waiting, when they come in they are gone before they hit the case. Also the really in demand watches, I think ADs keep them for the right time, a major jewelry purchase maybe. They are in their vaults. Do I blame them? Not a bit.

[teck21]

Originally Posted by Son Goku

I find it hard to believe that Rolex isn’t sending any stock at all to any AD so are ADs more than ever just keeping watches in the safe?

How come you didn’t consider the possibility is that they are all sold or reserved the moment, or even before the shipment gets a chance to be displayed?

Why on earth would ADs stay open if they received nothing to sell?

Anyway, this bare shelves situation will change when:

a) Rolex produces more watches to meet demand
b) demand for Rolex watches decreases
c) the number of ADs gets culled even more so that the ones left standing will have more to display

C is likely to intensify, B has not yet happened and in fact the opposite is happening every single day everywhere, and A is never going to happen.


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[macrowatch]

I think you have to keep different economies in mind. US relief program was largely indiscriminate helicopter money both to people and many businesses. Programs in Europe had more restrictions, so for example you see even date justs getting picked clean in US but plenty of date justs floating around in Europe to buy.

[M45]

They’re all in the back.

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by M45

They’re all in the back.

+1


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[ronricks]

Most watches are sold before they even hit the store. The rest are kept in the back for the VIP’s.

[TswaneNguni]

Yes,they are all in the back .Its all part of a worldwide conspiracy not to sell watches ....

Here is something to ponder about :
If the AD does not sell the ss Daytona ,he cannot get the next one from Rolex .
So,the idea that they have ten ss Daytonas "at the back" is social media folklore.

Are there ADs selling directly to the gentleman grey dealer ? Yes
Sell it to high spending customers ? Yes
Sell it to flipperman from Flipperville ? Maybe at some incentive ? Yes

Youtube moviestar grey industry leaders ( ) dont get their stock out of thin air ...... then you have customers ,willing to pay 2.5x MRSP
Its a circus !!!

Anyway ,LOVE these people,they keep collection value high !!

[Cigars&Watches]

Most are all pre-sold... dozens and dozens of people waiting for pretty much any model..
Some held back I'm sure for the right deal or VIP to show up..

Demand is just way too high and manufacturing capacity is still not at 100% yet...

Example: I picked up a CHNR on Friday at 1 pm and the watch arrived at the AD at 10 am the same day. I was told there were dozens of people who wanted this watch.. and that's for a CHNR.. I believe it...

[7enderbender]

I bet a big chunk of the inventory goes to China, Russia and the Middle East these days. Places that are flooded with cash and where showing off bling is en vogue. Rolex doesn’t care. Makes things easier for them and they even seem to adjust designs accordingly. Just like car manufacturers.

[watchtabs]

Originally Posted by sj24k

In about 2 minutes it’s all gonna get blown up with assorted theories, so hang on…


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Right one queue



Good one


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[Masteryacht]

I really don’t even give a crap anymore. I lost interest sometime ago. Too much of a pita to buy a freaking watch.

[scombs263]

There are dry spells for sure. But I have a good relationship with a salesperson at an AD who is very upfront with me about what’s in the back as he knows I won’t ride him about it as the owner has all control of who gets the coveted pieces and what it takes to get them. Every time I go there he always tells me and will bring them out for me to check out. I’ve seen things like oyster and jubilee Pepsi, subs, Kermit, Daytona’s, Batman, RootBeer, Rose gold gmt, Skydweller, Deep Sea, SD43, Date Justs, etc. It takes bundling to get these, not more Rolex watches either, jewelry, over msrp like grey market prices, buying set dollar amounts of other brand watches, diamonds, etc.

[JodyHighroller]

My personal thoughts, most models are pre-sold before they even arrive. They are already spoken for and what’s left over gets put into the case. Mostly everything now has a wait list so that’s why the cases remain empty compared to last year and previous.

Yes, they may have some in the safe, but it’s already waiting collection from a client.

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

Yes,they are all in the back .Its all part of a worldwide conspiracy not to sell watches ....

Here is something to ponder about :
If the AD does not sell the ss Daytona ,he cannot get the next one from Rolex .
So,the idea that they have ten ss Daytonas "at the back" is social media folklore.

Are there ADs selling directly to the gentleman grey dealer ? Yes
Sell it to high spending customers ? Yes
Sell it to flipperman from Flipperville ? Maybe at some incentive ? Yes

Youtube moviestar grey industry leaders ( ) dont get their stock out of thin air ...... then you have customers ,willing to pay 2.5x MRSP
Its a circus !!!

Anyway ,LOVE these people,they keep collection value high !!

I usually don’t post in these type of threads, but your comment regarding references not being replenished if not sold is spot on from what I’ve been told from numerous ADs. This is to avoid them sitting on a surplus of said reference.

If an AD doesn’t sell that reference (Rolex tracks by activation of warranty card) then they won’t allocate another until so.

[kittansett]

AD said Rolex is promoting less displayed merchandise to sell more watches. He said that they sold the most watches to date this year, yet the displays are empty. Customers covet what they cannot get.

[zaydans]

I was in an AD today and the cases were sparse. A sprinkling of ladies datejusts. Not a single model over 34mm in sight.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

Yes,they are all in the back .Its all part of a worldwide conspiracy not to sell watches ....

No, we’re not doing that- I MEAN: No, they’re not doing that.

[afmars]

My ADs get plenty of watches which they only sell by phone to established customers. If you are just walking in off the street of course they are not going to have any stock for you.

[WatchtraderNY]

Originally Posted by kittansett

AD said Rolex is promoting less displayed merchandise to sell more watches. He said that they sold the most watches to date this year, yet the displays are empty. Customers covet what they cannot get.

This is definitely at play!


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[thecrownprince]

My theory is that Rolex only sells display cases, the watches are in there to show you the display cases work. There is also a waitlist if you want a case.


All jokes aside, without any purchase history, I bought 2 subs (different references) and a Batman from my AD in the last 7 months. They didn’t force me to buying anything else. I did ask for a Tudor chrono panda because I like that watch but other than I didn’t buy anything besides Rolex. Good ADs are there, you need to be real with them and show you’re a collector. You’ll also need a lot of luck.


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[IamJacky]

Originally Posted by teck21

How come you didn’t consider the possibility is that they are all sold or reserved the moment, or even before the shipment gets a chance to be displayed?

Why on earth would ADs stay open if they received nothing to sell?

Anyway, this bare shelves situation will change when:

a) Rolex produces more watches to meet demand
b) demand for Rolex watches decreases
c) the number of ADs gets culled even more so that the ones left standing will have more to display

C is likely to intensify, B has not yet happened and in fact the opposite is happening every single day everywhere, and A is never going to happen.


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Well said!

[Francist]

Yes they have “nothing to sell”
Yes they also have pepsi / batgirl available to those who has hit that spending history mark
Yes we’re not considered important by the ADs if we’re asking this type of question

[Master_Grogu]

The watches are not available to you (the standard customer).

Story time: my AD has sold to a client (my friend) with no history, but that has a very wealthy (she is) appearance, an Oyster 41 in red the other day. The watch was “just declined by a client”.

Which is a complete joke because we all damn well know there is a “list” for this model. So why would the AD promote this spiel that “oh well I asked the client and he didn’t want it so now it’s sitting here and I have nobody to call”.

Utter lies. The watches are in the back, waiting for somebody wealthy enough to pick it up.

Oh and by the way, the watch was flipped in about 2 hours. So yeah, AD really are good at spotting flipped aren’t they.

[mattidk]

My AD told 85-90% of inventory are pre-ordered, might leave some few models for display (mostly full gold, TT, lady DJs, etc) so it makes sense that you will rarely see any normal models out in the shop. Sometime at direct Rolex Boutique (not AD) if you lucky enough to hit the shop at the right time, they might be able to bring some few SS models out to you (saw blue Roman/Stick 41 DJs) but these will be gone within 1-2 days.

[bp1000]

The sell more datejusts and day dates than any other watch, that’s what the display cases are filled with. More of those gives the typical walk in buyer more choice.

All the sports models for us lot are always on back order which in turn frees up space for the volume models. Good model for Rolex.

Fill their floor with mass market watches and PM pieces.

[Harry-57]

I was in my AD this week. They have plenty of stock and lots of Rolex models on display. And they sell them. You won't see an in demand model on display because they are sold before they arrive and some go into the vault to be offered to certain customers in certain circumstances.

When I picked up my TT CHNR in February 2020, two other SAs were dealing with couples at different tables. They were both buying his and her DJ pairs, some TT, some with stones on the bezel. When I walked out, another salesman was being lectured, at length, by a tourist who was disgusted at the lack of Daytonas available in any EU AD he had visited. Apparently we were all going to hell and it's Rolex/AD's fault.

In the space of one hour, five happy Rolex owners walked out of the store, having spent some tens of thousands on their new watches. And one hot model speculative caller got told what he already knew. Does the AD regard that a good result or a bad result?

[Goin2drt]

Originally Posted by Son Goku

As the title suggests I’ve noticed pretty much across the board on the forum members reporting that their ADs have essentially nothing in stock at the moment. I’ve personally visited a few ADs recently and can confirm the same.

I find it hard to believe that Rolex isn’t sending any stock at all to any AD so are ADs more than ever just keeping watches in the safe?

No the ADs I have visited over the last few months simply sell the day they get. Nothing makes it to the case because they have built a business of loyal customers that as soon as they get the watch they already have a buyer so it is a phone call and the sale is done. Still not enough supply for the demand especially now with folks spending like drunken sailors on just about everything.

[Xerxes77]

Originally Posted by fskywalker

+1


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Agree with this…..
Also what start like a hunting for Rolex sport SS models become a hunting for Rolex watch….. so now customer buy every model only to have a Rolex…..