Anyone been to an AD in Saudi Arabia recently?

[rick lee]

My folks have a trip to KSA coming up in a few weeks. They know about my watch hobby and my dad is kind of a watch guy. I always thought people in that part of the world were partial to PM Rolexes. So I was wondering if the SS sport models might be easier to come by there. They'll be in Riyadh and Jeddah, cities and airports. If they're any easier to come by there, I wanted to tell them to grab me a polar Explorer II and/or a Pepsi GMT Master II. Any chance of finding those there, especially as foreigners? And do they do the VAT refund at the airports there?

[OTX]

Can’t specifically speak about Saudi but a cousin of mine tried to get a GMT at the only Rolex dealer in Jordan and they had nothing at all!. Saudi is right next door but if I had to guess, it won’t be much better.

[Gent675]

Muslim men are not supposed to wear gold so they are definitely more partial to SS/platinum. If you want a gold watch, you have a decent chance. Expect the AD to offer an MSRP higher than your normal MSRP.

[John Doyle]

I live here and tell them to not bother. The prices are inclusive of VAT and you can't claim it back, prices are higher than abroad even without VAT + last time i was in the shop they didn't even let me try a basic datejust (although this was last year, maybe things changed this year).
Overall extremely poor service.

[Ristretto]

Your family is better off going to Kingdom of Bahrain and trying both Rolex dealers (City Centre mall and Moda Mall) I am pretty confident you can get PM models in addition to VAT reclaimable at airport.

[omar-rye]

When I was there in Feb 2022, they had a two-tone Explorer ready for sale. Observant Muslim men do not wear gold. Most schools of thought are of the opinion that it is permissible if it's a little bit gold, i.e., gold surround indices. But full gold or two tone is a big no no and is reserved for women.

The chance of you getting a GMT is "no way, Jose." Try for the Explorer II and let us know how it goes. Good luck

[khalifam]

GMT no way! When I went last year they had explorers, datejusts etc but the prices were about 15% higher due to the tax there.

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[Jacobson]

Visited Rolex AD in Jeddah last week.

Was offered a Sub LV with the condition of also having to purchase a Tudor at the same time.

[khalifam]

Originally Posted by Jacobson

Visited Rolex AD in Jeddah last week.

Was offered a Sub LV with the condition of also having to purchase a Tudor at the same time.

Yep, quite common, the Tudor was a dog glamour or something I bet which would have meant the price of your LV worked out the same if not higher than grey prices (due to tax)

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[rick lee]

Great info. I just saw this, as I didn't get an email notification. My dad just wears his gold wedding band and the SS IWC Aquatimer I gave him. I guess I'll hold out for that call from my local AD. LOL.