Rolex just terminated 6 US AD's

[RealMadrid1988]

Originally Posted by 904VT

Those are good points. Such as sales into Tudor and other brands carried and/or jewelry. All of which is tougher to measure. Rolex's position here though with the stand alone display investments is pricing out a lot of the smaller ADs that imo at least made Rolex what it is today. The family owned ADs are the Rolex experience many have had for the last 70 years. To encourage a shift away, Rolex is giving up some of its DNA. You go to a big box shop for jewelry. You want a Rolex you go to the AD that has been in the Rolex business for 50 years and get a personalized experience. At least that's the way that always made sense.

I agree that Rolex (at least in the US) is in the position it’s in today at least in part due to small-town, mom & pop jewelers. That said, upscale brands pretty much aren’t sold in small towns these days (with exceptions for very wealthy suburbs, towns, vacation spots, etc.). Look at brands like Louis Vuitton or Hermes — you don’t find these brands in small towns (save for the same exceptions for wealthy areas). It’s arguably an elitist mentality to think that upscale = large metro areas only, but that’s the world we live in.

[RolexSimon]

Awesome database - shame it doesn't show how many watches each one gets......

[Ravager135]

Originally Posted by whiskyrolex

You've got it backwards. The ADs arent the ones dropping Rolex.

The Rolex account is a cash cow for any AD who is fortunate enough to carry it and these so-called issues you speak of are easily offset by the foot traffic and ancilary business it brings in the door.

I get what you are saying, but selling Rolex doesn’t offset all other issues and the issue isn’t as simple as Rolex simply saying “no” to ADs.

Many of the ADs being dropped by Rolex simply cannot comply with their demands. The reason the family owned businesses can’t comply is because they they don’t have the sq ft or margins to comply. Larger chains who either have their own building which is 100% watch sales or can lease more space in a mall can keep that account by making Rolex happy. There’s a reason we are starting to see jewelers either have another mall location that is 100% Rolex or another separate room off their main space that is exclusively Rolex. To your point, I’m sure it’s intentional of the part of Rolex.

As much as Rolex generates revenue for a business, many of the smaller ADs sell A LOT more than just watches and can’t just shut down other sources of revenue even if it means a guaranteed 30-50 Rolex watches sold per month. In retail, counter space is everything. I know of two ADs who weren’t simply told “no.” Rolex wanted them to divert considerable space to their product at the expense of whatever else they sold. If you’re sold out of Rolex anyway and Rolex is telling you they want you to do something that might hurt other sales, at some point there are diminishing returns on that relationship. I’m sure no AD wants to say no to Rolex, but many are forced to.

[RealMadrid1988]

Originally Posted by Ravager135

No I’ve got that. But many of the ADs being dropped by Rolex is due to their failure to comply with the demands of Rolex. So in many instances the AD is also saying no by not diverting resources to accommodate the brand. The reason the family owned businesses can’t comply is because they they don’t have the sq ft or margins to comply. Larger chains who either have their own building which is 100% watch sales or can lease more space in a mall can keep that account by making Rolex happy. There’s a reason we are starting to see jewelers either have another mall location that is 100% Rolex or another separate room off their main space that is exclusively Rolex. I get that Rolex is a cash cow, but the reason the smaller ADs I have spoken with that may be dropping Rolex have told me point blank that it’s Rolex demands. And to your point, I’m sure it’s intentional of the part of Rolex.

As much as Rolex generates revenue for a business, many of the smaller ADs are also family run jewelers. They sell A LOT more than just Rolex and can’t just shut down other sources of revenue even if it means a guaranteed 30-50 Rolex watches sold per month. In retail, counter space is everything. I know of two ADs who weren’t simply told “no.” Rolex wanted them to divert considerable space to their product at the expense of whatever else they sold. If you’re sold out of Rolex anyway and Rolex is telling you they want you to do something that might hurt other sales, at some point there are diminishing returns on that relationship. I’m sure no AD wants to say no to Rolex, but many are forced to.

This makes sense. I think it’s pretty clear that small-town ADs, with some exceptions, aren’t really part of Rolex’s sales network going forward. This will happen both as a result of Rolex cutting small town ADs and Rolex imposing standards that are simply not worth complying with for smaller ADs. It’s easy to sell a Daytona anywhere; it’s not always so easy for a small town AD in a rural area to sell a diamond bezeled Day-Date.

[bob sims]

Originally Posted by Will_L

Rolex dealers have been slowly disappearing for quite some time now according to my database


Dealer last seen 2021-10-08
ID 1124
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_2454
Dealer name *RELOJERÍA ALEMANA‬
Dealer address Colón 14
Dealer phone 07001
Dealer postalcode Balearic Islands
Dealer region +34 971 71 29 17
Dealer city Mallorca
Dealer country Spain
Dealer country code ES
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng 2.650928951064998
Dealer lat 39.5702546453149
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-06
ID 1093
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_5375
Dealer name *DURÁN JOYEROS‬
Dealer address Marqués de Dos Aguas 4
Dealer phone 46002
Dealer postalcode Valencia
Dealer region +34 963 52 51 97
Dealer city Valencia
Dealer country Spain
Dealer country code ES
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -0.3744124
Dealer lat 39.4732863
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-06
ID 1094
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_2467
Dealer name *DURÁN JOYEROS‬
Dealer address Plaza Nueva 13
Dealer phone 41001
Dealer postalcode Seville
Dealer region +34 954 21 09 48
Dealer city Seville
Dealer country Spain
Dealer country code ES
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -5.995281
Dealer lat 37.389038
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-06
ID 1679
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_3105
Dealer name *Tourneau‬
Dealer address Walt Whitman Mall<br/>160 Walt Whitman Road Suite 1055
Dealer phone 11746
Dealer postalcode New York
Dealer region +1 631-427-2649
Dealer city Huntington Station
Dealer country United States
Dealer country code US
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -73.412335
Dealer lat 40.823328
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-04
ID 677
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_3845
Dealer name *Mitsukoshi Nagoya Sakae‬
Dealer address 6F<br/>3-5-1
Dealer phone 〒460-8669
Dealer postalcode Aichi
Dealer region +81 52 252 1111
Dealer city Nagoya
Dealer country Japan
Dealer country code JP
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng 136.90746760118873
Dealer lat 35.16829057782652
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-01
ID 455
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_19463
Dealer name *La Suisse Watch Co., Ltd.‬
Dealer address G/F,<br/>481 Hennessy Road<br/>East South Buildnig
Dealer phone
Dealer postalcode Hong Kong SAR
Dealer region +852 2893 6088
Dealer city Causeway Bay
Dealer country Hong Kong SAR
Dealer country code HK
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng 114.1824155
Dealer lat 22.2800434
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-01
ID 1598
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_3235
Dealer name *R.P. Ellis Fine Jewelry‬
Dealer address 228 N. Higgins Avenue
Dealer phone 59802
Dealer postalcode Montana
Dealer region +1 406-542-8908
Dealer city Missoula
Dealer country United States
Dealer country code US
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -113.99396890000004
Dealer lat 46.8715365
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29

Is that 1650 AD's for the whole planet?
Seems low to me. If not that means the average AD is getting over 400 watches per year, which means there's really something fishy going on.

[Ravager135]

Originally Posted by RealMadrid1988

This makes sense. I think it’s pretty clear that small-town ADs, with some exceptions, aren’t really part of Rolex’s sales network going forward. This will happen both as a result of Rolex cutting small town ADs and Rolex imposing standards that are simply not worth complying with for smaller ADs. It’s easy to sell a Daytona anywhere; it’s not always so easy for a small town AD in a rural area to sell a diamond bezeled Day-Date.

I did edit my post a bit, but my original statement that you quoted is the same in spirit. Rolex is putting smaller ADs between a rock and a hard place. This is intentional.

And your example is exactly why. If you impose a standard that is difficult to comply with, at some point selling Rolex hurts your bottom line. Rolex isn’t picking up the volume of watches it’s sending to ADs. So even if you sell every Rolex sent to you, if you have to devote half your counter space to Rolex you are losing money somewhere else. Only large chains can buy a second mall space or devote a specific square footage to the crown without significantly impacting other sales.

[Ravager135]

The AD I use is family owned. They have two locations. There is no indication that they will lose their Rolex AD status anytime soon. That said, 40% of their total watch space is Rolex. And it’s completely empty. I’m sure they’d love to fan out their JLC or IWC offerings. In fact, over the past several years they’ve offered less and less models of these brands to fit them into tighter spacing in the store (probably due to Rolex requests). Now, the point of the argument isn’t to say that they make as much in sales in JLC or IWC, but there IS a breaking point for any AD wherein whatever they make in Rolex sales will be offset by carrying fewer other brands or jewelry or whatever.

I mean it’s no good for them that they can’t carry any Aquatimers that might sell to a customer who can’t get a Rolex because they have zero space to display them. Instead, we have 30 ft of empty glass because Rolex demands it. There’s a tipping point.

[Cool Breeze]

Originally Posted by Ravager135

The AD I use is family owned. They have two locations. There is no indication that they will lose their Rolex AD status anytime soon. That said, 40% of their total watch space is Rolex. And it’s completely empty. I’m sure they’d love to fan out their JLC or IWC offerings. In fact, over the past several years they’ve offered less and less models of these brands to fit them into tighter spacing in the store (probably due to Rolex requests). Now, the point of the argument isn’t to say that they make as much in sales in JLC or IWC, but there IS a breaking point for any AD wherein whatever they make in Rolex sales will be offset by carrying fewer other brands or jewelry or whatever.

I mean it’s no good for them that they can’t carry any Aquatimers that might sell to a customer who can’t get a Rolex because they have zero space to display them. Instead, we have 30 ft of empty glass because Rolex demands it. There’s a tipping point.

I am a little new to understanding the Rolex/AD relationship. The AD is contractually obligated to keep Rolex counter space empty even if Rolex can't supply them enough watches? They can't just fill it with something else? Does Rolex send someone in to check on this?

[Ravager135]

Originally Posted by Cool Breeze

I am a little new to understanding the Rolex/AD relationship. The AD is contractually obligated to keep Rolex counter space empty even if Rolex can't supply them enough watches? They can't just fill it with something else? Does Rolex send someone in to check on this?

My understanding, and these are based on conversations I’ve had with ADs and supported by others on this forum who have had similar conversations, is that Rolex has some type of bare minimum terms that an AD must comply with to keep their status. I don’t know the specifics of what that is, but what I have seen over my 15 years of collecting is that…

Smaller ADs have rapidly lost their AD status due to their inability to meet these demands.

Larger ADs have allocated more and more space to Rolex going so far as to create separate rooms that only display Rolex or even opening another location under the same management as a Rolex-only boutique.

Despite the lack of recent availability of Rolex watches, none of the aforementioned things have changed. I haven’t been to a single AD who has repurposed empty Rolex space to another brand they sell despite the fact that doing so would absolutely benefit them.

If you sell watches and you have no Rolex available and you sell another brand, you’re going to try and steer a customer towards something else. Again using IWC as an example, my AD used to carry every model they make. Now they only display the Pilot and Portugieser models (IWC’s most popular models) because they don’t have the space to carry/display anything else. I doubt they grew their Rolex counter by choice considering it’s completely empty.

[dannyp]

Originally Posted by RealMadrid1988

I agree that Rolex (at least in the US) is in the position it’s in today at least in part due to small-town, mom & pop jewelers. That said, upscale brands pretty much aren’t sold in small towns these days (with exceptions for very wealthy suburbs, towns, vacation spots, etc.). Look at brands like Louis Vuitton or Hermes — you don’t find these brands in small towns (save for the same exceptions for wealthy areas). It’s arguably an elitist mentality to think that upscale = large metro areas only, but that’s the world we live in.

But there’s a difference: Hermes and LV are all company-owned (single-brand stores) boutiques. It’s not a small part of the mix that makes up a small town AD’s total jewelry inventory. Lots of towns could support an AD that couldn’t support a Rolex boutique.

There are also, IMO, a lot more people without topical “small town style” who’d rationalize a $5,000 watch over a $5,000 bag.

[RealMadrid1988]

All right — substitute Gucci. Sold in non-corporate owned boutiques, but not available in rural areas. And while I agree with the $5,000 comparisons, brands like Gucci, LV, etc. derive most of their revenues from accessories—yes bags, but also belts, sunglasses, etc. that are nowhere near $5,000. And Rolex has few (if any?) watches at that price point.

[dannyp]

Originally Posted by RealMadrid1988

All right — substitute Gucci. Sold in non-corporate owned boutiques, but not available in rural areas. And while I agree with the $5,000 comparisons, brands like Gucci, LV, etc. derive most of their revenues from accessories—yes bags, but also belts, sunglasses, etc. that are nowhere near $5,000. And Rolex has few (if any?) watches at that price point.

Ok, going to go ahead and be a pain in the ass here: there’s another difference and that is e-commerce. Gucci can be bought online from authorized retailers while Rolex cannot. Smaller markets have instant access.

Many of those accessories also can be found in much lower end stores. Glasses are a perfect example.

[RealMadrid1988]

Originally Posted by dannyp

Ok, going to go ahead and be a pain in the ass here: there’s another difference and that is e-commerce. Gucci can be bought online from authorized retailers while Rolex cannot. Smaller markets have instant access.

Many of those accessories also can be found in much lower end stores. Glasses are a perfect example.

The point earlier was that prestige brands — like Rolex or Gucci — don’t want to be in small, rural areas. E-commerce isn’t a counterpoint to that notion. Of course any brand that fills online orders is happy to ship their products anywhere. Rolex would undoubtedly do the same if they entered the world of e-commerce — but they can’t even satisfy demand with their current (outdated) brick-and-mortar distribution model.

[Fleetlord]

Originally Posted by Ravager135

The AD I use is family owned. They have two locations. There is no indication that they will lose their Rolex AD status anytime soon. That said, 40% of their total watch space is Rolex. And it’s completely empty. I’m sure they’d love to fan out their JLC or IWC offerings. In fact, over the past several years they’ve offered less and less models of these brands to fit them into tighter spacing in the store (probably due to Rolex requests). Now, the point of the argument isn’t to say that they make as much in sales in JLC or IWC, but there IS a breaking point for any AD wherein whatever they make in Rolex sales will be offset by carrying fewer other brands or jewelry or whatever.

I mean it’s no good for them that they can’t carry any Aquatimers that might sell to a customer who can’t get a Rolex because they have zero space to display them. Instead, we have 30 ft of empty glass because Rolex demands it. There’s a tipping point.

It’s probably for the best the dealer cut back their IWC and JLC areas, they certainly don’t want to be overstocked with those.

[Ravager135]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

It’s probably for the best the dealer cut back their IWC and JLC areas, they certainly don’t want to be overstocked with those.

I agree. I mean there's no sense in carrying models that are less popular. That said, there's also no practical sense in having a 50 foot long Rolex display that's entirely empty unless someone else is demanding it. The best we know, the watches come in and then they almost immediately go out. The few that make it to the display are smaller diameter precious metal options that could likely fill 10 slots, if that. I don't think that's changing anytime soon.

Who am I to tell Rolex how to run their business? I just think I'd feel better as an AD if I was being forced to dedicate all this room to keeping my Rolex account to at least have some demonstration models my customers could look at. If I were them, I'd take anything to put in the display.

[myanezt]

Originally Posted by bob sims

Is that 1650 AD's for the whole planet?
Seems low to me. If not that means the average AD is getting over 400 watches per year, which means there's really something fishy going on.

The first one in Palma de Mallorca is closed just temporally for reforms.

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by Ravager135

there's also no practical sense in having a 50 foot long Rolex display that's entirely empty unless someone else is demanding it.

to at least have some demonstration models my customers could look at. If I were them

Since covid there hasn't been any stock. So the requirements by Rolex (only Rolex/models showroom etc.) make sense. If you want to play, you got to pay.

[Will_L]

Originally Posted by McinRolex

Kudos to you!!
Is there a link or shared google sheet we can track?

Sorry dude, it my personal DB that is updated daily.

Originally Posted by bob sims

Is that 1650 AD's for the whole planet?
Seems low to me. If not that means the average AD is getting over 400 watches per year, which means there's really something fishy going on.

it is what the Rolex website gives me

[dannyp]

Originally Posted by RealMadrid1988

The point earlier was that prestige brands — like Rolex or Gucci — don’t want to be in small, rural areas. E-commerce isn’t a counterpoint to that notion. Of course any brand that fills online orders is happy to ship their products anywhere. Rolex would undoubtedly do the same if they entered the world of e-commerce — but they can’t even satisfy demand with their current (outdated) brick-and-mortar distribution model.

I get that. My point was that brands that do do e-commerce can serve customers living in rural areas without having to have a presence there, while Rolex must have a physical presence anywhere it wants to sell watches.

But I get your point: I've driven through the parts of Wichita, KS, for example, where there's a Rolex AD and every high-end car dealer (short of RR/Bentley) - so plenty of $$$ - but you'll never find a Gucci boutique there since it doesn't "fit" (in Gucci's mind).

[Cool Breeze]

Originally Posted by Ravager135

My understanding, and these are based on conversations I’ve had with ADs and supported by others on this forum who have had similar conversations, is that Rolex has some type of bare minimum terms that an AD must comply with to keep their status. I don’t know the specifics of what that is, but what I have seen over my 15 years of collecting is that…

Smaller ADs have rapidly lost their AD status due to their inability to meet these demands.

Larger ADs have allocated more and more space to Rolex going so far as to create separate rooms that only display Rolex or even opening another location under the same management as a Rolex-only boutique.

Despite the lack of recent availability of Rolex watches, none of the aforementioned things have changed. I haven’t been to a single AD who has repurposed empty Rolex space to another brand they sell despite the fact that doing so would absolutely benefit them.

If you sell watches and you have no Rolex available and you sell another brand, you’re going to try and steer a customer towards something else. Again using IWC as an example, my AD used to carry every model they make. Now they only display the Pilot and Portugieser models (IWC’s most popular models) because they don’t have the space to carry/display anything else. I doubt they grew their Rolex counter by choice considering it’s completely empty.

Ravager - thank you so much for the clarification. This was very helpful!!

[PugetSounder]

Originally Posted by SeaDom

FWIW I have had excellent service from Ben Bridge downtown Seattle, and received "the call" earlier this year for an in-demand SS piece. (I also noticed that a new Rolex store is "coming soon" across the street from Pacific Place in downtown Seattle).

That is the new Ben Bridge location in Seattle. The current location, in the former Brooks Brother's location, is temporary.

[904VT]

Originally Posted by RealMadrid1988

I agree that Rolex (at least in the US) is in the position it’s in today at least in part due to small-town, mom & pop jewelers. That said, upscale brands pretty much aren’t sold in small towns these days (with exceptions for very wealthy suburbs, towns, vacation spots, etc.). Look at brands like Louis Vuitton or Hermes — you don’t find these brands in small towns (save for the same exceptions for wealthy areas). It’s arguably an elitist mentality to think that upscale = large metro areas only, but that’s the world we live in.

Good points. I feel the key is to not oversaturate those smaller markets. You certainly get a lot of small business owners though in those smaller markets that like to buy. But I also guess that Rolex cares more about the very high end, high margin business than the larger customer base that comes with more watches under $10k or so. That said I feel like Rolex should look to make something like the Turn-O-Graph Date Just again, and allow another sporty and reasonably priced model. I am surprised with respect to the DJ specifically that Rolex would cut more of the mom and pop ADs. I think those DJs do very well in those markets as do of course SS Professionals. If Rolex wants to target those that like to show off more and have higher turnover collections, their current business model seems appropriate.

[Bitmover]

Originally Posted by SeaDom

FWIW I have had excellent service from Ben Bridge downtown Seattle, and received "the call" earlier this year for an in-demand SS piece. (I also noticed that a new Rolex store is "coming soon" across the street from Pacific Place in downtown Seattle).

I second this, downtown Seattle is a great location, everyone is super nice. They really do want local watch people to get the watches they want.

[Jack T]

Without a timeline, this chart makes no sense to me.

Originally Posted by Will_L

Rolex dealers have been slowly disappearing for quite some time now according to my database


Dealer last seen 2021-10-08
ID 1124
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_2454
Dealer name *RELOJERÍA ALEMANA‬
Dealer address Colón 14
Dealer phone 07001
Dealer postalcode Balearic Islands
Dealer region +34 971 71 29 17
Dealer city Mallorca
Dealer country Spain
Dealer country code ES
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng 2.650928951064998
Dealer lat 39.5702546453149
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-06
ID 1093
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_5375
Dealer name *DURÁN JOYEROS‬
Dealer address Marqués de Dos Aguas 4
Dealer phone 46002
Dealer postalcode Valencia
Dealer region +34 963 52 51 97
Dealer city Valencia
Dealer country Spain
Dealer country code ES
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -0.3744124
Dealer lat 39.4732863
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-06
ID 1094
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_2467
Dealer name *DURÁN JOYEROS‬
Dealer address Plaza Nueva 13
Dealer phone 41001
Dealer postalcode Seville
Dealer region +34 954 21 09 48
Dealer city Seville
Dealer country Spain
Dealer country code ES
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -5.995281
Dealer lat 37.389038
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-06
ID 1679
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_3105
Dealer name *Tourneau‬
Dealer address Walt Whitman Mall<br/>160 Walt Whitman Road Suite 1055
Dealer phone 11746
Dealer postalcode New York
Dealer region +1 631-427-2649
Dealer city Huntington Station
Dealer country United States
Dealer country code US
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -73.412335
Dealer lat 40.823328
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-04
ID 677
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_3845
Dealer name *Mitsukoshi Nagoya Sakae‬
Dealer address 6F<br/>3-5-1
Dealer phone 〒460-8669
Dealer postalcode Aichi
Dealer region +81 52 252 1111
Dealer city Nagoya
Dealer country Japan
Dealer country code JP
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng 136.90746760118873
Dealer lat 35.16829057782652
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-01
ID 455
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_19463
Dealer name *La Suisse Watch Co., Ltd.‬
Dealer address G/F,<br/>481 Hennessy Road<br/>East South Buildnig
Dealer phone
Dealer postalcode Hong Kong SAR
Dealer region +852 2893 6088
Dealer city Causeway Bay
Dealer country Hong Kong SAR
Dealer country code HK
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng 114.1824155
Dealer lat 22.2800434
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29


Dealer last seen 2021-10-01
ID 1598
Dealer ID
Rolex ID RSWI_3235
Dealer name *R.P. Ellis Fine Jewelry‬
Dealer address 228 N. Higgins Avenue
Dealer phone 59802
Dealer postalcode Montana
Dealer region +1 406-542-8908
Dealer city Missoula
Dealer country United States
Dealer country code US
Dealer type STORE
Dealer lng -113.99396890000004
Dealer lat 46.8715365
Dealer service counter False
Dealer Horloger False
Dealer first seen 2020-12-29

[RealMadrid1988]

Originally Posted by dannyp

I get that. My point was that brands that do do e-commerce can serve customers living in rural areas without having to have a presence there, while Rolex must have a physical presence anywhere it wants to sell watches.

But I get your point: I've driven through the parts of Wichita, KS, for example, where there's a Rolex AD and every high-end car dealer (short of RR/Bentley) - so plenty of $$$ - but you'll never find a Gucci boutique there since it doesn't "fit" (in Gucci's mind).

[mml4]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

No surprise here at all.

There will be many more indy, family owned Rolex AD in the USA being relieved of their AD status in the coming years.

As said before, the shift is to larger metro areas that will make better use of precious inventory.

Better use?
What does that even mean?

[Tavli3]

It’s better use as far as Rolex is concerned. Not necessarily better use as we’re concerned. I would be very upset if my AD got its dealership yanked.

Bigger and more dedicated boutiques located in bigger metro areas requires more watches to make these huge investments make economic sense. Rolex not increasing production for reasons we all know so they have to trim the number of stores they have the supply to fuel the growing number of new larger boutiques.

Pretty simple but not necessarily a good thing depending upon your perspective


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EndlessEight]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

No surprise here at all.

There will be many more indy, family owned Rolex AD in the USA being relieved of their AD status in the coming years.

As said before, the shift is to larger metro areas that will make better use of precious inventory.

Correct.

"Mom & Pop" stores and smaller chains are being pushed out.

Rolex is moving towards the Boutique environment where they can completely assert their control over inventory and personnel.

[vh2k]

Summary: Three AD locations in Spain, two in U.S., and two in APAC are gone.

And the world moves on.

[SLWoodster]

In Socal...

That mall had a ben bridge and still has Swiss Luxury in there.

Rubel told me that they jsut were not getting enough units to stock the shelves so they put all the Rolex stuff at the beach.

Tick Tock also lost their license. What was crazy to me was how they were telling me that they can sell me a rolex at market price but not at regular price while they were rolex dealers. At least they were honest?

Royal Maui lost their license through the pandemic

Originally Posted by jw72

*FREDRIC H. RUBEL JEWELERS‬ has/had 2 stores Rolex locations Mission Viejo mall and Laguna Beach, I did not see Mission Viejo Mall location on the Rolex site. That mall has really declined that could be one of the 6.