Just When Did it Become Impossible to Walk In and Buy a Rolex Off the Street?

[piratfisk]

Originally Posted by CarlOver

If it’s the right time, right place, and right watch you might be able to buy one today. But the days that you described are behind us.

I've explained this to my father & he has a hard time fathoming it. I'm not here to begin a millennial vs boomer discussion. He's told me about his entire Rolex purchase history & it honestly sounds like fantasy land to walk into an AD & walk out with what you want at MSRP. :shrug: What are ya gonna do... this is how things are now...

Play the AD waitlist game which may or may not include buying things you don't want (jewels, other pieces, other brands)... or go grey, pay a varying degree of a premium & get the piece you want overnighted to your doorstep.

[slide13]

2018 around here I think. April 2017 I passed on a 116610LV in the case because they wouldn’t discount. Those weren’t super common to see and I wasn’t sure about the green at the time. Went to a different AD and got an 114060 with a 15% discount no problem. Even got to pick between the two they had in stock. Most SS sports pieces were available in the case then. Good times.

[watchwatcher]

In my neck of the woods, it was just beginning in the fall of 2017.

A year later, it was noticeably tighter.

And by the beginning of the new year, pretty much impossible. Although, oddly enough, at the end of 2019, I remember there being a TT Sky dweller, a full RG Sky, and a RG DD40 w/olive dial in the case. They didn't last long, as you can imagine.

I say I remember, bc I passed on all as I'd just bought a new watch.

[watchtabs]

Right after the Paul Newman daytona sold for 17,8m it exploded, and that was end of 2017, so yes, 2018 in general

https://www.phillips.com/article/184...-cents-million