Buying my Rolex, non AD experience - Must Read!!!

[Sammk]

Please bear with me for a moment so I can explain my story and experience. Its
a little long but worth a read and can benefit others dealing with non ADs, and give me some insight aswell to about what you guys think.

So I'm in Dubai and I decide to purchase the 116718 green dial from a non AD but a "trusted" dealer of a friend. Il call him dealer A for reference.
He gives me a v good price, and comes over to show me the watch. The watch is fully stickered and in brand new condition complete with box and papers.

I notice that the green dial GMT has a green colour date instead of the black as it's supposed to be. Now we all know that the black dial 116718 comes with green date and green dial comes with black date. I even called local ADs and Rolex head office in UK to confirm that this is how it is and there is no green face with green date. So I confront the guy. First he tried to defend it and then he says OK maybe someone along the chain switched the face and 24 hour hand of the black one to make it green. I decided not to deal with him there and then.

A couple of weeks later I meet another "trusted" dealer through some other friend. Il call him dealer B for reference. So same thing happens, this dealer comes up shows me GMT 116718 green face which is supposedly untouched. It is packed in the plastic coffin with warranty card and brings the box separately. He assures me no one has touched it and it was shipped like this from Rolex themselves. I open the box take it out. Same thing. Green dial with green date. Again back and forth and he says the same thing that maybe someone down the chain switched the black dial and 24 hour hand to make it green.

Story doesn't end here. Then dealer B calls me next day says he found untouched black date one. When he comes around this time, the watch is the same with the same warranty card that dealer A offered to me. But this time the date is actually black (which was green when offered by dealer A to me)!!!

What is going on here in this non AD market? Switching dials, date wheels, 24 hour hands??? My trust in this market has become zero, but the price difference
Is so much between non AD and AD that I can't comfortably buy from an AD either.
Now before you say use the trusted dealers from TRF, I don't live in the US!all the trusted dealers here are from The US and I'm not comfortable using postal service overseas.

[Rogdogg]

Originally Posted by Sammk

Please bear with me for a moment so I can explain my story and experience. Its
a little long but worth a read and can benefit others dealing with non ADs, and give me some insight aswell to about what you guys think.

So I'm in Dubai and I decide to purchase the 116718 green dial from a non AD but a "trusted" dealer of a friend. Il call him dealer A for reference.
He gives me a v good price, and comes over to show me the watch. The watch is fully stickered and in brand new condition complete with box and papers.

I notice that the green dial GMT has a green colour date instead of the black as it's supposed to be. Now we all know that the black dial 116718 comes with green date and green dial comes with black date. I even called local ADs and Rolex head office in UK to confirm that this is how it is and there is no green face with green date. So I confront the guy. First he tried to defend it and then he says OK maybe someone along the chain switched the face and 24 hour hand of the black one to make it green. I decided not to deal with him there and then.

A couple of weeks later I meet another "trusted" dealer through some other friend. Il call him dealer B for reference. So same thing happens, this dealer comes up shows me GMT 116718 green face which is supposedly untouched. It is packed in the plastic coffin with warranty card and brings the box separately. He assures me no one has touched it and it was shipped like this from Rolex themselves. I open the box take it out. Same thing. Green dial with green date. Again back and forth and he says the same thing that maybe someone down the chain switched the black dial and 24 hour hand to make it green.

Story doesn't end here. Then dealer B calls me next day says he found untouched black date one. When he comes around this time, the watch is the same with the same warranty card that dealer A offered to me. But this time the date is actually black (which was green when offered by dealer A to me)!!!

What is going on here in this non AD market? Switching dials, date wheels, 24 hour hands??? My trust in this market has become zero, but the price difference
Is so much between non AD and AD that I can't comfortably buy from an AD either.
Now before you say use the trusted dealers from TRF, I don't live in the US!all the trusted dealers here are from The US and I'm not comfortable using postal service overseas.

These are the risks you take when dealing with some grey dealers. You never know who you are dealing with. The great thing about the TRF trusted sellers is that you have feedback and referrals from hundreds and even thousands of other members who have dealt with them so you know they have a solid reputation. Dealer A was referred to you by a friend. That's a 1 person recommendation where your friend maybe didn't know the guy as well as he thought he did. For absolute peace of mind you either deal with somebody of impeccable reputation who has thousands of satisfied customers who have nothing but good things to say about them or an AD. It's as simple as that.
I too wish I had access to the trusted sellers in the USA but unfortunately I do not. I think you should just consider yourself lucky that you had the knowledge to spot this very minor change. Others might not have been so lucky. Who knows what else could have been tampered with in the watch.

[toneafficianado]

Well spotted there! Run as fast as you can in the other direction!

[Andad]

Unscrupulous sellers in collusion by the look of it.

Lucky you were aware of the correct specification Sam

[Singslinger]

It's a good thing that you are very observant!

Imagine the position you'd find yourself if you hadn't noticed the date color, handed over your cash - and then later realized that the color was wrong. You'd have had no recourse.

[Abdullah71601]

There isn't much grey market in the UAE that can be reliably trusted.

If you are American, you can ship your watch USPS registered mail to the US Embassy post office, and collect it in person. Which, makes it easier to use a trusted TRF seller. I used the US APO system for my Milgauss with no problems, if that's an option for you.

[Wristmaster]

Just find another trusted Non AD in your area or in the meantime stick with AD. But ive got to admire your observation.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bangel]

Originally Posted by sammk

my trust in this market has become zero, but the price difference
is so much between non ad and ad that i can't comfortably buy from an ad either.

If this is the only non AD avenue available to you then I don't think it's really a true "price difference" that you're referring to.

The higher priced option gets you the genuine article.

The lower priced option gets you something different.

Anyway, I do think that you were very astute to notice that things weren't quite right. Thanks for the thread and good luck with the continuation of your search for your GMT.

[SeaDweller50]

But what was the motivation to swap date wheels? I don't get it. Assuming they were not complete fakes?

[Sammk]

Originally Posted by Bangel

If this is the only non AD avenue available to you then I don't think it's really a true "price difference" that you're referring to.

The higher priced option gets you the genuine article.

The lower priced option gets you something different.

Anyway, I do think that you were very astute to notice that things weren't quite right. Thanks for the thread and good luck with the continuation of your search for your GMT.

There are ADs available around, but the price difference is substantial and doesn't make me comfortable enough to buy from the AD either :(... But I guess I have no other option

Originally Posted by Airborne

But what was the motivation to swap date wheels? I don't get it. Assuming they were not complete fakes?

It wasn't completely fake that much I can tell. From what I understand is that they converted the black face into a green face. The date wheel remain the same, they swapped the dial and the 24 hour hand.

[Old Expat Beast]

What country were the papers from?

[Sammk]

Somewhere in Europe. Not too sure so don't want to misquote.
Btw can you tell from the warranty card whether it's a black dial or green? Both the watches I saw had 116718LN on them ... Maybe there's a differencein model on warranty for the black and green?

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

What country were the papers from?

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by Sammk

Somewhere in Europe. Not too sure so don't want to misquote.
Btw can you tell from the warranty card whether it's a black dial or green? Both the watches I saw had 116718LN on them ... Maybe there's a differencein model on warranty for the black and green?

No idea, sorry.

[travisb]

Shady business. Good thing you spotted it. No telling if the watches in question were even authentic.

[Cru Jones]

any trips planned to the states? if so, contact a "trusted seller" here and have them ship to your hotel. no worries then.

i did a transaction like that with davidsw and it went great.

[Old Expat Beast]

How much did they want? Hong Kong non-AD price is generally just under US$24k for green or black.

[TheBluePrince]

How much was your "friend" getting as kick-back for introducing you to these highly esteemed grey dealers if you'd bought from them?

[AK797]

Sam I think it is worth flying to US, HK or somewhere else and buying in person, I still think you will save a fair bit of money.

[Heo2]

Sammk, I realize the postal services in many countries are not like USPS registered mail but how about FedEX or DHL?

[Rolex fan 61]

These are the reasons that I would ONLY purchase from a AD !!!!!!!

[FTX I]

Originally Posted by AK797

Sam I think it is worth flying to US, HK or somewhere else and buying in person, I still think you will save a fair bit of money.

Exactly.

[Danny83]

Well im sure they were sitting on a black one , then sum dumbbell put a green dial in because thats what you were looking for.

[JustABreathAway]

This is why I purchase only and solely from my specific and trusted local AD - the peace of mind is worth the price difference, and more, to me.

[kunlun]

It all depends, I know a non-ad recommended by a friend who basically will take a rolex, switch the dial to whatever you like and you'll end up with a fully Rolex warrantied watch, via an AD he works with in the EU... you save $, get an authentic rolex with rolex warranty and he stands by it all because he wants you to come to him for your next watch. He even changes things and looks after things after the money has switched hands.

So, there's an element of shadiness, sure. But a good non-AD, if you can find one you can trust, should still stand by the watch and provide you with a quality watch.

Caveat emptor!

[Syed117]

The term "Trusted Seller" might need some clarification.

Newer people tend to throw it around without really understanding what it means.

Specifically on TRF, "Trusted Seller" is used to describe someone that is part of a very small group of people that has a very long and documented history of selling watches. It doesn't just apply to everyone who can be trusted, despite them being trustworthy. A guy who has sold a few watches might be trustworthy, but when the term "trusted seller" is used, people aren't referring to someone in that position.

OP, you put trusted in quotes when describing those dealers because of their relationships with people you know. That can be confusing to people. The people you described shouldn't be classified in that way on this forum.

I've been reading the forum for a few years and "trusted seller" applies to the people who have been around for a while and have sold dozens if not hundreds of watches (DavidSW is the prime example) and have the feedback to back it up. It doesn't apply to those that may have sold a few watches here and there despite them having the trust of a few people.

[Racerdj]

Originally Posted by toneafficianado

Well spotted there! Run as fast as you can in the other direction!

For sure!

[Speed]

How well do you know these two "friends" who referred these dealers. I think the dealers were "friends" with each other ;-)

[brandrea]

There's got to be more to it than this

[Highland Ranger]

Originally Posted by rolex fan 61

these are the reasons that i would only purchase from a ad !!!!!!!

+1

[Casey VP-26]

Originally Posted by Sammk

Somewhere in Europe. Not too sure so don't want to misquote.
Btw can you tell from the warranty card whether it's a black dial or green? Both the watches I saw had 116718LN on them ... Maybe there's a differencein model on warranty for the black and green?

Ending with a "N" should mean Noir (Black).

Ending with a "V" should mean Verde (Green).