Has anyone made a walk-in purchase???

[brandrea]

In 2016 I bought a BLNR walk in at a local AD here for list price including tax, which here amounts to 13% off.

A few months later I bought a DBlue for the same, tax included at list.

[Roger Lococco]

2018. But no luck since then as a walk in to a new AD.


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[Divingdeep87]

When ever I walk in at my AD I always get offered a black Explorer 2 or an Airking. Kinda funny. He seems to always have those in stock.

[ArtNouveau]

Makes me giggle a bit when someone thinks them offering you a $40K PM watch is a special treat. No they just want to get rid of the overhead of stocking it. PM’s were the last to leave the cases and will be the first to return.

[yankeeromeo]

Personally never met any one walk in for a daytona...

But in early 00s most shops you could walk in for a sports model

Remember harrods having the whole catalogue present

[MSL]

Thanks

[MSL]

Originally Posted by S.Explorer

M&W Bluewater. Three Datejusts were ladies watches and one Datejust was mens (36mm?). One ladies watch was in stainless steel, rest were two-tone I believe. Only had a quick glance but they all had price tags without the display only sign.

Thanks

[Divingdeep87]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

Makes me giggle a bit when someone thinks them offering you a $40K PM watch is a special treat. No they just want to get rid of the overhead of stocking it. PM’s were the last to leave the cases and will be the first to return.

So true. Same with nearly every two tone except daytona and yachtmaster, explorers, Milgauss and Air King..

[logix1229]

slate datejust 41 a couple months ago. walked in to ask about it and luckily they had one available.

[FYDC]

Walked in and was offered a DD 36 rose gold in December. Nice watch. Seemed to be their only one for sale that day. SA said they’ll put one or two out every once in a while and they don’t last long.

[MattGraham88]

Was looking for myself yesterday but walked out with a date just 31 for my Mum. Was offered a rose gold sky dweller in Heathrow Terminal 2 today but waiting on the DD40 or OF Daytona!

[alphadweller]

Not snce 2020.

[maodonald]

Yes Super Bowl Sunday 2021. Walked into a boutique and was offered a 126610LV as my very first Rolex.

[vila251]

I emailed a local AD about a submariner or gmt that I was interested in. We chatted back and forth via email and was ask to come in when I get a chance. Was told me to ask for so and so sales lady and her husband will be there also. Went in last Friday and spoke with the sales lady and the owner. The owner later came out from the back and offered me a submariner with date. I was in shocked and took the offer to made the purchase. No purchase history and first time there!

[GGGMT]

1995. Just graduated. Walked in. And then out. Thought about if I had the $2250. And then back in. And then out. And in. Then With this:




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[NYC2023]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

1995. Just graduated. Walked in. And then out. Thought about if I had the $2250. And then back in. And then out. And in. Then With this:

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Beautiful!!!

[Harry-57]

Polar 2017, Z Blue 2018, OP36 Grape 2020, White TT Sky Dweller 2020, and a BLNR 2020 which I declined.

[goldmaes]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

Makes me giggle a bit when someone thinks them offering you a $40K PM watch is a special treat. No they just want to get rid of the overhead of stocking it. PM’s were the last to leave the cases and will be the first to return.

Always makes me laugh when someone is a loud mouth online, when in fact we all know what they are like in real life. When you are interested in a watch and can’t find it for years, it’s a good day when offered the watch. No one on here asked for your snark.

[Ny325]

Walked in, and was offered a gaudy blue dial, with diamonds 36mm DateJust. I said no thank you.

[Dirt]

The last walk in that i walked out with was 11 years ago. Before that it would've been 10 years prior for a highly sought after reference.
But I have been offered a very highly sought after reference on a walk in around 2019 which I had been talking with the dealer about for a fair while but I graciously declined.
Prior to that there were 2 others but I wasn't overly interested so I declined those as well.
From my perspective a relationship with the dealer makes all the difference

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

1995. Just graduated. Walked in. And then out. Thought about if I had the $2250. And then back in. And then out. And in. Then With this:




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Sensational

[dba]

Yes, I walked into a Granat Bros. store in Concord, CA and bought my first Rolex, a GMT II.

This occurred in 1984.

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by goldmaes

I had the amazing fortune right after Christmas, to walk into an AD while wearing my 116655 Yachtmaster, struck up a conversation about watches and 10 minutes later was offered a PM Submarinier (126618LN). I know I was incredibly lucky, but is this unheard of or have any of you had similar experiences recently? I’d love to hear the stories and what you received.

Gather’round Kids! Let me tell you the story about a magical time period in watch collecting called 1916 - 2017… It was a time before IG stories and influencers and cartoons worth a million dollars one day and a penny a week later… it was a glorious time to tell time and stores had what you wanted… but it all begins in…

[russ86]

Pre covid (hype) yes, 100% and I always bough what I wanted because displays and safes were full of watches. After covid (hype) also yes but nothing that I purchased was out of the display, always something from the safe and whatever was available at a time and only because of long hefty purchase history.

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by goldmaes

Sure did! Was on my list of wants.

Congrats


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[rg9390]

2008: Kermit; 2014: SS White Daytona; 2019: Explorer I (39mm)

None since then. Recently, faster wait (new air-king) was two weeks.

[cloudken]

Originally Posted by goldmaes

Always makes me laugh when someone is a loud mouth online, when in fact we all know what they are like in real life. When you are interested in a watch and can’t find it for years, it’s a good day when offered the watch. No one on here asked for your snark.

He's telling the truth though, that watch isn't that hard to get, never was, and you could save a lot by getting it on the grey market these days.

All due respect, this type of watch used to be the quintessential relationship builders watch where a flipper would purchase this and flip at break even or small loss in order to get the hotter SS models. Now that it's a down watch market and flipper crackdown, this and most PM, TT stuff are fairly available to new customers.

[Mukamuka]

Last week in Las Vegas. Walked in and asked if there was anything for sale and got shown a SS Exp 1 36mm, instantly bought it. No prior history at this AD.

[sinkholeninja]

In 2015 I got my SD4K from WOS on Regent Street in London as a walk-in, and I even asked the salesperson not to sell me the one in the display, which he was about to, but to get a new one from the safe. He obliged

Then in 2019, I got Explorer I as a walk-in from WOS on New Bond Street and unfortunately, been dry ever since.

[goldmaes]

Originally Posted by cloudken

He's telling the truth though, that watch isn't that hard to get, never was, and you could save a lot by getting it on the grey market these days.

All due respect, this type of watch used to be the quintessential relationship builders watch where a flipper would purchase this and flip at break even or small loss in order to get the hotter SS models. Now that it's a down watch market and flipper crackdown, this and most PM, TT stuff are fairly available to new customers.

Your point is fair and valid without being rude like the previous poster. The past several years everything has been hard to get and truth be told, you never really know if you are actually on “a list” or not. My work has me moving quite a bit so it makes establishing a relationship with a singular AD that much harder. I was more than happy to unexpectedly find one.

As far as saving money by going grey, I could only save by purchasing used vs new. There is not a single watch on Chrono24 that is less and even on Moda the pricing isn’t better and I don’t have to worry if it is legit. Additionally, I really don’t care what the flippers do with a watch like mine. It isn’t any less desirable than a more sought after SS model, there are just less people who can play at that price level so the demand is less.

Last but not least, if you read the posts, almost no one has found something desirable at an AD for the last several years. I haven’t seen anyone mention a Sub, GMT, etc. The next several years will be interesting. So many flippers will be buried in watches that they over paid for and at the same time they won’t be able to sell them at a loss without being seriously upside down. I imagine the few surviving big greys will attempt to control inventory to keep the market propped up much like the banks holding on to underwater homes when the bubble burst. I imagine this is why you are seeing Rolex enter the CPO business. Then again, who knows? It is just speculation.