AD today: "They're coming"

[AJMarcus]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

Just to clarify since many responses keyed in on the phrase "ramping up"... it was specifically "ramping back up", as in back to pre-covid levels. No one is suggesting they are going to start making 5M watches a year just because we want more. But at the same time, it seems absurd to think that they will stay at the reduced covid levels indefinitely as well. I've seen a blurred face interview with an AD who mentioned getting "just over half" of the inventory in 2020 that he received in 2019, so in that sense just getting back to the normal version of insanity might be a substantial improvement over the covid edition (i.e. "low inventory" trumps "no inventory").

Anyway, just passing it along, not suggesting anyone should bet on it.

Thanks for passing it on and further clarifying. Here’s hoping Rolex can rise to the occasion. I honestly believe Rolex already lost a generation to Omega, Breitling, Zenith, and even Cartier who are all doing amazing things and at better competitive price points.

[McinRolex]

In the end Rolex will have to come up with the long term strategy to keep their existing customers happy and new generations to come.

Of course scarcity plays its part big time in shorter terms (3-4 years), but in the long term it will only be good for gray dealers, not Rolex.

[Cuts33]

"A crown for every achievement."

Fine print: please inquire with your local authorized dealer when your child starts college and MAYBE by graduation we will have your watch available.

[McinRolex]

Originally Posted by Cuts33

"A crown for every achievement."

Fine print: please inquire with your local authorized dealer when your child starts college and MAYBE by graduation we will have your watch available.

If he/she ever graduates.

[Freespeach]

Me thinks differently...
Since I am paying for college they can buy me the watch when they graduate. :)

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

She replied, "oh yeah, we did, and they said they are ramping back up and don't worry, "they're coming"".

A sales rep acting smart .

[CalAlumnus]

It’s a tricky question. If Rolex thinks these demand increases are permanent, of course they should increase production capacity or prices (at least, to a degree). No sense in letting grey dealers capture so much of the value.

However, if Rolex believes the demand increases are temporary, they should just ride this out. Increasing production by, say, 25% would probably require significant CapEx and new employee training costs. If demand will return to where it was in 2014 by 2023, Rolex won’t be able to recoup that investment.

Similarly, if they raise prices now to reduce demand, but then have consumer interest drop by 2023, they will burn a lot of good will by having to cut prices.

[garyk]

I wonder if Rolex executives or marketing personnel visit sites like this which are full of praise but also dissatisfaction at some of the shenanigans and AD crap?? Hope so...

[HiBoost]

Originally Posted by Freespeach

You may be missing the point.

Part of collecting is the fact that others can not obtain.
Be it stamps, watches, or baseball cards.
If everyone could easily get a Babe Ruth rookie card...what would the point of collecting be?
Rolex by limiting access creates perceived scarcity.

From a horology perspective...outside the SkyDweller...Rolex does not create a super complication.
Beyond its history and continued reminder of such in its marketing...Rolex horological value is a thing of the past.
All my watches I own, I wear. They are not in display cases.

If folks wanted something to just tell time, be waterproof, and be a quality watch...Rolex should not be the first choice, while good, not the best nor worth the price.

Rolex value comes with the name and the fact that not everyone can either afford nor obtain one.

If you could get any Rolex whenever you wanted they would be sold down at the WallyMart.

Bottomline: Thank you Rolex, keep up the good work. Feel free to limit supply even more.

I don't believe I'm missing the point (though admittedly people who are missing the point rarely realize it haha). You seem to be addressing "collecting" specifically. My point was that there are lots of other reasons people love watches. It certainly isn't just about rarity. My mother-in-law texts us weekly to be on the lookout for some penny from some year with some letter on it because it's worth half a million dollars now. I literally couldn't force myself to spend 1 minute searching a coin dealer for such a thing. Just have no interest at all. Rare? Yes. Valuable? Apparently. Interesting? Nope.

People buy Corvettes and 911s, not because they are hard to acquire, but because they love the machines themselves, or their history and evolution, or some combination of the two. So it goes with an Omega Speedmaster. I love mine to death. It took zero effort to acquire and anybody who wants one can get one too. So what? If that alone made me not want it anymore than I never liked it to begin with. I just craved the "my toy, not yours" aspect which is silly to me (but perhaps not to a pure "collector").

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by garyk

I wonder if Rolex executives or marketing personnel visit sites like this which are full of praise but also dissatisfaction at some of the shenanigans and AD crap?? Hope so...

No, we don’t- I MEAN. No.. they don’t.

[mk2jag]

any watches that come in whenever, whatever and wherever will be bought up quicker then lightning.....

[VacherObsessive]

Originally Posted by rjstuf001

Dufour's gotta go. Get someone else in there who can fix this mess.

Fix what? Selling every one of the million Rolex that they make?

[stanleyleecm]

They are coming...straight to the grey.

[mattmc1973]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

I don't believe I'm missing the point (though admittedly people who are missing the point rarely realize it haha). You seem to be addressing "collecting" specifically. My point was that there are lots of other reasons people love watches. It certainly isn't just about rarity. My mother-in-law texts us weekly to be on the lookout for some penny from some year with some letter on it because it's worth half a million dollars now. I literally couldn't force myself to spend 1 minute searching a coin dealer for such a thing. Just have no interest at all. Rare? Yes. Valuable? Apparently. Interesting? Nope.

People buy Corvettes and 911s, not because they are hard to acquire, but because they love the machines themselves, or their history and evolution, or some combination of the two. So it goes with an Omega Speedmaster. I love mine to death. It took zero effort to acquire and anybody who wants one can get one too. So what? If that alone made me not want it anymore than I never liked it to begin with. I just craved the "my toy, not yours" aspect which is silly to me (but perhaps not to a pure "collector").

Bingo. Most people buying a Rolex aren't collectors seeking the rarest. I would bet most people are just looking to acquire a nice status watch. And right now they can't. The example of Babe Ruth card rarity isn't comparable. Vintage collectibles like a Babe Ruth card, a 1959 Les Paul, or a Superman #1 comic are expensive because there were only so many made, there will never be more, and only a few have survived the passage of time. In this case, we're not talking about that. This is a currently produced consumer product. If they made 20% more Submariners, there would just be more people with Submariners. It would not devalue anyone's watch, except its grey market value. Even if they made 50% more, not "everyone" would have one. Most people don't want to spend $10k on a watch.

[liberalclown]

Originally Posted by Freespeach

If you could get any Rolex whenever you wanted they would be sold down at the WallyMart.

Weren’t they available a decade ago, to all public, even with a discount?

That availability never tainted the brand recognition, in fact it even helped it. Rolex was always Rolex, thats why it is THE watch for promotion, wedding, retirement gifts.

[teck21]

Originally Posted by liberalclown

Weren’t they available a decade ago, to all public, even with a discount?

That availability never tainted the brand recognition, in fact it even helped it. Rolex was always Rolex, thats why it is THE watch for promotion, wedding, retirement gifts.

Rolex has evolved, and moved with the times. The world today is very different from the world, economically and technologically.

For years, the functionality of mechanical wristwatches was come under attack and displacement by quartz, then smart watches.

Unless Rolex wanted to compete on functionality, by turning into a tech company for example, it has had to evolve.

And clearly moving up the luxury chain is how they have survived, and even thrived under the challenge of technology.

Luxury today means no more selling at a discount, no more cheap distribution methods.

No more selling to the masses. What you say didn’t taint Rolex over the years is the past. They will taint if today.

Luxury items are all about evoking feelings of envy in other people.

When was the last time anyone actually heard ‘A crown for every achievement?’ They’re heading for ‘more’ achievement than ever before.

It’s no longer the watch to celebrate a promotion, a wedding whatever. Unless you are prepared to spend big.

The WIS who cannot, or will not pay the necessary dollar is a casualty of Rolex’s battle for survival and relevance on people’s wrists.

There is no turning back for Rolex.

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[superspectral]

Rolex is already becoming the brand that more evokes hanging out with the "Wall Street Bets" crowd rather than serious prestige and accomplishment. Rolex will have jumped the shark when the average Joe doesn't see something really special on someone's wrist but just another Dogecoin. Rolex is pretty darn close.

[Jackie Daytona]

Originally Posted by teck21

Rolex has evolved, and moved with the times. The world today is very different from the world, economically and technologically.

For years, the functionality of mechanical wristwatches was come under attack and displacement by quartz, then smart watches.

Unless Rolex wanted to compete on functionality, by turning into a tech company for example, it has had to evolve.

And clearly moving up the luxury chain is how they have survived, and even thrived under the challenge of technology.

Luxury today means no more selling at a discount, no more cheap distribution methods.

No more selling to the masses. What you say didn’t taint Rolex over the years is the past. They will taint if today.

Luxury items are all about evoking feelings of envy in other people.

When was the last time anyone actually heard ‘A crown for every achievement?’ They’re heading for ‘more’ achievement than ever before.

It’s no longer the watch to celebrate a promotion, a wedding whatever. Unless you are prepared to spend big.

The WIS who cannot, or will not pay the necessary dollar is a casualty of Rolex’s battle for survival and relevance on people’s wrists.

There is no turning back for Rolex.

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Well said.

[Edb5020]

Originally Posted by 007timer

I spoke to my SA and they had the same training last week.

No mention from Rolex on a time line. He did share this with me “we received 114 watch delivery that landed we unpacked on Saturday. EVERY single watch was sold by Sunday”


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I call BS on that.

[ac_eddings]

I called my AD in regards to a BLRO and he said he can probably have one for me within the next couple of months. Hope this is true.

[tla]

Originally Posted by Kostas

Customer walks in to an AD " do you have any Steel Daytonas?"

AD - " yeah we have dozens, Rolex opened the flood gates, white / black dials you name it! how many would you like?"

Customer- "Ahhh hmmm , can you discount them?"

AD - " Sure, we have an oversupply now , we can give 15% off, which one would you like?

Customer - " ahhh ok, on second thoughts i might leave it "

Yup. Agree. If it’s readily available. Demand will drop.


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[Master_Grogu]

Originally Posted by ac_eddings

I called my AD in regards to a BLRO and he said he can probably have one for me within the next couple of months. Hope this is true.

Lies, deceptions!

[jb335]

LOL. No offense to OP but I have seen these threads regularly for a couple of years now and nothing comes of it. I have even heard similar stories from very convincing ADs myself. Remember when the rumor was Rolex was going to start running their factories 24 hours a day? Lol..

And how is Rolex about to lose a generation of customers??? Demand and hype has never been higher. They are not losing anyone. Ignore some of the grumpy people here saying they are switching brands, they are the exception and probably aren't really switching anyway.

[CHRONOLEX]

I hope when this ramp-up occurs, they don't mess up the cyclops mags again!!

[JUSTIFIED]

Originally Posted by SubMillennial

I am 30 so think count as that younger generation. The truth is right now probably 5% or less of us are even lucky enough to be in positions to afford one. But among my social and professional circle, which is admittedly skewed towards a more affluent socioeconomic strata, the above just isn't true. Phones, wearables; while branding is still big, it's still a lot more of a utilitarian consideration than about brand signaling. Apple is king and yet a top end iphone is still a whole heck of a lot closer to $0 than even an entry level OP. And not, in my opinion, perceived as a luxury good and is in no way compared with Rolex at all.

We might not be wearing Rolex watches en masse but in my experience the brand still has a great amount of salience, miles more than any other, and I predict as millennials begin to accrue more wealth and become the predominant spending cohort, Rolex will be in just as much demand as ever. It won't matter at all which public figures from half a century ago wore the brand. And it's not like there's a shortage of modern super celebs like Drake who sport Rolex timepieces.

Just look at cars. We're still buying Audi, BMW, Lexus, and none of those brands have nearly the intraindustry dominance Rolex SA does.

Agree! I have 4 sons who are at 30 or younger. My oldest owns his own business and does very well. He has Pateks, APs, iWatch and .....3 Rolexes. My 2nd oldest has a Rolex. Rolex has cachet that most brands only dream of.

[Mystro]

Sooner or later one of these predictions will come true.

[fsprow]

I just got back from China and several people told me that the “in” people have moved on from Rolex upscale to Patek, AP, Lange etc. Maybe this will mean more for other markets - or be bad news for the brand. Who knows?

[RoscoPico]

yup was just explaining to my son about watch prices, to the best of my ability, and heard myself saying rolex used to be a great utility watch, not quite available to all but to an extent yes. definitely not the case any longer

[RotorSelfWinding]

Originally Posted by garyk

I wonder if Rolex executives or marketing personnel visit sites like this which are full of praise but also dissatisfaction at some of the shenanigans and AD crap?? Hope so...

Meh. hopefully not. Replacing ADs with boutiques would raise all the prices for sure.

[Oystersteel]

Originally Posted by fsprow

I just got back from China and several people told me that the “in” people have moved on from Rolex upscale to Patek, AP, Lange etc. Maybe this will mean more for other markets - or be bad news for the brand. Who knows?

Good riddance. More for us.