Frustrated to no end

[BNABOD]

So this isn’t the first time we have heard of unavailable watches from Rolex since it is a daily report by watch lovers and speculators alike, going to ADs leaving empty handed ....

My story is the one of someone passionate with watches (I even put some together on my own)but ready to simply call it quits with this enormous bs that is the current Rolex market.

So over 1.5 years ago in March, 3 days post Basel I put my name down w 5K cash at my local AD for the elusive blro. I was told like most that it would take a while but was #3 on their list (which was true since I ended up seeing their books later on that year). the first year the store sold at least 2 blro so I was told yup buddy next one is for you even though I was a tad suspicious and this was in Nov of last year ......so like a good puppy I waited until today.

Well, today here I go to check in and to my dismay the Rolex displays are all gone (fancy ones they were) and replaced by a ficus tree and a couch .....my suspicion is they sold out the back door and got caught


I start chatting w the head oncho which confirms that THEY just dropped Rolex since apparently they were too difficult to work with .....doubt it but whatev , gut punched and crotch kicked I asked what now? ....don’t worry a check is written and on its way to you ....k sounds good but this blows.

So here I am like a complete dumb a$$ after 1.5 year and some change waiting (some had been apparently on a list for 3 years for a Daytona and had paid in full) being told that hey sorry bud no soup for you. So I call another local ad the last one around here and they say sure but it will be five years ...fast forward an hour and after discussing w another ad 3 hours away i get to find out that the one that just told me 5 year wait is also losing its status. WTF...

So where I am at now is wanting to say F this hobby I really don’t need this crap in my life . Yeah yeah yeah go grey pay twice as much for something that isn’t a 18k product no thanks . Not a principle issue or a virtue moment simply is I work too hard to throw money out of the window.

So I pick myself up called two ads in my state that require in person deposits but they are three hours away one way. More but punch, but I am sorry i am not driving 3 hours one way to pay full deposit for a watch I might see in three years. It is a watch not a kidney.

So imho this is intended to be a fun hobby with folks that care more about the watch than making a few bucks out of it . The speculators have essentially ruined it for me.
Yeah I can go to other brands I experienced omega iwc ...and I am not interested in them anymore. Yeah I could go truly upmarket with VC but in all honesty what I want to do now is grab my decent collection and sell it all.


Maybe I will feel differently in the morning but when a hobby becomes a hassle to purchase an item for 10 grand where you have to drive 6 hours to possibly see a watch in three years or when you get screwed by your Ad then it is idiotic at best and insulting at worse .


End of rant

[drtii]

That's awful, man. I'm sorry to hear that. I feel like you should be able to collect interest on that $5k, but even then, they owe you a watch. That's unreal.

I've seen plenty of AD's drop brands or go out of business over the last 20 years so I have no illusions about how common this is. It's really luck of the draw and the fact you waited 18 months to get nowhere is a bunch of crap.

[jb335]

I know it's frustrating, but it's just a watch. I would love to walk in to an AD and buy a few pieces at retail, but I am not VIP enough. Oh well. It's not that big of a deal, so don't get so worked up over it.

[bronzeband00]

That is too bad, but don't let it get to you. They definitely owe you

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by jb335

I know it's frustrating, but it's just a watch. I would love to walk in to an AD and buy a few pieces at retail, but I am not VIP enough. Oh well. It's not that big of a deal, so don't get so worked up over it.

You are absolutely correct it is just a watch but it essentially ruins the experience of owning something which is more my complaint than not even getting the watch itself .

Do i need the watch , heck no, do I want to enjoy it once I have it yeah but to go through this nonsensical bs day in and day out for a watch is just pathetic . Look I know this is a first world problem and in the grand skim of things utterly meaningless but part of the point of a luxury purchase is the process to acquire said luxury. If I have to fly to the amazon forest and back and climb Everest for it then screw it .

[mactruck]

That's the first pin hole in the Rolex bubble. I sense a pop coming.

[pepsiretail]

I don't blame you for being a little hot right now.

If I ever start to get this way about a watch I tell myself

"I am so lucky to be able to get worked up about it"

[SlideRacker]

Do what I do. Have some other hobbies.

[M45]

They ignore customers with cash on hand.

There are mysterious waiting lists that may or may not be real, and your standing on them is questionable.

Dealers may be doing gray deals out the back door.

But the last straw is taking deposits on something they can't reserve for you or guarantee to deliver. At least you're getting your money back.

[TickTockChuck]

Sorry to hear of your Rolex AD frustrations. I think a lot of folks can relate. I too have been on a list since March of 2018 for the elusive BLRO, but I'm way, way down the list. Greed has ruined the hobby (at least for now). It seems to have started with the DaytonaC and spread to even Datejusts recently so I've heard here. The whole thing is just so absurd. I've stopped going into ADs since it usually is a dismal experience. It's basically a runaway train. Maybe Rolex pulled the AD status of your store since they got caught selling to Greys (?). They definitely would have had your BLRO in hand if you were #3. Give it a week or two to chill out before doing anything rash. It's nice to appreciate what you already have, actually for all aspects of life. Make sure you get your deposit back and good luck. Cheers!

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by pepsiretail

I don't blame you for being a little hot right now.



If I ever start to get this way about a watch I tell myself



"I am so lucky to be able to get worked up about it"

A little hot is right and I have no doubt it will pass. Yes in some way I am lucky but what I really want to say is that Rolex is the lucky one when people are willing to put up w this nonsense. Maybe it is the, i can’t have it syndrome but I have no idea how sustainable it will be for them in the long run . They have weathered many economic crisis but the past is no indication of the future ...

[zjd168]

sorry to know that

[metdrdg]

Agree with the others it’s just a watch at the end of the day. If you can’t wait any longer nothing wrong with going to the greys. That said if you want to play it safe just go to an official Rolex store and try to get on a list. Sadly I think more and more ADs will close - personally I think it’s a smart play for Rolex. Realistically most people are willing to travel to get their grail watch.

[Tokyo Mike]

That's life.

[z32turbo]

I’d be frustrated too, don’t blame you. Taking a deposit is a red flag for me. A reputable AD knows they can sell watches without cash in advance.

[watchmework]

That's super disappointing and sorry to hear about what happened. The state of things right now is undoubtedly presenting some serious challenges for those that want the most popular pieces. This doesn't help your cause but I'm sure you're not the only one who was dealt this misfortune. And as much as you don't want to pay the market price for the watch, this could all be over tomorrow and you could have it on your wrist. The price to pay for this convenience is obviously quite high but it's an option, nonetheless. Wish you luck going forward and hope you'll be able to eventually acquire the watch, it's worth all the heartache.

[TickTockChuck]

Originally Posted by SlideRacker

Do what I do. Have some other hobbies.

Amen to that!!

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by TickTockChuck

Sorry to hear of your Rolex AD frustrations. I think a lot of folks can relate. I too have been on a list since March of 2018 for the elusive BLRO, but I'm way, way down the list. Greed has ruined the hobby (at least for now). It seems to have started with the DaytonaC and spread to even Datejusts recently so I've heard here. The whole thing is just so absurd. I've stopped going into ADs since it usually is a dismal experience. It's basically a runaway train. Maybe Rolex pulled the AD status of your store since they got caught selling to Greys (?). They definitely would have had your BLRO in hand if you were #3. Give it a week or two to chill out before doing anything rash. It nice to appreciate what you have already, actually for all aspects of life. Make sure you get your deposit back and good luck. Cheers!

Good advice thanks

I can tell you that the guy knew way too much about a particular grey dealer located in the same town. I can also tell you I was offered a iwc HODINKEE special that I turned down and 3 weeks later ended up on the website of said grey dealer so year color me suspicious ;)

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by z32turbo

I’d be frustrated too, don’t blame you. Taking a deposit is a red flag for me. A reputable AD knows they can sell watches without cash in advance.

The funny thing is that AD is very reputed here and has a lot of other nice brands ...so they must have royally screwed around at least that is my speculation

[patrickjb]

Feel your pain, I think majority of us have hit our breaking point.

[Tokyo Mike]

Tissues?

[Muxi]

I know it is no consolation but I finally tried a different brand after much thought and pulled the trigger on an AP. (Knock on wood) So far, ownership experience is truly fantastic. Online product registration in my name provides AP with purchase history and the opportunity to take care of me better.

On the other hand, I have 3 Daytonas, a YG DD36, a Sub, an Sd40, an SS SkyD and an Explorer 1 and nothing from Rolex. Not even a Christmas Card.

[MickCollins1916]

My AD got dropped by Rolex this year too, and though they didn’t have any cash of mine in hand at the time, it means the one or two watches I was interested in and “at the top of the list” for would never come.

I popped in a second AD I have had a good relationship with in my hometown of Buffalo last week; they had squat in the case - a TT Daytona, YG sub LB, and a few YG DDs - but explained they’ll happily text me when new sports models arrive, but will only sell me watches if I am standing there in the flesh, and can no longer sell me watches over the phone, as they have in the past. I’m in town frequently, so we’ll see whether interests and opportunity align at some point.

They also acted as if I should have been peeing my pants with happiness at the very exciting and once in a lifetime opportunity they were offering me that day to purchase the one TT RG Datejust 41 they had in the case, and pushed on me relentlessly in the few minutes I bothered to spend there...which wasn’t a piece that interested me. Nah.

I’m bored with it all and branching out into other things. It’s too complicated and I don’t wait well.

[Jacentito]

the other thing that burns me about the deposit ordeal, is the S&P 500 is up over 13% this year. The opportunity cost of that deposit would drive me nuts.

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by watchmework

That's super disappointing and sorry to hear about what happened. The state of things right now is undoubtedly presenting some serious challenges for those that want the most popular pieces. This doesn't help your cause but I'm sure you're not the only one who was dealt this misfortune. And as much as you don't want to pay the market price for the watch, this could all be over tomorrow and you could have it on your wrist. The price to pay for this convenience is obviously quite high but it's an option, nonetheless. Wish you luck going forward and hope you'll be able to eventually acquire the watch, it's worth all the heartache.

It could be all over tomorrow but a 9k Watch for 18 is a hard pill to swallow even for someone that does pretty good financially. I agree the item is red hot now but it isn’t that special either . No fancy hand beveling no special markers or dial or polish to perfection it is a very robust piece yes but not 18k in my book . If Rolex priced it at 18k I would say ok then I am out because I don’t see it being 18k. So I suppose I need to move on or wait for all the speculators to get burned.

[RHIII]

That really stinks.

Only light at the end of the tunnel I can pull from this - is that if Rolex starts pulling more AD status - due to shenanigans — this might eventually help the ‘situation’.

Thing is the ADs - even large ones are unable to fill all the desires of their VIPs - which makes it even more difficult. The VIP ‘wait’ is even fairly substantial for some references.

I have a feeling some normalization is coming....


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[Nikrnic]

You got sold out.

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Mike

Tissues?

You want the politically correct response or how I truly feel ?

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by RHIII

That really stinks.

Only light at the end of the tunnel I can pull from this - is that if Rolex starts pulling more AD status - due to shenanigans — this might eventually help the ‘situation’.

Thing is the ADs - even large ones are unable to fill all the desires of their VIPs - which makes it even more difficult. The VIP ‘wait’ is even fairly substantial for some references.

I have a feeling some normalization is coming....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, maybe it will normalize I am not sure and I hear a Rolex Boutique might be coming here but then again I won’t be at the top since I am no whale . So kind of a mute point for now ....

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by Jacentito

the other thing that burns me about the deposit ordeal, is the S&P 500 is up over 13% this year. The opportunity cost of that deposit would drive me nuts.

And there is that too but tbh it isn’t at all about the dough that I put upfront it is about getting the shaft and I don’t like it.