Anyone experiencing this? Looking to get a 41mm DJ for Xmas, and my AD in Toronto said it’s unavailable, even for preorder. My specs are not picky and I’m not sure if covid halted supplies or if people are flipping these watches. I’m sick of this reseller games we apparently have to play.
Rolex shortage?
- Thread starter Cinderelladress
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
I think it is a little of everything. Part of it is a lot of people have been home and postponing travel and are spending that money on luxury goods. Part of it is covid related and part of it is people who have no intention of wearing the watches and just want to make a quick buck.
Try calling every other week and see if one "becomes available." It probably wouldn't hurt to contact another AD too.
Try calling every other week and see if one "becomes available." It probably wouldn't hurt to contact another AD too.
There is so much demand for Rolex all over the world, the most recognizable watch brand, maybe the most recognizable luxury brand. And the steel sports models go for double, triple, sometimes more on the grey market. Last week, Rolex commented on the shortage on a yahoo finance story and it was very strange in the watch industry for them to comment, let alone there. This is what Rolex stated:
"The scarcity of our products is not a strategy on our part. Our current production cannot meet the existing demand in an exhaustive way, at least not without reducing the quality of our watches – something we refuse to do as the quality of our products must never be compromised. This level of excellence requires time, and as we have always done, we will continue to take the necessary time to ensure that all our watches not only comply with our standards of excellence, but also meet the expectations of our customers in terms of quality, reliability and robustness. Rolex does not compromise on what it takes to produce exceptional watches.
All Rolex watches are developed and produced in-house at our four sites in Switzerland. They are assembled by hand, with extreme care, to meet the brand's unique and high-quality standards of quality, performance and aesthetics. Understandably, this naturally restricts our production capacities – which we continue to increase as much as possible and always according to our quality criteria.
Finally, it should be noted that Rolex watches are available exclusively from official retailers, who independently manage the allocation of watches to customers."
– ROLEX
"The scarcity of our products is not a strategy on our part. Our current production cannot meet the existing demand in an exhaustive way, at least not without reducing the quality of our watches – something we refuse to do as the quality of our products must never be compromised. This level of excellence requires time, and as we have always done, we will continue to take the necessary time to ensure that all our watches not only comply with our standards of excellence, but also meet the expectations of our customers in terms of quality, reliability and robustness. Rolex does not compromise on what it takes to produce exceptional watches.
All Rolex watches are developed and produced in-house at our four sites in Switzerland. They are assembled by hand, with extreme care, to meet the brand's unique and high-quality standards of quality, performance and aesthetics. Understandably, this naturally restricts our production capacities – which we continue to increase as much as possible and always according to our quality criteria.
Finally, it should be noted that Rolex watches are available exclusively from official retailers, who independently manage the allocation of watches to customers."
– ROLEX
This link explains the shortage of Rolex on certain designs https://timeandtidewatches.com/the-scarcity-of-our-products-is-not-a-strategy-rolex-watch-shortage/
Worth the read
Worth the read
Anyone shopped recently?
Mine was stolen and I'd like to replace it relatively quickly. Am I SOL?
Mine was stolen and I'd like to replace it relatively quickly. Am I SOL?
D
Deleted 698298
My friend is trying to get her first Rolex and now I have to listen to her frustration over the whole process. She enquired abroad and not even ‘waiting lists’ open due to shortage. In the UK the ADs aren’t taking deposits because they don’t know how long is their ‘wait list’…they won’t tell which model would be easier to get…it’s all mystery and secrecy. So, so strange and annoying to her.
I met with an AD here in the U.K. & put my name down for a ladies datejust at the end of December. We got on really well (she supported the same football team as my hubby). While there I bought I black Hublot watch. I then got the call in March that my watch was in.
I’m also after a 31mm OP in turquoise but given how popular year are I’ve asked my cousin to get it through his AD instead (has a great buying history with them)
I’m also after a 31mm OP in turquoise but given how popular year are I’ve asked my cousin to get it through his AD instead (has a great buying history with them)
It's been a tough time trying to get a Rolex anywhere near me (Toronto/GTA).
I just wanted a OP 34/36mm and not the popular colours either (Champagne dial).
Every AD I asked have said they haven't had any in stock for a few months and they do first come first serve
I don't want to buy from the grey market because it's way more than that watch is worth and it's also a journey to get the watch authenticated.
Any ladies here who knows the Toronto market for Rolex please give me some tips and advice!
I just wanted a OP 34/36mm and not the popular colours either (Champagne dial).
Every AD I asked have said they haven't had any in stock for a few months and they do first come first serve
I don't want to buy from the grey market because it's way more than that watch is worth and it's also a journey to get the watch authenticated.
Any ladies here who knows the Toronto market for Rolex please give me some tips and advice!
Rolex is like Hermes these days, you need to spend to be offered a watch. Sports watches are impossible to get without considerable spend history with the dealer, women's DJ you might have more luck but you will still need to wait list to receive an offer. For a sports watch I would go secondary market but be prepared to spend well over retail, unless you have significant history with your dealer. For women's DJ I would wait list if possible and wait it out, as they are not as popular so you should still be able to get in store in time, to speed up the process consider buying another item.
We have been to a Rolex dealer on Saturday and they told us that due to Covid many investors bought all watches from the market and prices went up due to shortages. They have a certain amount of Rolex watches instore but only to show to customers not to sell. There are waitlists existing but it might take up to 4 years to get the selected Rolex! In US or Asia it might not take that long but in Europe it‘s longest time to wait. Rolex serves US and Asian markets first they said.
It just super sucks that a lot of their customers end up buying the watch and flipping it for double in the grey market. It really takes the joy out of owning something nice for more than what it's worth once you go grey market. There's also a risk of parts replaced and not getting an entirely authentic watch.
I recently bought my first Rolex over the weekend from my local AD. Here's what I take from the experience.... YES, there's a shortage overall, BUT AD have watches. They are just not on display. I knew the owner of the AD from another connection and he was more than willing to show me 3 models to select from last week all in oystersteel. If you have a budget for gold, than there are definitely watches out there. The AD did tell me that all stores are really trying to limit any Rolex purchases to local residents. They don't want people flying in from all over to scoop up inventory. It really did feel like trying to buy a Birkin, haha. My AD was also very honest tat if we didn't have a mutual friend connection, I would not be purchasing a watch. Also, this being my first purchase, the AD still has my warranty card. He says he holds on to it for about 30 days to make sure the watch is fully registered in their system. No sure if this is also a tactic to prevent watch flipping right away? I'm sure this isn't what you want to here, but if you have watch gurus in your pocket, ask if they can help you make an AD connections.