Rolex shortage?

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#46
suumo said:
It's ironic how Rolex AD here, all of them in Singapore have close to nothing on display for sale but just few exhibition models. While down the block, a grey market watch store has a bunch of new Rolex, boxes, papers etc with protective sticker still intact, demanding a huge premium/mark up.
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Yes! I noticed that in the Singapore grey market too! Log in Carousell and I found fresh from oven watches! So I book an appointment with a grey market dealer to buy. The OP I bought was 2x the price of retail, full set and recently dated; Its Feb 2023 set, the day I bought from the grey market is 2 March 2023 meaning its totally fresh from oven! Can't believe it!

I was very surprised how come I wait long long no call but grey market flooded with new fresh full sets?
 
#47
VintageCC said:
I am on the wait list for a OP 36mm in Candy Pink. Been waiting for 7 months and no call at all. Probably I will never get mine as I heard its a very popular watch.

I am based in Singapore. Regardless of global recession, Singapore market seems not affected at all. I went to the grey dealer for the Candy Pink OP as I cannot wait, and am surprised business is sooo good at the grey dealer's shop! Customers keep coming in and out to buy a watch, business is non-stopping! Moreover, it's a weekday (Tuesday).
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Are you sure you want the op? It’s not a jubilee bracelet nor fluted bezel and so that watch will scratch like crazy. You’ll have to be super careful. Prepandemic none of the op were popular. It’s only after Rolex released these fun colors that they started to become popular. You won’t be able to stack any bangles next to the rolex. Well you could but the consequences wouldn’t be worth it. I also would not pay gray market for that. If you’re patient enough things might get better.
 
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#48
VintageCC said:
I am on the wait list for a OP 36mm in Candy Pink. Been waiting for 7 months and no call at all. Probably I will never get mine as I heard its a very popular watch.

I am based in Singapore. Regardless of global recession, Singapore market seems not affected at all. I went to the grey dealer for the Candy Pink OP as I cannot wait, and am surprised business is sooo good at the grey dealer's shop! Customers keep coming in and out to buy a watch, business is non-stopping! Moreover, it's a weekday (Tuesday).
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Did you end up buying the pink Rolex through the grey dealer? If so, make sure you post some pics :)
 
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#50
SDC2003 said:
Are you sure you want the op? It’s not a jubilee bracelet nor fluted bezel and so that watch will scratch like crazy. You’ll have to be super careful. Prepandemic none of the op were popular. It’s only after Rolex released these fun colors that they started to become popular. You won’t be able to stack any bangles next to the rolex. Well you could but the consequences wouldn’t be worth it. I also would not pay gray market for that. If you’re patient enough things might get better.
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My chance of getting this watch from AD is extremely slim. He said I may have to wait for 2 years or more as waiting list is too long. I have no patience so rather buy from grey market. No regrets as really love this watch, as its fun and very pretty, I can stare at it all day!

The watch is installed with protective films by a professional so am not afraid of scratches.
 
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#51
It's the polished side of the Rolex that's more prone to scratches, not the brushed textured part of the watch. The OP is a low key watch but still a classic. I never heard of the protective film before. I'm guessing it's the plastic on new watches that's usually removed. I own smooth bezel watches and getting scratches on them isn't that bad unless one is very careless. All steel rolexes can be prone to scratches on the bracelet so I wouldn't worry about that. It can always be polished by a watch maker, or there's cape cod polish on amazon to remove scratches (should be used sparingly because it takes away from the metal).
The only caution I have is when walking a crowded street and banging my watch against another person passing by which happened to me before so i'm more aware of that now. Major bangs will damage a watch, but regular wear won't scratch it too bad and that's part of owning a nice watch. Wear it in good health.
 
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#53
hammerofdawn said:
It's the polished side of the Rolex that's more prone to scratches, not the brushed textured part of the watch. The OP is a low key watch but still a classic. I never heard of the protective film before. I'm guessing it's the plastic on new watches that's usually removed. I own smooth bezel watches and getting scratches on them isn't that bad unless one is very careless. All steel rolexes can be prone to scratches on the bracelet so I wouldn't worry about that. It can always be polished by a watch maker, or there's cape cod polish on amazon to remove scratches (should be used sparingly because it takes away from the metal).
The only caution I have is when walking a crowded street and banging my watch against another person passing by which happened to me before so i'm more aware of that now. Major bangs will damage a watch, but regular wear won't scratch it too bad and that's part of owning a nice watch. Wear it in good health.
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The watch protective films are specially designed for watches' protection against scratches. They are called "Watch Shells". But they would not protect them against dings and dents. Mine is installed by a professional. I waited almost 2 hours for him to finished the installation. After that, I cannot wear my watch for 24 hours as some bubbles are formed after he pasted the films on the watch parts, it will take at least 24 hours for the bubbles to disappear on their own. Today is the 2nd day after the installation, and all the bubbles has finally gone away!

I got the service at Orchard Plaza in Singapore.
 
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#54
VintageCC said:
My chance of getting this watch from AD is extremely slim. He said I may have to wait for 2 years or more as waiting list is too long. I have no patience so rather buy from grey market. No regrets as really love this watch, as its fun and very pretty, I can stare at it all day!

The watch is installed with protective films by a professional so am not afraid of scratches.
Click to expand...
Had no idea they made those! That’s good to know. I have steel watches that have scratches bc I wore them with bangles. Over time the scratches build up. If you take a look at any of the second hand watches on reseller sites with a plain bezel they’re scratched up. Some worse than others. One can be careful and still walk away with a zinger which is always annoying to see. What’s the gray market like these days? Are they still commanding quadruple the price on these?
 
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#55
It seems that Singapore is not that affected by the world recession in regard to the grey market. Although it seems that the lacquered dial OPs prices have dropped a bit, they still command a good premium in the grey market.

Comparing all the 36mm Lacquered dials; My Candy Pink was 2X the retail price, but its already the second cheapest amongst the rest (the cheapest is the green one). Turquoise is the worst,36mm command at sg20k+, 41mm command from sg30k+ to 50k+! Many people still visit the grey market for their watches as ADs informed us the waiting list is more than two years for popular models.
 
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#57
Diana.a.aa said:
Hi

I’m in the USA - Florida

Looking for a stainless steel datejust 41mm jubilee, fluted bezel and blue index hours markers ( would consider a green index )
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The 41mm DJs seem to be coming in more or maybe less people buying. The green dial is going to be harder to get, because it's the "hot" newer color. My husband received one last year from our AD. He was on the waitlist for almost 6 months since it's release. But we do have a purchase history with our AD, so that definitely played a factor. Also the ADs don't usually know what their shipments will contain. How they allocate what they received is usually up to the AD/manager based on many "factors".
Hope your hubby gets it!
 
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#58
Hi everyone,

I have a 36 mm all gold day date and now find it too big for me.
I want the 31 mm or even 28 but it seems impossible. I have been told it could take years if at all. I don’t want to sell this one, if it will be impossible to get a new one. I guess it doesn’t really matter as it isn’t important, but trying to distract myself from more serious issues. Will Rolex ever catch ul to demand or is this here to stay?
 
#59
I'm on the list to be called for Gold Presidentials in 31 or 36mm, I'm on the list at a few places and they've all called offering the watches, the timing just hasn't been ideal.

Have you considered Chrono24.com?
 
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