Airport Pick-ups - Rare Success

[Flint]

Originally Posted by bangkoktokyoseoul

Anyone had any luck with these?

Up until yesterday I would have said that getting anything desirable at an airport would be essentially impossible however...

Coming back from a trip from SE Asia to the Europe I stopped at a major European hub. As I had an hour to kill I popped into the Rolex AD and unbelievably came away with my dream watch:

A Rolex Submariner 41mm No date.

As I live outside the EU I also got it tax free. I honestly can't believe it. In the 20 minutes I was in the store around 15 people must have came in and asked for sports-watches. The sales staff couldn't have been friendlier.

The watch sits proudly on my wrist so the AD must have an instinct for who's likely to appreciate and wear their new timepiece.

This post made me happy , Sub nd is one of my favourite Rolex models and it is great to hear you didn't have to crawl or ' create a special relationship '. Big congratulations

[samson66]

Great story. Glad to hear good things to actually happen in the Rolex world every so often.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by RJRJRJ

Except he leaves out even the stuff you just said. Every time he's posted about just walking in and getting a 116500, there are the exact same questions from other members that follow, yet he seems to purposely not include them in the details of his post.

15 seconds - found this

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=594590

And why should he keep repeating the same info ad naseum?

[angelicboris]

In November 2019 I walked into the Omega AD in HND and asked for an Apollo 11 50th anniversary speedmaster (steel with sedna gold). One had just arrived the day before and they sold it to me with a discount. Someone else walked in while I was buying it and was so mad that he missed it. Definitely added to the experience. :D

[ArtNouveau]

Originally Posted by Devildog

15 seconds - found this

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=594590

And why should he keep repeating the same info ad naseum?

This. I can’t understand why people are attacking Roger. I remember when he got it, his story is simple and true, he was in the right place at the right time. No need to keep telling it over and over to any doubters.
And yes the aftermarket price has skyrocketed but anyone who thinks it was easier to get one in 2018 didn’t try to get one back then.

[cbalster]

Originally Posted by Malvolio76

Congratulations on buying a boring watch. GLWS


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wut

[Oxfordian]

Sometimes there is a huge amount of luck in getting what you want, we hear it a lot where people walk in to the AD and then walk out an hour later with their watch, so why not an AD at the airport, I am sure that they have regular customers but a lot of traffic must be casual.

Getting a Rolex anywhere nowadays seems to be a cause for celebration.

[RJRJRJ]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

This. I can’t understand why people are attacking Roger. I remember when he got it, his story is simple and true, he was in the right place at the right time. No need to keep telling it over and over to any doubters.
And yes the aftermarket price has skyrocketed but anyone who thinks it was easier to get one in 2018 didn’t try to get one back then.

I'm happy for him, and remember reading about it when it happened. It was literally a one in a million event...... which is why I think he should provide some context instead of just saying something like "I just walked into the airport and walked out with a 116500, no purchase history..."

Every time you'll see the inevitable where/when/how? questions that follow. You know they're coming; might as well include that info in the post. It was four years ago, their policies have changed now etc.

I don't mean to pile on, just saying that it gives the thousands of people that read these threads a false sense of reality, especially when it seems like some info is purposely omitted every time.

Also, to your last point, it was definitely easier to get one back then. I got mine in 2017 and it was borderline impossible, but I managed to do it, and I also have no doubt that I would not be able to pull it off today. Like, no chance. 2018 you could still buy pretty much whatever you wanted except for a SS Daytona.

[Nico81]

I was able to pick up at Frankfurt Wempe Turqouise OP41 ( Tiffany)
At the time, they also had blue 2 tone sub in a case, white gold yachtmaster, rose solid gold chnr to name the few notable ones
SA was very nice and said i could purchase one Rolex thar day, if I wanted more
Manager approval was required
This was early August 2021 on my way back to USA from Croatia

[Roger Lococco]

Originally Posted by Nico81

I was able to pick up at Frankfurt Wempe Turqouise OP41 ( Tiffany)
At the time, they also had blue 2 tone sub in a case, white gold yachtmaster, rose solid gold chnr to name the few notable ones
SA was very nice and said i could purchase one Rolex thar day, if I wanted more
Manager approval was required
This was early August 2021 on my way back to USA from Croatia

Wow !!!!!!!!!!

That is the biggest score as a walk-in I have seen. I love that watch. School colors. Awesome.


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[Harry-57]

Congratulations. That's a brilliant result and shows that it can happen.

Imagine what might have happened if you'd arrived 15 minutes later.

[shaunylw]

Originally Posted by Malvolio76

Congratulations on buying a boring watch. GLWS


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Another brilliant post. In 6 years you have managed to contribute exactly 0.

[bangkoktokyoseoul]

Yeah it was Schipol Airport. I was travelling onto Stockholm, Sweden.

I never thought I would get so lucky.

Time-wise it was just before 8am.

[bangkoktokyoseoul]

Originally Posted by nyc10ken

Wow congrats on the find! Was it sitting in the window or did the SA offer it to you from the back after chatting with you?

No window watches of note. We had a good chat about Rolexes. I was wearing another sports watch. The sales staff were really great.

Edited to add that I've heard about a friend of a friend who picked up an SS Daytona at Schipol a year or so ago so it does happen.

[Roger Lococco]

Originally Posted by bangkoktokyoseoul

Yeah it was Schipol Airport. I was travelling onto Stockholm, Sweden.

I never thought I would get so lucky.

Time-wise it was just before 8am.

Back in 2018, when I got my white 116500 at the airport in BKK, a week or so later I asked AMS if they had a black dialed 116500. They had just sold one the day before as it arrived in stock. Great to hear they are still selling to normal people.


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[JodyHighroller]

Originally Posted by bangkoktokyoseoul

No window watches of note. We had a good chat about Rolexes. I was wearing another sports watch. The sales staff were really great.

Edited to add that I've heard about a friend of a friend who picked up an SS Daytona at Schipol a year or so ago so it does happen.

Nice! So the sub you picked up was in the display case?

[bangkoktokyoseoul]

Originally Posted by JodyHighroller

Nice! So the sub you picked up was in the display case?

No it wasn't on display. They had it stored elsewhere.

Like most places these days they only have Ladies Datejusts on display and the SS stock through the back.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by RJRJRJ

I'm happy for him, and remember reading about it when it happened. It was literally a one in a million event...... which is why I think he should provide some context instead of just saying something like "I just walked into the airport and walked out with a 116500, no purchase history..."

Every time you'll see the inevitable where/when/how? questions that follow. You know they're coming; might as well include that info in the post. It was four years ago, their policies have changed now etc.

I don't mean to pile on, just saying that it gives the thousands of people that read these threads a false sense of reality, especially when it seems like some info is purposely omitted every time.

Also, to your last point, it was definitely easier to get one back then. I got mine in 2017 and it was borderline impossible, but I managed to do it, and I also have no doubt that I would not be able to pull it off today. Like, no chance. 2018 you could still buy pretty much whatever you wanted except for a SS Daytona.

Maybe in the USA but not in the UK and Europe or much of Asia. By late 2017 you’d struggle in Europe to get anything in the professional line and by mid 2018 it was game over


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[Prestige_Swiss]

Congrats