Agree. These ADs have created a modern day Tulip Mania and the greys have only served to make it even worse.

The snippets that follow come from Wikipedia:

• Tulip mania was a period in the Dutch Golden Age during which contract prices for bulbs of the recently introduced tulip reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed.

• At the peak of tulip mania, in March 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman.

• The term "tulip mania" is now often used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble when asset prices deviate from intrinsic values.

Every good watch brand has watches that are tough to come by. Rolex chooses to make it the Daytona. Don't blame Rolex, blame the ADs who are backdooring them to the grey market.

I didn't get a silver snoopy. (Nor did I want one)

I couldnt find a 5711 blue in the next few months if I wanted one.

I couldn't get a AP perpetual ceramic at retail if I wanted one this spring/summer

Think of the Patek collectors who have spent nearly half a mill and don't have a 5131.

You know the game Seth. We all do.

Great post. And I do know the game. Doesn't mean I have to like it. Or for that matter, play it.

What about patek philippe nautilus waiting list? A simple watch with 3 hands.

What about patek philippe nautilus waiting list a simple watch with 3 hands?

That is certainly your right my friend :cheers::cheers:

For the record, I heard a similar line from the N Michigan ave boutique last August. I was fully expecting it but much like a free lotto ticket I couldn't help but play the game :chuckle:

Also funny that when I was there I was blown away by the DD40 blue dial. Still haven't added one. Some day :bye:

I really don't understand this game. I understand when DeBeers limits supply to drive up prices, But would Rolex can set the prices as they wish, do they think not producing more watches when there is a market will increase the number of people who want the watch?

I get where you are coming from and I can understand your frustration. It doesn't really bother me but maybe that's because I'm not in the market for that particular piece. Could you explain why you feel so strongly about this? To the point that you don't even want to represent the brand by wearing one? I say this with all due respect but I feel like that is maybe a little over the top.

You have to consider that Rolex is one of the best brands in the world when it comes to branding and image. They know what they are doing. There is a reason that the Rolex brand is known by just about everyone on the planet. There is a reason that Rolex has that mystique surrounding it. They have carefully built the image they want. I think you have to respect the fact that they don't flood the market just to make a quick buck. I also appreciate the fact that it keeps the resale value high. I feel that if they pumped out as many units as they could sell, it would in some way cheapen the brand. Maybe I'm wrong...

Maybe it would be better if they were more upfront about it? If they came out and said that production will be limited to X number of units per year.

:cheers:

Same as Patek with 5711s. Create overwhelming demand by limiting supply to a relatively large pool of interested buyers. As the pool of interested buyers shrinks for any number of reasons i.e. economy, demographics, consumer trends and preferences, etc. that marketing strategy expires. In the meantime, we are stuck with it like it or not with the option to spend our money elsewhere.

Wow, didn't realize this. It changes the perception of the post from Rolex lover's rant to something else!

I hear ya Seth. I waited almost a year for one, and then when my number came up and I was about to hand over my credit card, they told me I had to engrave the back in order to leave with it. This disgusted me and made me lose my taste for the watch completely. No thanks Rolex, I'll get a new 60th Anniv Speedmaster instead.

I still love Rolex and happily wear them, and I get why they hype it like that, but it's just not a game I want to play.

Seth, didn't you buy two or three stickered BNIB Rolexes a while back, to keep in the safe as investments for when they got really scarce? Did you sell them already?

I neither respect nor hate this marketing decision. I just understand why they decided to go this route. Personally, I think it will backfire, but we'll see.


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I have no idea what Rolex's reason is for limiting supplies of certain models but feel in the long run they will alienate enough existing customers that it will hurt their sales. Who is going to wait 2,3,4 years to buy a watch ? I'm sure many will find a different one, perhaps another brand to spend their money on.
Sure, new buyers for the brand come along everyday but I'm of the opinion that sales of luxury timepieces may have hit their peak based on what I see younger generations choosing to spend their money on.

i agree 100% and sadly as i have stated in other posts "we" are responsible for doing this to ourselves...
If we were not prepared to pay over retail and stuck to our guns they wouldnt continue to hold us over a barrel. But because they hype and the select few that are prepared to pay waaaaay over a premium price it enables them to continue..

There is not a shortage of them if anything they are everywhere and i can find them without an issue...but... i rufuse to pay the utterly ludicrous price they are asking!!!
I saw one on ebay australia for $30k aud.. what the!!!??????

If all of a sudden everyone decided that they didnt want to pay a premium and walked away i bet the prices would drop dramatically and the grey dealers wouldnt be getting so greedy nor would the AD be "blackmailing" you into purchasing 1-2 other watches before they will sell you one.

Its all bad business in my book and i refuse to participate (as thats my choice) i honestly wouldnt be surprised if Rolex had an abundance of stock piled up in the warehouse in SA and were just sending out enough to keep the hype up...... after all they are one hell of a marketing machine.

And to ad insult to injury its a standard production run model... its not even a limited edition so all this crap about people buying them and storing them away..... there will be thousands and thousands more made so its not exclusive and wont be for another 50+ years

Wait till in a couple of years when they will prob release them with different colour dials then the good old "black and white" will prob loose more popularity ... Panda ceramic daytona would be the next " have to have" and the current ones will loose their shine i reckon(** note: im saying they will im speaking figuratively)

this is just my 2 cents and at todays exchange rate in Malaysia isnyt worth much anyway so feel free to ignore my ramblings

OP, I hear you. As much as I want one, I've pretty much given up, and I've sworn myself to refrain from making anymore pathetic calls begging my AD to do me the favor of accepting my $12,400. I suspect that some of those getting jerked around on the Daytona will find something else. FWIW, I've been eyeing the Omega Speedmaster '57 and JLC Reverso. I can get both for about the same price as the Daytona... without the hassle!

:lol: can't sneak by Adam


Another comment I was thinking. I prefer hearing from the Rolex ADs we have a long list and aren't taking names to what Patek tells you. "Patek doesn't want to become the nautilus company so they limit production"

:rofl: imagine the Rolex AD telling you Rolex doesn't want to become the Cellini company, so they are limiting production.

The short answer is they(Rolex) do it because they can do it. The answer is don't buy it

I totally disagree with forcing people to engrave but isn't that decision made by the AD and not Rolex themselves?

Tldr. Tool watch. Brand cachet.


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im pretty sure they are not a mass produced watch like Rolex and there is a reason for smaller numbers been made available.... dont get me wrong i know Rolex still do a large part by hand but having 300 people assemble watches is prob alot different to 15 people......
I made these numbers up but you catch my drift of what im trying to say... we are not comparing production numbers as "apples to apples" for these ones

and here lies the problem....this model will be sold for the next 15 years if the 116520 is any indication....and will not be hard to get in a matter of a year or 2:thumbsup:

shame on rolex. the daytona-c is nothing more than a 2002 chrono model(116520) with a ceramic bezel!!!!:dummy:

Blames Rolex for not changing enough on the Daytona. Loves a watch that's unchanged for 60 years. :chuckle::cheers:

Totally agree with the OP. I have just started in my love for watches. Purchased a 216570 Polar Explorer II as my first watch. I caught Daytona fever last year and then I heard about the wait time for the 500C - It literally just killed my passion for the brand. I sold my Explorer II, traded it for a Zenith El Primero. The thing I like about Omega and Zenith - they are hungry - they want my business and they are trying to bring out models I like. Rolex - they will throw us a bone every year or so and maybe if we are lucky we can buy it. Not me - not playing that game. I worked hard for my money and will spend it with a company that tries to earn it. I hate, hate the attitude of a company that says - they are better than you and maybe, just maybe we will let you buy their product.

First....Seth/Superdog......I completely agree with you and I'm not a fan of this type of marketing. Just as much as I am against limited editions from Omega and other marketing practices from different companies outside of watches to garnish demand. So kudos for speaking up on the Rolex forum.....but I doubt you are getting hate mails because I'm sure no one likes this type of marketing/practice.....IMO it's the same reason why they "frown upon" ADs selling watches @ a premium but not doing anything definitive about it....it's all to maintain exclusivity and the image of the brand.

Now I am both a Rolex and Omega fan and have seen your journey as of late to exclusively Omega, I applaud you for following your taste instead of having everyone else dictating blindly Rolex is the cat's meow and following suit. But as much as most people dislike these practices from Rolex......no one can deny it works. Really the mass majority of the market aren't WIS and don't understand the dynamics (or the actual watches themselves) and follow hype.....and boy does Rolex generate hype no matter what little thing they do. It's an unstoppable marketing force by now with the empire they've established. The Daytona has long been infamous for this type of practice....that's why poor guys in Japan for example still has to pay above msrp for used good conditioned 116520s.....they've established this for the Daytona line and I don't forsee them changing this anytime soon. They want to make sure the moment 1 releases to the wild people clamor and line up like it's the next coming of a messiah...and they'll do this for as long as it happens and then make another minor change to restart the cycle. We all know what's happening.....the increased premium on them is simple mass demand and controlled supply so that shouldn't be a surprise. You just have to choose if you want to play the game.....and I applaud you for not....but I wouldn't let it affect your decision on other Rolex pieces.....like the DJ41 for example you are eyeing.

My 2 cents.

Well, I saw at an AD a Daytona in TT with an advertised discount (a couple of thousand off). It basically cost the same as the new SkyD in SS. It was tempting but I just didn't like the watch that much. Maybe I'll go back and look at it again but the dial looked small and didn't pop for me. I wonder if some of the hype with the Daytona C in SS is to help sell the rest of the Daytona models. Regardless, it likely keeps their production line balanced by throttling the supply for the Daytona; it also likely assures a long lifetime for the model. It they unbalanced the production line to make as many as possible the demand would fall, other watches wouldn't be supplied, and the length of the Daytona run could be reduced. Just speculating, fwiw.

i don't mind the current iteration.not for me however due to size. would have been nice to see a 42mm option.

the 60 yrs went over my head?:thumbsup:

I don't follow omega closely enough so I shouldn't be talking. I assumed the speedy pro was largely unchanged but maybe I'm wrong. :cheers:

Absolutely. But certainly policies like that are a direct result of Rolex's manufactured demand and hype by purposely limiting supply. The policy only applied to the 116500.

i get it. the speedmaster handle.:thumbsup:

In the coming months I think it is altogether possible that Rolex will quietly increase production to a modest degree on the Daytona C and distribute more of them to the ADs to capitalize on the current fervor. Would an increase in availability of 20-25% be detectable by our TRF bretheren?

If Rolex really wanted to be greedy, they would up the MSRP of the SS Daytona to $14k or so. Like a popular rock group who prices their tickets low, and then sees scalpers buying them up and reselling at 2x-3x the price, Rolex doesn't make any more on a Daytona that sells to the ultimate customer for $16k. That all goes to the AD who bundles the watch with a slow seller, or the lucky customer who flips it to a gray marketer.

Perhaps Rolex doesn't make much on the Daytona, so they try to use it to bring people into the showroom who ultimately buy something else that is readily available. I don't know.

Full disclosure: I got on the white Daytona list and grew impatient and bought a slightly used Platona. I sure showed Rolex! lol

I feel everyone's pain, but there's lots of good choices out there and if you can't get what you want in a reasonable time period or at the price you think is fair, like the OP, you should look elsewhere.

I have done that with cars -- when Honda Preludes or Mazda Miatas were going for thousands over list, I bought something else. No one promised me I could get one, and I didn't. Then I moved on to better brands... It's a dangerous game, not satisfying those who want to be your customer.

Situation with Daytona - C is really absurd. This is not a limited edition watch but production quantities are really artificially small. This gives a right to various ADs to make absurd requests such us:

1) Create mystique lists.
2) Asking to engrave back of the watch in order to prevent flipping.
3) Witholding warranty card (IMHO this is illegal thing).

I was lucky to buy Daytona-C but in January bit my wife was not happy with that purchase. So, I sold watch with quite good profit. Then I asked for another Daytona-C and found out that my AD changed its sales tactics - now I can get Daytona - C if I buy any full gold watch together. I politely said "thanks but NO".

I agree it is pretty absurd to limit production to this extreme. Rolex could increase production and still have enough demand. I guess I'm fortunate to already have the 166520 and not want the new model.

Nice rant my friend!

I totally see your point, mostly agree however don't feel quite as passionately about it as you. I think mystique is not always the worst way to promote your company and increase prestige, I do however despise game playing which is clearly a big part of this.

I happen to know you're an omega man, which I respect in every regard. I also think it's cool that omega doesn't hide behind false limited production. Meaning omega makes truly limited run watches. Often watches that are still relatively easy for enthusiasts to obtain but still maintain a mystique in all the right ways. I'll also add (on a side note) that I've had only amazing experiences at omega service at the NYC boutique, whereas Rolex has a more than 50/50 shot of being a nightmare, lol.

I hear ya mate, last time went to AD asked them about DaytonaC and I don't like the way the sales consultant refuse to put my name in the "waiting list" unless I bought a few watches with them already. So I walked out and decided not to follow this game Rolex created for this particular watch. I ended up buying a mint 16523 white dial and be happy with it. :cheers:

I agree 100% with this and feel your anger. I hate to say it because I love so many of their watches, but to wait 7 to 8 years is really not worth it for a Rolex...we are not talking about the holy grail of horology here that is going to be pushing 6 figures any time soon. It's a $#ck!ng daytona with a ceramic bezel! I really wouldn't be satisfied to wait more than a year for this. Rolex is creating demand by cutting supply...to extremes.

OR

Maybe they are having difficulties with catching up because they spent so much time and energy figuring out how they could fit a cyclops on an iconic piece that, until now, has never had a cyclops on it!!! :thinking:

Rolex, is limiting the supply without increasing prices. Creating an exclusive clientele base and alienating the rest. Am I missing something ? :thinking:

We have to accept Rolex as it is.

Rolex and indeed the entire Swiss watch industry was nearly, by whisker, yea verily, wiped out in the Eighties.

It was then that Rolex had to reinvent themselves from a fine watch company to a luxury watch company just to survive.

That model has worked for them and much of the remaining Swiss watch industry.

Mystique and the perception of scarcity are part and parcel of the luxury industries.

Now the industry worldwide is facing a similar crisis.

It's hardly likely that Rolex is going to change strategies now.

We talk an awful lot about Rolex and tool watches here on TRF, but if you call up some of those threads about the new SD, it is easy to see that our members don't really view any Rolex as a tool watch. Almost every post about the SD is about fashion and how much the watch will be worth down the road.

I don't think a single person mentioned the specifications of the watch, except as an aside.

Whether or not anyone likes it, the way Rolex does business is the very reason they are so sought after.

WTF did they expect you to engrave the back? and engrave what exactly? Are you guys going to Rolex Centres or AD's?