Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleetlord
+1 
Sometimes I read through these threads and I wonder what the expectations are without actually BUYING anything.
You're absolutely right. If a person desires Patek, then go to the Patek AD and start actually buying Patek's... |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleetlord
This is a very important point.
There seems to be this perception that the "whales" who get all the "good stuff" are just wasting their money on "undesirable" watches to achieve purchase status.
This is usually not the case. The people spending all the money, like...actually WANT all those Pateks...so spending the money is very, very easy for them as they are committed to the brand and don't see it as wasteful spending at all..
It's very hard to compete against those who are buying many Patek organically, especially if one is only after the "hawt" stuff...
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Fleetlord- with due respect, of course- your comments are missing the point of the conversation entirely.
I'm not asking "how does one get an Aquanaut at MSRP" but rather "how does one select a Patek dealer they can trust"- and eventually "what's the point of even going through an AD if the cost-benefit analysis doesn't make sense at all."
With Rolex, if your AD ends up giving you the runaround or get really finicky on delivering your so-called "grail piece," no problem- you can just find another AD and though it might take a little more time/money, you can eventually get a decent relationship going again.
With Patek, let's be honest- it's easier said than done, and it's not even said "easily" anyway. For the vast majority of people (yes, that includes people who love
all of the Patek lines and are passionate about the heritage itself) losing out on the purchase history of 2-3 watches (and all the depreciation that comes with them at MSRP) is just downright tough.
And then there's the topic of depreciation, which many others on the thread have understood what I'm getting at: forget which models I want, or whether my disposable income is $50K or $500K. At the end of the day, what benefit does buying through the AD grant you when it's still cheaper to buy on the secondary market?
And to be fair, some have proposed answers: (1) some Patek ADs will still discount, (2) the considerably wealthy who do pay MSRP do it to be part of some exclusive club, and (3) being part of that "exclusive club" means the manufacturer will eventually grant you some bespoke service.
And to those perfectly valid responses, I say "Great."