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RolexSimon · 12 October 2021, 09:03 AM

I think there are a lot of opinions here and attitudes about what Rolex thinks, what ADs do and people's rights.
Whilst I am increasingly aware there is a massive geographical difference between the behaviour of Rolex and ADs in different regions, this is what is happening in the antipodes, backed by evidence:
1. Everyone has the right to flip but the AD and Rolex also have the right to never give you a call for another watch. This is happening to certain individuals right now - certainly in Australia.
2. Rolex do seem to care and want to do something. They do monitor the Grey market. Especially on social media sales where individuals are stupid enough to display the serial number. Flipper details are then fed back to the AD who is politely informed of the situation. Whilst not legally told what to do - they are left in no doubt what is required of them.
3. VIP status is being diluted and as per many other posts on this, there seems to be an unwritten rule for a max of 2-3 watches (only one SS) per year - even for the best clients. This increases availability for others who may be first time buyers.
4. When an individual comes in regularly and is obviously not a "douche" and the AD feels confident they aren't going to simply flip the watch, they are able to obtain some SS models without prior purchase - just may take 6 months for a black sub, a couple of years for a batman / root beer, 3-5 for a pepsi and 10 for a daytona. The reality is your name doesn't stay on a mythical "list" and if the AD hasn't seen you in person for a year or so, then it's probably unrealistic for you to get treated with the same respect as a keen watch lover who pops in every few months. If you turn up, treat the SA or AD in an arrogant manner - don't expect to ever get a call - even for a DJ :-)
5. The reality is that a lot of comments here are unsubstantiated. Flipping is a problem that does detract from the Rolex image and the fact they even made a statement about it proves they do care about that - otherwise they would have stayed silent.
6. Rolex isn't going to massively increase supply for the simple Panerai reason. Same reason ALS / FPJ / PP don't increase supply of Odysseus / CS / Nautilus.
7. I'd imagine more ADs will start to loose their Rolex deals or get reduced supply if they're seen by Rolex to be contributing the problem. There are many more watch dealers who would be really happy to take over the license. This last point is my personal opinion and not backed by evidence.

12 October 2021, 09:03 AM	#168
RolexSimon "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Australia Posts: 1,401	I think there are a lot of opinions here and attitudes about what Rolex thinks, what ADs do and people's rights. Whilst I am increasingly aware there is a massive geographical difference between the behaviour of Rolex and ADs in different regions, this is what is happening in the antipodes, backed by evidence: 1. Everyone has the right to flip but the AD and Rolex also have the right to never give you a call for another watch. This is happening to certain individuals right now - certainly in Australia. 2. Rolex do seem to care and want to do something. They do monitor the Grey market. Especially on social media sales where individuals are stupid enough to display the serial number. Flipper details are then fed back to the AD who is politely informed of the situation. Whilst not legally told what to do - they are left in no doubt what is required of them. 3. VIP status is being diluted and as per many other posts on this, there seems to be an unwritten rule for a max of 2-3 watches (only one SS) per year - even for the best clients. This increases availability for others who may be first time buyers. 4. When an individual comes in regularly and is obviously not a "douche" and the AD feels confident they aren't going to simply flip the watch, they are able to obtain some SS models without prior purchase - just may take 6 months for a black sub, a couple of years for a batman / root beer, 3-5 for a pepsi and 10 for a daytona. The reality is your name doesn't stay on a mythical "list" and if the AD hasn't seen you in person for a year or so, then it's probably unrealistic for you to get treated with the same respect as a keen watch lover who pops in every few months. If you turn up, treat the SA or AD in an arrogant manner - don't expect to ever get a call - even for a DJ :-) 5. The reality is that a lot of comments here are unsubstantiated. Flipping is a problem that does detract from the Rolex image and the fact they even made a statement about it proves they do care about that - otherwise they would have stayed silent. 6. Rolex isn't going to massively increase supply for the simple Panerai reason. Same reason ALS / FPJ / PP don't increase supply of Odysseus / CS / Nautilus. 7. I'd imagine more ADs will start to loose their Rolex deals or get reduced supply if they're seen by Rolex to be contributing the problem. There are many more watch dealers who would be really happy to take over the license. This last point is my personal opinion and not backed by evidence.