Greetings from a newbie

[Han]

Hi fellow Rolex enthusiast,

Although I am not yet an owner of a Rolex watch yet, I have been spending sometime reading some of the posts in this forum trying to learn as much as I can before taking that 'plunge'.

At this point my choice for the first Rolex watch would be the SD 16600. It was based on the 'cleaner' look w/out the cyclop and its slightly more exclusive status than the Sub ... although I may be wrong on that notion.

My question to you, Rolex owners, revolves around your experience at the time when you bought your first one.
Aside knowing that you are dealing with an AD, how did you confirm that the watch was genuine ? Are there ways to guard against spending $5K-$6K for a fake ?
Would it be blasphemous to ask an AD for a discount ? When I bought my Panerai PAM 48, I did ask for a discount and got an extra set of leather straps. A local Tutima dealer offered a 10% discount on an FX UTC.

Any advise would be appreciated.

W/best regards,
Han