AD ''buy jewelry to get Rolex''

[rolexdd40yg]

Is it a common practice ? Ad asking to buy jewelry otherwise you won't get the watch you want

[JRell]

Not for me, wouldn’t do that

[amh]

Very common these days. 50k earns you a spot on "the list" for sure. Maybe.

[Tim Plains]

Where have you been for the past two years?

[brandrea]

It’s not something I’ve ever had to do, thankfully.

[brucethemanlee]

i don't know. never asked to anything of the sort

[train-time]

It varies by AD. Tell them to stick it and move on to other ADs.

[Pop Art Suzy]

Glad I bought both of my Rolexes on eBay, pre-owned. Doesn't bother me. My DJ looks brand new. Happy I went that route so I didn't have to wait on a God-knows-how-long waiting list.

[rolexdd40yg]

Originally Posted by train-time

It varies by AD. Tell them to stick it and move on to other ADs.

I told them that. Honestly I'm done, I won't be looking for Rolex anymore

[sski]

Originally Posted by train-time

It varies by AD. Tell them to stick it and move on to other ADs.

agree 100%. you have great ADs and sales associates, and the not so great ones. Unfair to classify everyone the same.

[storii]

That was what I had been told many times. That you would have to buy jewelries and unwanted watches just to be on the list for a Rolex you wanted. I stepped into the AD for the very first time in this August and my experience was pretty far from that. I did buy a BB58 because I wanted the watch as a daily and the AD had it in stock. The SA put me down for a 126610LV and told me that she should be able get it for me by the end of this year. The last time when I saw her (I went in a few weeks ago to have the 58's blue strap swapped with the bracelet that I had also bought), she told me "your Sub is getting close".

[Harvey_D]

Tell them Rolex Watches are jewellery and that you'd be more than happy to buy those.

[Bxtek]

Yes, that seems to be a common thing for several years. As another member mention, it does vary between AD's. There are good ones and there are "bad" ones that will do that. Especially when sales at the store is based on commission. From what I understand, markup on jewelry is high, and with Rolex they are locked in at the MSRP price.

One thread here on TRF awhile back, a guy went into an AD wanting a Submariner. Same deal. He was told that if he bought some jewelry, he would be able to get him one. The guy bought the jewelry and the SA was supposed to get him his Sub. Weeks and months went on and the guy would check in/visit with the SA once in awhile, but was told that he was working on it. Finally after a year or so IIRC, the guy contacts his SA to find out that the store is losing their Rolex AD status and he wouldn't be able to get him his Sub.

[AbeFroman]

Look who's back after his malpractice thread.

[ATLSFO]

In San Francisco there are virtually no watches for sale in display cases. The best customers get the goods. No surprise there, right?

[joa]

my AD would never even suggest that, but it's obvious that it helps.

i have a friend who manages to do the jewellery purchases for his wife via his AD and he happens to get his GMTs and Submariners delivered quite reliably (within months) - well i can't blame neither him nor the AD

[Forty6nTwo]

Local AD hinted to that, I was forward with not having any intention to do so. Might not get anything allocated and that’s fine. Plenty of other brands in this hobby, or grey.

[bluestreak]

Originally Posted by rolexdd40yg

I told them that. Honestly I'm done, I won't be looking for Rolex anymore

Plenty of ADs don’t do this. Why be done with the entire brand based on this?
Also, you’ve been on here since 2019 and have never heard of this? Come on…

[Bizcut1]

Doesn't anyone here ever buy jewelry?

[Harry-57]

No.

[Calatrava r]

One thing is true if you propose a major purchase for you or someone else and tie it to getting the Rolex you want, you prospect to get that watch will greatly improve directly to the dollar amount of the other item. Buy a 100K necklace or ring and the "safe", as they say, will open for you. When you think about it, why a buyer making a large purchase which they would make anyway, not try to sweeten the deal for themselves. I think it is far easier for the buyers to suggest a bundle for a watch than it is for the ADs to do it.

[RichM]

They can keep their jewelry and their watch.

[MaverickMP]

?? Wait you guys don’t buy their garbage jewelry?

[Seamaster59]

Lol go to a new AD. What watch did you want?

[Gab27]

Yes, it's not unusual, although it might not be voiced in such direct terms.

A lot of people want a limited number of watches ADs have, and so the seller has a lot of leverage. Further, they would have a financial interest in ensuring the limited number of watches they have yield the greatest end return. This is just business.

Without being able to sell over MSRP, it often entails selling Rolex watches to established customers who are long-time patrons (many of whom may buy other items from the AD), and/or selling Rolex watches in conjunction with other watch or jewelry purchases.

(Obviously, not all ADs work this way and specific ADs will have their own operational policies.)

[samuel019]

Never asked. The only jewelry I’ve bought, an engagement ring, was because I wanted too

Depends on the AD and the SA

I mean its not like they arent already making a ton just on watches

[SLWoodster]

Yes, been told this before coast to coast. Including multiple dealers in california.

Not at every AD. Not always directly. It's slipped in sometimes like "oh yeah, some customers have been with us a while, bought their engagement ring here, so we made sure to have their sport Rolex for their wedding". It's also as obvious as "maybe if you'd like to start a relationship with us, spend $10-30000, i can put you on the priority list"

After years of this, I feel like it's not always the rep who wants to do this. But they're not getting enough stock and this is what the store does to select "loyal" clients who they expect will have a higher llfetime spend. At times the rep is just trying to actually help the customer get an understanding of the game. As a small business owner, I see this as logical. As a collector, I hate it. As someone who likes jewelry too, why not? As someone who doesn't really wear much else other than my rolex and too stingy to buy my wife anything, no thanks.

But if you buy nothing else, then you'll very likely not get anything at all.

[Gab27]

Originally Posted by Bxtek

Yes, that seems to be a common thing for several years. As another member mention, it does vary between AD's. There are good ones and there are "bad" ones that will do that. Especially when sales at the store is based on commission. From what I understand, markup on jewelry is high, and with Rolex they are locked in at the MSRP price.

One thread here on TRF awhile back, a guy went into an AD wanting a Submariner. Same deal. He was told that if he bought some jewelry, he would be able to get him one. The guy bought the jewelry and the SA was supposed to get him his Sub. Weeks and months went on and the guy would check in/visit with the SA once in awhile, but was told that he was working on it. Finally after a year or so IIRC, the guy contacts his SA to find out that the store is losing their Rolex AD status and he wouldn't be able to get him his Sub.

I see what you are saying about 'bad' in quotes, but I'm not sure if I would classify this as inherently bad if the quality of the customer service itself is good and the customer is treated professionally and with respect (and obviously it being appropriately explained that a specific watch is only available to customers who have purchased XYZ from the store in the past). Rather than being bad, it's just terms of sale that folks here (myself included) may not like and may not agree with or agree to.

Some ADs do it very tacitly by simply explaining to the customer that they would not be able to offer them the watch they want. I personally encountered that and I can respect that. (It also then made a lot more sense to me why secondary market pricing was so high.)

And, as you pointed out, buying anything with hopes of getting something else in the future is a risky proposition.

[Rebel]

No. Not me.

[dlrolex]

I would tell the AD to pay me and i might consider wearing their watch