Annoying...

[Uggi]

Originally Posted by Waddy1

Yep, spot on.

Last time I went in there (wearing my LVc but not showing it off) to ask about a GMT (the only other Rolex I want - Pepsi preferably but would consider a BLNR if one was presented to me by an AD) the two sales people spent more time cooing over the watch I was wearing than listening to what I was actually saying. I think they heard "new BLRO" and just dismissed it as a joke, as if I'd just asked to buy a moon of Jupiter.
I did have a proper conversation at David M Robinson in Altrincham but the nice sales person there openly told me that all the Man Utd and Man City (boo!) players live locally and some of them can spend 6 figures in a single visit.
I don't earn £750k per week and therefore I stand no chance in this market. It's grey market or nothing for me (or wait 5 years).

[Waddy1]

Originally Posted by Uggi

Last time I went in there (wearing my LVc but not showing it off) to ask about a GMT (the only other Rolex I want - Pepsi preferably but would consider a BLNR if one was presented to me by an AD) the two sales people spent more time cooing over the watch I was wearing than listening to what I was actually saying. I think they heard "new BLRO" and just dismissed it as a joke, as if I'd just asked to buy a moon of Jupiter.
I did have a proper conversation at David M Robinson in Altrincham but the nice sales person there openly told me that all the Man Utd and Man City (boo!) players live locally and some of them can spend 6 figures in a single visit.
I don't earn £750k per week and therefore I stand no chance in this market. It's grey market or nothing for me (or wait 5 years).

I got my Sub from them and never had an issue. I am close to Wilmslow so always like walking round there. Some nice shops.

[haberdashery]

I know people who have bought a BLNR in David M Robinson in Altrincham and Preston’s in Wilmslow, and they didn’t wait long.

If you’re willing to go a little further afield, Moody’s in Nantwich come highly recommended from a couple of friends.

Definitely wouldn’t bother with Goldsmiths in the Trafford Centre, or either of the two ADs in central Manchester. Aside from those, though, there are a few decent ones around in the North West.

[VicLeChic]

Originally Posted by Waddy1

(...) a guy walks in and the sales team go running over. He simply said "I want the GMT Pepsi and a Sub Date..."

The guy wrote it down on a piece of paper and said "Okay, we will give you a call next week"

I'll try that line next time I visit an AD. Seems to be working.

[116710er]

Originally Posted by Sarosh

Must have been a big spender or VIP? That’s shitty AD practice but the way of the world now

Now?

[Sarosh]

Originally Posted by 116710er

Now?

Lol sorry my bad. Always

[zengineer]

Removed...didn't read the whole thread.

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[Sarosh]

Originally Posted by zengineer

Or maybe..just maybe..a grey market dealer.

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That’s also very likely. But I wouldn’t have thought they’d come in and boldly say this. Always imagined it as some seedy back door transaction out of the public customers eye.

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by Sarosh

That’s also very likely. But I wouldn’t have thought they’d come in and boldly say this. Always imagined it as some seedy back door transaction out of the public customers eye.

I also see someone earlier had tossed in the idea it was a grey dealer and had pulled back my comment...but not before you quoted it.

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[116710er]

Originally Posted by Sarosh

Lol sorry my bad. Always

In all seriousness folks, this is human nature. While I may not like it either, think of it from a seller's standpoint. Why wouldn't you give preferential treatment to a VIP high dollar spender? If you don't treat them well, then they can easily take all their money to a AD who will. Why would they care if some schlub like me walks it wanting a 126710. I've spent $0.00 there and they have no idea if I just want to flip it. By them selling it to me at retail, they are literally handing me roughly $10K above what I pay for it. This is very simple. If you're not a VIP or lucky, don't expect a high demand reference. It's the AD/Grey's market right now.

Instead, spend your money picking up those vintage and vintage-adjacent references you've always wanted. It's not like Rolex is making any more of them... ;)

As for grey market dealers, I don't think those guys even go into the store that often. My guess is that a piece comes in, the PIC (Person In Charge) calls the grey and the grey just comes in and picks it up or they just post it to grey. Grey sells it, kicks back the PIC's cut, onto the next one.

[Sarosh]

Originally Posted by 116710er

In all seriousness folks, this is human nature. While I may not like it either, think of it from a seller's standpoint. Why wouldn't you give preferential treatment to a VIP high dollar spender? If you don't treat them well, then they can easily take all their money to a AD who will. Why would they care if some schlub like me walks it wanting a 126710. I've spent $0.00 there and they have no idea if I just want to flip it. By them selling it to me at retail, they are literally handing me roughly $10K above what I pay for it. This is very simple. If you're not a VIP or lucky, don't expect a high demand reference. It's the AD/Grey's market right now.

Instead, spend your money picking up those vintage and vintage-adjacent references you've always wanted. It's not like Rolex is making any more of them... ;)

If I could find a birth year Datejust or Daydate in good condition I’d be all over it! But vintage rolex is another ballpark completely!

[accountank2000]

Originally Posted by Uggi

I did have a proper conversation at David M Robinson in Altrincham but the nice sales person there openly told me that all the Man Utd and Man City (boo!) players live locally and some of them can spend 6 figures in a single visit.
I don't earn £750k per week and therefore I stand no chance in this market. It's grey market or nothing for me (or wait 5 years).

So Waddy1 or Uggi or others in the Great North West: I've never bought new before but as my watch budget has gone up am now looking to get a WG Daytona on OF and perhaps other harder-to-get Rolexes in due course; and at some point in next couple of years probably something from Glashutte Original. I live in London but have family in south Manchester which I used to call home and travel to every few months.

I had thought perhaps DMR in Altrincham would be an OK place to 'get to know' in terms of having some purchase history from buying a PM piece and them being more of an 'independent' rather than big chain like Goldsmiths/WOS, while still having access to reasonable volumes with Rolex through having multiple stores including London. And I might get a datejust or similar for my Dad for a milestone birthday coming up, and he lives near there. However of course I won't really get anywhere up a waitlist if there are enough Cheshire-living footballers (and ex footballers) dropping their coin to absorb any special watches that come along. And no doubt there would be.

If I use a London dealer there's DMR and also the bigger groups such as Wempe, WOS, Goldsmiths who would carry Glashutte rather than just Rolex, adding an extra £7-10k to my spend in the forseeable future - but it also seems there is surely no point thinking spending the odd tens of thousands over a few years at any London dealer gets you noticed, when there are millions more tourists than in Cheshire, not to mention hundreds of city boys with big bonuses and any number of visitors from far off lands who can throw money at whatever they fancy with nice currency rates.

So in reality it sounds like there's no hope in Manchester or London of accessing good Rolex inventory due to the competing buyers, whether those fellow customers are Man U players or the equivalently-wealthy London players, city types, tourists, grey dealers etc. You're surely right that overpaying via grey dealers is the only way to get what you want when you want it, or accessing a route to pay less when markets are lower.

But still. I think it might be nice to start to get my new watches from one 'go to' place rather than just picking a place out of the phone book each time. Is there any sense to pick a Manchester area AD over a greater London one? London is more local to me though I'm really not the sort of person who just goes into a dealer and looks around every weekend to cultivate a relationship just for fun, as there are not many new models released every six months let alone every week. I don't need to check out every single version of datejust that might exist. I'll probably only be looking to buy a watch or other jewellery once a year or even less frequently than that.

So I guess the question (at last) to UK members is where would you start, or would you just go into every dealer in Rolex's directory within a day's travel and see who was the least snooty...?

[DoctorA]

I wonder if he’s such a big shot why not just call his “order” by phone

[AK797]

Originally Posted by 116710er

As for grey market dealers, I don't think those guys even go into the store that often. My guess is that a piece comes in, the PIC (Person In Charge) calls the grey and the grey just comes in and picks it up or they just post it to grey. Grey sells it, kicks back the PIC's cut, onto the next one.

While this happened initially in the UK and maybe US too, esp with friends and family, there is now too much of a spotlight on any manager and his inventory to do this so I doubt it happens now, rather they are just bundling more and more DJs and TTs etc with the populars, and we see this in AD windows too where they are far less prevalent than before.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by accountank2000

So Waddy1 or Uggi or others in the Great North West: I've never bought new before but as my watch budget has gone up am now looking to get a WG Daytona on OF and perhaps other harder-to-get Rolexes in due course; and at some point in next couple of years probably something from Glashutte Original. I live in London but have family in south Manchester which I used to call home and travel to every few months.

I had thought perhaps DMR in Altrincham would be an OK place to 'get to know' in terms of having some purchase history from buying a PM piece and them being more of an 'independent' rather than big chain like Goldsmiths/WOS, while still having access to reasonable volumes with Rolex through having multiple stores including London. And I might get a datejust or similar for my Dad for a milestone birthday coming up, and he lives near there. However of course I won't really get anywhere up a waitlist if there are enough Cheshire-living footballers (and ex footballers) dropping their coin to absorb any special watches that come along. And no doubt there would be.

If I use a London dealer there's DMR and also the bigger groups such as Wempe, WOS, Goldsmiths who would carry Glashutte rather than just Rolex, adding an extra £7-10k to my spend in the forseeable future - but it also seems there is surely no point thinking spending the odd tens of thousands over a few years at any London dealer gets you noticed, when there are millions more tourists than in Cheshire, not to mention hundreds of city boys with big bonuses and any number of visitors from far off lands who can throw money at whatever they fancy with nice currency rates.

So in reality it sounds like there's no hope in Manchester or London of accessing good Rolex inventory due to the competing buyers, whether those fellow customers are Man U players or the equivalently-wealthy London players, city types, tourists, grey dealers etc. You're surely right that overpaying via grey dealers is the only way to get what you want when you want it, or accessing a route to pay less when markets are lower.

But still. I think it might be nice to start to get my new watches from one 'go to' place rather than just picking a place out of the phone book each time. Is there any sense to pick a Manchester area AD over a greater London one? London is more local to me though I'm really not the sort of person who just goes into a dealer and looks around every weekend to cultivate a relationship just for fun, as there are not many new models released every six months let alone every week. I don't need to check out every single version of datejust that might exist. I'll probably only be looking to buy a watch or other jewellery once a year or even less frequently than that.

So I guess the question (at last) to UK members is where would you start, or would you just go into every dealer in Rolex's directory within a day's travel and see who was the least snooty...?

Manchester and London are probably the most oversubscribed places in UK for reasons you state, and if you only going to buy one watch a year I don't think any AD will take any interest in you now for a popular watch. I'd try a small town AD but that is very unlikely too so grey really is your best bet, esp if you don't plan to sell it.

[Ichiran]

Was that walk-in bloke the owner of Manchester City FC?

[Andad]

Originally Posted by DoctorA

I wonder if he’s such a big shot why not just call his “order” by phone

The other 50 biggger shots above him on the list did that.

He must have been mid range.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Uggi

Last time I went in there (wearing my LVc but not showing it off) to ask about a GMT (the only other Rolex I want - Pepsi preferably but would consider a BLNR if one was presented to me by an AD) the two sales people spent more time cooing over the watch I was wearing than listening to what I was actually saying. I think they heard "new BLRO" and just dismissed it as a joke, as if I'd just asked to buy a moon of Jupiter.
I did have a proper conversation at David M Robinson in Altrincham but the nice sales person there openly told me that all the Man Utd and Man City (boo!) players live locally and some of them can spend 6 figures in a single visit.
I don't earn £750k per week and therefore I stand no chance in this market. It's grey market or nothing for me (or wait 5 years).

I got my subc from them in the good old days, they even posted it down to London for me and gave me a free tie. I still have no idea where Altrincham is.

[jrs146]

The AD experience can be very frustrating lately. I’d encourage you not to take it personally. Maybe even cut them a break since they are in a very tough spot with trying to please VIP’s as well as is common folk. It’s not easy to play the game for anyone right now.


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[1William]

I do not see it as a big deal. Such is the market and this individual has the ability to walk in and place the order for whatever reason. Some people will say that is not fair but I will say fair is where they sell cotton candy and you ride rides. Move on, get your watch and enjoy.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by SC11

Sometimes you need to look at it from both angles!

If said customer is a big slender why wouldn’t the AD prioritise him? Not many like to hear it by wait lists are dynamic and they will move someone up or down the list as they see fit.

Different scenario but I would be majorally annoyed with my AD if come
Basel I call them about a watch and they say sorry we had 20 calls the minute it was announced you are 21st in line.

Not picking at you OP as we don’t know the full situation but just covering another angle.

+1

Lots of business owners around the forum and i think they know how to prioritize their top clients vs others if they needed to

i fail to see the difference except its not their business when they are visiting an AD, its the AD's business.

[SC11]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

+1

Lots of business owners around the forum and i think they know how to prioritize their top clients vs others if they needed to

i fail to see the difference except its not their business when they are visiting an AD, its the AD's business.

What’s a big slender my bloody predictive text!!!!

[DoctorA]

Originally Posted by directioneng

The other 50 biggger shots above him on the list did that.

He must have been mid range.

Or it was just the chauffeur

[spuds]

They said they'd call him next week.

They didn't say they'd have the watches for him next week.

[R G]

Grey dealer. Standard.

[R!$]

Money talks and BS walks

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by Uggi

Goldsmiths in the Trafford Centre?
I'm also in Manchester and wouldn't waste my time in any of the ADs from Altrincham up to Preston. You'll get the same treatment in them all - understandable in some ways as it's an affluent area with lots of big spenders who probably think nothing of spending £80k in Goldsmiths on a Saturday afternoon.

Where is this money coming from, finance?

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

Where is this money coming from, finance?

Russia

[Uggi]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

Where is this money coming from, finance?

Manchester / Cheshire is booming. Absolutely booming. Skyscrapers going up daily, HS2 on the way, relocation of major employers such as the BBC and KPMG here, house prices are white hot and rising, massive infrastructure investment, .... the area generally is sucking in wealth like a vortex.

[R G]

Originally Posted by Uggi

Manchester / Cheshire is booming. Absolutely booming. Skyscrapers going up daily, HS2 on the way, relocation of major employers such as the BBC and KPMG here, house prices are white hot and rising, massive infrastructure investment, .... the area generally is sucking in wealth like a vortex.

Hahaha you truly are believing your own hype!

You missed ‘you can literally smell the wealth’.