Will bundling return?

[Madison1]

Was discussing this with a friend and we think it might.

Keep me honest here but my belief is the timeline of Rolex at AD went something like this:

Buy what you want freely with discounts available
If you buy this PM DD/DJ we will get you a SS
We will put you on a list
If you buy your weight in jewelry we will get you a SS
If you buy your weigh in jewelry we will put you on the list for SS
Exhibition models only
Somewhat better availability still no discount

Just wondering if we will go back to bundling and the net will end up being the same as going grey. I.E DD loses X% but SS is worth X% more

[BillA]

Yes, with the AD’s now having the CPO program they will want you to buy a pre-owned piece before selling you a new piece. Fun and games.

[Podmornica]

They can't fake one thing - the demand.

The demand is falling faster than a Bill Clintons underwear in Arkansas .. By the year end there won't be enough buyers for a plain datejust and plain Sub anymore .. Just hold on until the November 2023!

[Rushne]

Originally Posted by Podmornica

They can't fake one thing - the demand.

The demand is falling faster than a Bill Clintons underwear in Arkansas .. By the year end there won't be enough buyers for a plain datejust and plain Sub anymore .. Just hold on until the November 2023!

Spot on, and Jesus the price of datejust and subs being over 10k (at least here) is just mental

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Madison1

Was discussing this with a friend and we think it might.

Keep me honest here but my belief is the timeline of Rolex at AD went something like this:

Buy what you want freely with discounts available
If you buy this PM DD/DJ we will get you a SS
We will put you on a list
If you buy your weight in jewelry we will get you a SS
If you buy your weigh in jewelry we will put you on the list for SS
Exhibition models only
Somewhat better availability still no discount

Just wondering if we will go back to bundling and the net will end up being the same as going grey. I.E DD loses X% but SS is worth X% more

Speaking for myself would not bundle anything to buy any watch, and as soon as people stopped talking and posting about the AD stuff then perhaps we could get back to normal.

[Harry-57]

It depends on the AD and the watch being sought. My AD has never asked me to buy things I don't want. Of the three watches they would not put me on a waitlist for, one went out of production (as they predicted), the other two lists eventually opened and my watches arrived. So in that sense and in my personal experience things have improved.

[Presa canary]

Originally Posted by Podmornica

They can't fake one thing - the demand.

The demand is falling faster than a Bill Clintons underwear in Arkansas .. By the year end there won't be enough buyers for a plain datejust and plain Sub anymore .. Just hold on until the November 2023!

Do bills underwear fall faster in Arkansas?

[travisb]

I've never had to and never would bundle in order to get a watch I was after.

[Wcdhtwn]

Originally Posted by Harry-57

It depends on the AD and the watch being sought. My AD has never asked me to buy things I don't want. Of the three watches they would not put me on a waitlist for, one went out of production (as they predicted), the other two lists eventually opened and my watches arrived. So in that sense and in my personal experience things have improved.

This. Every AD and boutique operates independently. My AD doesn’t play the ‘buy stuff you don’t want to maybe be allowed to buy what you do’ games. But another AD 2 miles down the street is known for that, which I can verify from 1st hand experience.

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by Presa canary

Do bills underwear fall faster in Arkansas?

I thought he was wearing adult diapers for awhile now

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by travisb

I've never had to and never would bundle in order to get a watch I was after.

Exact same here.

[FrankNYC]

I hope not.... Unless it's an inexpensive watch cleaning kit or case they want me to buy there is no way I would buy another watch just to get to the one I want

[Etschell]

No. It's over for high demand.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by travisb

I've never had to and never would bundle in order to get a watch I was after.

I was not aware that bundling ever stopped?

[JDsnewwatch]

I don't know. The local AD (Bernie Robbins) in my neighborhood sold out to Watches of Switzerland. The WOS in NYC has watches and clocks. The one near me has lots of "so you want to look like a prostitute" jewelry in the window.

I suspect the bundling will never end in this place. There are other options than ADs.

[MJZRolex]

Originally Posted by Podmornica

They can't fake one thing - the demand.

The demand is falling faster than a Bill Clintons underwear in Arkansas .. By the year end there won't be enough buyers for a plain datejust and plain Sub anymore .. Just hold on until the November 2023!

I don't believe this will happen, but nobody knows. Demand is high for Rolex and will continue to be. Yes, the economy has and will affect prices, but I sure don't believe to the extent some are predicting. If we truly believed that, everyone would wait until November to make their purchase, unless they absolutely had to have the watch now.

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by JDsnewwatch

The one near me has lots of "so you want to look like a prostitute" jewelry in the window.

I suspect the bundling will never end in this place.

Have they asked you to buy a bundle?

Another variable in this dynamic is the buyer. If someone shows an inclination to take a bundle, or somehow comes across as desperate enough, no sales person is going to let such an opportunity slip through their fingers. Nor should they. As soon as punters like that stop walking through the door, they will slide into a different model of maximising profits.

[S.Explorer]

Never been asked to bundle, just to wait.

[train-time]

Originally Posted by Etschell

No. It's over for high demand.

Amen to that! It's called karma.

[macrowatch]

Originally Posted by beshannon

I was not aware that bundling ever stopped?

+1, especially for SS Daytona

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by padi56

Speaking for myself would not bundle anything to buy any watch, and as soon as people stopped talking and posting about the AD stuff then perhaps we could get back to normal.

[Oystersteel92]

Originally Posted by Podmornica

They can't fake one thing - the demand.

The demand is falling faster than a Bill Clintons underwear in Arkansas .. By the year end there won't be enough buyers for a plain datejust and plain Sub anymore .. Just hold on until the November 2023!

Quite a few companies are publicly laying the groundwork for white collar layoffs this spring, including McDonald's corporate late last week (though I wouldn't be surprised if they were laying ground work to moving out of Illinois). People with good white collar or professional careers have traditionally been Rolex' bread and butter.

I think the best bet is to continue engagement with your AD and press only the models you want and refuse to take the models you don't if offered.

[Oystersteel92]

Originally Posted by beshannon

I was not aware that bundling ever stopped?

Some bundling works. Diamond DJ36 for the Mrs. that she loves, something else for me can be a real winner.

[H25B]

There has always been more than enough watches produced for everyone who actually wears them…

[amh]

It never went away.

I was asked specifically to drop tens of thousands _more_ in addition to the 20k I'd already spent. (Then I'd have some hope of an "allocation" for that 10k SS piece)

[JDsnewwatch]

Originally Posted by Harry-57

Have they asked you to buy a bundle?

Another variable in this dynamic is the buyer. If someone shows an inclination to take a bundle, or somehow comes across as desperate enough, no sales person is going to let such an opportunity slip through their fingers. Nor should they. As soon as punters like that stop walking through the door, they will slide into a different model of maximising profits.

Yes, they did. In fact, it was so blatent that I love to share this story. I walked in and asked to see a GMT II. I was told that they only offer watches to known customers. So I took the bait. The manager then said "Why in the hell should I write you a check for $8,000.00). Having no idea what he was talking about, I went further down the rabbit hole. He elaborated, that if I were to spend $100,000.00, he would find a way to get me my GMTII. I ordered my GMT II from bobs in the parking lot of Bernie Robbins.

I'm sorry they were sitting on a ton of crap that then needed to move out the door. This is not my problem. And if you are going to treat new customers like garbage, I'm going to tell everyone who can read what happened.

[train-time]

Originally Posted by amh

It never went away.

I was asked specifically to drop tens of thousands _more_ in addition to the 20k I'd already spent. (Then I'd have some hope of an "allocation" for that 10k SS piece)

Originally Posted by JDsnewwatch

Yes, they did. In fact, it was so blatent that I love to share this story. I walked in and asked to see a GMT II. I was told that they only offer watches to known customers. So I took the bait. The manager then said "Why in the hell should I write you a check for $8,000.00). Having no idea what he was talking about, I went further down the rabbit hole. He elaborated, that if I were to spend $100,000.00, he would find a way to get me my GMTII. I ordered my GMT II from bobs in the parking lot of Bernie Robbins.

I'm sorry they were sitting on a ton of crap that then needed to move out the door. This is not my problem. And if you are going to treat new customers like garbage, I'm going to tell everyone who can read what happened.

It all depends on the market you are in and just how much competition the AD has. In some markets it is impossible to just be on "the list" and have your name come up to get anything that is desirable. They will find a way to leverage true market value out of any desirable piece either through significant bundling or suggesting some sort of trade option that is clearly to their benefit plus an insane amount of cash. Believe me, I know from personal experience. They either don't take names for the list or you never get a call.

I only hope that it is actually starting to go away through increased availability and decreased demand but for those "captive" markets these practices will continue as long as they can milk the cow.

[Krash]

Originally Posted by beshannon

I was not aware that bundling ever stopped?

I was thinking the same thing. I think that’s how we got our his and her Datejusts so easily last year. I really don’t know for sure to be honest, but I always felt like that was an advantage for us.


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[Tricolore66]

Still better than having to buy gold or diamonds, or going grey. At least you can trade that CPO watch back in at some point.

Originally Posted by BillA

Yes, with the AD’s now having the CPO program they will want you to buy a pre-owned piece before selling you a new piece. Fun and games.

[ArtNouveau]

Originally Posted by Wcdhtwn

This. Every AD and boutique operates independently. My AD doesn’t play the ‘buy stuff you don’t want to maybe be allowed to buy what you do’ games. But another AD 2 miles down the street is known for that, which I can verify from 1st hand experience.

I am assuming you are referring to the new AD smack in the middle of our two stores? I had an okay experience with them at their Dallas store years ago but they actually lost their Rolex franchise there. I was surprised to see them get a franchise in HTown, especially so close to the existing ones.