How long do exhibition pieces stay in display cases?

[dlddrrr]

Hoping someone knows the answer to this. What I was told is that when an AD receives an exhibition piece it’s not theirs to sell, and only when Rolex gives the go-ahead they can sell that piece. But how long does Rolex make the AD keep it in the display cases usually before it’s allowed to be sold?

[kieselguhr]

Until a VIP walks in

[Calatrava r]

Rolex policy now is ADs are required to have a set number of watches on display/exhibition. They can sell whatever watch they want as new ones come in to keep at the required minimum number. So essentially whatever number of watches an AD gets each month is the number of watches they can sell for that month assuming they have already have the required number on display.

[Ohiorolex]

Which makes everyone feel great when the AD tells you they can’t sell you the watch you tried on because it is an exhibition piece but it isn’t in the display case the next time you visit!

[the_Hunter]

Originally Posted by Ohiorolex

Which makes everyone feel great when the AD tells you they can’t sell you the watch you tried on because it is an exhibition piece but it isn’t in the display case the next time you visit!

I do believe its a little more complicated than that as they need to have certain models or lines on display. I have heard a few different stories from a few different ADs but high level you are correct. 1 in 1 out

[KatGirl]

Originally Posted by Ohiorolex

Which makes everyone feel great when the AD tells you they can’t sell you the watch you tried on because it is an exhibition piece but it isn’t in the display case the next time you visit!

That would be because it was allocated to someone, probably while on display, or even before put on display. Someone, whose turn it was, bought it. When an AD takes delivery of a shipment of let’s say 6 watches, he pays for them. He now owns them. Per his agreement with Rolex, though, he must keep a minimum number on display, at all times. As long as he does that, he can sell those watches, when he replaces them, with others. I have come to believe that a lot of us may be buying watches that we think are untouched, but may have been display pieces, without us ever knowing that. Anyone else thinking this?

Kat


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[prnceofpersia23]

Until the right person buys the right amount of jewelry.

[KatGirl]

Originally Posted by prnceofpersia23

Until the right person buys the right amount of jewelry.

I haven’t even seen a Daytona, BLNR, or BLRO, or even a CHNR, at my AD. In other words, nothing that should require a jewelry purchase, before allocation.

Kat


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[t65tampa]

Originally Posted by kieselguhr

Until a VIP walks in

That's funny!

[Bob-a-Job]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

I have come to believe that a lot of us may be buying watches that we think are untouched, but may have been display pieces, without us ever knowing that. Anyone else thinking this?

Kat


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I'm with you on that Kat.
Unless, we see the new watch being removed from the sealed, clear delivery box - I believe some people refer to it as the 'coffin'? - how would we know if the piece is untouched or not?

[JSCP]

I have seen at my AD at least 100 display. But yes some of those watches are “quietly available” in some cases , then you some models are after awhile not on display so they must be then “allocated” to vip’s

I got a 41 celebration after taking owner within a month or so ….

[KatGirl]

Originally Posted by Bob-a-Job

I'm with you on that Kat.
Unless, we see the new watch being removed from the sealed, clear delivery box - I believe some people refer to it as the 'coffin'? - how would we know if the piece is untouched or not?

Exactly. I think my OP was not a display piece, but it could have been. I noticed the day I picked it up, they had several other sizes of the silver in the display case. They may have all come in at once. They were not there the last time I visited, before that. As far as my Wimbledon, I had tried one on as a display piece several months before, so it might have been the same one, but that would have been a long time to display the same piece. Both watches were brand new looking, and pristine, but they are protected with stickers, so who knows? People here have said the only way to know you are getting a brand new watch is to buy from an AD, but that’s not necessarily true. We may be the first registered owner, but our watches may have been handled by many others, before we get them. So, probably no different than buying grey, except price, of course, and losing a bit of warranty, perhaps. So it isn’t that different from the old days, when you bought off the shelf, except for lack of available stock, of course.

Kat


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[4reRlxGuy]

Don't know if true but supposedly they hold watches for around a month prior to sale. That doesn't necessarily mean all pieces are exhibited prior to sale (I've viewed incoming pieces that were never displayed).

[Jack T]

Like many threads on here about Rolex and AD practices, the sarcastic and glib replies are obvious, and those who attempt to offer authorative explanations are invariably wrong.

At the end of the day, no one really knows for sure.

[nanoo]

Originally Posted by Bob-a-Job

I'm with you on that Kat.
Unless, we see the new watch being removed from the sealed, clear delivery box - I believe some people refer to it as the 'coffin'? - how would we know if the piece is untouched or not?

When I picked up my CHNR, my SA brought it out in the coffin and opened it in front of me.

[the dark knight]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

That would be because it was allocated to someone, probably while on display, or even before put on display. Someone, whose turn it was, bought it. When an AD takes delivery of a shipment of let’s say 6 watches, he pays for them. He now owns them. Per his agreement with Rolex, though, he must keep a minimum number on display, at all times. As long as he does that, he can sell those watches, when he replaces them, with others. I have come to believe that a lot of us may be buying watches that we think are untouched, but may have been display pieces, without us ever knowing that. Anyone else thinking this?

Kat


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Oh yea, I think this is 100%. When I got my BLNR, the SA brought it out from the back/safe but it wasn't in any kind of extra packaging. It was pristine but didn't quite look factory fresh if that make sense.

Same AD, got a Sub later, it was in the coffin packaging.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by t65tampa

That's funny!

and true

[Bazil]

You need to know the secret handshake ..

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by Bazil

You need to know the secret handshake ..

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[wozza]

I was chasing a watch for a while and there was one in the display case which I really wanted. I took a photo and I made a point of making sure I could read the serial number.

Two months later I got the call and no surprises....I was offered the watch I had seen two months ago in the display case.

[BroncoOne]

The ADs have to keep a certain number on display. What number I have no idea.

I do know that my CHNR that I got the call on wasn’t in the case the last time that I was there but there were other GMTs. That doesn’t mean that it didn’t see case time before I got the call or until the day that I picked it up.

Also, I suspect that most of the display pieces already have buyers set up before they are allowed to come out of the case.

[BroncoOne]

The ADs have to keep a certain number on display. What number I have no idea.

I do know that my CHNR that I got the call on wasn’t in the case the last time that I was there but there were other GMTs. That doesn’t mean that it didn’t see case time before I got the call or until the day that I picked it up.

Also, I suspect that most of the display pieces already have buyers set up before they are allowed to come out of the case.

[Peterflycat]

What I heard from my AD was that they received dedicated display pieces from Rolex, which didn't come with warranty cards so that they couldn't sell. After a certain amount of display time, they got sent back to the factory for inspection/service before being sold again (potentially as a CPO). Just think of a similar way as how loaner vehicles work at a car dealer.

This might be just complete BS, but it sort of makes sense to me..

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

Rolex policy now is ADs are required to have a set number of watches on display/exhibition. They can sell whatever watch they want as new ones come in to keep at the required minimum number. So essentially whatever number of watches an AD gets each month is the number of watches they can sell for that month assuming they have already have the required number on display.

This sounds about right to me,

[Woody]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

Exactly. I think my OP was not a display piece, but it could have been. I noticed the day I picked it up, they had several other sizes of the silver in the display case. They may have all come in at once. They were not there the last time I visited, before that. As far as my Wimbledon, I had tried one on as a display piece several months before, so it might have been the same one, but that would have been a long time to display the same piece. Both watches were brand new looking, and pristine, but they are protected with stickers, so who knows? People here have said the only way to know you are getting a brand new watch is to buy from an AD, but that’s not necessarily true. We may be the first registered owner, but our watches may have been handled by many others, before we get them. So, probably no different than buying grey, except price, of course, and losing a bit of warranty, perhaps. So it isn’t that different from the old days, when you bought off the shelf, except for lack of available stock, of course.

Kat


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I don’t think any of this really matters. It is just a watch, either take it or leave it. Once you have worn it for a few days they all look the same.


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[DougUSMC]

Originally Posted by Bob-a-Job

I'm with you on that Kat.
Unless, we see the new watch being removed from the sealed, clear delivery box - I believe some people refer to it as the 'coffin'? - how would we know if the piece is untouched or not?

I have the same question. I was surprised when my new SD43 came out in a small slim box with Styrofoam in it. She brought it out, cleaned it, de-stickered, put it on my wrist, sized it, then put it in the pretty green box that I was expecting it to come in.

Is this the coffin? Is this the "normal" delivery experience?

[gates]

The answer I got from my AD this last weekend - "until another like it arrives", they are required to keep a certain number of professional steel watches in stock for demo purposes - so they say.

[Eric88]

My AD is way across town and I only drop by a couple of times a year. Unless they changed out exhibition models, they had the same fleet of Sub 41 Date, BLNR Jubilee, DJ41 Blue dial, one of the Sky Dwellers, and a couple of smaller watches in the exhibition case for easily 9-12 months, just based on my frequency of visits.

[jacowestt]

The duration a Rolex authorized dealer (AD) must keep an exhibition piece in display cases before it can be sold can vary. Generally, it depends on Rolex's specific guidelines and agreements with each AD. These guidelines may vary based on factors such as the model of the watch, its popularity, and marketing strategies. ADs typically adhere to Rolex's directives closely to maintain their status as authorized retailers. For precise information, it's best to consult directly with Rolex or the specific AD in question.

[KatGirl]

Originally Posted by BroncoOne

The ADs have to keep a certain number on display. What number I have no idea.

I do know that my CHNR that I got the call on wasn’t in the case the last time that I was there but there were other GMTs. That doesn’t mean that it didn’t see case time before I got the call or until the day that I picked it up.

Also, I suspect that most of the display pieces already have buyers set up before they are allowed to come out of the case.

The number they have to keep on display varies by their tier level. At my AD, the number is 20, but they just got bumped up a level, so now it will be 24.

Kat


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