Audemars Piguet

I won't share where the photo was taken, but I was shocked to see absolutely zero supply for all models of AP during a trip in the US - good for the boutique, but I have never seen such a tough situation for supply! What is your experience in your dealer?...  

And some straps cost more than your average Apple Watch and some remarkable brands for the money. Maybe it's the only way for current owners to get diversity in ownership (as opposed to getting brand new watches!) Peter

You would definitely think so - but they have all shared business is booming and they can't keep up with demand! Crazy crazy times. Peter

And it requires you to be extremely lucky or consider other brands of the boutique is co-owned by a larger store...Ironically the exclusivity and the lack of supply make the watches even more desirable, creating a vicious circle and overinflated secondary... 

And outside of the diamond bezeled precious metal ladies models, there was clearly no inventory. Just crazy to see a store with no inventory at all! Peter

Counting my blessings and good fortune with my AP, Patek, and Rolex dealers. I am really concerned about the cost of entry / re-entry if I had to move! Peter

But I still am amazed what the cycle time is to produce some of these watches, as opposed to automobiles. I would assume robotics and machinery could make a difference but I assume the micro scale makes it difficult to automate. And, hand finished is hand... 

This is the case with AP and Rolex. JLC probably has inventory, as do other brands.

...Unicorns and Leprechauns. Cheaper and much easier to find.

Looked about the same... except Hublot and Patek, there were plenty of those. Breitling too. I felt kinda bad for the big Rolex boutique staff. On the PLUS side, it's good to see many brands and independents doing so well. The shortage makes one look deep... 

I would not have jumped so quickly to the Independent field if it weren't for some collector impatience and disappointment. I've enjoyed very much wearing my Urwerk - it's not something anybody on the street would normally recognise, but for those in the ... 

so that's worse than empty cases I guess? In a recent Watches TV video Michael Friedman addressed the issue, there simply isn't the ability to increase production even if they wanted to.

It's hard to browse IG some times and see all these new watches on wrists. I guess some are probably grey market but I think IG makes it seem so available yet not! From Friedman's interview, I'm not totally bought in, as AP seems to double their supply ov... 

"I announced in 2015 that we would stick to creating 40,000 watches a year for the next 5 years. And now in 2019, we have come to the end of that cycle. In 2019, we are going to produce 2,000 CODE 11:59 watches. To do that, we will have to reduce producti... 

I do recall their revenues have increased significantly - perhaps the sell through rate has increased as well as the average price per piece? Today seeing that the ROOS is 37.5k (when it used to be 15 to 20k) is a testament eh? Peter

Nothing on display, but I asked to see certain watches then they brought them out. All of them pre sold they even bring them out with boxes with post-it with customers name on it. So yes they didn’t have nothing to sell to me (they sold me one 2 months ag... 

That's incredible. I know that in some Rolex boutiques they have a "permanent demo set" to show clients the watches but they are not available for sale. I know many times at the Ferrari dealer everything new has been ordered and pre-purchased so to speak,... 

...an AD themselves, or directly associated in any way to an authorized dealer of any brand? Surely someone can chime in about this sad state of the industry. Thankfully, I'm not psychologically affected by the herd disrupting the supply chain. However, w... 

This is the weird thing, after all these years I've never seen anyone open up about this. I've seen a from ''I worked at an AD'' topics but never in this current frenzy.

All these AD's and some boutiques have inventory sitting in their safes waiting for their *regular* customers who spend hundreds of thousands a year buying from them. The only reason it has gotten worse during the past few years is because these regulars ... 

My appreciation for independents and there customers service and sales is only going up when i see these pics and hear about these stories .

Boutiques are probably conpletely sold out, because people will buy anything to get higher up the list for models in high demand.

I've been told by a few ADs that the US is the last to be served by AP. But, this is the state of supply in the US. I recently went to Las Vegas, and there was very little supply across the board. Rolex, PP, AP, RM shelves were essentially barren. I don't... 

Probably my last Vegas visit. 2018 I think. I guess I have never looked at watches in person before I purchase... I just make a call and wait for the delivery truck.

I feel like these brands are manipulating the market. This is just my speculation. This happened after Rolex prices entered AP territory. No APs, price increase? Even if they're hoarding watches in a large safe somewhere, it doesn't matter. There's a lot ...