Rosneathian
1471
Your feelings are entirely understandable. They are also common, at least as far as a few brands are concerned.
This was one reason why I began to explore other brands, and the journey has been healthy. So, for instance, I've been looking at a Parmigiani Fleurier watch recently (and bought it). This is just an example, and there are plenty of others.
Here is a brand that makes watches objectively superior to Rolex, and with three huge differences. One, they make as few as 3,000 watches a year (compared to Rolex' 800,000). Two, they're not interested in becoming hugely popular or famous, and so demand for their watches is not high or low, it just is what it is. Three, when you buy one of their watches, they will either send it to you directly, or send it to one of their 150 sales points around the world. It's very personal.
It's pleasant, it's easy, you enjoy the experience, and you get a naturally rare and beautifully-made watch (not a mass-produced watch driven into artificial scarcity intended to build long-term brand equity). It's an honest and simple approach, and completely different from what you have with some brands. It also means you are away from the crowd, so can appreciate your beautiful watch without any of the noise.
I have Patek Philippe and Rolex and Omega and Breitling and watches from independent brands. Some Rolex models are very hard to get. Like you, I will never go back to them. It's just not worth it. Instead, I now go for smaller, high-quality brands that are hidden gems, or custom-made watches where it's all about the watch, the watchmaker and me. Rolex cannot give me that in a million years.
Good Bye New. Hello Old.
Pardon my rant on the current situation with new sports Rolex. I have been collecting watches for 23 years, and have never been as taken aback as what I feel recently. I am tired of the supply situation as a watch enthusiast, and I gave up. I like buying ...
No offence! "The dilema of the rich is, that there are always richer people than themselves" Karl Lagerfeld
That is how it is, how this world is running. My advice: be content with what you have got and be patient to get what you want. O.K., three are some pieces we will not get, but that should not spoil your love for watches. This hobby is far to exciting for...
Wise words from The Count ...
and Carl Labelfeld ;-)) ... “I am a living label. My name is Labelfeld not Lagerfeld”
This is no rant...
You are just expressing your feeling , about a hobby, something that could/would bring you joy. But the reality is different. Imho: spéculation is fully killing the game. Btw: i share your feeling. Grtz,Dom
Sorrow
The reality you sketch is how things go. The watch companies do everything to have buyers, but the market is difficult. Buyers and retailers are not always happy with each other. Spending huge amounts on shop interiors, and a customer who want a watch alm...
I understand you completely
I follow the market of submariners. No chance to get a submariner for a fair price. So, they can eat them. I go for other watches.
I will admit your two situation are sad indeed and tend to happen on new watch releases
This might be a missed opportunity for the manufacturer because sometime in wanting o create short supply they hurt themselves . One of the few industry where sometime their is too much unbalanced between supply and demand...
All this must be like fishing,
you don’t get mad with the fish because you didn’t catch it today,sometimes the hunt is more exciting then owning the watch afterwards
💰💰
I couldn’t agree more. Local Rolex dealer could care less about my last 10 purchases.. Bought this beauty online. Box papers tag 2012 the heck with new. Excellent condition. Thanks all ...
Whilst I have every sympathy with your feelings.
I would just like to say that I do also feel sorry if that’s the right word maybe have sympathy with is better with the AD’s who to survive have had to have hundreds of loyal clients to keep their sales up. My AD dreads Rolex or Patek or Omega bringing ou...
I do agree that ADs are also between a rock and a hard place.
Lucky you that you got most of what you want. True that there is always someone who spend more than you that they have to appease. End of the day businesses exist to solve a customer problem, if one day ADs or even manufacturers do not solve customer prob...
I’ve been thinking that for well over 20 years.
Not happened yet. Who knows what the future looks like. M.
Thank you Nicolas!
I have some vintage, but have recently added more 5-digit sports because I cannot buy new. It has been fun. Time may tell that this may be for the better! 😁
that is my strategy as well
I usually have 4-5 watches on order which take some time for delivery so I do not care whether it takes one year or more for a watch to arrive - there is always something nice approaching. like a revolving model i guess
I agree 100%
Sadly they don’t care. They don’t care about loyalty, passion or you or me, or anyone else for that matter. The almighty buck is all that matters. And unfortunately, if you read certain other forums...instead of discussing the hobby and passion...they hav...
Apologies if I brought much negativity!
Like many here have said, there are other watches to buy. And I have found positivity myself in collecting older watches.
The pursuit is much of the fun, they say....
Sometimes. If the pursuit is time spent setting aside money, researching history, specifications or finding the correct specimen this can be very fun. All of the build up leading to a purchase really can heighten the entire experience. When it's educating...
This is the way of things now in our hype driven society
Like lemmings everyone moves from one hot thing to the next and like locusts we descend on a brand, consuming it until we move on to the next green field with the brands getting overwhelmed by success. I gave up on Rolex long ago after pointlessly unpleas...
Since your AD 'salespeople' did not know what you were talking about...
my thought is that few to none came in to this AD, and it's better to tell you they were 'allocated' than to admit they got none, which would make them see 'lame'. As we know, generally with very few exceptions, salespeople do not know anything beyond the...
"Heightened version of the market" - very true!
I still want to avoid buying grey. Much has been written about "How we can all win during COVID-19 if everyone wears a mask" - Prisoners' Dilemma. I think we can say the same about the grey situation now. If everyone stop buying new from grey dealers, we ...
I understand your point very very well 😔
I must reckon that I'm almost there as well. I also understand the AD's position, so I'm not blaming on them. They're simply trying to survive. I've loved watches during my entire life, so I'm afraid that it will never change. But the watch market has cha...
I like my ADs and bear no hard feeling.
I think they are suffering as much if not more. My experience with direct has not been good too. Boutiques are probably the first to start with "Preferred Clients", online sale of special edition are not friendly to all regions, etc.
I think many will acknowledge the same.
For me, this situation arose in the mid-late 2000’s when I was primarily a Panerai collector. I chased for a while, but not for long. It was a waste of time and energy and was irritating at best. So I went a different direction, which to be honest would l...
Yes Panerai days! Did that bubble burst!
I still like PAMs and I have recently bought a few LEs for a song.
I share your feeling. Coincidentally, last saturday I went to my AD...
And left with bad taste in my mouth. I was sending in my IWC alarm GST for service. While there, I was talking with the staff about my interest of new OP 36mm silver dial. I want to put my name in the wait list, no hurry, etc. Unfortunately the discussion...
Sorry the conversation went that way
It is always going to be an issue if it evolves into a conversation about spend. It is all relative, what is the formula? We should event care about the criteria? Annual spend? CLV? Rapport? Goodwill? This shortage has burnt many customer relations for AD...
This is of course very disappointing, and it’s something I’ve encountered too.
But like you I just move on. As I mentioned above I’ll leave my name on the list, or multiple lists, and see what happens as there’s no upside in burning that bridge. If you take a wider look at the consumer world these days, almost anything that captures...
Your feelings are entirely understandable. They are also common, at least as far as a few brands are concerned.
This was one reason why I began to explore other brands, and the journey has been healthy. So, for instance, I've been looking at a Parmigiani Fleurier watch recently (and bought it). This is just an example, and there are plenty of others. Here is a bran...