Sorry about the audio everyone! Our mic was acting up during filming, but we've replaced it since, so the sound in all future videos should be crystal clear. Thanks for bearing with us!
When I was 20, I waited six months for my first 'serious' watch-a Rolex Submariner. I walked in, asked for it, left my number and that was it. No pretending to befriend the staff, no buying lesser watches like Tudors to build a rapport. They're salespeople in a store, there for me to spend my money. I bought a few other watches-Panerai, IWC, Omega-from that dealer before returning to Rolex. Maybe that's why the wait times shortened; I got the Batgirl almost instantly, the lefty within a week, and they even called me about the Daytona, offering it if I was interested. Let me make something clear: I love Rolex watches. But if I ever felt they were doing me a favor by selling me one, I'd walk out and never return. I'd rather wear a G-Shock than beg an AD to take my money.
None of that is even an issue right now. They are piled up in the secondary market right now for some reason, you can get just about anything below retail right now, without fooling around with an AD.
True. In the end, they are actually selling the most to people who will sell again. And by the way, who is still using watch to check time nowadays, phones are more accurate.
@@BosworthMcG aquaterra is way overpriced compared to the retail price of OP which has superlative chronometer movement at just less than 7k€ which is easy to get now.
@SaintWill70 you're not a fan of the textured dial? I think as a daily/sports watch the AQ looks great on the bracelet or rubber. The Explorer is a nice watch, but the Explorer 2 is ugly by comparison, imo.
”superlative”!is just another fancy gimmick of Rolex. How about METAS rating of the Aqua Terra. It is a legitimate 3rd party who validates Omega quality unlike Rolex who told themselves they are great and convinces people based on their words alone. When did Rolex start doing their own in house movement may I ask? Care to know about Omega?
It does leave a bad taste I your mouth. I bough my first Rolex Sub Date in 1985 in DC the AD did not have a Date Sub so called the other store and I picked up my watch the next day. I was so happy about buying that watch. I still own that watch and its worth 10x what I paid for it. I decided that I wanted another Rolex after 35 years and bought a Rootbeer GMT II in SS and everrose a beautiful watch but the buying experience was horrible compared to the Sub Date. 3 weeks ago I bough an Omega Dark side of the moon Apollo 8 and the buying experience was similar to 1985. Rolex is still in high demand, but are losing customer too...
@@daviddee7103 I predict Rolex has about 2 years to fix this mess with ADs before their brand becomes seriously tarnished to a generation and demand plummets. Who's going to want to buy a Daytona to celebrate their 50th when they were abused while trying to mark their 40th with a Submariner?
The reason AD's don't have watches to sell is because they ARE selling them to flippers in quantity. That's how they've established a relationship with the AD! So the statement that they want to see it on your wrist is specious.
Ah, remember the good ol' days when, if you bought a new OP and changed your mind about the dial, rolex would allow you to change the dial (for free) in the first 9 (12?) months. You could also specify a 3,6,9 dial on a bog standard OP. The wait period was also between 6 months max and "certainly, here you are Sir"...
I also don't play Rolex's game. I could walk into a GS boutique in Japan and they would proudly show me all their watches, and let me try them on before I make a decision. GS boutique feels honoured to serve ME, and not beg to them as to why you deserve that watch (rolex). The only thing a GS or Omega boutique will ask me "cash or credit". If I ever wanted a rolex, I'd buy from a secondary market like chrono24. Raise those interest rate. Can't wait for the secondary market to crash and burn to the ground.
This. This right here. How are you going to peddle exclusivity when you make a million watches a year? I received my date just as a graduation gift in 91. 33 years ago, 33 million watches. That is a lot of watches. You want exclusive you have to look to other brands.
Ah the dark secrets of the industry. Of course they want to make market value on a watch when they are forced to sell at retail price. Can you blame them? Not confirming this but I wouldn't be surprised.
@@PeterWatchmakerWristcheck many ADs will bundle popular Rolexes with less popular ones and other brands which are lower in demands. Some resellers consistently get new Rolexes along with other brands like new Omega, Zenith, Tudor, Hublot, etc.
@@DadeMurphie Rolex does not want the market to get flooded and they are trying to cut out the resellers from buying and selling. The Resellers have clients because Rolex is unwilling to sell a certain watch to them or are pressuring them to buy something cheaper and less in demand such as the celebration watch (No thank You)
Ye Gads, what a way to treat customers. I have a GMT Master II that I walked in and bought in 2001. These days I buy Grand Seiko and I am treated like a good customer.
When it all boils down, they are just telling you what time of the day it is. Nothing more nothing less, tick tick tick. Rather have a great Seiko and not worry about it.
Interesting vid. But you know the relationship I had with the local Omega AD? I walked in. Said ooooo, can I look at this watch? Sure, I was told. I tried it on. It was kismet. I financed a new Aqua Terra, and walked out with a brand new Omega on my wrist. I'm sure there are millions of people that want an Omega every year, and yet, I somehow managed to buy one without any schoolyard games or ass kissing. Rolex can smewch my brown starfish.
It would be nice if you could compare the quality control, consistency and quality in general between Tudor and Rolex. For instance, differences in shock absorption , movement tolerances etc. Also, a suggestion for another video or maybe just a short answer would suffice. Would cycling be damaging to a watch movement? I am toying with the idea of cycling longer distances with my Tudor, and wondering if all those small vibrations could influence the accuracy or in other ways damage a watch?
One of my coworkers took his Submariner to the local AD for an overhaul. Expensive, and the watch flooded out in his bathtub. I took my Oysterquartz to the local Rolex AD for a simple battery change. They scratched the hell out of the case and I had to send the watch off to Geneva to be refinished. Not good.
I appreciate Rolex as a high quality product but I refuse to play the "relationship building" game as if I was trying to find a life partner. Having a great relationship with employees at a retail establishment should come organically, not forced in the hope that one day you'll get what you were really after all along. The hard work on my part should not extend beyond me saving up some amount of money and deciding what I want to purchase. To me, Rolex could be a perfect example of "the chase is better than the catch". I'm not looking for some years-long protracted process, very possibly involving buying multiple expensive items that I have no interest in owning. I always thought I'd buy a Rolex when I turned 50 in 2022, because of this situation created entirely by Rolex, I bought a Zenith instead and I have ZERO regrets.
Can’t agree more. I current own 3 Rolexes, bought 20+ years ago. It wasn’t like that. I will not buy another one now at ADs. If I really want another one, I will pay more at the grey market.
@@jimmylight4866 I think it worked out for the best in the end, at least for me. I wanted a Rolex because I considered it an achievement, which I now think was the wrong way to think about it, for me. I should want a watch because I love a watch. I have no interest in status symbols anymore, a nice perk to growing up! There was no particular Rolex that I wanted. I probably would have bought an Explorer but I wish it had the crown guards of the new Air King.
Rolex has become a brand that I no longer want to buy with AD’s gatekeeping the waiting lists with their ridiculous spend requirements before they will put you on it. The whole brand has with the help of their AD’s become so off putting that I hope the world will be so full of super clones that nobody wants to buy one in risk of it being fake.
I got a submariner from my local AD first time, I own a local carpentry business and during our chat it turned out he required a new bespoke kitchen, but I was booked up for the year, I offered to fit him in sooner without even mentioning the watch and all of a sudden he made the watch available to me at retail. He said the only thing harder to obtain than a rare Rolex is a good carpenter which of course I loved. Just good business at Rolex. 👍
That's not good business, that's a backhand deal. While you short-cutted "the list" likely hundreds of people waited unnecessarily or were turned down because you took the watch they were supposed to get. I don't know about your business but pissing off hundreds of potential customers to please one that can _do something for you,_ isn't a sustainable business model. You can read many of the comments on this video to see the people who didn't get the watch they wanted and they're not doing business with Rolex again. To be clear I don't mean to be hard on you, you did not chose to screw people over for your own personal gain, the issue I have is calling that behavior "good business".
@@Nefville I don’t know what fairy tale world you live in but that’s how business has been conducted since the dawn of human civilisation? It happens at all levels. I wanted a watch that was hard to get but could not source one on my own, he wanted a kitchen fitted to his own spec but could not source one so a deal was brokered….its the very definition of good business. My only fault was telling you, the telling of how deals are struck are almost never revealed exactly for reactions like yours.
I've been seeing a lot more stories recently about Rolexes being out of "superlative chronometer" spec when measured and in practice. Also, all of those rejections are going to push people into secondary market acquisitions and drive those prices up no matter how much they control it. Every time this has been studied in practice, the vetting only leads to more secondary market activity. They can't control it and we have the numbers to prove it now.
I’ve had my oyster perpetual date just for 21 years and have worn it everyday from busting block to black tie affairs. It’s a tank and runs incredibly accurate
I think you would know what make and model lights and magnifiers do official factory Rolex watchmakers use? What 'temperature' lightbulb do they use at their workbench? Thank you!
I greatly appreciate the accuracy of Rolex watches, getting to know my AD wasn't a terrible experience and although it took a while to get my sub, some things are just worth waiting for
In all honesty my Omega spanks my Rolex for accuracy, not even close. My 116000 is -4 seconds a day on average. My Omega with the 8800 movement runs -.38 seconds a month. Soooo I’m not understanding the “most accurate” claim.
they do this test ever year, even one off custom 1 man artisans can and do compete... also its a tri-axial test! including wrist on/off, shock/vibration/temperature..i believe what you say on face...on a 3d tiltometer / temp/humidity control room the test results would change...if i specifically could get a roly serial 4234 example in my house i could tilt it in such a way i could get +-1 sec/day, or even better.....however , that is not the "superlative chronometer test", i hate rolex and think thier very boring, omega i like better, however consult and old white hair watch repair man to discuss roly vs omega,,, i know a watch wizard and say a "patak" is a much "better made" watch, however now were compring at minumum $750000 watch vs $10000, more importantly than absolute accuracy, is appreciation, i own many....without any doubt my rainbow diamond gold watch gets the most positive attention , then my pure diamond on silver....my favorite and most loved is a 1920's simple 14k tank art deco....i try to imagine all the bueaitiful moments in peoples lives it has, now i add to it, 100 years of ticking off billions of seconds +-1 min/day!!!❤❤❤😳😳😳still even the seconds hand work perfect!! i always wear that watch to special occasions🎉😂🎉😂❤❤,
Question for you. You described the accuracy of the Rolex movements and the testing they go through, but how does that compare with the METAS certification? It seems that is the most strict benchmark and Omega has been pushing that as an advantage. Now Tudor is using METAS certified movements, not Rolex. Which would you say is better, METAS 0 - +5 sec, or Superlative Chronometer -2 - +2 secs?
2:04 The fee for standard service on this invoice is really quite reasonable, I've been quoted higher by unaffiliated watchmakers to service my Hamilton grade 992B "Railway Special".
Hmmm…three Rolexes and my wife owns an 18K lady’s DayDate. I will say with total sincerity that my Breitling SuperOcean is a good bit more accurate than any Rolex we’ve owned. My Patek is now 4+ years since it was last serviced, and it’s still nearly as accurate as a quartz watch. Rolex are consistent and rugged, but to me, they’re far from the most accurate.
I’d really love to own a Rolex but honestly, it’s a little intimidating thinking about the purchase price and the maintenance, overtime. I know they’re fantastic time pieces I guess maybe I’m just not ready.😁 amazing info sir!
I have 3 Rolexes. Every 5 years or so, it cost $5-700 to overhaul each, that’s like $100 a year, coffee money really. You don’t have to take it to the official Rolex repair shop,any reputable watch shops can do it. It is quite a simple watch compare to AP or PP.
Not all AD’s operate the same. However, best way to get the watch is to strike a relationship with one of the higher salesmen. Talk to them, show your curiosity, and stop by once a month to say hi and look around. You will get your watch.
Great video. Although, personally, I had to stop watching the second you started praising the Rolex quality control. Rolex service centre in Prague now hates me as a client as out of the 7 brand new contemporary Rolex watches that I have bought over the past 3 years, only a single one of them did not have to touched immediately after by the Rolex service centre. Don’t believe? Take 5 brand new subs and check how many of those will have crown on the rehault aligned both with the dial marker and the triangle on the bezel. Not to mention the only half-filed lume pip I had on my 126613LB or the massive spec of dust on the inner side of crystal of my 124060. To be quite frank, I have never seen a watch brand past the 5000€ mark with such low quality control. And I love Rolex more than any other brand, but yeah, the quality control just isn’t there mate.
@@fontyyysimilar scenario happened with RolexUSA in Dallas, I had to re send my watch back to get it serviced after few times. Aside from getting it back and loosing +10 secs a day right off the bat, my new oyster bracelet replacement was shipped with broken screws, and the dial wasn’t lined up to the bezel. I also had a new crown replaced and although they claimed It was within their standards, it stuck out too far for being brand new, like 1/4 of an inch too far I legit have all my documented paperwork about these issues but damn, when my submariner was water damaged in 2002 they sent back the broken dial, rusted out hands and the entire damaged movement with the crystal, this time around I got nothing back, they kept the old bracelet also🤣🤣
Right? It is insane what the AD sells you after months, sometimes years of being on a waiting list. But not everyone is as pedantic about details and precision as I am. Most people live quite happily with misaligned rehaults and poorly painted GMT hands. I envy them.
I was on a waitlist for six years for four different models zero calls. That changed when I was laser focused on ONE model, mind you I was focused for two years and four months. Picked up my Sprite GMT in March and currently hoping I get a 36mm tiff op for my marriage anniversary before December. I stopped in about once a month and chatted with my salesperson I had no buying history of any kind. I did tag them in multiple shitposts and eventually friended the owner on FB and tagged him in a rant. Two days later got the call.
How do I know if a Rolex AD Sales advisor completed Level 3 certification? I am an executive recruiter vetting candidates for my Rolex AD client and I don't know a best question to ask if that person truly completed Level 2 or 3 Rolex or Patek sales training. Superb video!! This helped my search and my love of Rolex. Much Thanks.
Very interesting to listen to. I very much appreciate the quality of my Daytona. I used to work in Harrods, London as an Apple Store Manager and Technology Department Manager. I can tell you about the morning screening I conducted before the store opening. So before joining our team gents and ladies would receive a book with all the good practices and requirements they need to follow. So it describes in detail what to wear for Ladies: from socks to the texture on the suit jacket, shirt, and skirt colors for summer/winter. Then a complete make-up guide, that should be the same as a flight attendant pretty much. No perfume at all (just one that is Harrods specially developed smell). There should always manicure present (only approved designs and colors). And there are many more requirements as the day goes by. As for the male part, it is similar, and what makes you a true British gentleman: you can take 4 BOSS suits for the entire fiscal year, the BOSS store below will make it a perfect fit, also only approved shoe types and colors. Suit shirts must be always with STUDS & CUFFLINKS. Male Harrods-approved perfume only. So in the morning all colleagues (around 30) will stand in one line, where a manager would walk pass and check each colleague for things as manicure, male nails also need to be looked after,. The most important one is the bad breath (so you have to check each colleguea) a dry mouth caused by certain foods, smoking, poor oral hygiene is bad for business, so we have specially designed Harrods candies which were specially designed to solve any bad breath issues. Some of the problems can be solved after the meeting, but there are some problems such as after a heavy night people will be send home and not paid for that day. In the contract there is a point of banned drinking the night before of work. Why I am telling this, is that the customers there are just with very high expectations, wealthy millioners, politics, celebrities, artists, models, Royal famility members. And the requirement of the customer satisfaction is 98%-100% wi ththe mistery shoppers visiting you once a week (and they are really true customers, buying expensive things and get paid by Harrods for doing this). If the satisfaction score is less than 90% and it drops for the second week in a row, manager is getting rosted, penalized, and the department will be fined. Working there was another level of customer service experience, we were trained over and over again with the team, to assure all nations, people with different culture and status will get the service they expected and way beyond. So by having a Rolex watch and got it form there, from Harrods, I appreciate the exceptional service of finding my perfect watch model. So the personal connection with each customer or a family is the most important thing. Respect to all the people delivering for the customers!
Newbie. Fascinating. Lots of tech. Lots of money. Made me think of auto industry scale. Thank you. Fancy Watches seem nice, but the cost and complexity and skanky ordeal of allocation make them seem unwelcome in my life. Thanks for the insight.
Could you address the 32XX movement problem? Many have suffered from low amplitude for these movements. I'm one of them. A 126200 I owned had to be serviced within a year of buying it new from my AD due to low amplitude. It was losing about 15 seconds a day.
I’ve been a professional watchmaker for 37 years that specializes in Rolex. I’ve not experienced that problem anymore with that caliber than any other watches.
@@bobbydazzler1780 unfortunately it's been a repeated issue since it's release in 2015, total number effected though can't really be known, too much silence.
Great information! Somehow I scored a Sky Dweller at MSRP... waited about a year for it. I did not really do much but put my name on the list. Luck I am sure.
I have 5 Rolex with the 32xx movements and all have gone back for warranty repair and the slowdown issue. None of my 31xx calibers have ever gone back. Have they found a fix?
Ref buying a Rolex. Times sure have changed. in '95, I bought my Submariner from a renown NY Jeweler through the mail. Yes, it's real. Have had it serviced 2x by Rolex, as well as inspected by others. BTW, in '95, my Date Sub cost $3k. If I knew then what I knew now, I'd have bought 3 of them.
Kind of issues do you find when receiving new inventory? What do you look for before putting a watch out for stock from other brands you said 3 to 5% had to be set back what were those issues?
So this is a quartz movement and cannot be compared with the far obsolete technology and timing of a mechanical watch movement. The obsession us watchmakers have with perfecting an obsolete technology is quite futile but it's a love for something that has a real beauty to it and I'm quite happy the interest and obsession is still very much alive and continually growing!
there are many "bespoke" and custom watchmakers that can equal or beat the accuracy of roly, however, that love of mechanical precision and machining to generate +-2 seconds /day is amazing and a testament to the human endevour of achievment..i can play the same similar game with you, "can you name me any citizen/seiko that can be more accurate than 0.00806 seconds /year!!??" didnt think so ; says "casio atomic reciever watch"..in the end YOU must love your watch, and love looking at it at a redlight....no amount of "flipping/bragging/profit/trading" will ever satisfy you , if you dont like the way your watch looks or behaves, and dont even get me started on"bling" watches
It doesn't hurt to look and act like you should be wearing a nice watch. Last time I was buying a Rolex some guy comes in wearing cargo shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt with something stupid printed on it, asking, "You got a Sub Date in stock? I have cash!" I happened to be looking at one at that moment. Guy behind the counter shook his head sadly and said, "Sorry, nothing."
Some of the richest people I know look like they shop at wallmart. It’s that idea again that the dealer decides who is worthy to buy his watch. What a sham. That’s a good way to scare away your customers
@@aquilifergroup I've known a couple of people like that. They say they don't care what other people think of them. I told them "yeah, and it shows." When you dress like a bum in an upscale place, you'll get treated like a bum because they (rightly) assume you don't care about them. It's rude. They have plenty of customers who aren't rude.
I went into two Rolex stores and compared the same watch model...and one of them had a clasp and that was stiff and the other was buttery smooth. So much for the idea that Rolex watches do not come with defects and are supposedly checked before being sold to the public.
One of mine is the same. Very clunky compared to the two others i have. And especially clunky compared to a citizen or an omega or even a casio. They definitely do come with issues occasionally.
Great video. Any 32xx movement problems that you've seen or worked on and is there any permanent fix to the low amplitudes we are seeing on they're watches?
Thank you for this very good video. I appreciate the honesty about Rolex. I would love a Rolex, but as many others will not play the game, it's a choice.
Peter, my AD is working on a BLNR with the oyster bracelet and said he could get me a jubilee bracelet afterwards. Would I need to give up the original to get the jubilee?
You might be able to keep both! It depends on what The Crown says! I believe the Jubilee (aka Batgirl) goes for more than the Oyster on the market so my guess is you have to give them the Oyster.. It's worth a try though!
Speaking of quality control. I took delivery of a brand new Rootbeer GMT that had a missaligned rehault. The crown was not exactly alligned at the 12 o'clock, rather it was just to the right hand side. Heard its not an uncommon issue and it's pretty disappointing if im honest.
@@PeterWatchmakerWristcheck That's why the majority of watch buyers shop online often buying replica's that they are completely happy with for a fraction of the price. A fool and his money are soon parted is the motto at some watchmakers and some of the lower end look alikes are viable everyday wearable watches that the average person can't even tell what they are other than "That looks like a nice watch".
I don't know the culture of a Rolex but I chose not to bend the knee, please try in a real shop either the Tudor Black Bay 58 or the Pelagos and see for yourself, they are marvellous. Zero price bloat, zero company arrogance, great service, great quality.
Is this an issue internationally because in the UK I've always just walked into the AD (oftentimes looking like I'm homeless), asked for what I want, paid and left. Money is money :)
Picked up a amzwatch's watch as my first watch last month and I’m absolutely in love with it. Perfect size, looks elegant, very comfortable. Now my only problem is holding off from buying more watches so quickly!
What is the status on parts and servicing on vintage OysterQuartz models? I would love to own one but I'm afraid I would be stuck with an expensive paperweight.
Clearly on point 7 Rolex are getting it wrong then, as they seem to choose people that DO constantly flip watches, and the reason why there's more unworn Rolex's for sale than any other brand.
You cannot say that rolex will be more accurate than this or that watch.Rolex did not make its own movements until rolex bought out the company that they purchased movements from.previous to that buy out in 2004 Rolex used other peoples movements and parts to make up their watches.Aegler,valjoux,zenith,cortebert,montilier and other movements were used by Rolex through the years until they purchased the companies that were their parts suppliers and started to develop their own in-house manufacture.So until that happened many other watches had some of the same movements from these diverse brands as well,except aegler movements of course as their movements were all going to Rolex by agreement.Meaning that until Rolex owned and manufactured their own movements and other watches parts such as dials bracelets and crowns it would be hard to say that rolex was the most precise.I believe what the watchmaker was referring to in his experience was a reference to the more modern Rolex of in-house manufacture.
6:25 The most accurate watches on the market use quartz movements, be it digital or analog displays, and cost less. No one is buying Rolex or any automatic watch for accuracy - this is not 1972 anymore. This newer technology is the reason why Rolex has changed its marketing and sales tactics so much since... Electronic devices that measure the oscillations of cheap crystals have proved much more precise than the greatest mechanical efforts. The best quartz watches measure their lost seconds over years rather than days. Although a quality product, modern-day Rolex is merely a marketing-driven status symbol.
While I respect Rolex as a brand, the fact that if I want a watch, and I have to go on a waiting list AND spend a certain amount at their store to 'qualify' to give them MY money??? Nope... I'll never be a new AD watch customer.
I can appreciate the all the history, glamor, the robustness and classic designs of the watches and everything else great about the brand but no one can argue that they have definitely shot themselves in the foot in the last decade or so by these scarcity of their supply not being able to manufacture watches that people can (and SHOULD) easily acquire at retail. No should have to play these silly AD games buying up nonsense just to get the 1 or 2 Rolex watches that you really want, even if those are the most desirable pieces like the Pepsi/Panda Daytona.
This video makes it clear why a clone is not a ROLEX even if it looks almost indistinguishable. Because you get a piece of work that will survive you and can be serviced and repaired eternally. Plus it keeps its price more or less in real terms while you enjoy it. That’s what the haters out there don’t get.
