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Setting aside the humorous replies for a second, I agree with the general consensus that it is a dynamic global market and between local demand and international buyers in destinations with a particularly high influx of visitors, as a rule there are no “secret” location where one can easily find the more sought after references.
That said, it is possible sometimes to be in the proverbial right place at the right time. I had one such experience approximately 6 months ago traveling in Thailand. While the OP is inquiring about AP availability my experience relates to Patek Philippe, but it applies as an example as the scarcity of supply is similar between those two manufacturers.
While in Bangkok in early December I walked into the Patek authorized dealer at the EmQuartier shopping center, TKI Perpetual Co. They had in the display cases inside the boutique two Aquanuat 5168G, one green and one blue, and a 5167R in rose gold. I inquired about the blue 5168G in blue and was offered it for sale, with the clerk translating the purchase amount from Thai Baht to USD including the duty free rebate.
This is a watch that on the secondary market trades for roughly 2X it’s list price.
It was my last night in Bangkok before returning to the U.S, I wasn’t planning on purchasing the watch (I am patiently waiting for a 5167/A), it was late in the day, I was on the way to dinner with some people, and I struggled with how I could that same night find a way to pay for the watch without time to arrange a wire transfer.
For a few days afterward I kicked myself for not having bought the watch even if only to flip it once back in the States.
I relayed this story to my Patek AD back in the States and he was very surprised to hear it. He said he has long time Patek clients of his that have been waiting for that watch ever since it came out. We speculated perhaps the retailer were given an unexpected allocation, or possibly they may be losing their authorized retailer status as Patek looks to reduce the number of non-boutique retailers much like AP has already done.
The moral of the story is: surprises like the one I experienced are rare and should not be counted upon. I would not plan to travel to a far flung manufacturer retail location thinking you will hit the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But sometimes, you can get lucky.
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