Total noobie. AD/Service/Gray market questions.

[beniceiamstupid]

I've been looking at buying a Rolex or two, and I've looked everywhere to get answers to some questions but it's always kind of a little hint here or a partial answer there, and I don't know anyone who knows watches well enough to ask them. When I read people talking about AD's or Gray markets I don't really understand. Can someone explain some basics for me please?

Question #1: What do you get when you purchase from an AD in terms of service? Are you just getting an extended warranty like on a new xBox/car/TV, or do you get lifetime service? I don't get it.

Question #2: If you buy from a gray market dealer, what will Rolex NOT do for you? Obviously whatever extended warranty you would get, you won't get. But let's say ten years down the road, I need a new bezel or new second hand or whatever, will Rolex refuse to take my business? Will they charge me more? What would I be missing out on?

Question #3: Is there anything that my watch guy can't do, that Rolex AD's can do? My watch guy works on Rolexes and Tudors and 150 year old pocket watches and all of that, and he knows what he's doing, I'm sure there are guys like him in every big city. So what do I miss out on if I rely on guys like him instead of Rolex?

Question #4: Is there a way to buy a Rolex from an AD without giving them my name and personal information?

Thank you very much for taking time to answer these questions. I"m sure that to you these seem really basic but to me it's a lot of mystery. Probably other people too who will come by in the future. Appreciate the assist.

[Little machines]

Simple :
Rolex AD : difficult to purchase watch because of demand . Need history and relationship.
Gray market : Use a trusted seller and buying Rolex with a premium based on market you will have your watch and usually a warranty.Also you can ask these questions and they will educate you . Welcome to the forum (BE Nice I am stupid ) funny !!
Good luck!

[1William]

1. Nothing more or less than the watch and the experience of buying from an AD. Years ago before the warranty changed some AD's offered an extra year of warranty but I have not heard of that in a while.
2. Rolex will work on and do any repairs on an authentic Rolex watch within certain age restrictions on the watch.
3. The big question is does your watch tech have a Rolex/Tudor parts account. If not, then you will need to find an independent service person who does have an account to get parts.
4. I would think that Rolex AD's are going to know who they are selling a watch to and the circumstances of the sale. This is related to flipping watches and for service and return of watches.

I hope this has been helpful.

[Bazil]

Beg - like the rest of us ..

Enjoy the forum and chase for a watch …

[Hollie_Rollie]

Originally Posted by 1William

1. Nothing more or less than the watch and the experience of buying from an AD. Years ago before the warranty changed some AD's offered an extra year of warranty but I have not heard of that in a while.
2. Rolex will work on and do any repairs on an authentic Rolex watch within certain age restrictions on the watch.
3. The big question is does your watch tech have a Rolex/Tudor parts account. If not, then you will need to find an independent service person who does have an account to get parts.
4. I would think that Rolex AD's are going to know who they are selling a watch to and the circumstances of the sale. This is related to flipping watches and for service and return of watches.

I hope this has been helpful.

What are the age restrictions on the watch ?


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[Calatrava r]

When you buy from an AD you are getting a new watch which means it has not been sold to a retail purchaser. The warranty of 5 years is activated on your date of purchase. You have to give your name and address to the AD, but some may not require this.

When you buy from your watch guy, you are buying a used watch. The watch was retailed to someone else before you who then sold the watch into the used market. There is no grey market, it is the "pre-owned" "used" or "secondary" market. Issues which may arise when buying used stuff, especially high demand luxury stuff, is the item may be counterfeit or real but stolen. Other issues with used watches include but are not limited to the item may have been abused, dropped on the floor, exposed to water with the crown open, sent to Rolex for warranty repair but still not working right, polished and worked on by a non-Rolex service facility voiding the warranty. The list is endless.

The warranty follows the watch, so if you buy a used watch, you get what time period is left on the warranty.

After sale service varies widely with ADs and used watch dealers.

[Laszlo]

Buying on the secondary market gets what you want now vs waiting forever. To me it’s worth paying the impatient tax.

[Mr. Drunmond]

We will start with the assumption that the watch is authentic and not abused.

There is no difference in warranty other than time- you get 5 years from the time of original sale, so your warranty might be 4 years and 11 months, or 3 years and 6 months etc. But as far as the Rolex Service Center is concerned, they don't care. Your name isn't even on the warranty card anymore.

As far as service at the AD, unless getting a glass of cheap champagne and maybe a pen/hat means something to you, there is no difference.

[996marty]

Buying from the AD gets you exactly the reference you want knowing it’s totally legit but you could end up waiting a very long time for that privilege.
Buying from a grey gets you what you want when you want it but at a premium
Servicing shouldn’t be a problem even if you buy grey so don’t stress about that

[1William]

Originally Posted by Hollie_Rollie

What are the age restrictions on the watch ?


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Age restrictions are when the watch was manufactured and are spare parts available for service/repair.

[thebusinessend]

4. if you dont want to share your info with an AD they will give you nothing. They need to know your name,phone, email, usualy ask what you do for work, why you want the watch, your address. Some AD actually do a background check on you like your linked in make sure your someone they WANT to sell a watch too. And they honestly dont care about you as a human. They have so high demand for their watches you walking away means nothing to any AD. If you dont like that mindset head over to Omega they are happy to sell you anything aside from their 1 good watch"snoopy".

[thebusinessend]

and as a follow up if you think Rolex is bad forget about AP and Patek.

[ArtNouveau]

That last question has me scratching my head. I can’t imagine why someone would want to buy an expensive watch anonymously unless their express reason was to resell it immediately.
I can’t imagine any US authorized dealer that would sell a watch for thousands of dollars in cash, shake your hand and say “thank you Mr X.” Paying by credit card or bank transfer would give them your name. OP, please explain.

[the_Hunter]

If you are buying from a grey and the watch does not have a US warranty card you may have issues getting warranty done without a purchase receipt from the original AD.

Rolex seems to be somewhat inconsistent on this and I have heard recently it is less of an issue but I have had it personally bite me in the arse so just be aware.

[Mr Ben]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

That last question has me scratching my head. I can’t imagine why someone would want to buy an expensive watch anonymously unless their express reason was to resell it immediately.
I can’t imagine any US authorized dealer that would sell a watch for thousands of dollars in cash, shake your hand and say “thank you Mr X.” Paying by credit card or bank transfer would give them your name. OP, please explain.

If my name was “beniceiamstupid”, I wouldn’t want to give it to the AD either.

[joli160]

1. Nothing extra, a resellers warranty is as good as any other.

2. Out of warranty you just pay regardless where you bought it. They don’t care.

3. Major concern for me would be non original parts and poor refinishing.
In my place it takes 4 years of study to become a watchmaker and add to that the additional training required by various brands.
Someone called a watch guy sounds not very convincing.

4. Nobody ever asked for my passport details when buying a watch. I always refuse entry in any shops data base and don’t entertain customer cards or memberships. Should be no problem.

[BETRNSX]

Originally Posted by joli160

4. Nobody ever asked for my passport details when buying a watch. I always refuse entry in any shops data base and don’t entertain customer cards or memberships. Should be no problem.

I was gonna say something similar. You could give an alias or middle name instead. And give an email specifically setup to handle retail/online purchases so it's not your personal one. Also pay in cash. They wouldn't be able to do research on you, but chances are you wouldn't have a social media presence anyway.

Then again, if you were Tiger Woods or Roger Federer you wouldn't have to show any ID either.

[brandrea]

Welcome to the forum

[KatGirl]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

That last question has me scratching my head. I can’t imagine why someone would want to buy an expensive watch anonymously unless their express reason was to resell it immediately.
I can’t imagine any US authorized dealer that would sell a watch for thousands of dollars in cash, shake your hand and say “thank you Mr X.” Paying by credit card or bank transfer would give them your name. OP, please explain.

Money laundering comes to mind…..

Kat


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