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Like I said, the demand is already there, you (or even another 10,000 people) not being a watch because they can't get it at the AD doesn't make a difference. They have the waitlists stretching much further than that. If they wanted to capitalize on it, they easily could.
You can't run a company making luxury products like a normal company. Their change in marketing strategy is genius. It didn't take more for them to just limit supply (on all models) and watch people go mental.
If they did that nobody would buy their watches. How do I know? Look back 5-10 years where you could get a discount on steel watches. Subs, GMT's, Daytonas, all available in display windows. If someone wanted a Sub they could just go and buy it, not many did. Today everybody wants a sub, they can't get one unless they buy another watch first. Bingo bango, they just sold 2 watches instead of one. People are lining up to do this now, they never did that before.
You can rest assured that Rolex is happy with all the grey market dealers pushing up the market-value of their models. Anyone thinking Rolex is trying to stop them is dead wrong. Why do you think they changed the warranty cards not to include the customers name anymore. All to support grey market trade.
Yeah, still don't agree I'm afraid. Rolex are making efforts to stop flippers, by withholding guarantee cards on new watches for at least a year, so unless that's a double-bluff just to play lip-service to the media, you're wrong to think they aren't trying to stop it. But again, it's irrelevant to my dislike of them. By your own argument, they could make more watches if they wanted to. I understand them protecting their RRP, but they could shorten the wait lists and ensure there was a fair and transparent way to get a real place on one without devaluing their products to below retail or risk forcing a discount. If there was a 6 month wait for example, people would still be unable to get a RRP discount, but a 5 year wait for a GMT (currently quoted by all the WOS brands) is just ludicrous. The bottom line is, they are pissing off customers; I'm one and so is the OP. It's the fact that they choose not care, for whatever reason, is what I think presents a crappy attitude. They are of course quite entitled to do whatever they want, as I am to hold my low opinion of them and take some pleasure in the fact that their strategy is creating a new market for ever higher quality reps. There was a time when people wouldn't have dreamed of paying £500+ for a rep, even high quality one, but now they are, for all the reasons above.
Just FYI, from a Gen forum I belong to:
I know it to be true, because it was posted by a well respected member on a gen forum. Also, if you spent as much time as I do on gen forums, you'd know it to be true too because there are literally THOUSANDS of threads on it. Like this one: https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...tee-card/page1
And I also know that, despite the ridicule, the OP was right about manufacturers visiting here. How? Because if you go to YouTube and look at any number of gen/rep comparison videos made by gen dealers, ones I know go to manufacture events (because in some instances I've met them there) they talk about things like customised frankinwatches. Where do you think they got that info from?
You think the manufacturers are happy? They're not. I went to buy a gen GMT, was sneered at and told 5 years but you'll never get to the top of the list, so I researched other models and ended up buying this beautiful GS GMT instead (and very glad I did) a model I wouldn't have even known about were it not for their strategy. Now, rather than buying their products, there are two people on this thread who came here directly due to the manufacturers strategy and in my case, not only helped fund a community dedicated to promoting an industry they are terrified of, but actually put money into that industry by buying a rep using the information I found here. You seriously think they are happy about that? Well let's see how happy they are when word spreads and you see thousands more of their customers who, like us, find themselves here, funding ever more exact copes of their products.
Well let's see how happy they are when word spreads and you see thousands more of their customers who, like us, find themselves here, funding ever more exact copes of their products.
And I also know that, despite the ridicule, the OP was right about manufacturers visiting here. How? Because if you go to YouTube and look at any number of gen/rep comparison videos made by gen dealers, ones I know go to manufacture events (because in some instances I've met them there) they talk about things like customised frankinwatches. Where do you think they got that info from?
Rolex isn't withholding any warranty-cards, lol. Where are you getting your information? Fox news?
Confirmed by several buyers on gen forums who already received their 1266xx watches. Some ADs do it, some don't.
There's a big difference in AD's withholding warranty-cards and "Rolex" withholding them - they aren't the same thing you know. In any case, I have never ever been told a warranty card would be withheld from me, never has it ever been or even be been indicated.
I can see a scenario where the AD wants to test his customer, if believed to be a flipper, and tells him they will keep the card for xx period. Anyone that would have a problem with that clearly wouldn't be eligible for receiving the watch in the first place, as the possibility of the watch being flipped certainly would be higher. (We're talking about hot models here only, Daytonas, GMTs etc)
Again, that memo, no matter where it originated is pure fake news, bad grammar, spelling, phrasing, even the technical layout of the supposed print/ss is as fake as my x gf's tits. With 99% probability it originated from an edgy teenager that wanted some attention.
Yeah the fake industry is something brand new I hope it won't catch them by surprise.
Oooohh yes, the term frankenwatch originated from replica forums yeees yes I remember it as it was yesterday. It certainly didn't sprout from the vintage collectors as a way to describe "unoriginal" watches because they were made up from aftermarket/unoriginal parts.
But wait, weren't you just arguing that they were actively encouraging the grey market and that they never hold warranty cards?
But wait, weren't you just arguing that they were actively encouraging the grey market and that they never hold warranty cards?
Ok, I concede that I do not have the original for forensic examination, but it's pretty irrelevant in any case, contrary to your claims, anyone who can work Google can see that the ADs are withholding warranty cards and are concerned about the grey market with or without that as evidence.
Good grief, it doesn't matter if they use the term "frankinwatch" or not, the point is that they know there are communities like this where some people swap in genuine parts so that they are almost impossible to distinguish from their product. This forum was easy enough for me to find when I decided to buy a rep, so if you think they don't have people who have found it and are keeping an eye on the latest developments, I'm afraid I think it's you who are being naive not the OP.
Again, I was talking about Rolex, not AD's. There's a big difference.
If you had a luxury brand (Rolex) and your products were being sold (Let's say year 2015) UNDER retail in the second hand market. Does that show a good value of your product? No, right? Would you be happy with that situation? No of course not.
Now if your products suddenly starts selling ABOVE retail, is that a bad thing for your brand? Would you want to stop that in any way possible? Of course not, it's a GREAT thing for a luxury brand - actually it's the ideal scenario any luxury brand could ever dream of.
Naturally you can't publicly say that, you have to portray that it's a bad thing for your company and customers, but really you couldn't be happier.
Again, seriously? We KNOW THAT! How could they? They don't deal with the public.What I said was ROLEX never held back the cards.
It's not irrelevant. In fact it's very relevant as it just proves you take anything thrown at you and blindly accept it as a fact. You keep saying "AD's".. No, no and no. SOME AD'S might, to SOME customers. I already said that. I know that my AD certainly does not, not to me or to any of their other customers.
Here's a quest for you and you'll love this one. Go on C24 and show me a SINGLE Daytona, GMT or Submariner that is being sold without a warranty card.. I mean, according to you it's Rolex policy, so surely no watch leaves Geneva with a warranty card.
Well obviously, but we all know that Rolex don't sell direct so it can only be the AD's who withhold guarantee cards, but what's your point? They are still being withheld.
Anyway, I've been on (and running) forums long enough to know that when you start repeating yourself more than twice, the conversation is going to go downhill rapidly until someone mentions Hitler (Godwin's law) so I'll leave this discussion now and let you have the last word that I already know you desperately need.
What you're doing is being pedantic about minor irrelevant points to distract from the main point that you said Rolex were encouraging a grey market and that warranty cards aren't being withheld, despite the wealth of evidence all over the net that proved beyond doubt that you're wrong and that the practice is widespread
Rolex are making efforts to stop flippers, by withholding guarantee cards on new watches for at least a year, so unless that's a double-bluff just to play lip-service to the media, you're wrong to think they aren't trying to stop it.
You think there aren't subs on C24 without any papers?
I know it to be true, because it was posted by a well respected member on a gen forum. Also, if you spent as much time as I do on gen forums, you'd know it to be true too because there are literally THOUSANDS of threads on it. Like this one: https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...tee-card/page1
And I also know that, despite the ridicule, the OP was right about manufacturers visiting here. How? Because if you go to YouTube and look at any number of gen/rep comparison videos made by gen dealers, ones I know go to manufacture events (because in some instances I've met them there) they talk about things like customised frankinwatches. Where do you think they got that info from?
You think the manufacturers are happy? They're not. I went to buy a gen GMT, was sneered at and told 5 years but you'll never get to the top of the list, so I researched other models and ended up buying this beautiful GS GMT instead (and very glad I did) a model I wouldn't have even known about were it not for their strategy. Now, rather than buying their products, there are two people on this thread who came here directly due to the manufacturers strategy and in my case, not only helped fund a community dedicated to promoting an industry they are terrified of, but actually put money into that industry by buying a rep using the information I found here. You seriously think they are happy about that? Well let's see how happy they are when word spreads and you see thousands more of their customers who, like us, find themselves here, funding ever more exact copies of their products.