Expensive watches on boats.

lustyd said:
Because you’re the right kind of customer presumably. Utterly abhorrent to me I’m afraid. If an Asian family want to buy something then they should receive help rather than getting jerked about.
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I’m reasonably certain the IWC concierge dude would treat any prospective customer with respect and try to get a good result for them.
There should be no “right kind of customer” imho.
Just trundle along to the IWC boutique in Battersea and show some interest in mechanical watches 🙂

And who is the “right kind of customer” anyway?
I’m typically wearing battered deck shoes, an old Quba Sails polo and M&S trousers or shorts with a vague aroma of diesel.
 
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Rolex dealers also retain the box and tags from your new purchase for a year so you can't immediately go out and profit from it.

No, I wouldn't pander to that but I did buy an Omega Speedmaster (moonwatch) and Seamaster for my 50th. I have a collection of watches, mechanical and quartz. It's my blokes jewellery collection.

The latest addition is a Garmin G1 Descent scuba computer plus 100 other functions I'm still learning.

pd-03-xl.jpeg
 
wonkywinch said:
Rolex dealers also retain the box and tags from your new purchase for a year so you can't immediately go out and profit from it.

No, I wouldn't pander to that but I did buy an Omega Speedmaster (moonwatch) and Seamaster for my 50th. I have a collection of watches, mechanical and quartz. It's my blokes jewellery collection.

The latest addition is a Garmin G1 Descent scuba computer plus 100 other functions I'm still learning.

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That's a great bit of kit. Love the fact that you've got multi gas options and you can still wear it as a watch without comment. My ancient computer does about a quarter of that at triple the size. Advance technology!

Speedy is also a great watch. Seamaster as well.

You're mistaken about Rolex dealers retaining box and tags. That would be outrageous and I'm pretty sure this has never happened. Stickers perhaps.
 
FWIW I seriously doubt Rolex restrict production. They make over 1 million watches a year - more than Omega and IWC combined - and they are building new factories to meet demand.

I can understand where that impression comes from though. Demand currently exceeds supply. This is a very recent phenomenon (less that 5 years old) From 2008 to around 2017 you could get a discount on pretty much any rolex you wanted apart from maybe certain Daytonas. The gouging and poor behaviour comes from the retailers, not the manufacturer. Funnily enough these are the same retailers (or retail groups) that are selling IWC, Omega and the like.

Rolex have historically been a manufacturer of functional, high quality watches designed for practical and professional use. They are having a 'Burberry moment' but that doesn't mean they are any less of an excellent watch.
 
obmij said:
FWIW I seriously doubt Rolex restrict production. They make over 1 million watches a year - more than Omega and IWC combined - and they are building new factories to meet demand.
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You have that quite wrong, this is a decision at their end.
Try buying a Daytona and let us know how that went for you 😂

There are numerous articles about this.
Rolex could easily increase production volumes if they want to, but they choose not to.
One: Business News: Rolex FAQ: Everything You Need To Know About Production Increases And The Certified Pre-Owned Program

Instead I have chosen a watch brand where I can actually buy a watch.
This does not seem entirely unreasonable.
 
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It's just a bubble. Pre covid you could buy one anywhere. Right now you wont have much difficulty either.

I don't tend to buy into hype on the internet. That's how you get bubbles 😉

Anyway - as in a previous post and to get back to the OP - I think mechanical watches and yachts go well together. Kinda pointless but nice to have 🙂
 
lustyd said:
Because you’re the right kind of customer presumably. Utterly abhorrent to me I’m afraid. If an Asian family want to buy something then they should receive help rather than getting jerked about.
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They did get help they were told that the shop would probably have one within a month and they would be contacted and also quite reasonably told that they don't deal in cash for such large sums. They were also guided through the possible range of Rolexes that may have been available, it's as far as I can tell for watch dealers to have a network within which there are a few watches in circulation.
Like it or not that is how it is when trying to buy a Rolex they are not "stock" items.
 
johnalison said:
In Ethiopia we stopped in a township, probably Shashemena, for a rest in a secure hotel. Some of us fancied walking a short way to buy some pastries and the advice was to leave our watches and wallets behind and just take a few birr to pay with, and anyone ill-disposed would easily be able to read our body language and leave us alone. As it happens, Ethiopia is generally pretty safe, especially in the countryside, and the pastries were very nice too.
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I learnt similar, working in Nigeria many years ago. But best have something (of very little value to you) that they can rob you of - they feel better for it, and quickly leave you alone? Casio watches, and lots of small denomination US dollars worked for me.
In those days you "just" got robbed...nowadays, since fundamentalists became a thing, you'd be lucky to "just" get kidnapped and ransomed.

As to the "Rolex thing"...I waste my money on other nonsense😉 I guess we all do silly things? My wife certainly thinks so!
Each to their own, but please stop whinging when you get robbed while wearing £30-50,000 worth on your wrist, even in UK these days - Best move to Monaco?
 
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Something like this ... same group as Rolex, but you can actually walk into a shop and buy one.
Movements on some are the more standard movements - this particular one is in-house.

Screenshot 2024-12-04 144041.png
 
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I bought an Omega Railmaster (Part of the Sea master range).

Designed originally for railway workers in high Gauss locations on electric trains.

I don't care about that aspect of it.

I just bought it because I liked the watch face and general style and my dad had an Omega so I feel a connection.

Purely an emotional purchase.

Having said that, I was in the same jewelers a year later and he offered me more than I paid for it.....
 
SC35 said:
And who is the “right kind of customer” anyway?
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Apparently not the wealthy Asians in the story.
wonkywinch said:
Rolex dealers also retain the box and tags from your new purchase for a year
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Can’t imagine that’s legal, if you’ve paid it’s your property and if they bluster about contracts that would be unfair contract terms and you can tell them to poke it while they lose any reputation they might have left.
wonkywinch said:
The latest addition is a Garmin G1 Descent
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I got the Fenix 8, utterly amazing watch. They added scuba to the standard watch along with a surprisingly useful torch that lasts hours. Best watch I’ve ever had by a long way, and I’ve had a lot.
Fr J Hackett said:
They did get help they were told that the shop would probably have one within a month
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Given that the customer made it clear they wanted a gift that day, why spend a bunch of time helping them choose something they couldn’t buy that day? That’s not help, it’s terrible customer service.
 
lustyd said:
Apparently not the wealthy Asians in the story.

Can’t imagine that’s legal, if you’ve paid it’s your property and if they bluster about contracts that would be unfair contract terms and you can tell them to poke it while they lose any reputation they might have left.

I got the Fenix 8, utterly amazing watch. They added scuba to the standard watch along with a surprisingly useful torch that lasts hours. Best watch I’ve ever had by a long way, and I’ve had a lot.

Given that the customer made it clear they wanted a gift that day, why spend a bunch of time helping them choose something they couldn’t buy that day? That’s not help, it’s terrible customer service.
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They only made it obvious that they expected to take it away with them as the discussions neared there end. The fact that they were Asian had no bearing on the matter either.
 
Fr J Hackett said:
They only made it obvious that they expected to take it away with them as the discussions neared there end. The fact that they were Asian had no bearing on the matter either.
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And why were they asked what they’d bought before?
Surely upon finding it was a gift to take away any half competent sales person would move to showing what’s in stock.
 
Interesting this massively long thread on a boating forum is about watches.

Wonder if there's a really long thread on a watch forum about boats.

Saying 'it's not as bad as buying a Rolex' is great for justifying all sorts of expensive indulgences.
 
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