Availability. Walk into any authorized Rolex dealer, and you're going to see a lot of Datejusts, Day-Dates, Oyster Perpetuals, perhaps a Milgaus, maybe an Air-King, and usually a fresh batch of Cellini dress watches in a wide range of sizes and colors.
Rolex does not sell any of its watches online, so when it comes to buying a new Rolex, the process is as simple as going onto the brand's website and looking up the location of your nearest authorized Rolex retailer.
To buy a Rolex Daytona, the waitlist is often suggested to be 5 or 10 years long. The harsh reality is that unless you have a large spending history with your Authorised Rolex dealer you're unlikely to ever be offered a Rolex Daytona.
In Australia, the waiting list has now been superseded in favour of the expression of interest. Australian Rolex ADs have stopped taking deposits and stopped using the term waiting lists but will offer an EOI. With an EOI, they are not obliged to provide the product but you just get placed in a queue.
To begin with, you can expect at least a two-year wait for a brand-new Rolex purchase. In many cases, it is three years until orders are fulfilled, and four and even five-year waits are not unheard of.
The most commonly sought-after Rolex watches include Rolex Daytona, GMT-Master(II), Submariner, and Sea-Dweller.
Rolex Day Date Waitlist
Waitlists on the Rolex Day Date is long and one can expect to wait 6-36 months. Expect to have a strong relationship and excellent purchase history to receive this watch from an authorized dealer.
Every one of the approximately one million watches that Rolex produces every year is sold. You won't find any extra inventory of Rolex watches at retail shops. Demand outstrips supply, year after year.
Here are some of the most common reasons why Rolex may refuse to sell you a watch: If the watch is for “display only” If the watch is a popular model that the store wants to keep for “VIP” customers. If they suspect that you will flip/sell the watch.
New and genuine Rolex watches are exclusively sold by official Rolex Jewelers.
They will put you on a 2-4 year waitlist, (sometimes longer,) due to their lack of inventory. During that 2-4 year waitlist, Rolex will have more than one price increase, and by the time the watch is finally available to you, you will be paying the current market price...
Rolex watches are a unique way to invest and are an investment you can enjoy while the value increases. However, not all Rolex watches will sell for significantly more over time. If making money in the future is part of your plan when buying a Rolex, you'll want to be choosy with what you buy.
Rolex watches increase in price over time as the demand and supply gap widens. This makes them an asset whose value appreciates over time. Rolex increased the prices of their watches by over 4.2% at the start of 2022. This suggests a price hike is very likely in the future.
The Daytona is very expensive because it's been one of the most difficult watches to get at Rolex for years.
Patek Philippe arguably owns the top-tier of high-horology. Once, the most expensive watch ever sold was a Patek Philippe with many complications and sold for over 11 million dollars, second only to a Rolex that was worn by Paul Newman.
Not much of a surprise here, but Rolex has bid farewell to the Cellini collection in 2023. The last remaining model of the Cellini collection was the Moonpase ref. 50535, which has now been discontinued in 2023.
The total production number for 2021 is closer to 1.24m watches.
A Rolex watch is amongst the most universally recognised status symbols.
Why do people say Rolex watches are relatively inexpensive when they travel to Dubai if that is the case? It is because of the pre-owned market situation. Due to the low availability, these watches often go at a premium in the pre-owned market. And that is where you can see a price difference.
Patek Philippe
They have since become one of the world's most respected watch brands, known for its impeccable craftsmanship, exclusivity, and elegant designs. Patek often costs more than Rolex on the retail level, but both companies are innovative and offer the highest quality available on the market.
Airport Dealers Probably Have Limited Rolex Selection
Generally, if you are buying from an Authorized Dealer, you can expect the most popular models to be in stock. However, you are unlikely to be able to buy waiting list models, or limited edition timepieces.