Rolex Research in Manhattan

📌 The editor of RobbReport conducted an interesting study by attempting to buy a steel Rolex Daytona at retail from several boutiques in Manhattan. Of course, he was unsuccessful, and the information he received from authorized dealers turned out to be even more shocking than expected🤯

👉 Firstly, the waiting list essentially does not exist: the so-called registration of your interest means nothing. On average, each day a Rolex boutique "registers" between 50 to 100 requests for the Daytona. As of 2022, Rolex managed 1,816 boutiques worldwide. By the most conservative estimates, this amounts to 30 to 40 million (!) requests per year😳

👉 Secondly, even if we assume that a waiting list does exist and Rolex actually calls you back, the estimated wait time is around 15 years.

At multi-brand dealers, the situation is even worse: for your interest in a Rolex to be noted, you need to have a substantial purchase history with other brands (Omega, Cartier, etc.)👀

🙌 Rolex has transformed from a relatively accessible premium watch brand to a luxury brand. One of the key differences between a premium and a luxury brand is access to the products, and the brand's marketing has focused on exclusivity.

All this leads to the sustained growth of the secondary market that we have been observing recently.