To add a little necessary perspective to this thread......yes, the current Rolex market is crazy, frustrating and challenging no doubt, however, the biggest factor to keep in mind is that Rolex hold their value and in most cases,
increase in value because they are not so readily available. It's the same thing with special cars or fine firearms or your personal investments.....owning these things has to start somewhere and requires some effort. The secondary market is where this is proven out. Of course, there are many great watches out there that are easily the timekeeping equivalent of a Rolex, that's not the point. Luxury brands like Tudor, Omega, Grand Seiko etc and many more are just as good (or technically superior) at keeping time, not mention the numerous fine brands using generic movements or quartz movements, but a Rolex Sub, GMT, Explorer etc is a fine piece of kit, make no mistake, and your money is safe there. If Rolex flooded the market with their watches, they'd be no more valuable than a secondhand Omega, Tudor, Grand Seiko, Breitling etc, all of which I own and love,.....I'm not picking on those brands. Those watches are fantastic and readily available new at the mall or secondhand at 30%-40% off retail. Rolex is a foundation, not a publicly traded corporation like the mega watch groups and as such, they have a unique business plan.
Certainly this current market has (sadly) generated a degree of arrogance at many Rolex dealers that's very off-putting, but that's not universally true, again just like car dealers, gun dealers etc. My local Orlando Rolex AD is wonderful, so is the one in Los Angeles and another in Minneapolis. They keep a real wish list with your account (up to 3 models) and have a display box with any actual watches that are available for sale. I've gotten my watches at retail from them after regular, sincere visits, which more or less serves to confirm that I'm not just a flipper looking for a Sub to drop on Chrono24 the next day. I've also purchased Rolex at their various international airport AD locations, and that's simply a random chance deal. The guy that bounds to the AD's counter complaining about the waiting line/security guard at the door and demands to be presented a Sub after asking "how often do you need to change the battery in one of these things" is SOL.
So, all that is to say, step back and take breath, enjoy the process, visit your local AD at an off-peak time and let them make you a coffee while you chat about watches, but don't insult people that have put in the effort to find the right Rolex watch (car, gun, etc). It's a luxury purchase like a fine rifle or special car and it doesn't work the same as buying a new Browning at Cabela's or a Garmin on Amazon. (I like Browning, Cabela's, Garmin etc)
