Bizarre Experience at Amsterdam Airport ROLEX Shop

[@emmetts1899]

This is job i want to do, the salesman that never has to sell anything.

[@WatchFanHenry]

Dream job! Month after month after month of doing nothing .. you just wonder who’s covering all that loss on the rent, salaries, insurance, benefits, etc. it’s quite bizarre.

[@mrparlanejxtra]

I am not a frequent traveler but experience shows me that you never get a good deal at airport boutique one brand shops.. Better to go into town.

[@WatchFanHenry]

The ROLEX ADs are supposed to sell the watches at the list price published by ROLEX they are technically not allowed to deviate from list price. I check all ROOEX ADs when I visit a city, both airport and city centre locations but so far no luck in the past 4 years.

[@NaVirazhah]

@@WatchFanHenry supposed to. I had a funny experience of buying my first Rolex (OP with a black dial) from AD in Ukraine. For the first, they were selling it for the price in between the market and suggested retail. For the second, I had to pay only in cash. That do not accept any cards. I made a lot of funny pictures with tones of Ukrainian currency while making this purchase. If you want a SS Submariner from AD, go to Kiev. You could but it for cash (USD, Euro also) and it will be registered with Rolex for your name, but be ready to pay a market (gray price).

[@wilkin52]

I was there in May ‘23 and picked up an Explorer 2. I received great service whilst there and got the watch I wanted. No waiting list or any other nonsense and £900 below list price as a tax free purchase.

[@WatchFanHenry]

Wow, I am extremely impressed. Congratulations! You’re the second person to leave a comment saying that they’ve purchased new Rolex watches at the Amsterdam airport Rolex shop. I’ve visited the shop several times over the last three years, and of course have not had any luck so I think it’s like lottery tickets: some people do win them but most don’t.

[@GrahmSumm]

It is indeed a lottery. Walked-in went without the wife who made other stops. Was 5-10minutes early before few other people were waiting for me to walk away. One stock for men the Wimbledon.

[@GrahmSumm]

This was yesterday btw

[@NaVirazhah]

I will be the third person in the comments who bought watch in Schiphol’s Rolex Boutique, but my purchase is not limited by one watch. All occurred in multiple occasions since 2021. 1. TT DJ 31 mm - my wife’s second Rolex watch 2. Explorer II (polar) - I was catching it for almost a year and refused any other Rolex watches which were proposed to me on multiple occasions 3. GMT Master 2 (Rootbeer) - got an offer, tried the watch and bought it immediately. This year I also bought SS Sea Dweller Deep Sea in CDG airport. I was flying first class and was lucky enough just to buy it as a walk in customer. In Schiphol, I could hardly be called as a regular walk in customer as almost all sales team knows me by name and vise versa. They also know what I’m looking for. However, after having a purchase history with Amsterdam’s Rolex AD (also Gassan), for me it is easier to get a desired watch in the main store. Surprisingly, GASSAN’s store in AMS airport and in the city do not have joint CRM system. It means that your purchases in the airport are not accrued on the GASSAN’s account.

[@WatchFanHenry]

Congratulations !!! .. you’ve certainly been very lucky over the last few years. I again passed through Amsterdam airport twice last month and both times there were zero watches available .. just like when I passed through Amsterdam back in September 2023, and in February 2023. So I’m only visiting Amsterdam a couple times a year which I guess isn’t sufficient to be a regular, I’ll continue asking at every single Rolex AD that I visit but I think my best bet will be Japan moving forward.

[@NaVirazhah]

@@WatchFanHenry, in Schengen section, from the last week, they have 36 mm TT Explorer and some DJ. Nobody buys it for several days.

[@NaVirazhah]

@@WatchFanHenry , just to add to my previous answer. I got from Gassan in Schiphol my another 226503 TT Daytona (black diamond dial) several weeks ago. Credits go to my wife who picked it up for me on her Sunday flight to Chicago. My experience with Rolex in Schiphol becomes better and better. Now is the problem what Daytona to wear for Watches and Wonder in one week )

[@mahmoudghoneim8004]

That is crazy what a company can do for its customers and yet they still come back, sorry guys i wouldn't touch a Rolex today even if it was available for sale in a Rolex AD .

[@WatchFanHenry]

It is very true .. you’re right .. in the year 2023, Rolex is treating potential customers like dogs .. it is an absolute disgrace..

[@laurentwaldung1011]

I bought a datejust 31mm two tones yellow gold for my gf in that same store last June. that day they had 4 available watches (3 for women, 1 for men)

[@WatchFanHenry]

I have suspected that women’s watches are a different story although, of course, I’ve never asked about them. But the fact that they had a men’s watch it’s nice to hear when you were there. That was good news. Personally, I’m looking for a men’s watch that’s not 36 mm so it has to be larger like 41 mm … and the 41 mm watches I’ve never found at a Rolex A.D. in the past three years.

[@laurentwaldung1011]

@@WatchFanHenry my wrist is too small for 41mm or above. the max I can wear is 40

[@drnick40]

At this point Rolex keeps the lights on at its boutiques just to keep the real estate in presentable existence. Same with the employees. Some bother taking your information, but some don’t care at all and in this case barricaded the door so nobody could bother them. All incoming watches for sale are offered only to an existing customers with a solid purchase history, over the phone. This is the way it is going to be for as long as we go and ask only for a Rolex when shopping for a watch.

[@WatchFanHenry]

Another person said the barricaded shop was because they were doing a sale, but I didn’t see that so who knows what the situation was with that in this particular case. It’s just a very strange situation that they have this network of stores all around the world that sell watches through the back door into the ether, somehow.

[@obud3777]

They sell on only to VIP clients and to grey market dealers, and the biggest grey market dealers are also owned by the AD’s.

[@NaVirazhah]

@@obud3777, this in not true with respect to Gassan. Yes, they have a pre-owned boutique, but they do not accept for purchase any Rolex watches younger than 1 year before sale with AD. This is just to avoid flippers and accusation like yours. I’m quite often visit their preowned boutique and confirm that this is true. However, they easily accept purchasing for resale absolutely new APs just acquired from ADs.

[@bootneckng89]

I travel through Schipol Airport every 2 weeks and in the last 2 years I've seen maybe 3 or 4 watches for sale. Usually the DateJust 36 on oyster bracelet. Seems like they ho as soon as they arrive.

[@WatchFanHenry]

Wow!!! Amazing!!! Thank you so much for telling me this!!!! This is such interesting news to hear a first hand account of from someone who visits a Amsterdam Airport every couple weeks. I personally only want a 41mm Rolex watch, like an Air King, Datejust 41mm, or GMT Master (I am dreaming!!!) Thank you again for sharing this information. I was also thinking they might only have the solid gold watches that are like €30-€60,000 that so few people are going to purchase, but I don’t even ask about them.

[@RangoRoleplay]

id suggest you to go to dubai you can get any watch you want there

[@WatchFanHenry]

I would love to go it is on my travel list! But do the Rolex ADs have men’s watches available for an off the street random buyer and foreigner like me?

[@AcmeRocket]

Not in the Airport you can't. They rarely have anything (rolex). Now if you want another brand.. sure, like everywhere else. I'm there all the time.

[@theaustrian4934]

are you sure? 🙃

[@RangoRoleplay]

@@AcmeRocket i meant like go to a reseller you just need to get some contacts there that resell watches and youl have a watch in no time

[@NaVirazhah]

In Dubai’s AD, you can’t. There are so many wealthy clients plus Muslim man do not wear yellow gold watches which make even more competition for SS models. I’m standing them for SS DJ41 mm with anniversary dial, but with no success. I had offers for full gold watches in Dubai’s AD two weeks ago (rose gold Sky Dweller and Day-Date with baguette diamonds, but kindly refused. SD is just not mine (too big on the wrist) and Day-Date was with a boring Champaign dial.

[@barrierankin2234]

Been there twice and walked out twice with a watch. Air King and Explorer 36. The barrier goes up when a sale is being made

[@WatchFanHenry]

Wow, you are extremely lucky. I suggest you start buying lottery tickets as I explained I’ve been visiting rights, authorized dealers across Asia and Europe for the last four years and I’ve never been able to be offered a single watch and I have specifically asked for Air-King each and every time. Maybe it has to do with demographics, and I don’t fit their demographic, that’s a possibility I never thought of.

[@mehulagarwal8739]

So I got offered a ward at this store, basically they have this barricade when they’re probably doing a deal. They closed it when they were doing the deal with me. That’s my experience

[@Fatboylo1980]

What exactly is the point of an airport Rolex boutique if yiur don’t have anything available? Lol

[@WatchFanHenry]

Exactly. Great point! Why don’t the airports close the shops as it’s irritating for passengers. The airport management should not tolerate a shop that’s not willing to sell goods and only ends up irritating passengers that pass through. My vote is at the airport throw them out until such time as they have inventory that they’re willing to sell to a walk-through passenger.

[@NaVirazhah]

Strange approach. I bought 4 Rolex watches in the airports during the last 2 years. Two of them SS sport (Explorer 2 and See Dweller, one Everose GMT Master 2 and one TT DJ). My close friend bought TT Submariner and TT DJ. This is just a matter of luck and if sales team considers you as a reliable client or a potential flipper or the one who could hardly be associated with a Rolex watch.

[@Islandchris242]

They are tired of having people come in asking the same questions over and over, most are not serious buyers anyhow

[@WatchFanHenry]

In all fairness, they should close the store or keep it locked up because in my situation, I’ve got the cash ready to spend, and I have had the cash ready to spend for the last four years. Each time i’m able to go into one of their stores I ask the same questions, time and time again, and they give me the same answers, time and time again … so they’re just wasting everybody’s time from the way I perceive it. The Rolex AS stores are joke, shops in my opinion.

[@NaVirazhah]

In my personal experience, sales team closes the store in AMS in two occasions: (1) somebody buys the watch, (2) two many people in the store. I haven’t seen anything like you mentioned in the video despite being very often in Schiphol.