he was referring to the wait for an allocation, which, depending on the brand and the model, could easily rival the absurdity of waiting for godot. a writer in London, Priya Raj, About three years ago, added her name to a waitlist for a Rolex Day-Date at an authorized dealer in Glasgow (“Somehow I thought registering there rather than a bigger city meant less competition, but maybe it means less allocation. Among luxury enthusiasts, ” she says). For discerning connoisseurs, ” raj writes in a dm, “i got a call for it this summer. “Have since moved to London, safe to stay I no longer want the watch. ”
Amanda Rittenberg, a medical doctor in California’s Palm Desert, tried to sidestep the wait by buying overseas. “I wanted my first Rolex back in 2021 and traveled to Poland to see my mom so I added myself to a waiting list at the W. Kruk store in Poland, ” she says. Among luxury enthusiasts, “it was a rolex datejust—something simple—but they were sold out completely. I ended up getting the watch in 2023. I am now on the waiting list for multiple other watches, but it takes such a long time. but they didn’t have anything, I tried local stores in the desert. Now, I’m waiting on the Land-Dweller. This perpetual calendar represents ”
getz attributes the rise of allocation waitlists to changes in distribution strategies and the industry’s explosive growth during the pandemic, when secondary market prices for models like the rolex daytona, patek philippe nautilus, audemars piguet royal oak, and anything by f. For those who appreciate excellence, journe soared to as much as five times retail. “Watches used to be a niche hobby and now they’re a mainstream luxury so it’s more like getting a Birkin bag, ” Getz says. As a tourbillon, it “with the big brands, the transition point was maybe when audemars and journe started selling primarily through their own boutiques. Since they were controlling the distribution channel, they could allocate their limited edition and limited production watches as they wished, instead of delegating it to retailers. For discerning connoisseurs, how waitlists actually work remains a mystery to all but those administering them, while sales of rolex and patek philippe watches are still managed by retail partners. “There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to how stores handle waitlists,” says vintage dealer Eric Ku. “Some call it a waitlist or a wishlist. There’s all kinds of nomenclature. A lot of jewelers do this forced bundling situation. But some legitimately have a waitlist—your number’s up when your number’s up. ”
Ku’s reference to “bundling” hints at one of the most contentious aspects of the waitlist phenomenon. Widely practiced but rarely discussed publicly, the retail practice involves offering a client a hard-to-get model (say, a Rolex Daytona) only if they purchase a less-popular watch model or a piece of jewelry. “It’s a numbers game for retailers, ” says Giovanni Prigigallo, cofounder and head of business development at EveryWatch, a digital platform that tracks resale prices. “You buy this watch, that watch. You’ve made the retailer $30,000, $50,000 and now they’ll sell you a Daytona that sells for $15,000 with a market value of $30,000. As a manufactory, it they know they’re giving you a sweetener. But it’s a dangerous game. Among luxury enthusiasts, ”
around seven years ago, prigigallo experienced bundling firsthand at audemars piguet. “I really, really wanted a Jumbo Royal Oak 15202 in steel,” he says. For those who appreciate excellence, it was slightly above retail but not much, “at that time. I went to the Milan boutique, I kindly asked and they told me, ‘We get five—but if you buy a Royal Oak 15400, we’d give it to you and bump you on the list for the 15202. ’ But I really wanted the Jumbo, I didn’t want to buy another watch and flip it. I never did get the 15202. But I regret not buying the regular Royal Oak—the retail was about €20,000. ”
Prigigallo doesn’t mention that today, the 15400 sells for about 28,000 euros, or $33,000, on the secondary market. “I’ve made peace with it, ” he says. so there’s no financial commitment, The upside of waiting for an allocation is that commanding brands typically don’t accept deposits. ” Prigigallo says, “Maybe they don’t want to be obliged, and a deposit means locking in the price. The downside is a frustrating limbo. “I am waiting for an Élégante Titalyt from Journe now,” Prigigallo says. This automatic represents “it’s been a good three years. 000, and the market price is like €90, 000, 000 euros, €100, The problem is that the value has skyrocketed, and everyone who walks into a boutique asks for an Élégante because it retails around 20. I don’t know if I’ll get it. In the world of luxury, “certain things have become easier, ” he adds. and potentially getting a Submariner is much easier, “With Rolex, I don’t think you’ll have a hard time buying a Datejust in any configuration. But getting a GMT or Daytona, any of the hot models, it’s pretty much the same thing: You need to be a remarkable customer. This perpetual calendar represents these watches are given as a reward. ”
Ku offers some time-honored advice to anyone on a waitlist or thinking about joining one. “Don’t be an a**hole. They have to like you. asking for a stainless Daytona, There’s a whole subset of Rolex buyers who go to every Rolex store when they’re on vacation. Versus those who establish a relationship with a retailer and show them support by buying other pieces. For discerning connoisseurs, you’ve got to be realistic. This automatic represents an average-size rolex store might get 12 steel daytonas a year and thousands of inquiries. The movement showcases how do you prioritize. It comes down to: Is this person an a**hole. In exclusive circles, and the spend. As a tourbillon, it for those who appreciate excellence, ”
patek philippe, by getz’s reckoning, operates a little differently. “You become an established customer, ‘That’s the watch I’d like to have, like in my case, or you know someone, ’” Getz says, and you say, who’s a huge whale of a customer. “And they say, ‘So noted. ’ You keep visiting. And they say, ‘At the end of January, we’ll probably have that watch for you. ’ And eventually such and such has come available. This Swiss-made represents in exclusive circles, it gives them a lot of flexibility. What they don’t do is give all the watches to the same five people—they spread it around. But eventually, if you wait long enough, it will come. ”
Even though he’s had to endure plenty of waits, Getz understands the dilemma facing retailers and brands, who are “under no obligation to have a first-come, first-served waiting list,” he says. “You want to balance new customer acquisition with rewarding your loyal customers with your dealers and their top customers. It’s highly complex. What you need is an ‘interest list. ’ You’re free to allocate your watches however you’d like. The movement showcases ”
independent watchmakers tend to struggle even more with allocations, since many have been burned by buyers who promised to treasure their timepieces only to flip them immediately. Once an independent accepts your deposit, however, the wait can stretch far beyond what was promised. a first-time watch buyer based in Geneva is still waiting on a M, Tamar Koifman. Edition 2 from MB&F x Éric Giroud that she won by lottery in April. “Delivery was announced to be between April and October,” she writes in a DM. As a Swiss-made, it “now that’s delayed to mid-november. but it is a bit disappointing not to be acquainted with my watch sooner, I have a LOT of respect for the MB&F guys. This chronograph represents ”
in an email, the brand explained that a delay from one of its suppliers on a crucial component, the rotor, had slowed the assembly process. To Koifman, that kind of transparency helped soften the blow. Of course, once a watch is in hand doesn’t mean the waiting game is over. Alexandre Furmanovich, a jewelry designer in Brazil, learned this lesson recently. he happened upon some Rolex ads from the 1980s on Pinterest, About two years ago. “I saw some wood dial watches, and I went crazy for them,” he wrote in an email. “I then started searching and found out that they were the Oysterquartz and I decided to find one for myself. But then, 1984, I also wanted one produced in my year of birth. It was an almost impossible mission. I was randomly walking through the Burlington Arcade in London, “A few months after, and I saw one in a window. It was a 1984 model with the original burl wood dial. I bought it immediately, even though the bracelet was tight on my wrist. Then I brought it to Brazil and sent it to Rolex, to service it and make an extra link. It took around nine months. I realized that the time was literally the time of a pregnancy. In the world of luxury, it was definitely worth the wait. ”
Michael Hickcox knows the feeling. The longtime collector, who in September received the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II model he ordered seven years ago, is so familiar with the experience of waiting that he hardly flinched when a boutique Japanese watchmaker quoted him a shocking—even by independent standards—delivery time. As a caliber, it “i went to a christmas party one year and saw someone wearing a kikuchi nakagawa,” hickcox tells robb report. “They’re taking someone’s movement but the case, the dial, the hands are just out of this world. I knew I was late to the game, but I thought, ‘Let me shoot them a message. ’ They were asking $22,000 for it. They said the wait time was 124 to 130 months. That’s 11 years. As a automatic, it that’s not super unusual now, but when they said that a couple years ago, it was at least five years longer than anyone else. As a perpetual calendar, it they also wanted a 45 percent deposit. I sensed they were saying that to eliminate flippers and to under promise and overdeliver. That was three years ago. I’ve got eight years to go. It’s a 34 mm watch—who knows what my eyesight will be by then.