Rolex Issues Statement on Its Supply and Distribution for the First Time
Finally, an answer to the interminable waiting lists and soaring prices on the secondary market
If you are a watch enthusiast, you would know that getting one’s hands on a brand-new Rolex is quite difficult. Often, for people who are not high rollers, getting a new Rolex directly from the watchmaker can take years due to the endless waiting list.
That is particularly because Rolex carries some desirability in the market and a certain mystique. So, to get your hands on a Rolex watch, you must have a considerable amount of money. For people, a watch by this brand would mean that money does not restrict them in any way.
And due to the storm in demand, the price goes up. Not only that, but Rolex also ensures that the watches are perfectly suited for the elites who buy them. So, the brand often finds it difficult to keep both its legacy customers and new clients happy.
Hence, the production of Rolex watches is quite limited, because of which these watches are scarce in the market. Regarding this, representatives from Rolex have stated, “The scarcity of our products is not a strategy on our part. Our current production cannot meet the existing demand in an exhaustive way, at least not without reducing the quality of our watches.”
Perhaps, the biggest problem that Rolex currently faces is scaling itself to meet the high demand while maintaining the quality at the same time. One reason is that Rolex watches are produced and developed at only four Swiss sites. Furthermore, these watches are assembled by hand with a lot of care.
Furthermore, another major reason why Rolex watches are becoming scarce is that these watches are only available through limited official retailers. These retailers manage the allocation of the Rolex watches independently. The increasing demand and popularity of these watches make the waiting list longer, which means that not everyone will get their hands on a Rolex timepiece.
All these factors result in some natural restrictions for the brand. And this is also the main reason why most people are finding it easier to find an older Rolex model on the resale market rather than brand new directly from the brand.
Read the statement of Rolex below:
“The scarcity of our products is not a strategy on our part. Our current production cannot meet the existing demand in an exhaustive way, at least not without reducing the quality of our watches – something we refuse to do as the quality of our products must never be compromised. This level of excellence requires time, and as we have always done, we will continue to take the necessary time to ensure that all our watches not only comply with our standards of excellence, but also meet the expectations of our customers in terms of quality, reliability and robustness. Rolex does not compromise on what it takes to produce exceptional watches.
All Rolex watches are developed and produced in-house at our four sites in Switzerland. They are assembled by hand, with extreme care, to meet the brand’s unique and high-quality standards of quality, performance and aesthetics. Understandably, this naturally restricts our production capacities – which we continue to increase as much as possible and always according to our quality criteria.
Finally, it should be noted that Rolex watches are available exclusively from official retailers, who independently manage the allocation of watches to customers.”
– ROLEX
Share this on social media
