jon_jon
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AD responses
As I visit various ADs and inquire about some popular Patek watches, I usually get one of three responses. (1) There is a long waitlist and they are no longer adding people to the list. (2) Please write down your name and contact info and we will add you to the list. Some ADs probably have a legitimate list, but I assume others will never call you, as they were just trying to let you down easy without hurting your feelings. (3) They are brutally honest like the experience shared above and say they only sell certain pieces to those who have previously purchased several Patek watches from them before.
Sometimes I feel the brutal honesty is better in the long-term because the AD is not misleading you and is not playing games with the customer. As with any business, long-term loyal customers should be given preference for continued business loyalty. At the same time, businesses need to expand their customer base. However just as Hermes is not going to offer a popular Birkin to a new customer, I wouldn't expect a Patek AD to offer a popular watch to a new customer before offering it to their loyal customers first.
I had a local AD tell me...
I went in to ask if I could officially get on a waiting list for a 5320. I was told that I hadn\'t bought enough Pateks from them to be on that list. Ouch. I was basically told if I bought other Patek models over time I might be valued enough to be on the...
Bad form
If you ask me…it is very wrong for Patek to be encouraging this type of behavior with dealers, and there's no doubt they do. Other dealers (particularly U.S. dealers) have reportedly said similar things. They make great watches, and I understand it's shre...
It is ridiculous to treat customers willing to pay $83,000 for a watch with such contempt.
The 5320 is a pretty cool watch but no way on earth would I ever buy anything from a dealer who treated me like crap. My local Patek AD ranks as the worst retail experience in my life. As a result I've purchased all my Patek watches from a great dealer 2,...
What dealer is local to you? So I can avoid.
Keep in mind, we're getting it paraphrased here. I have no doubt about the accuracy, but I don't find what the employee said to be "that bad." A little blunt, but honest, and the employee cut through the crap. Every dealer has a very small allocation of t...
Find another AD...
I called dealers from Boston to Hawaii, found two that had a 5270 and were very willing to do business. I had not previously bought a watch from either...
5270 is easier to get…
I think any dealer that has a watch in stock and isn't moving it is going to be very amenable to doing business. They should not be arrogant about other situations because it burns goodwill that could be useful/needed if and when things change.
Agree 100%. It's a pity, but it happens everywhere when demand is higher than supply [nt]
Patek should keep an eye on how ADs are handling current situation. What the AD said is true, but it's not only what they say but also how they communicate it to the potential client.
Thank you for the encouragement
I love the brand. I'm an engineer who loves the mechanics. I understand that valued million dollar customers go ahead of me in line, but it did sound a little elitist. Time to start looking for other ADs. I'm in California Bay Area btw.
It's not arrogance nor elitist. It's honesty if it's a fact.
I wasn't there so I can't evaluate the tone in how it was said. But if the employee gave you good eye contact and told that it was not something you should expect, well, then he or she is probably being honest. If the employee was literally laughing and s...
If you’re wealthy you don’t need the help!
Here is my theory, if you have plenty of cash and you see a watch that you want when it’s released, then you’ll decide you want it and get on the waiting list or place a deposit etc. If you’re not that wealthy, then you have to think, decide, plan, sell s...
I have a question
you had mentioned that the AD told you that you had not bought 'enough' Pateks from them to warrant being on the list. Have you bought any Pateks from them? And if so, what was their definition of 'enough' ? Personally, I think everyone interested in a Pa...
What I had done..
.. was use them for service of my Patek 5980 which I did not buy from them. I told them the truth, by the time I had the means to afford it, the 59801a in blue wasn't even in production anymore. I have bought new pieces of other brands, just not from that...
Ok I now understand
Servicing a watch at an AD does not really contribute anything to the dealer as they merely have it sent away to the Patek service centre in the US. Buying a watch from them though is a different story as the margins are high. Still, no one should be forc...
It is quite sad that sometimes it is not the actual brand
but the different standards of dealing with customers by ADs in different markets that can give a brand a negative reputation. There should be a common ethos throughout the world for any one brand. Perhaps this is why FP Journe for example sells most of h...
I think change AD...nobody should be that demeaning
If there is a waitlist then tell the customer and manage expectations. Russel waited 8 years for his 5131R and that tenacity should pay off!
5230 you can get from display it s a gorgeous piece but
shouldn t be a problem to get.
Thats why i love indie brands .
Why do i need to buy other watches from a big brand to be so special that i can order a watch that i want then . Just makes now sense to me .
Indie PC is significantly more expensive
When I guarantee they will be around in 20 years to service it.....PP can fix any of its watches 175 years later
Karl....
I found one where I agree with you. LoL. I understand the Indie attraction but, I love history. I also love being a part of a brand’s heritage. I also like the fact that, in all probability, my grandchildren will still be able to use PP to service any wat...
Not agree with you about the price , a Moser PC is less expensieve as a PP i think .
And dont think it will be a problem to let a Moser serviced after 20years . There will allways be a skilled watchmaker how is capabel to do so imo
George to be honest the KV being serviced
In 30 years I couldn't care about. I guess the same for any owner of a RWS or Dufour.. Parts will be an issue without doubt. I erred in not recognising the likes of Moser or say FPJ / Jurgensen/ Groeneweld etc as independents who do have similar price poi...
Not the first time I have heard this
The AD I use is great and very friendly. She told me that Patek has been encouraging this type of behaviour for some time and she felt uncomfortable with it. Despite this, the AD remains a Patek dealer.
Poor dealer experiences are not uncommon
and it just means your valuable business can reward someone else. I wouldn’t deal with a salesperson who thinks he/she has the “keys to the kingdom” and/or makes no effort to win my business. Plenty of other dealers you can take your business to. Even at ...
Typical AD behaviour to push sales of not-so-wanted pieces to sell a wanted piece...
there are exceptions but very few who are humble when letting you down...What I know is there is more money than assets available in the world to bid on. Patek gets away with poor customer relationship and service cuz of ltd production, secondary dealers ...
Buyers Market We Choose ... Sellers Market They Choose
Purchasing a luxury item is generally a relationship-type of experience. With all things being equal, in a "buyers" environment the consumer usually prefers to purchase from an AD he knows and trusts. The same thing is true in the opposite direction in a ...
I've been at 7 different ADs in my area until I found the one I'm buying at now
Most ADs disqualified themselves by being arrogant and I didn't buy anything there. My AD is now 100km away, but I'm glad, that I kept searching for a good one.
Yes, it's Patek
Miranda, it's not Patek's "policy", but actions that result in this behavior from dealers. They are intentionally driving scarcity of watches, a frenzy mentality, and most of the time human nature responds accordingly for people in dealer's shoes. I had a...
Upstream Competition
Just to preface, I’m NOT a dealer. I think it’s important to remember that dealers suffer at the corporate level much like the buyers at the local level. There are simply not enough watches to go around. It’s probable that every AD has several clients cap...
Might Work with Other customers, but Not with me.
I'm Not going to buy watches, that I don't really want to be able to buy watches that I want. That's also the reason, why I currently only own one Patek and I bought that one used. (A 5170g, so without Premium). The good Thing is: there are so many nice w...
The one you have is GREAT!
If you're only going to have one the 5170G is a great choice. Enjoy!
Bummer.
After reading your post and the responses, bummer seems to hit the nail on the head. I was placed in a similar position as a dealer years ago and I can assure you, it was uncomfortable. More importantly, to subject my clients to this was impossible for me...
AD responses
As I visit various ADs and inquire about some popular Patek watches, I usually get one of three responses. (1) There is a long waitlist and they are no longer adding people to the list. (2) Please write down your name and contact info and we will add you ...
Plenty of chances … if you’re a Patek Enthusiast!
The conclusion that it’s difficult to establish loyalty if one is not given a chance to participate in the first place couldn’t be more true. I’m not sure, however, if I agree with the premise. I can’t speak for Patek Philippe, but my guess is that they’r...
Mean Solar Time ....regarding if you are not a patek enthusiast
I payed you a compliment on you 5146J if I remember
Sloppy and Wrong on My Part
That came out inarticulately and rather smug. I apologize. Besides being a little more polite, I should have more accurately entered my reply after the comment pertaining to having to buy watches that one doesn’t want. That’s really what I was attempting ...
No apology necessary people all good on this forum .
I agree with you if a collector is just chasing one piece he is not a Patek enthusiast. Regards Seconds.
Patek Makes it difficult to become an enthusiast
95% of the easily available Pateks are in my view (I'm sorry for this) completely boring watches, which only Shine due to their high end finishing. On the Other hand 95% of the interesting Pateks are Limited Edition or Limited availability (often from the...
It's OK
Patek Philippe is not for everyone. I totally get what you say about boring ... but for me that's attractive. Very understated ... with a premium on the idea of "exquisite rarity HIDDEN in plain view".
i am surprised about this
I was at my AD and they said they have not received their 5320. but maybe they had and went straight to the buyer? anyway, I wanted to see the watch first beforehand, I think PP should have even a model to display. It's not cheap buying sight unseen. sham...
Sight Unseen
I think I've purchased about 75% of my Patek Philippe references "Sight Unseen". I've never been disappointed and almost invariably the piece in the flesh exceeds expectations.
I believe anyone can try to buy these pieces
but the Singapore customers will have first shout since the ADs know them. The same thing to be fair happened at the London exhibition when UK customers had first preference of the limited editions available. The problem is I know how passionate the Singa...
Thanks Roger for posting this...I just got to this whole thread now, but I found it really interesting as it also seems to highlight (big) differences between ADs in different countries...
As for my own limited personal experience (which I plan to keep limited , I always bought my Pateks at Italian ADs so far, as in general, at least when it comes to watches, I found them much more transparent and easy to deal with than the *countless* US A...
I think you are very lucky that the second AD
Helped you out on the 5131P. It's a no win situation as there may have been a truly long standing client of that AD that may have been desperate for the 5131P which was given to someone else. You benefit and he is miffed!! If there was no deserving client...
Not sure how allocations work precisely or if there's a unified "rule" in Italy, but I know for sure that for these application pieces, your name first has to be cleared by Patek in order for an AD to be able to sell it to you...
So of course you better provide a list of your previous Pateks if you want a good piece, but then I believe an AD has some good degree of freedom in choosing their own allocation strategy, which I find a sensitive policy. I agree it might be risky to allo...
Realistic. What would you rather the dealer do? Give you false hope?
It should be done politely, but at the same time the dealer needs to be honest about the situation. If it's not likely to happen, I would expect my dealer to inform me of that.
Tact
I think basically everyone is technically correct, but good judgment should always apply and trump technical correctness. Good judgment in this situation would have militated the response: "Of course, we'll put you on the list to get this watch. We've onl...
Well said
There is no harm putting people on a list. They may turn out to be very good customers over time. Plus, people show up in a store and nobody in the store knows their true wealth or buying capacity. Looks can be very deceiving.
