[caseyohara]

Also common in certain parts of the watch and jewelry markets.

If you go to the Rolex subreddit, it's full of people getting waitlisted for watches they want to buy and excitedly posting when they finally "get the call" from the dealer — sometimes years later — that they are now allowed to buy the watch. It's a common "strategy" to buy lesser watches to ingratiate oneself with the precious Authorized Dealer™ demigod so that one day you might be able to buy the watch you actually want.

Go search /r/rolex for the phrase "got the call" and prepare to cringe.

[rubyn00bie]

This is the exact same thing that’s happening for folks trying to buy a Porsche 911 GT3, GT3 RS, or S/T. Unless you buy multiple cars you don’t want, you’ll never get an allocation from Porsche. The end result is that most folks have to spend $100k-$300k over MSRP to buy one from someone who did get an allocation. The craziest part is it’s probably still cheaper to pay that insane markup than it is to buy the cars to get an allocation.

[caseyohara]

Honestly, it’s a genius marketing tactic. Despite the artificial scarcity, the company increases sales while not diluting the brand’s prestige.

If everyone was able to afford a Rolex or a 911, they wouldn’t be cool anymore because their unattainability is what makes them desirable.

That said, even if I could afford a GT3 RS or a Daytona, I would never play their stupid game to get one.

[decafninja]

Isn’t the thing with Rolex that the cheaper watches are some of the hardest to get? You can walk in to a dealer and walk out with a gold or two tone watch, but ask for a plain stainless steel model and they’ll laugh at you.

[wdb]

It's easier to buy a Rolex at the airport than at a AD these days lol.