Rolex has launched an ad campaign to push consumers to authorised retail dealers in a bid to safeguard shoppers.
The campaign, which the brand has dubbed The White Campaign, has already featured in national newspaper The Times and a spokesperson for the brand has said that there will be “lots more of that over the coming months”.
Rolex will also make the adverts available on a co-op basis so that authorised dealers can use it to run local campaigns.
The ads, which were devised by agency JWT in New York, have run with the slogan “It’s more than a sign. It’s a commitment.” and boast the benefits of only dealing with authorised retailers.
The full ad reads: “The official Rolex sign establishes the authenticity of an official Rolex retailer. With unmatched expertise, only an official Rolex retailer offers a diverse selection of Rolex watches and provides the service needed to maintain your timepiece. Every watch includes a retailer warranty, granting access to the renowned Rolex service network.”
It’s just a shame that, in reality, you can’t purchase a stainless steel sports watch from a Rolex AD anymore without a wait list of at least one year. The submariner used in the advert has a 2 year wait list and the non date sub ref 114060 has a 2 to 3 year wait. Don’t even consider the Daytona or a GMT unless you have 5 to 7 years to hang around. I spoke to my local Rolex AD today who confirmed these times and also stated that they had no stainless steel watches in stock and did not expect any in at any time, period. When is the last time you saw anything other than a Date Just in the window. Honestly, Rolex would be better to address supply issues as this type of marketing campaign just damages their brand.