Afternoon at two Watches of Switzerland

I had a free afternoon today, so decided to hop on the bus to Stratford, East London. I had some lunch at the food court in Westfield and passed WoS. Popped in for a look around and to see if they had an IWC Mark XX in stock, sadly they didn't. I then popped over to the Rolex section to ask about the Rolex Explorer 40mm. They were very enthusiastic about it but only had a bi-metal 36mm in the store. However, they mentioned that the Canary Wharf branch had one in for demonstration. In the mean time would I like to register my interest?

I should point out that I was dressed very casually and was looking a bit scruffy. They didn't seem to mind at all though and were very polite, kind and courteous, which impressed me greatly.

So they registered my interest and then asked me if I had any questions. I asked about availability and time-scale. They replied, hard to tell, anytime between a month and a year. Which I kind of expected for a steel sports model. Still I thought, worth getting on the list, I could get lucky.

I then realised I had enough time to jump on the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) to Canary Wharf. Why not, I thought, it would be lovely to see the Explorer 40 in the flesh and the DLR is always fun.

Indeed Canary Wharf WoS had a demo Explorer 40 in the window. I went in and talked with them about my day. They didn't seem to realise they had the watch in the window! But were more than happy to show it to me and even let me try it on. Wow, what a watch it is in the flesh. Absolute minimalist perfection. I was completely smitten. Had a lovely chat with the sales person about watches, he even said nice things about the Speedbird III I was wearing. He was definitely a Wis, and loved watches. Very enthusiastic.

I said my goodbyes and wended my way back home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed about the Explorer 40. Even if I have to wait a year, I'm hoping that I'll be able to buy one. It's a truly impressive watch. I can heartily recommend WoS as well. I dropped in without an appointment and the service was impeccable. I had a great afternoon!

Nice write up, it maybe more than a year - to set expectations!

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Originally Posted by Foxmod

Nice write up, it maybe more than a year - to set expectations!

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Thanks! Ah well, what will be will be. I'll try and remain cautiously optimistic...

8 weeks for me, arriving just before last Christmas. That’s with an extremely modest history, at a fairly busy Irish AD. I’ve heard few similar stories for the Explorer 40 (mostly though TRF) with even faster time scales coupled with zero purchase history. Part of me wonders about the rumours (also circulated late last year) that Rolex were directing ADs to start getting watches into new customers hands.

I would expect you to have the call with the next 2 or 3 months for an Explorer, may even be sooner!

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Originally Posted by boring_sandwich

I would expect you to have the call with the next 2 or 3 months for an Explorer, may even be sooner!

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Fingers crossed!

I have to say, I went into the WoS in Liverpool Street last week and had the loveliest time. The sales guy was a former Seiko modder, and knew as much as I did about Cartier, Tudor, Grand Seiko, Rolex and wherever the conversation went. We even chatted microbrands and he checked out Traska with genuine interest. I made a joke about him being on commission and apparently they're not. I was expecting either snooty or hard sell, and I was extremely pleasantly surprised. It actually will influence where I take my money.

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Originally Posted by Oafley Jones

8 weeks for me, arriving just before last Christmas. That’s with an extremely modest history, at a fairly busy Irish AD. I’ve heard few similar stories for the Explorer 40 (mostly though TRF) with even faster time scales coupled with zero purchase history. Part of me wonders about the rumours (also circulated late last year) that Rolex were directing ADs to start getting watches into new customers hands.

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Wow! times are indeed changing!

I can thoroughly recommend the legendary "Mr Joseph" of WoS, Oxford Street. An absolute gentleman and a pleasure to spend time with him, amazing knowledge and experience - made my purchases an experience.

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Originally Posted by Speedy2254

I can thoroughly recommend the legendary "Mr Joseph" of WoS, Oxford Street. An absolute gentleman and a pleasure to spend time with him, amazing knowledge and experience - made my purchases an experience.

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Sounds like the real deal, I hate it when a purchase becomes matter of fact

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Originally Posted by Foxmod

Sounds like the real deal, I hate it when a purchase becomes matter of fact

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Exactly. When you buy a watch it's usually a significant, non everyday, purchase. It should be an experience. I've been exceptionally lucky that all of my watch buys have cool stories attached. Every time I wear the watch it reminds me of the story.