How long is the waitlist for a Rolex? Is there a waitlist at all? We found out for ourselves

Fancy yourself a brand new Rolex? When it comes to getting your dream luxury watch, time is of the essence.

Getting your hands on a luxury watch isn't just a matter of coughing up the cash. For top tier brands and models like Rolex and Patek Philippe, demand so far outstrips supply that official retailers have to make use of "waitlists" to allocate watches that come in.

How long will you wait for that Rolex? It could be weeks if you're lucky, or it could even be years. It's very difficult to say for sure-experiences vary depending on the customer's profile, the watch model you're after, current watch trends, and more.

Watch waitlists are more complex than you think. In fact, even the term "waitlist" is a bit of a misnomer when you understand how they work. Let's break them down, look at how to beat the Rolex waiting list, and estimate the average waiting list times for popular Rolex models in Singapore.

1. What is a luxury watch waitlist? 

A luxury watch waitlist is a list you join to get your hands on a high-demand, hard-to-find timepiece. 

Brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet often have waitlists due to limited production and high demand, creating exclusivity. These brands carefully control their inventory to maintain their prestige and value.

To get on a waitlist, you usually need to visit an authorised dealer (AD) and express your interest. Once you're on the list, you wait-sometimes for months or even years — until the watch becomes available.

But it's not all about patience alone. There are other factors that could possibly increase your chances of getting that call from your AD. 

2. Why luxury watch waitlists are more like “interest lists”

People often use the word "waitlist" because it's easy to understand. The word is self-explanatory - you join a list to wait for your dream watch.

But if you were to call or visit any AD, you'll be asked to "register your interest" and not "join the waitlist". There are several reasons why "interest list" is a more accurate term. 

Firstly, the list is not linear. It's not like a queue that's on a first come, first served basis. Think of it as more like joining a pool of interested people and not securing your place in line.

When the AD receives new watches from watch companies, it's up to them to allocate new watches to selected persons from the pool.

Secondly, you aren't obligated to buy a watch just because you registered your interest for it. "Interest" is the operative word here. If/when you get the call from your AD, which could be months or years later, you can choose to buy it or pass on it.

And thirdly, registering your interest with your AD doesn't guarantee you'll actually get the watch. Brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe may use these lists to gauge interest and manage demand for their limited-production pieces.

Of course, your AD wants to sell you watches. But they can never make that a guarantee, especially if you want a watch by a certain date.

3. What affects how long a luxury watch waitlist is?

No one can definitively tell you how long you'll wait for your luxury watch, but we can tell you what factors might affect how long it takes.

Firstly, demand and popularity play a big role. For example, iconic watches like the Rolex Daytona or Patek Philippe Nautilus are so sought-after that wait times can stretch for years. 

Secondly, we can't talk about demand without also talking about supply. Although you may hear people talk about Rolexes more often than Patek Philippes, the latter has a tighter hold on their output.

That also means Rolexes are generally going to come with shorter waiting times than the coveted timepieces from Patek Philippe.

A Patek Philippe timepiece takes anywhere from nine months to two years to complete, and Patek is in no rush to hire more craftsmen to increase production. Not when limiting their supply allows them to slow down availability and price their watches at 5-figure sums against overwhelming demand.

Thirdly, your relationship with the dealer is crucial. Customers who have a strong purchase history or are regular buyers are often prioritised. There are no stamp cards or loyal points systems with ADs, but you can be sure that each purchase you make and each visit you pay them adds up to build a relationship with them.

4. Average Rolex waiting list times in Singapore

How long is the waitlist for a Rolex? This is a very difficult question to answer because-as we've just talked about-there are so many factors at play.

Rolex waitlist - aggregated estimates from online publications

Here are some estimates I found from online publications. Do note that while Watch Exchange Singapore is a local company, Grey Market is international.

Rolex collection	Reported wait time published on Grey Market by Luxury Bazaar	Reported wait time published on Watch Exchange Singapore
Submariner	3 months – 3 years	6 months – 1 year
Daytona	1 – 5 years	1 – 3 year
Datejust	3 months – 1 year	–
GMT Master II	6 months – 5 years	1 – 2 years
Rolex Oyster Perpetual	–	3 – 18 months
Rolex Sea-Dweller	–	6 – 12 months

As you can see, sources vary. And even within the same source, their estimates are given across such a wide range that they're unlikely to be helpful to you, especially if you're hoping to get your watch by a certain date.

Grey Market states that their estimates are based on reports from customers. So I decided to take a step back and go right to their source-here's what I found after trawling through the Rolex AD Wait Time Megathread on Reddit.

Disclaimer: This thread has contributors from all over the world, so it isn't specific to Singapore.

Rolex waitlist - as told by Redditors

To keep things more standardised, I decided to only look at posts from people who purchased a Rolex Submariner. This watch is an icon-launched in 1953, it was the first divers' wristwatch to be waterproof up to 100 metres below the surface.

If you haven't bought anything from the AD before and don't try any harder to establish rapport with your AD beyond walking in and leaving your name, you could wait as long as two years:

Here was one wild story from someone who allegedly walked in and and walked out with his Rolex Submariner on the spot, but even I find that hard to believe.

Another Redditor asked if they were a celebrity. Even if they weren't a famous figure, they probably weren't just your average Joe — at least to the sales associate. If the story is true, I'm guessing they left an astonishingly good first impression to be offered a Submariner on the spot.

But what about in Singapore? I trawled through Reddit and Hardware Zone for insights from Singaporeans too. But it turns out that — surprise surprise! — Singaporeans are more likely to complain than to share their success stories online.

5. Must I buy other watches in order to buy a Rolex in Singapore?

Most serious watch buyers in Singapore are aware of the fact that luxury watch ADs have interest lists instead of waitlists. But some believe that even the interest lists are a farce:

According to these Hardware Zone members, you won’t get anywhere simply by putting your name on their interest list. You’re only going to start making some headway on your journey to own a Rolex if money starts changing hands.

This is why some contributors were pricing Submariners not by their dollar value, but in terms of other Rolex watches. In other words, they’re saying that Rolex Submariners are only available for purchase with purchase:

6. Is Rolex becoming the next Hermès?

For the uninitiated, Hermès bags are notoriously difficult to get your hands on. Getting a Hermès bag, especially a Birkin or Kelly, is more of a journey than a straightforward purchase.

Like certain luxury watches, you can't just walk into the store and buy one right off the shelf. Instead, the process usually starts with building a relationship with a Hermès sales associate.

What does "building a relationship" entail? You can bet it's about more than just chatting the sales associate up. You'll probably need to buy other items, like scarves, jewellery, or home goods to even be considered for a Birkin or Kelly.

The next question is: how much do you need to buy? Some say it's a 2:1 ratio-meaning if your dream bag retails for $20,000, you need to buy $40,000 worth of other Hermès goods first. I've seen others report ratios of up to 5:1.

It's like a game where no one really knows the rules - in fact, perhaps there are none set in stone anyway. But the tricky gameplay doesn't deter Hermès hunters from playing-there's even a Reddit group called r/TheHermesGame where orange box enthusiasts around the world congregate and share their experiences.

Evidently, while we associate luxury goods with expensive, highfalutin lifestyles, money isn't the biggest problem here. The most coveted pieces aren't just expensive to buy-they are downright difficult to get access to.

So, is buying a Rolex as difficult as buying an Hermès Birkin? From all of my research, I would say there are similarities between the Rolex AD game and the Hermès one, but the latter is still in a league of its own.

With a bit of luck on your side, you could probably get a Rolex with just one or two other watch purchases.

Throw in some charm and likeability, and you have a chance of convincing your AD to allocate you your dream Rolex if/when it arrives. But an Hermès Birkin? You're going to need to splash a lot more cash and have a longer time horizon. 

7. Rolex Singapore waitlist: What do authorised dealers in Singapore say?

I checked out online publications and forum posts from Rolex customers, but the investigative journalist in me wanted to hear from the other side too.

I wanted information straight from the horse's mouth, so I went digging and called up 5 Rolex ADs in Singapore to ask them about their Rolex waitlists. Here's what they said.

There is no waitlist. There is an interest list.

No surprise here. All the ADs I spoke to politely informed me that there is no "waitlist"-instead, they can register my interest. 

One AD told me they'll need to create a profile for me, which entails giving them my full name, email address, contact number, and which watches I'm interested in.

How Rolex watches are allocated

When ADs receive stocks, they'll go through the waitlist and allocate customers their watches accordingly. Some customers will be offered alternatives.

One AD elaborated further: "The allocation is from Rolex, so we can't choose. Many years ago, we could order the models we wanted from Rolex. Now Rolex will decide and distribute to the boutiques."

It is pretty much a known fact that you're likely to be prioritised if you've bought items from the AD before. One AD phrased this very nicely: They try to "balance new customers and existing customers who have supported them before".

You'll wait longer for a Submariner than a Datejust.

When I asked how long interested parties can wait (months? Years?), one AD told me "it can be years".

Another got more specific: "For example, for the Datejust in mint green, we only get 1 or 2 pieces a year. The Submariner has a long waiting list because youngsters also wear it."

I asked another AD about the Submariner and was told "The Submariner is a professional sports model iconic to the Rolex brand, so we're unable to provide a guarantee. But the waiting time is on the longer side."

The AD aforementioned also brought up the Datejust: "For the Datejust, if you are open to any materials, it's a shorter waiting time because there are a lot of dials and sizes available."

Pro tip: Register your interest at multiple boutiques

The third AD I called blew my mind when the staff I spoke to shared an insightful tip with me: Register your interest at multiple ADs for a higher chance of getting your dream watch.

Every AD gets a different allocation from Rolex, so there's an element of luck involved here. The more boutiques are looking out for your watch for you, the higher the chance you'll be matched with it.

I was concerned about registering my interest with more than one AD. Would I end up being blacklisted from all? The next 2 ADs I spoke to put my fears to rest. AD number 4 told me that interest lists are not connected to other retailers. So, "to put it bluntly", they said, "it's to see which will call you first".

They told me that ADs understand the demand and want you to go to the retailer you're more comfortable with: "At the end of the day, we want you to get the watch you like.".

AD number 5 told me it's "definitely okay" to register my interest at different boutiques. In this AD's case, they were one branch of a large chain in Singapore, and they informed me that you register your interest with the group, not the specific branch.

Additionally, there's no obligations when you register your interest. So if they call you and you're no longer interested, or if you go all the way down and find that the watch in your hand isn't the watch you dreamt up in your head, it's okay to change your mind. "That's why it's an interest list," they assured me.

8. Rolex Singapore waitlist: More tips to beat the Rolex waiting list queue

Aside from the tip above to register your interest with multiple ADs, let's fact check other tips you might have read online.

Visit your AD

We know it helps to have (or to establish) a good relationship with the store. So from the moment you set foot in there, put on a nice smile and carry yourself well. It wouldn't hurt to slip in a compliment or two too.

But does it help to do all that, rinse and repeat? Perhaps. From the day they expressed interest, this Redditor visited their AD once a month and received the watch they wanted within 3 to 4 months.

The Redditor above is based in Texas, USA. Would this strategy work in Singapore? I couldn't find any similar success stories on Singapore forums, but if you have time on your hands, it certainly can't hurt.

Leave a deposit

This self-declared "sales guy" followed his instincts to leave a $2,000 deposit to show he was genuinely interested in a watch, and was rewarded with his blue Submariner in just under 2 weeks.

Leave deposit to reduce your waiting time-fact or cap? Possibly neither, because you may not even be able to leave a deposit in Singapore:

You can try to leave a deposit if you want, but you've been warned: you may not even be allowed to.

Be prepared to buy another watch or jewellery

We know that buying other watches or jewellery pieces helps to prove you're a loyal customer and establish a stronger relationship with your AD.

But according to Jeron Toh of Athena Jewels & Watches, if you want a model particularly high in demand, some ADs will only sell it to you as a bundle deal:

"Maybe a normal Rolex Submariner, S$13,000 to S$14,000, and you want to get that, it's nearly impossible. You need to bundle up with something else, let's say a Tudor, a Cartier or a Hublot. Each of them maybe will be at least S$10,000 also. (Add everything) together then you can get the model that you want,"

I didn't hear this from any AD myself. But as we discussed earlier, there is some truth to this insofar as buying other items from the same dealer gives you the upper hand in the Rolex AD game.

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This article was first published in MoneySmart.