zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

I know that this is off topic, but I and Derek have had a slight discussion regarding how to import Rolex watches to USA. At last I did find an explaination of how the Rolex stops imports of Rolex watches to USA. It has not to do with duty but rather with the protection of the brand. The following quote is from James K Dowlings site.

Rolex & USA shipments

In an attempt to protect their trademarks Rolex USA have registered their name & designs with the US Customs. Because of this US Customs will seize all Rolex watches which have not been bought new from an authorised US retailer. There are only two possible exemptions to this rule:

When the watch has been bought overseas and is being imported by the purchaser in person and is declared to the US Customs on entry to the US. This exemption is at the discretion of the individual customs agent and normally covers only one watch per person.

If the purchaser can produce a letter from Rolex USA or the company’s attorney authorising them to import the watch. Please note in over ten years that I have never known any collector or dealer to be able to obtain such a letter.

Because of these restrictions I am not prepared to ship ANY Rolex watches to a US address, however if you are able to provide an address outside the US or are prepared to collect the watch in person or via an agent then the transaction can proceed. Please note that the 72 hour approval period starts when your agent collects the watch, NOT when you eventually receive it.

Me, beeing non-native english speaking does not get all of this. What does "at the discretion of the individual customs agent" mean?

As far as I can see, this means that you can buy one Rolex per trip and you must take it across the border in person. The most interesting thing about this is that this applies to new and used watches...

No wonder that everyone can boost about the high resale value of Rolex, they keep a tight control of the market.

I keep to Omega (and stay home in Europe:-)

--jalle

I've also learned some more english, I used cease instead of seize earlier. Hope that I was possible to understand dispite that "typo".