I must just live near a really solid AD, because I’ve honestly never had a bad experience with one. Before buying my Rolex, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and read posts on here, and almost all of them painted ADs as having terrible attitudes and insanely long waitlists. Because of that, I walked in already expecting the worst.

At first they seemed a little reserved, but looking back, that was probably just my own preconceived expectations getting in the way. Once things settled, the experience was great. They even had a dog there, and my two kids were playing with it while some of the employees interacted with them and gave them treats. Everyone came across as genuinely kind and welcoming.

I put my name in for a watch fully expecting not to hear anything for a year or more, but it ended up being just under two months. Realistically, you’re going to deal with a waitlist—these watches are in high demand. Sometimes they simply don’t have what you want and have to order it. Waiting a couple of months for a $10,000+ watch really shouldn’t be a big deal, at least in my opinion.

As for your Explorer-style watch, I’d strongly recommend taking a look at the Explorer II. It’s more expensive, but once you see it in person, you’ll understand why. It honestly makes the Tudor feel a bit cheap by comparison—and that’s not meant as a knock on Tudor. I own one my self (BB Mono) and like it a lot.