Thanks guys.
As you may already know there's a massive premium (approx +30% above list) for the new ceramic Subs here. After conversion the price for this watch is below the list price here, so it was generally a good deal for me.
I was told by the AD that there has been no price increase this year and there was no price increase last year. In 2008 Rolex tried to pull off a 25% price hike (due to the drop in USD, the UAE Dirham is pegged to USD), but they had to reverse the increment by -15% when sales screeched to a halt.
So from end 2007 to present there's been only a 10% effective price increase for Rolex in Dubai. When you factor in the Ringgit's appreciation against the UAE Dirham you can see how the prices are currently cheaper there.
James,
The new Explorer 1 wasn't available there yet.
kltime,
I did not have time to check out the different brands there but based on my previous Panerai acquisition and the current Sub experience I would say that you can get yourself better deals compared to here, especially the SS models. We can thank the current global financial crisis for that and I suppose the Arabs there are more interested in bling, leaving the SS timepieces to us mere mortals.
Alvin,
The Green Hulk was not available. Apparently the green dial is a hit with the Arabs.
By the way I also enquired about the Tudor Heritage. The AD was freshly out of stock, having sold 4 pieces already. Looks like Tudor hit the right note with this model.
