What does “AD” mean?

An authorised dealer, usually shortened to AD, is a retailer with a formal agreement with a watch brand to sell its new watches. ADs receive stock directly from the brand, sell at the brand's set retail prices and complete the warranty when the watch is sold. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet keep tight control over their AD networks, and some brands also sell through their own boutiques.

For dealers the term matters in two ways. First, a watch bought from an AD comes with the cleanest paper trail: dated papers completed by the retailer, the original box set and the full manufacturer warranty. Second, for models in short supply, ADs decide who gets them, often through waiting lists or a client's purchase history, and that scarcity is what drives the secondary market for those pieces. When a listing says 'AD purchase' or 'bought from AD', buyers usually expect the receipt or the completed card to back it up.

Example: 'Unworn, bought from AD in March, card dated and stamped, receipt available on request.'