Any CAG have experience in buying mid-high end watches?

TooPoor

TooPoor

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I'm looking for a mid-high end mechanical watch in the price range $1k-$2k, possibly even higher. I have no idea whether BF would be a good time, and which stores to look for, any input would be appreciated, thanks.

 
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TooPoor said:
I'm looking for a mid-high end mechanical watch in the price range $1k-$2k, possibly even higher. I have no idea whether BF would be a good time, and which stores to look for, any input would be appreciated, thanks.
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I haven't spent more then $400 on a watch but there are two kinds of people who buy high end items; Those that buy things for quality and craftsmanship and those that buy things for the sake of letting others know they can (i.e. look at my watch & guess how much I paid).

You can see this in anything from computers to cars and it certainly applies to watches. Rather then ask on CAG, the site where people think $300 for a collectible and limited video game watch is outrageous I would try to find a watch enthusiast website and ask there.

Certainly if done right a good watch if not an investment could become an heirloom.

 
NewportBox100s said:
I must ask, where do you work ? To spend that kind of cheese on a watch is amazing !

Either way, I suggest a Rolex .
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I need one for my father-in-law, I'm a scientist so unfortunately I don't swim in money. Myhabit just had a Rolex flash sale, I know nothing of it, but by the time I tried to do research they were all sold out. :bomb:

Emiroo said:
I have had good experiences and prices buying from http://www.bluedial.com
I couldn't comment on their BF deals though. Hope they have what you're looking for.
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Appreciate it.

GBAstar said:
I haven't spent more then $400 on a watch but there are two kinds of people who buy high end items; Those that buy things for quality and craftsmanship and those that buy things for the sake of letting others know they can (i.e. look at my watch & guess how much I paid).

You can see this in anything from computers to cars and it certainly applies to watches. Rather then ask on CAG, the site where people think $300 for a collectible and limited video game watch is outrageous I would try to find a watch enthusiast website and ask there.

Certainly if done right a good watch if not an investment could become an heirloom.
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Yeah you are probably right, I will start actively searching in those forums, but you know, not all forums are as friendly to new users as CAG. Not looking for heirloom though, just trying to make my father in law happy. Thanks for the input.
 
heh so true. CAG is imo definitely not the place to ask about this.   My dream watch is AP Royal Oak, still saving for it...

anyway,  I would just screw any BG deal on whatever discount some store may have to get rid of watches that doesn't sell well and 1. do research and identify the watches you want and the price they generally go for and ask around watch forums for local authorized dealers / price they got the watch at and 3, go, try, haggle and walk out with your watch. 

Be careful when buying luxury watches online as most store are not authorized dealer and the manufacturer may not honor the warranty and it may be a pain in the ass when years from now you try to get it serviced.  

 
TooPoor said:
I need one for my father-in-law, I'm a scientist so unfortunately I don't swim in money. Myhabit just had a Rolex flash sale, I know nothing of it, but by the time I tried to do research they were all sold out. :bomb:
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What kind of watch do your father-in-law wear? still a bit out of your budget but I really like Omega. Quality yet not pretentious. Pretty fitting for working professionals. (and 007 wannabees)

 
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wasabi5858 said:
What kind of watch do your father-in-law wear? still a bit out of your budget but I really like Omega. Quality yet not pretentious. Pretty fitting for working professionals. (and 007 wannabees)
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Thanks for all your info. He doesn't have any unorthodox preferences, just what any 50 year olds would like. I was looking into Omega as well, being uninitiated in this field I always thought it could be had for around $2k (perhaps because of the bombardment of ads decreased its imaginary value in my head). Apparently they are worth more. I also looked into Tags, they have a store in the outlet and I think they are offering 25% storewide on BF.

 
tags are nice (too sporty for my taste) and imo not as cool as omega ( :) I am partial to omega since mine has gone through pretty much my whole career with me) but they are still cool and have its fans.  do compare actual price tho since with luxury watches, we are talking about huge margins and a lot of independent authorized dealers can really offer great discount.  

Tags were (maybe still is?) sold in Costco? I remember seeing them before.  Fits right into your budget.  

I don't know about Tag watches (and other brands) sold by Costco, but for reference (and to expand on the authorized dealer/warranty with many luxury brands), there was a lawsuit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_S.A._v._Costco_Wholesale_Corp.) where costco acquired omega watches through "gray market" (as do Amazon.com when they sold omegas)  so as a consumer, you really do have to do some research with these as you may really find it to bite you in the ass later on).

My beat up Omega, love the watch.  You can see the scratches on the bracelet and all... as a network engineer, I've had it accidentally kissed many millions dollars of cisco gears but I can still take it out for a nice night out :)  If you are buying a watch for yourself, I would so try to sell you on Omega! :)

Omega_Seamaster_225450.jpg


 
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Did you end up getting anything during BF?

sort of thread hijack,  I was bored and looking around and saw this pic

Target-Timex.jpg


A seller on amazon is selling it for $20 shipped (with black band) so I went and got it.  

Cheap beat around watch but at least from the above pic, looks surprisingly good with the brown band with contrast stitch.  I am on a hunt for a good 18mm band now... probably will end up spending like $200 on some real nice ones for a $20 watch :p

 
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Nah, I didn't see discounts deep enough. Which is kind of expected since BF rarely discounts high end merchandise. I went to our biggest outlet where the Tag store was 30% off storewide (exclusions apply) but they all seem to be too sporty for my father-in-law.

I'm now closely monitoring Ashford.com, my father-in-law is out of the country so I'm not in that big of a rush.

 
I was looking at that site and was all excited to see a Zenith  for within your budget but it is manual :(  

 
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Confucius said:
what'd you end up buying?
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(forgot about my topic until now...)

Believe it or not, my indecision has lasted until now. My mother-in-law is coming to visit in a few month, I will take her to the Tag Heuer store in the outlet, she can pick one for her husband and I will just pay for it.

I did see some good-bang-for-the-buck ~$1K RADO ones at Ashford though, didn't pull the trigger as I'm afraid my father-in-law would think I'm too cheap. In any event, I do feel I am relatively much more well versed in this field than I was three months ago :D/

 
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GBAstar said:
I haven't spent more then $400 on a watch but there are two kinds of people who buy high end items; Those that buy things for quality and craftsmanship and those that buy things for the sake of letting others know they can (i.e. look at my watch & guess how much I paid).

You can see this in anything from computers to cars and it certainly applies to watches. Rather then ask on CAG, the site where people think $300 for a collectible and limited video game watch is outrageous I would try to find a watch enthusiast website and ask there.

Certainly if done right a good watch if not an investment could become an heirloom.
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I believe in quality and craftsmanship. I had a Seiko that lasted me for nearly 3, 4 years and got scuffed, scratched and still endured...and the only thing that brought it down was the battery dying. Eventually, I'll consider taking to a jeweller to get the battery changed out. But since I have a smartphone that can keep time...and I work with a lot of computers...its more or less how I am feeling.

 
nry1fL5.jpg

I know this has nothing to do with your father-in-laws watch, but I felt like since others were posting watch pics I'd take one of mine lol. Nothing fancy but I've had this watch for over 10 years and haven't went but a few days without wearing it lol. And only replaced the battery once a couple years back.

I think my mom bought it at JC Penny's for like $50 but it was made really well. One of the best Christmas presents I've ever gotten haha.
 
Looks like you take pretty care of it. 

Sturdy watches are hard to come by these days. I bought this Stuhrling watch for my nephew's birthday. Four months later, condensation on the inside. So pissed. I know it's a cheap watch, but still.

 
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It's funny your username is TooPoor and you're looking for a 1-2k watch :lol:

Anyway, if you're still looking, check out the Hamilton mechanical watches. They are generally well reviewed and are pretty well built. Also do some research on www.watchuseek.com. You don't have to join since there are probably a bunch of threads asking the same question already :)
 
Seeing this thread reminds me that I need to buy myself a nice watch.  I hate things on my wrist though... 

 
Since this thread is still alive, I guess I will share a random deal since I am kind of into buying watches now.

This Rado (Automatic movement) is ~$750 with code AFFDSAR758, I think it's pretty decent for a sub $1K automatic watch. I didn't buy it because I don't like the pure silver design. I would rather get this for $100 more.

 
Haha yeah, but that watch is a gift to my wife's friend. Still haven't bought the watch for my father-in-law yet, I am going to do that in June, it kept being pushed back because the deeper I go into the watch scene the clearer it becomes that it is impossible to score a decent automatic watch for sub $1.5K. So I am trying to set aside some money for it now, fortunately I am not at the point where I need to lowball off my video game collection  :lol:

 
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Hamilton watches are great. All my watches are Citizen Ecodrive. So accurate and always ticking. My everyday wear is almost 20 years old. No battery changes and always accurate.
 
Hamilton watches are great. All my watches are Citizen Ecodrive. So accurate and always ticking. My everyday wear is almost 20 years old. No battery changes and always accurate.
 
I bought this watch as an entry point to build an automatic watch collection.

It's a Rado Automatic, a little over 1K, I bought it from Ashford:

[attachment=6165:WP_20140626_21_10_48_Pro.jpg]

 
Discounts on watches largely depend on the brand.  Some less reputable brands like Invicta will use inflated MSRPs that have little relation to realistic prices.  Most high-end brands will have tighter control of their prices and discounts are harder to come by.  Rolex stays close to the MSRP, so a 10% discount on stainless steel models from an authorized dealer might be a good deal.  

I have had great experiences shopping online from gray-market dealers such as Jomashop.  These watches will be new, but without an official warranty from the manufacturer.  There are also deals to be had from independent sellers on watch forums.  WatchRecon is a useful site that searches a list of forums for classified ads.  Most high-end collectors are fairly honest and more trustworthy than your average eBay seller.

 
Bio Retard said:
I have had great experiences shopping online from gray-market dealers such as Jomashop.
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Thanks for the informative post. I see Jomashop has a dominating presence on Amazon for mid-high end watches. One time I almost bit on a Tag, thankfully I didn't since what you said about the absence of official warranty worries me a little.

 
I've been lusting after a new Seiko, they have the Astron GPS solar range that looks pretty sweet including a white face limited version coming in sept that looks extra nice (3.5k retail), non limiteds are around 2k. I have a Seiko kinetic that has served me well for the last 6 yrs or so. I did see a nice looking Omega called dark side of the moon, but it was like 10k which is way too expensive. If I sold all my skylanders, I'd be well on my way to a nice watch... LOL
 
Yeah I know that Omega watch you are talking about. It has a fabric belt which I absolutely hate though.

If I sold all of my CEs, I'd be well on my way too...

 
TooPoor said:
Thanks for the informative post. I see Jomashop has a dominating presence on Amazon for mid-high end watches. One time I almost bit on a Tag, thankfully I didn't since what you said about the absence of official warranty worries me a little.
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The flash sales on Jomashop are the best prices I've seen for new TAGs, but I still ended up buying mine used. Most new watches are pretty reliable during the first few years anyway. I would not be concerned about TAG specifically since most of their automatic watches use modified ETA movements.

The Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon is pretty nice, but the price seems ridiculous. Omega has had steep price increases in the past few years, especially with their watches that are using in-house movements.

 
In the Alhambra, CA Costco, there is a Tag automatic chronograph with gold linings priced at $3299.99, I forgot to take a picture but I was really attracted by it. Yet I am unclear about the pricing/deal patterns of Tags, any experienced watch enthusiast know if it is a good buy?

 
I have a whole range of high end watchs. From Rolex to omega to tag's. One of my beater Tags is up on the list of favorites. It's lost it's luminous and has been nicked a few times but is great looking and tough.
The rolex's are nice but maintenance intensive. Gotta go in the shop every few years too.
My real favorite watch isn't even high end. It's a watchcraft watch made by hand in NYC. They are citizen based but try rely unique. If I'm at fancy meetings I wear a Rolex to fit in but on the streets I wear that and get a lot of questions about it.
For buying I'm mostly buying in Europe now. I live between boston and London now so I have easy access. Omega's and a few other brands are substantially cheaper across the pond that it just makes sense to buy there. They also have a much larger selection of models. My next watch that I grabbing when I go back to London next month is the citizens red arrow titanium watch. Uk exclusive. Gotta own it before it's discontinued. I also make it a habit to buy a nice watch from any country I visit. Probably why I have so many of they. Cheapest I have a g-shock which is great when I'm doing risky things.
 
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