I am afer a Sports Watch and I couldn't really find a bargain either online or in shop to buy a watch with good price tag.
Any Ideas Guys?
Bargain Place to buy Branded watches like Diesel, Tag Heuer etc?
mkar18 on 13/03/2014 - 20:53
Comments
Yes Amazon is a good place to buy. A lot of the higher end brands will not ship to Australia. You would need to use a freight forwarder to deliver them to Aus for you.
Jomashop is pretty cheap..
I had a guy come up to me in Thailand with some real good prices on watches… He said they were genuine too!
hey, that guy must be busy as I met him in KL. he was really nice.
OnlyOnline: http://www.oo.com.au/Mens-Watches_C978.cfm?sort=Popularity
eBay Mens' Watches: http://tinyurl.com/ly4oytc
There are 2 types of watchsellers you will be looking at, Authorised Dealers (ADs) and grey market sellers. ADs are genuine factory backed dealers and their sales normally come with a factory warranty. Normally if anything goes wrong with your watch you take it to a local AD, even here in Aust if you have bought from OS, show them your warranty card and they fix the watch. Grey Market sellers sell genuine watches but they don't come with the factory warranty. Some of the bigger Grey Market sellers like JomaShop and Ashford often give their own warranty but you have to post the watch back to the US (can cost up to $60) for them to assess and take action on repair/replacement. I cant help you with dodgy watches as I have only contempt for the criminals that make them and people that encourage them by buying their illegal products.
Amazon can be a good option, I've bought a couple of lower end watches on Amazon when they have a big sale. Outside of their sales I reckon there are better deals elsewhere, particularly on TAG Heuer.
There can be a massive difference in what you are talking about with watches. From your post above you mentioned Tag Heuer and Diesel. Tag consider themselves to be a high end watch but many watch fanatics (WUS) criticise them for being a fashion watch, mostly because of their marketing tactics. I have no knowledge or experience with Diesel but I can only imagine that they are Quartz fashion watches. To put my watch snob hat on, Tag Heuer make some great watches. The most desirable have a mechanical movement inside and mechanical watches normally run into the thousands (with some exceptions notably Seiko and Hamilton). Diesel probably makes watches with the same quartz movement inside that powers the $5 watches in the petrol station, the big difference being the brand labeling on the dial, maybe a nicer case and strap.
Mechanical watches are collectible and there is a market for them 2nd hand if you ever want to sell. I don't think there is a market for fashion watches except maybe eBay if you can find a buyer.
The cheapest place to get a decent watch is probably the watch collectors forums. You need to know the kind of watch you are after and look up if there are any private sellers. There are a number of different forums but the tool www.watchrecon.com is an aggregator to help you find what you are looking for. Be aware though that the forums take no responsibility and they simply line you up with somebody you've never met probably overseas to make a deal on a watch. Can be daunting for the unwary. That said, I've bought and sold watches and met some great guys in the process.
Of the Grey market sellers, Jomashop and Ashford are probably the biggest going around. there is normally a listing of current Ashford watch bargains at http://www.dealsucker.com/deals/Ashford_364/
I often see bargains on www.authenticwatches.com here is an Oris Aquis that is currently going for less than US$1K http://www.authenticwatches.com/oris-aquis-date-divers-73376… with free international shipping.
If you are after a watch that is less expensive and highly collectible and probably still worth something if you get sick of it in 2 years time (and that watch aficionados wont laugh at) consider a Seiko Monster. I got one on one of the Amazon sales for under $200, bought a Nato strap to replace the rubber one it came with and it looks great. If you are after something even cheaper look at a Quartz G Shock. There are G Shock fanatics out there and they are well sought after. I only have 1 and cant understand the fuss but each to their own.
There are also a few little micro watch companies that have sprung up making mechanical watches. I have a 'Magrette' that I reckon is awesome. Magrette is a Kiwi company and they sell direct to the public. Watch cost me about $500 direct over the net. Another watch company that has regular bargains over the net is Christopher Ward. Once again great watches and they often have % off sales. Somebody normally posts up the Chistopher Ward sales here on OzB. Because Chris Ward is a UK company you get to avoid their VAT tax and save about 19%. Chris Ward also has the industry's best warranty. I think they let you have the watch for 3 or 4 months to inspect with a 'no questions' full refund warranty if you don't like/want it.
If you have in mind the kind of watch you are after but not sure if it made by anybody join up at www.watchuseek.com and ask in the forums there. If there is one around somebody will know about it. The 'affordables' section in there often talks about Quartz watches. If you mention 'Diesel', 'Ralph Lauren' 'Hugo Boss' 'Hilfiger' watches on there though, be prepared for some backlash coming the other way. Whatever you do do not ask about Invicta. Save yourself the time and effort and avoid at all costs. Too much to go into, lets just say that they arent popular with most of the watch nuts out in internet land.
I am currently wearing an Omega that I bought through an introduction I was given by some folks on Watchuseek to an Authorised Dealer. Original watch with a factory stamped warranty card from a B&M Jewellery shop in the US cost me about 60% off what the local Melbourne dealer wanted. That said I also have a Tag Heuer that I bought at Fountain Gate shopping centre in Melbourne when a shop there was having a sale. Haven't seen it anywhere else cheaper and believe me, I spend too much time looking online at watches!
If you just want a brand name on a bit of metal, not sure. What I would say though, is that to people that know watches, a $150 mechanical Seiko is probably infinitely more interesting and desirable than a $2500 Diesel. I have bought Seiko mechanicals from both creationwatches.com and skywatches.com.sg and both were very reputable.
If you are after a watch that is less expensive and highly collectible and probably still worth something if you get sick of it in 2 years time (and that watch aficionados wont laugh at) consider a Seiko Monster. I got one on one of the Amazon sales for under $200, bought a Nato strap to replace the rubber one it came with and it looks great.
Are you a wizard?
Thanks! You sure do know heaps about watches! How many do you have?
At the moment probably about 11 or 12, mostly Swiss Autos with the single G Shock and a Seiko Monster. I have a few though that I never wear, used to like them but they never seem to get time on my arm anymore. I would be better off selling a few and using the $$ to consolidate on something really special. I saw a great deal on a Zenith at Ashford.com a couple of weeks ago. I would happily have traded 5 of my current watches for it.
There are plenty of folks out there that know more about watches than me. Have a look on Watchuseek if you are interested, there is a massive community of watch addicts on there from all over the world. There are poeple on there that know every little balance wheel and escapement spring insoide a watch movement, even folks that mod their watches to change the look etc.
From a bargain perspective there are fantastic deals in the world of watches. My 1st Automatic was a Hamilton Jazzmaster from an authorised dealer. I bought it off the internet from Singapore for a few hundred $$ off a recommendation from some Hamilton collectors on watchuseek. It was probably close to $700 from local shops in Aust at the time. Watch was great, had the same internal mechanical movement as many of the higher end watches and I wore it loads for a couple of years. Eventually I sold it on the collector boards and I think, sold it at a small profit over what it cost me 3-4 years previously. It all balances out in the long run I know but on that watch alone I guess I made a profit and got to wear it for 3 years on the way through.
There wouldn't be many watches you could make a profit on though. If you have enought $$ to buy a Rolex Submariner etc ($6-9K ish) you could maybe do well. For some of those higher end watches I have heard of people justifying the cost of their plane ticket to Hong Kong or Las Vegas based on the savings they will make over buying the same watch locally. Obviously they stick it on their arm and walk through customs without declaring it, saving GST if nothing else.
Import from Amazon.