Grey Market watches

[AFG]

I know the smart thing to do is buy from an authorized dealer. Nevertheless I am giving consideration to a Tag Heuer Aquaracer and there is about $400 difference in price between an AD and a grey market dealer that has a long track record of very good feedback ratings. On one hand, I think buying from a grey market dealer with good feedback on ebay or elsewhere is safer than buying from a private seller. If the watch doesn't have problems you're in good shape. If there are problems, no factory warranty is available but most grey market sellers offer their own in house warranty if in fact they do stand behind their sale. So what do you guys think? I'm still shopping and with lower priced watches I'd advise anyone to buy from an AD. But $400 is enough to get my attention to at least give consideration to a grey market merchant that has good feedback.

 

[Kouros]

Go for it.

 

[pal]

Be careful, you usually get what you pay for. There are some really good knock-offs out there today. I suggest you stick with a AD. Why take a chance?

 

[riooso]

I bought a very nice Omega that would be considered a Grey market watch. Just make sure that the original serial number is on the watch. Call and make sure and also check their return policies. The vendor that I bought from was very good to deal with and stood behind their products.

Take Care,
Richard.

 

[Uncle Erik]

If you're interested in saving money, I'd go with a good used one instead. New is nice, but there's huge depreciation in most watches. I'm wearing a used Zenith right now. Well, it has to be, since it was made before I was born. Great watch and it was significantly cheaper than buying a new one.

 

[Thebigspendur]

You've already stated the problems. If you get a good piece you're ahead of the game. If you have problems however think of it this way. So the watch doesn't run so hot and you send it back and they send it to their "expert" repair guy and he messes with it and maybe it needs major parts which maybe he can't get or if your really unlucky maybe it needs a new mvmt. If he can get it do you think he's gonna loose money on the deal? He'll just send it back to you and it will go back and forth until you get the picture and get it taken care of yourself.

In the end it's a matter of how lucky you feel.

 

[DS/B MCS]

For a price difference of $400, I'd work with the AD. Print out a copy of the price from the other seller and take cash to your AD. Once he understands you are serious, I'd be surprised if he didn't move on the price. I've bought dozens of watches and only the Big T let me walk with my cash. I was trying to buy a Panerai and they would not deal. Good Luck

 

[BEAR DEN]

The only grey market that I feel fairly safe with is Costco...YMMV.

 

[cybrok]

For a price difference of $400, I'd work with the AD.

Depends of the price. I paid 160$ for a watch that localy costs 600$. In that case I'm all for grey market.

On the other hand, on a 2000$ watch, I'd go with an AD.


I would still check forums like watchuseek where people with WAD want to move really nice watches fast to buy new ones

 

[cybrok]

If this is the one you're looking for, it's for sale on watchuseek at 850$, with the mention "accepting reasonable offers"

http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=403128&highlight=aquaracer

 

[AFG]

I was all over the map on this one as I had several watches other than TAG that were of interest to me. Buying used was the way to go if I could find the right one at the right price. The local AD wouldn't budge off of a 15% discount on TAG although they said they could add an extra 10% for a Fathers Day deal. Add taxes to the total and it wasn't very appealing. On top of that they didn't have the TAG watch that I wanted. Internet AD's had better deals but I was losing my enthusiasm for TAG. I was still watching the FS forum on the watch forums and eventually found a watch I liked better than TAG, a Ball Night Train at a very good price. Should land here in a couple of days. I have one Ball now and really like the watch so was happy to add a second. No warranty on a used watch as the Ball warranty won't transfer to a new owner so I have to hope it doesn't develop problems but if it does at least I'm into it at a substantially discounted price.

 

[Austin]

In early 2000 I bought from a gray market seller pacificwatches.com. They sold Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Tag, etc. I decided to buy a replacement for my aging quartz Tag. I purchased a Carrera Chrono auto for half the price of AD. One month after purchase the watch started losing 5 to 10 minutes a day. I sent it back for adjustment. When I got it back it was now losing 20 minutes a day. I called and requested a refund. After going back and forth for a week, they finally relented and refunded my monies. I will no longer buy any watch over $1000 from a gray market dealer. Buyer beware.

 

[koso]

I wouldn't trust eBay feedback unless the count was well over a thousand, and even then only if the seller focused on watches.

At a minimum you'd want to search the watch forums to gain an idea of the seller's reputation.

That goes for AD's as well - I was reading a thread today about bad service from a US AD for an obscure but well-regarded brand that had a number of negative comments about this dealer's customer service. In this case I'd rather deal with someone in Asia with a good name as opposed to an AD who is developing a reputation for jerking customers around.