If the opportunity is there, is it always better to head to the boutique? Are there pro's or con's to the decision?
Boutiques also give discounts, or at least the two I tried at. I got 4 figures off my DSOTM at an OB, and 4 figures off my Blancpain at a BB. Might depend on how much competition they have nearby from ADs. I am in a big city.
You can certainly ask if there any discount even at an OB. I got 5% but that was the maximum. I live in a capital city without any omega competition.
Discounts from the OB can vary. Currently there's not much in the way of discount via the OB for the new Seamaster 300, and they don't tend to offer much from a Speedy Pro.
It varies from location to location and person to person. In London there are various boutiques and I found the one on Old Bond Street the most pleasant because of the friendly manager (Sarah). And I have a good connection with an Omega AD nearby where I live. Both will give a discount but it all depends on the model.
Boutique in Geneva gave me a discount in 2017, Aruba boutique was giving discounts in December 2018. But the boutique in San Antonio said 'nyet' when I asked last week. I suppose it depends on how the sales are going and what their competition is doing.
Unless You really want a brand new Speedie (e.g. upcoming 50 years Apollo 11) my advice to newbies would be to buy an original Speedie from a collector reorganizing his/her collection...
This is pretty much the conclusion I came to after a long think. Just need some patience and time to amass enough funds!
Aside from a considerable discount, one could potentially make quality relationships with a representative at an authorized dealer. I have found some boutiques to be less genuine...
I intend to make my next purchase soon, and it will be at an AD. As much as I love the idea of geeking out in a place that is all Omega, I feel I will have better luck with discounts/swag at an AD, to say nothing of establishing a relationship that allows me to explore other watch brands at the same time.
My strategy has been to go to AD and check out discounts (usually they are better and more than OBs) and purchase there, especially if they have good watchmaker to establish rapport. I usually then buy some straps at the OBs. Though I know that usually OBs, even if they can't give discounts will be happy to negotiate a strap...
I'm in Northern VA, so, basically Washington DC, and there's a number of AD's in the area, and also a OB. I went into the OB and it was kind of small... not a whole lot out on display, but I asked if they had something I didn't see, and he walked right in back and brought it out.. so.. That was pretty slick. I kind of wanted to see a WSOTM in person.. It's pretty damn white! lol