Austin Kaye, the watch shop in the Strand has closed

 

Thanks. I have a watch under warranty with them. Have they relocated?

 

Looks like they’ve gone from the sign

 

Oh well - that is sad, they had some nice watches, if a little pricey - I suppose they had to be to pay the rates on that site. No doubt it will now be what The Strand needs - another coffee shop / sandwich bar / fast food place

 

Wow that is a surprise. Having said that over the last 3-4 years the number and variety of watches that they have had in their window has declined. They always used to have a nice mix of watches and always a few Smiths/military watches that were fun to look at.

That is one shop window less to browse in.

 

I was just in there a few weeks ago! I bought this strap there for my Breitling..

 

I was offered an MWC W10 automatic for £125.00. I was still thinking about going back for it.

 

Shame. I loved browsing there. I guess me browsing and never buying was part of the problem though.

 

Ashame and although I walk past it most days I've never been inside. From their website they look like they had some nice stock.

 

The Strand!? Wonder what their overheads were like? Mind you, perfect location for the bankers. Coutts & Co are at no. 440. That’s a shame.

 

A shame. There was a Speedy Snoopy LE in the window for £12.5k about three years ago. I went in and tried it on; they were prepared to let me trade-in my Tudor 79220N bringing the price down to £10k. I said I would think about it but then bottled it after convincing myself I would be paying over the odds (!) - never to return. Used to be a little Aladdin’s cave for pre-owned watches.

 

What are people’s experiences with the Vintage Watch Company in the Burlington? They always seem to have stock and promise to secure you a birth year Rolex. What is their quality control like? Have often walked past and had a look but have never purchased there.

 

Complete A$$hats - avoid

 

Average to poor watches at insane prices.

 

Noted!

 

Although not on my turf, this is a common sight here in the states unfortunately- the brick and mortar stores just can’t compete with the online market anymore. They have to pay overhead, staff, rent, utilities, and warranty the product (even if just a 30 day warranty on used product)- hence their prices are higher than online sales generally and people still try to niggle them down (“I can get this on EBay for xxxxx££££$$$).
I have a close friend who owns the last Hi-Fi store left in Baltimore City- family owned since 1930. It’s a struggle for them as a majority of walk-in customers will come in and check out the merchandise, then buy it on Amazon or another online source that offers discounts and free shipping (and until recently- tax free). Even one of their long time high end brands began selling direct online which ended up cutting them out of the sales loop (customers would go in and listen, then buy it online for $50 less).
We all bemoan the loss of a store when it’s gone, but we have to ask ourselves- when was the last time be actually bought something from there.
I would rather pay 10-15% more for an actual person to help me with my purchase and allow them to make a livable wage and I get an actual person to help me if something goes wrong.
That said- the boutique stores that are charging 100%+ markup over market value...they I don’t support...and they won’t have a long life.

 

Depends on the location / clientele . A few stores in CA are still booming and even expanding . Same thing as Davidsw , he is building a brand new mega store .

 

Wow that's sad to hear. When I used to live around the Strand, I'd pass it everyday and always peep at the prices. Had some really good stuff about 4-5 years ago and they were friendly enough. Good vintage selection too. If anyone knows if they are still running do let me know.

 

That’s a real shame. Bought a couple of vintage Constellations from them a few years ago and the staff there were both informed and courteous.