Just saw an obviously redialled 13ZN on the Instagram account of the well-known watch dealer, http://www.classicwatch.com/ . I immediately commented that the dial had been redone. A few minutes later I checked my feed, to see if there was a response to my comment, but the post had disappeared. I then tried to find the Instagram account (@classicwatchdc) but it would not show up either. I logged out of my account and searched again. The account (@classicwatchdc) and post now appeared but my comment was gone. It turns out that I had swiftly been blocked and my comment deleted. An interesting practice for such a seasoned dealer.
Here is a link to the Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/classicwatchdc/) and a better image of the dial.
Is it because the market is so hot, all the good stuff is in collections and that dealers are getting desperate?
I do not think that all of the good stuff is in collections. The market is hot and certain dealers are taking risks with unsavory watches in order to capitalize.
You would think that reputation damage, getting called out on forums like this etc. would mean something to them. Guess not.. Caveat Emptor. To paraphrase the Watch Snob (morally bankrupt swindlers + hordes of willfully ignorant buyers).
Watch sellers, you are a den of vipers and thieves. Omega Forums is determined to rout you out, and by the grace of the Eternal, we will rout you out!
Maybe a little extreme with the blocking, but it doesn't look like the dealer was misrepresenting the watch though.
If Dirty Dozen stated a fact - and that fact alone got him banned and his comment removed, there is a huge problem. It's borderline misrepresentation. It's manipulated image control. If even one person thinks the dial is original who otherwise would have known that it was not or was clued in on it - he could stand to gain many thousands of dollars.
Zaf Basha is an established dealer. People trust his opinion. For him to post an image of a watch with a refinished dial, and make no mention of it, is ethically questionable. Many of his followers will not know that the dial has been refinished; they will assume that it is original. He is not simply letting them decide but influencing their decision with his reputation. To make matters worse, he is censoring those who publicly question the dial's originality. He is further manipulating his followers' perceptions of the dial and tactfully maintaining an ambiguous stance by avoiding confrontations. This conduct is conniving at best.
I went ahead and commented on it to with my secondary IG account. Tried to fluff it a little and see if it will stay. Let's wait and see what happens.
Zaf does have a very good reputation. I've never bought anything from him but without having ever met me he provided me generous and invaluable advice for the purchase of my LC Weems. An MWR pal I trust also considers him to be a good guy. What if he believes the dial to be original and just thinks some random person on the internet is unfairly criticizing a good watch? (Instagram is not a forum, everybody's on there). People are human, couldn't an oversight or a mistake be possible even with a lot of experience? And shouldn't we give someone who's spent years and a lot of efforts doing things right at least the benefit of the doubt before getting into the mind reading business and making such violent attacks? Best regards, S
I don't know what you guys are up to but this is now officially a smear campaign. My Instagram account is often to used to take shots WHILE I AM TRAVELING. They're spur of the moment things. Just look at the feed. The 2 Longines 13ZNs belong to a colleague in Paris and were taken inside a Café. The reason I took down one of the posts is that its curt response regarding the dial was obnoxious and uncalled for. There are friendly and instructive ways of voicing one's opinion and that was not one of them. In any event back to the watch, NO REPRESENATION WAS MADE REGARDING THE DIAL. It's just a snap shot, dim lighting, shot on a bar menu. I handled the watch for 2-3 minutes and put up a photo on my feed. Am I not allowed to do that with a bunch of folks attacking my reputation? Attacking 30 years of selling watches and over 20,000 sales? It's not even for sale or up on my web site where the watches get thoroughly examined and graded. Both 13ZN are actually really nice in person. Should I simply not post photos of them without a lengthy condition report? I don't think that's what Instagram is for. Maybe I'm wrong. If you want to attack me or my watches, at least go to my web site and not my Instagram feed. That's all I have to say. Zaf PS both Longines can be seen in the Paris area (via my colleague) if you want to look at the dials for yourselves. See you at the bar.
Crikey... Is this is an example of how we are becoming Googleised... Are we losing the ability to wait more than a nano second for the definitive answer on everything.. Looking at watches in a bar in Paris whilst enjoying a few glasses of vin rouge does sound rather good.. P.s this is not a criticism or endorsement of any of the parties involved, just a general musing
Maybe this caused some confusion. Your site indicates that some of your items for sale appear in Instagram first. I know nothing of Instagram, but I'm sure you could tag the watch to indicate it's not one of your items but one you saw and liked.
That is true, especially when I am back home. But I do use Instagram for snap shots of stuff I'm looking at while traveling and while at watch shows. I don't see an issue with that but maybe I will remove link form the website, I want to be able to be free and have some fun on Instagram. The formal sales venue with prices and grading is the web site.Thanks.