Hi. I've recently decided to buy my first Omega, and have a few questions.

1. As a first time buyer, is there any harm in buying from an AD online instead of going in-person to an Omega store/dealer? I'm always happy to save money if possible.

2. I'm leaning towards the Speedmaster Moonwatch, but am open to other suggestions. Any reasons why I should consider something other than a Speedy for my first Omega?

Thanks so much!

David

 

As it’s your first I would suggest you go and pick it up personally

 

hello and welcome,

Personally I think it is best to go to a shop and try on some watches, its amazing how trying a watch will alter or reinforce your decision to buy or not. Everyone likes to save a few quid when they can but on the other hand when you want a strap change or you decide one watch is not enough but the one you want is hard to get then the online shop is not going to be as helpful as the nice sales person in the shop. Its a personal choice but I am happy that I bought from a shop rather than a computer screen.

2 Again trying a few on will help you decide, that said, you wont be disappointed with a speedy. You will now receive 1 million replies telling you that you must buy a speedy, but go and try a few on and you will just know which one is right for you.

 

If you can visit the AD and try the watch on, something that looks good online may not be so good when viewed on the wrist, this works the other way as well.

The Speedy Moonwatch is awesome, it goes well with my Seamaster but both watches look and feel very different on the wrist.

As others have said Get to know your AD, it’s always nice to be able to pop in for a chat or have something fixed or a strap changed or ......

 

I would go to an AD and enjoy the experience. Go try a whole bunch of watches on. Go home. Buy the watch you can’t stop thinking about

 

@vicakers Do you recommend buying from the AD or finding on online?

 

You got options

OB or AD

Grey market with a warranty (such as the sale section here)

Grey market no warranty (such as Jomashop)

Prices will vary based on where you buy and only you can decide if the price and possible lack of warranty or boutique experience can justify the high or low price.

The question if a buyer should go to an OB or AD or online comes up multiple times every week. Plenty of info in all those threads as well.

Goodluck!

 

I went into the Omega store thinking I wanted a FOIS moon watch and after seeing the Apollo 8 online went back the next day to try it on. Ended up leaving with the Apollo 8 instead!

 

I

Personally I decided to go with an AD for my first nice watch. I did all my research online and then emailed 20-30 AD all around the UK for their best price. By coincidence the AD I 'connected' with most happened to be next to my work in London. I went in to buy it and negotiated a really good deal and got great service. Built a good relationship with the staff there too.

 

Thanks all! I appreciate it.

 

Thanks for the advice. How easy did you find it to get ADs to offer a price below RRP? Was the negotiation easy or was it a struggle?

 

Just do your research on what you can get online and tell the AD. They won’t match but come close. You have to expect a few $$s more for the store that you can go back to if any issues. Haggle go have a coffee do some shopping then go back again haggle a bit more or ask for a strap thrown in.

 

I would say don't be unrealistic and lowball and do your homework so you know how much the same watch is selling online for. Consider whether it would be better to get additional accessories such as strap etc in lieu of cash savings. And take your time to build a relationship - I found that if the AD senses you will be a repeat costumer you might get a better deal.

 

1. As a first time buyer, is there any harm in buying from an AD online instead of going in-person to an Omega store/dealer? I'm always happy to save money if possible.

-The "harm" is on your wallet as it is possible to get them considerably cheaper on the secondhand market than from an AD. It depends on if you consider the AD expeirence worth more than the 20-35% you can save from retail by buying online/secondhand. Completely up to you!

2. I'm leaning towards the Speedmaster Moonwatch, but am open to other suggestions. Any reasons why I should consider something other than a Speedy for my first Omega?

-Speedmaster Moonwatch or Seamaster are the best choices for a first-time buyer. Either the new Seamaster or why not the classic quartz 8but this would mean having to go pre-owned. It comes down the preference of what you are looking for.

 

Thanks both for the advice. Hadn't thought of asking for a strap to be thrown in. I would buy a leather strap to go alongside the bracelet anyway, so that might actually be worth more to me than a few quid taken off the RRP.

 

I've found an AD that is willing to work with me. What is a reasonable discount % I should ask for?

 

What are they offering?

There are existing threads on this forum detailing the various discounts people have got at ADs in various countries.

 

https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-boutique-discount.90123/

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ad-discounts.25281/

https://omegaforums.net/threads/discounts-expectations-from-a-london-ad.77506/

https://omegaforums.net/threads/authorized-dealers-and-price-negotiating.6511/

 

They haven't made an offer, but they did ask me what I was expecting in terms of a discount. Thanks for the links. I'll check them out.

 

I've gone in and just asked how much a certain watch was and the lady who I always deal with takes out a calculator and comes up with a lower number than on the hang tag. Not sure if there's a magic number but I personally wouldn't make offers (but that's just me) they have overhead and I know the price is gonna be higher than i can go grey for but if they offer up a good price I'll bite (I have in the past since they came dangerously close to the cheapest price I've seen online but it had to be ordered) Others say buy from the OB or AD to build a relationship. That's good advice but even though at one point I hadn't made a purchase thru them I had a great relationship just from buying accessories and what not. It also helped that they are a a fairly prestigious jewlery story in the Boston area and I've purchased many gifts for the then girlfriend, engagement ring and bands later on. They see that when they open up your account and see what you've spent in the past. $$$ builds relationships Haha