Hi, My name is yair and I am new to the forum, hope this is the right place to post these question I'm looking to buy my first Omega (I wear a TAG Heuer Carrera Automatic Chronograph Tachymetre currently). I really like the Speedmaster DSOTM black on black, though haven't seen it in person yet, wondering if it isn't too much and I should just go for the regular black one, would love to hear opinions of people who've seen it or own it. I'll probably be buying it at the US, thought I do not live there, seen it for around 8000 usd online, what's the best price you could get it for? also, I've seen the term "grey market" being thrown around, what's that? Cheers
Welcome, On your first question no one can help you, its a matter of personal taste. I dont really like either one of those watches although i admit the appeal. Go to the store and try them on in person. Grey market is a term used to describe a legitimate business selling authentic watches but not affiliated or directly authorised by the brand sold, at least officially. In context. A Brand like Rolex or Omega makes a watch and sells it in a number of ways: Boutique: a brand store directly affiliated to the brand. The space is owned or leased by the brand, the employees are Omega (in this case) employees. The costumer service is monitored by Omega, the quality controls and all related items are Omegas. As such they run higher costs, provide better warranties and charge full price with little room For compromise. Authorised dealership: these are private stores like tourneau etc specialized on watches. They are authorized to sell the product and licensed to do so by the brand. Because of this they sell multiple brands under one roof. They pay franchise or licensing fees and because of this are able to provide international warranties and brand services that are honored by the brands. The space, employees and services are not vetted by the brands but they must follow certain rules to qualify: display methods, advertising etc. because their margins are higher they often offer discounts. Grey dealer: same as above but do not pay licensing or franchising fees. As such their warranties are private and not honored by the brands. The reputable ones offer the exact same product at typically 15 to 20% discounts as they often dont have store fees, or limited store costs, nor licensing and franchising etc. the upside is savings, the downside is your product is not protected by the brand services so if there is a problem you have to go back to the dealer, not to Omega or whatever brand. Some grey dealerships match or surpass the costumer services of authorised dealerships, not quite as often that of Boutiques. Also if you re-sell a grey market watch you will get less Money because of lack of papers etc... But then again you also paid less for it. There are in between scenarios between these three. Then there is black market... And Tony Sopranos truck. But id stay away from Those
i suggest you find a boutique or a dealer near you and have a look at the watches in person. Also be sure to make a good research on the pros and cons of the ceramic case (that the dsofm has) before going on further with the purchase. welcome
Thank you all for the replies. Regarding he ceramic case, I've read a couple of threads on the forum about chipped watches, however I don't really do anything too physical for a living and when I do workout do anything that requires labor i take it off, surely it's not that fragile? I also really like the new deep black seamaster, but the suggested prices I've seen were too high. Re: grey market - so Amazon and online stores such as Jomashop.com are considered grey market? Do you see it as a problem buying from them? Apologise for all the questions I am somewhat new to this world
I dont know what Amazon is, Jomashop, swissluxurywatches etc are grey. Within my descritption i think you can work out pros and cons and make your decission. I have bought watches privately, at Boutiques, at authorized dealers and on grey market and am happy so far with all my experiences. My method pf purchase depends on the particular watch and purpose. Im happy to spend extra at a Boutique for a present for my wife because the experience is as valuable to her as the watch. The care, packaging, champagne and overall feel. If im getting a seamaster or a Tudor to use as beater i dont quite care that much where it comes from, just want the watch at best price. If it os a significant item emotionally or collectorwise ill seek private sellers and collectors i trust to facilitate and authenticate. ( like @Kringkily )
Myself and a good number of other forum members own and enjoy various iterations of the xSOTM. Of all the ones out and on people's wrists, there have only been a couple legitimate instances of the case damage. So, while it can happen, it is very rare. It is not that fragile. Personally, I am not delicate with mine at all and wear it and treat it like any of my other watches. To date, there is not the slightest blemish and it still looks brand new. As to grey market: For this price point, I would seek out a purchase with the factory warranty included. Joma and those of similar ilk do not offer the factory international warranty. However, you can find BNIB with full Omega international warranty from some dealers. I highly recommend Sergy at chitownwatches. I have purchased two Omegas from him just this year and could not be happier.
Most authorized dealers are willing to negotiate on the price, give it a try first and see whats the best deal you can get. Personally i wouldn't go grey market on a purchase like this
Thanks again, I will make sure to contact him before I make a purchase, can't seem to get into the website though (https://www.chitownwatch.com is it?) do they list prices or should I contact someone over there for that? is it cool for me to ask on this forum what prices people were able to purchase their DSOTM for? as I mentioned, I do not live in the US so I can't just walk in and check, and prices over here (Israel) are about 200% higher. BTW, by Amazon I meant Amazon.com
Yep, website is www.chitownwatch.com Just checked and it opened just fine for me. Not sure why the difficulty getting the site to open. Prices are listed with each piece so you can see all info clearly. Here's the listed prices for each model if that helps from his site: All BNIB GSOTM: $7900 DSOTM (with deployant): $7488 Sedna: $8600 Pitch Black: $7568 Black Black: $7588 Vintage: $7600