Seamaster chronographs at Shuck the Oyster

Just canceled a transaction with Arthur from Shuck the Oyster. I recommend avoiding this seller.

What happened?

Agreed on a price and paid same day 12/22. He said he’d ship when back from vacation on 1/2. No problem. Didn’t hear anything from him so today I asked him when he would ship it. Apparently the watch was at the bank where the “safe deposit box is under maintenance these days.” I asked why he was selling a watch he doesn’t have access to and he became annoyed. No proactive messaging on his part to alert me of the issue which sounds like bullshit anyway. He told me to cancel the order as he “didn’t care” so I did. I can’t imagine dealing with this guy if there were issues after delivery. That would be a nightmare. Based on my experience and what I’ve read about him, I would never deal with him again and recommend the same to others, especially if you’re in another country.

Haha. Why not?

How can you expect maintaining a business acting this way, in 2021 with internet?

This thread is the first result for a candid google search like "shucktheoyster opinion" after his own website and chrono24 profile page 🙄

He dumb. 😉

No idea and don’t care

This is getting ugly. I am currently in negotiation with Arthur and found this thread through a search like Service noted. May need to pull the plug now. Appreciate all the feedback.

Interesting that some (e.g., Bazamu) have had good experiences while others are sharing horror stories. Just the inconsistency is enough of a red flag.

Hi
I am talking to Arthur about this watch:https://www.shucktheoyster.com/portfolio/omega-speedmaster-2998-vintage-chronograph-2998-61-top/
I realise its priced at the higher end looking at others, but this does seem to be in unusually good shape.
The 'dirt' on the pusher side of the case has since been removed...
Any thoughts/input/advice would be very reassuring!

Strange.... Why give a Dealer that much ongoing exposure ? That's the best advertising for him. Now everybody is looking at all his watches and might find the long sought after example..... There is no bad advertising. Especially if it's free. Is that another Covid Long Symptom bored reaction? Strange....

Is everyone here arguing about inflated prices? I won't defend ridiculous prices that are thousands above ebay, but I do think that most dealer prices typically include additional warranty/service. I am pretty sure that most of their clients are people with significant financial resources that do not care if they pay $500 or $2000 over market prices. They just like what they see, and like the dealer they do business with. If you are looking to just do a transaction for a reasonable price with reputable sellers, then shop on the forums here. If you want to overpay for a watch so you can high five the boutique owner, then by all means... 👍

I wouldn’t do a transaction at that price point with Arthur. Also, not sure of your location, but customs may add a lot of import taxes that aren’t refundable and returning anything over $2500 from the US to another country is a PITA.

For what it’s worth I’ve spoken to Shuck once or twice over the years and they seem fine. Just the same as any Watch Dealer really, there is always a risk buying expensive items unseen over the internet.

With guys like Shuck who have a lot of online presence, it doesn’t make sense for them to be overly awkward if a deal goes south. It’s far better for them to take the watch back and chalk it up to experience rather than risk their business getting a bad rep.

I did notice that the Nivada CASD that sold on here for €2500 is now for sale on Shuck priced at €3750. Not a bad profit for just turning a watch around.

Dealers can do that because they have greater market reach and a longer time horizon than most collectors have. Just like in any market, liquidity comes at a premium.

Hey all!

Long post incoming, TLDR at the end 😀

Casually unburying this thread to chime in on my experience with this low-tier seller. I was interested in one of his watches so I naturally asked a few questions. Noting fancy, the usual stuff like dimensions, chronograph in action, bezel action, etc. because we're talking around 3k for a 60 year old watch so I'm not buying it out of the blue. Since I can't hold it myself, I find these pretty basic questions to ask.

He has much much more expensive stuff so maybe for him it's pocket money but it's still a substantial amount of money to me at least. And that's actually the scariest part : this guy will sell you watches that are sometimes dozens of thousands of euros and he's behaving in a very shady - borderline scammy - way. I had doubts on him since I read a few things about his shadiness online (here mostly) but I still wanted to trust the guy and, more importantly, I really liked the watch.

However, when I simply asked him to put the watch on a timegrapher and film a few positions (had to be a 30 sec/1 min video at most), the guy went rage mode. Since he stated the watch (landeron 248) was +/-4 sec a day I thought it'd be justified to prove it - also, his 'before/after service' picture showed no difference so that piqued my curiosity... He sent a picture of the watch on a timegrapher with a +21 sec a day. Amplitude was also way off what he stated (don't remember exactly). So I exposed that the difference was noticeable and then he went mad implying I was annoying for asking questions and I should either buy the watch or, as he said, 'fυck off' - before blocking me on WhatsApp.

Unfortunately, in my anger after being treated like shit by this dude, I blocked and reported him. The consequence is that WhatsApp deletes all media and all messages from the conversation. I still had the presence of mind of screenshoting his very last message (see below) since I was such in disbelief that any seller would treat a potential customer this way. I must have asked max 5 questions over the span of 2 days. Crazy behaviour on his side.

TLDR; avoid this seller at all cost, he's shady, he's rude, and his watches are way WAY overpriced anyways. Any seller that is triggered when asked for such basic questions is in there for the money, not for the passion.

Stay safe and stay away from this guy! 😀

A bit surprised that people have so much hope for the seller who's proven bad news in multiple accounts.

Yeah you're right but the watch is gorgeous though, only reason I contacted him to be honest. Let's say I need some first-hand experience of how the guy handles his business and customers lol

It's such a shame because he has some real gems but there's no way on Earth I give him a single dime. Now I know for sure.

Better wait! There will be better, if you really put your mind (wanting) to it 😀
I know, because it happened to me 😀