I had no idea I could shop at the exchange as a non vet that is not disabled or retired. Thanks!

 

I had the seamaster in my cart prior to the sale, sadly it was sold out when I tried to buy.

 

I’m not understanding your post... are you a vet that isn’t disabled/retired? All vets can now shop online at the Exchange.

If you’re not a vet, and don’t have some association with the military, you can NOT shop at the Exchange. Civilians don’t have access to make orders.

 

The Omega sandwich. I love the moon watch box!

 

Bringing this post back to life! Has anyone been watching the Speedmaster on AAFES lately? Considering pulling the trigger on one today 10/15/2020, it is currently at $4050(10.99%). Wondering if anyone knows if a drop is coming soon before I have buyers remorse...

 

AAFES is now available to any Vet. It is fairly easy to get registered but you must register. Online shopping is straight forward through shopmyexchange.com. you need an id card to go into the actual store. I'll ignore that because online is all you need to buy a watch. You will need to do your own research if you want an id card.

AAFES regularly has sales. Their standard price is about 10% off of msrp. Every few months they offer a 10% off sale. The kicker is that they also offer the additional 10% if you sign up for their card. The 10% is offered on the first day you use the card. Right now they are offering 15% off your first day purchase if you get the card. I believe that goes through today only.

A few times they have offered the 20% off, which is 20 % off the lower msrp so it is more then 20%.

The one sure thing is they have sales every few months. The amount often changes but is normally at least 10%. You can wait. These sales are typically around holidays so you will have other chances.

I have called the customer service line and he told me in advance about the additional 15% when you open a card. So you may be successful with calling the customer servicd line to ask about upcoming offers. He did not know when the sale was coming up but he did know when the card promotion was coming up.

You are able to purchase as many as you want for yourself or gifts. You are not supposed to resell.

The watches do sell out during a sale. For example, the seamaster black and blue dials tend to sell before the grey. If they sell out then the others will be available later, but after the sale. The speedmaster has also sold out during the sale. It too is available later.

They also sell Oris and Longines. I am curious to see if they will get the new moonwatch in the future when it changes.

Good luck. Know that you are getting a good deal. It may not be the absolute cheapest but it's pretty good compared to what others can get. Don't drive yourself crazy.

 

As of Sunday morning it's back up to "normal" price of $4550. Last time *I* saw the 10% off sale was Labor Day, but it had probably been 4 or 5 months since the previous sale. I'd be surprised if there isn't at least one more sale between now and Xmas, but you'll have to watch for it and be ready to click since they don't last long.

 

Agree with the xmas sale possibilities.

If you are ready to buy then you should probably check the site each day. I did that for awhile and they do occasionally drop a one day only sale. It's a bit of a pain but if you are ready to buy it could pay off.

I was told they replenish their inventory and update their ads at midnight. So if you're really into it you could check then.

Also, they said if you close your myexchange card and open a new one after 90 days you are eligible for the one day 10% off again. The guy on the phone said he did it so it's not cheating. They encourage vets to use every discount.

They used to knock off $100 if you signed up for their website notifications. That had a 30 day limit. Not sure if they still do that or not.

Good luck.

 

Good morning. I just joined this site and AAFES (retired military) based on this thread. How often do the SMPc watches go on sale? They are currently $4.1k. I saw above they could be had for $3.3k. That’s crazy cheap.

The newer ceramics aren’t my ‘grail watch’ (that would be the 2220.80 Daniel Craig Bond watch) but it’s so sketchy out there finding anything decent. I’ve noticed AAFES has been an Omega AD for decades, and at this point that’s probably the safest bet.

Scott

 

Welcome, Scott . I have seen them on sale four times since about March this year. They seem to go on sale during holidays, but there have also been short one day sales. I don't know with certainty if or when they will go on sale. However, based on this recent experience I would bet that there will be more sales.

If you don't have an exchange card, get one. It takes a few weeks to come in the mail before you can use it. That way you will have your card and be ready to use the extra 10 (sometimes 15) % when a sale pops up.

Good luck and happy hunting. Remember, add a picture of your new watch when you get it.

Dave

EDIT: Remember, with the new exchange card the 10% discount is ONLY available for your purchases you make on your first day. the first day isn't when you get approved or when you get the card. It's whenever you use it first. It counts on all that day's purchases, which could mean more than one watch. So you need to plan to make that first day purchase when a sale is also going on.

 

That’s a credit card? I am familiar with them but hesitant as I’m building a house and don’t want the 3-point hit on my credit rating. Unless I’m missing something?

 

Correct. It's the MyExchange Credit card. (I think it's VISA.) Yes, that is a downside. I meant to share that the card is an option and one of the methods for getting the lowest price. But I should not suggest it is for everyone or even a good idea. It's just an option. They have zero percent interest until Dec 31 this year so there won't be any additional fees provided you pay it before then.

Exciting building a house, except that building material has gone nuts. It's up 35% here. I have a few small projects that needed studs and sheetrock and I finished a bathroom remodel back in March (just as Covid was popping up on the radar.) When I went in recently to buy the studs and sheetrock I was shocked. My local lumber yard confirmed it. Crazy that they say we have 1% inflation.

Sorry, a bit of a side track rant. Glad to hear about your house project. Stay safe.

 

Cost of lumber has skyrocketed. Not sure why.

 

Keep an eye on sales around holidays such as father’s day, Memorial day, etc. The other thing AAFES will do is price matching, if you find another online retailer —regardless if gray dealer or AD — AAFES will match the price as long they can verify the price.

 

The blue 2220.80 was my preferred Seamaster as well. My strategy for finding a good one (only about a year ago) was to register for accounts at Rolex forums, WatchuSeek, Reddit (/r/watchexchange), and here obviously and have a few posts under my belt. If you can become a regular contributing member, all the better. (I can't keep up with them all, so I focus my attention on OF) Next, set an alert on WatchRecon (or similar, there are a few) and allow it to send you alerts. (I generally don't let sites & apps send me real-time notifications) Watch what comes up for sale, learn how to gauge sellers, decide on your price point and your show stoppers (i.e. minimum acceptable condition) and be ready to move quickly. It only took a couple of weeks for me to find one and I think it's a better route than Crown & Caliber, Tourneau Pre-Owned (2220.80 is probably to old for them), or similar professional flippers. Ebay - well, I don't have to tell you about that. Ditto for C24.

The other thing I'd consider is smaller (including international) auction houses. You aren't likely to see a 2280.80 come up at Antiquorum or Bonhams, but there are THOUSANDS of smaller auction houses that have watches coming up every week and this watch is right in the sweet-spot for them. Register at Invaluable, The-Saleroom, or any other auction aggregator and set up your alerts. What you get from auctions, in terms of more transactional safety, can be offset by additional fees and/or currency conversions. Best advice is to be patient and don't settle.

 

AAFES Sale now. Maybe just this weekend.

10% off the already discounted MSRP. Another 10% off that for this weekend if you but using your myexchange credit card with zero interest. Seceral color choices still available. Includes Omega and Oris.

 

No doubt a great many of these wil end up “flipped” on eBay.

 

Yes, strong possibility. But it is against the rules. They can be given as gifts and no limit on personal purchases. Flipping is not honorable.

 

Total 33% off MSRP Hamilton today, including the incredible Intramatic Chronograph. (no, I don't work for AAFES...)

Note that Hamilton haven't been in stock for awhile. I was surprised to see them. The Khaki models are also in stock, but I LOVE the intramatic. The hardest choice was between the black and white or blue and white.