Silver Snoopy order process may drive me away from Omega

TechFounder

Great, another person who doesn’t care about ethics...Reducing production in an effort to create a fake shortage and then telling customers it’s due to overwhelming demand is a sleazy thing to do for money. Please tell me you understand this?

T Texex

Not sure if I am in the right thread but... I stopped by my OB today to have a link taken out of my wifes Seamaster and I asked about the Apollo 13 50th where I am 22nd on the list. The manager had some interesting things to say and I'll like to hear if you guys are hearing the same. First he said that my place in line is not a "Firm 22nd". If someone who is on the list below me has a better spend history they will skip me in line. He also said that anyone who has a deposit in will get one guaranteed and that almost everyone who does not have a deposit will not get one. Omega has told OBs that they will only make 5000 in the next 2 years and only 1200 will come to the US and ALL of those are already spoken for with a deposit. After that the will trickle out for big spenders only. He said the issue with the 45th limited edition was that some big spenders did not get one and they make a huge stink about it. Guys that spend 100K a year just on Omega (no idea how one could do this). So Omega decided that they will make this one a Limited Production so they can make very few to make it exclusive like the 45th but then make a few more on the back end to satisfy the big hitters. So basically limited like the last one but with the option to make a few more later on to keep the big spenders happy. He also said that all 1200 should be in the US by end of year so anyone with a deposit should have their watch by December 2021. He also said other than 1 or 2 huge ADs in NYC and LA, only OBs will ever get the watch, none for normal ADs. He also said that no sales associate has been paid commission and that Omega according to Swiss laws is not able to invest the deposits or even get interest on the money. Omega was not able to access the money until a sale is made. Finally I brought up that Omega might have chosen to not make this one limited edition so they can sell a ton. He said that I need to think bigger picture and that their goal is not to sell a ton of one watch but to be the hot talked about watch which would be fantastic marketing. A high tide raises all (Omega watches) buoys. He added that Omega could loose money on this watch (they won't) and it would still be a huge win for them with the publicity. He then politely offered to promptly give me my money back (I didn't ask for it) if I was unhappy with the process which I declined. Any of this sound familiar? Who know how much of it is accurate and how much is OB BS. Thoughts?

chadeaux

There are some interesting theories about the ethics in the luxury market.
Wrist watches that cost thousands of dollars are luxury goods, there is nothing bad, fair or ethical about this business and the market around it.
There are only nice timepieces and there is interest about getting them.
Scarcity of offer, high demand and high costs are the key points of luxury. It’s understandable that somebody might not like the game, but you are not forced to play!
You can get a swatch instead of a Snoopy 50.
A Michael Kors bag instead of a Hermès birkin.
And a very fine Subaru instead of a Ferrari.
You can get them now, without a waiting list, a deposit, a relation with the dealer, and they will serve the function.
Luxury is not for everybody, and by definition is not ethical... because It is superfluous, pricey, and challenging to get.

texasmade

Same boutique I use. I'm not a big spender so looks like I may be waiting until the end of the year.

Also, I'm still trying to figure out how the hell someone spends $100k a year at Omega. It's not like they have a bunch of platinum watches to sell.

T Texex

I asked that exact question and was told there is a platinum 321 with moon rock in the sub dials that is 66K. Never heard of it but OK.

chadeaux

Hey one of those cool guys in the cool club is wearing a cool Snoopy 50 😉
Definitely not fair. I deserve one NOW. The game is rigged and not ethical.
I Cannot get one in the middle of the pandemic? Alright, then I want a white face Daytona, NOW!
Because I’m an MD.

maanu

It’s already reaching 35k. Talk about crazy

https://davidsw.com/shop/watch/omeg...-anniversary-chronograph-silver-snoopy-award/

D Duckie

Oh, I forgot all about that one.
But at the end of the day I couldn't spend 100k on Omega watches in a lifetime.
Or any other brand for that matter😉

chadeaux

I've been a reader of this forum for quite long time and this discussion prompted my active participation.
Without being disrespectful, I find the whole rant a bit annoying, and I will tell you why in just few lines:
1) I'm a physician and heavily impacted by COVID
2) I'm a watch enthusiast as well and interested in getting the new Snoopy since more than two years ago (when it was just a rumor)
3) I was in contact with a boutique, because of my genuine interest
4) The boutique contacted me when they opened the lists officially
5) They gave me a call and we placed the deposit of 5K over the phone by credit card (took objectively 3 minutes)
6) We had a second call to complete the deposit (took additional 3 minutes)
7) Now I'm on the official list and waiting for my turn to get my Snoopy

So the point is: this is not about the pandemic, the workload, the crisis, the lists, the business model... etc.
If you didn't get in contact with a Boutique and you didn't have 6 minutes to place a deposit, you either were not so interested in getting the reference or you need to become more efficient in organizing your work.
Being a physician in the middle of the pandemic doesn't mean much!

T Texex

Not sure if I am in the right thread but... I stopped by my OB today to have a link taken out of my wifes Seamaster and I asked about the Apollo 13 50th where I am 22nd on the list. The manager had some interesting things to say and I'll like to hear if you guys are hearing the same. First he said that my place in line is not a "Firm 22nd". If someone who is on the list below me has a better spend history they will skip me in line. He also said that anyone who has a deposit in will get one guaranteed and that almost everyone who does not have a deposit will not get one. Omega has told OBs that they will only make 5000 in the next 2 years and only 1200 will come to the US and ALL of those are already spoken for with a deposit. After that the will trickle out for big spenders only. He said the issue with the 45th limited edition was that some big spenders did not get one and they make a huge stink about it. Guys that spend 100K a year just on Omega (no idea how one could do this). So Omega decided that they will make this one a Limited Production so they can make very few to make it exclusive like the 45th but then make a few more on the back end to satisfy the big hitters. So basically limited like the last one but with the option to make a few more later on to keep the big spenders happy. He also said that all 1200 should be in the US by end of year so anyone with a deposit should have their watch by December 2021. He also said other than 1 or 2 huge ADs in NYC and LA, only OBs will ever get the watch, none for normal ADs. He also said that no sales associate has been paid commission and that Omega according to Swiss laws is not able to invest the deposits or even get interest on the money. Omega was not able to access the money until a sale is made. Finally I brought up that Omega might have chosen to not make this one limited edition so they can sell a ton. He said that I need to think bigger picture and that their goal is not to sell a ton of one watch but to be the hot talked about watch which would be fantastic marketing. A high tide raises all (Omega watches) buoys. He added that Omega could loose money on this watch (they won't) and it would still be a huge win for them with the publicity. He then politely offered to promptly give me my money back (I didn't ask for it) if I was unhappy with the process which I declined. Any of this sound familiar? Who know how much of it is accurate and how much is OB BS. Thoughts?

T Texex

Houston

chadeaux

Hey one of those cool guys in the cool club is wearing a cool Snoopy 50 😉
Definitely not fair. I deserve one NOW. The game is rigged and not ethical.
I Cannot get one in the middle of the pandemic? Alright, then I want a white face Daytona, NOW!
Because I’m an MD.

Lebowski

Maybe you haven't read through the whole thread to see my post on page 2 where I admitted this was 100% my fault and I never used my profession as anything other than to give some context for why I'm both frustrated at life in general and that it seems as if Omega's communication on this model has left me out in the cold... your snarky and lecturing tone is sincerely appreciated and oh so helpful! It was also my intention to see what other's experience on dealing with the OBs has been. I don't even have an AD within 3 hours of me and the nearest OB is about 5 hours away. So now I know more about the relationship of the OB to Omega the producer. And guess what?, the more I know the more it isn't to my liking.
I received the same story with fewer details that Tenex detailed in his post below...

So what is saddening to me is that the Omega CEO said the model would be available to all who wanted one only now to find out that is not true. This scenario essentially creates a LE watch without being honest to those of us late to the game or new to the brand that makes us think we can join the club only to be shut out without knowing it. I wouldn't have been upset to have not been able to purchase a limited edition Apollo 13 50th, but this wasn't what was advertised... and the variable deposit schemes for reserving new releases doesn't inspire confidence when there are no definite details to back it up.
Maybe we all just don't know for sure yet what Omega has planned, and the speculation is incorrect. I sincerely hope so.
...And I sincerely appreciate the ideas and encouragement offered by some here with constructive comments.
Aaron

D Duckie

Yes the Omega CEO did indeed say that👍 But did you really believe that?🙁

T Texex

Houston

Lebowski

Nice summary of exactly what I didn't say...
If you truly are a fellow physician, I'm embarrassed. I never thought I could just call a boutique and buy one NOW, I was just ignorant to the game the OBs are playing in regard to a watch I didn't think was going to be a LE. You don't know me, you don't know my background or my responsibilities to my family and community. The only lack of ethics here is the effort to which you have gone to put words in my mouth...
Thanks for the enlightenment...

Lebowski

I'm an ER Doc and have been a little busy for the past few months. I live in an area with no local boutique or even an authorized dealer. I called Omega directly a few months ago when the 50th Snoopy was announced and was told to subscribe to the online mailing list to receive updates when the watch became available. Unfortunately for me, I failed to get in line at any of the boutiques as the couple that I called were reserving spots on the waiting list only for their "preferred customers"...
Well, now it's the end of a horrible year in medicine, and I wanted to take my year end bonus and buy a Silver Snoopy... only to find they are now sold out and not taking any orders. I missed the window on the 45th Snoopy and now it looks like my only hope of obtaining a 50th is on the flipper market. As an Omega fan, and Speedmaster owner of many years I am disillusioned, disappointed, and disheartened at how this was handled for a non-LE model.
Any advice on how to obtain this watch at a reasonable price would be appreciated. I love Omega, and am a big fan of the history of the space program, so for me the Silver Snoopy ticks all the boxes. But if it means paying $20,000+ to wear one, I'll say no thank you to Omega and take my money to Jaeger-Lecoultre or a pre-owned A. Lange...
There are lots of watches I admire and would like to own, but I thought the Silver Snoopy would be one I could reasonably obtain...
Yes, I know all about supply and demand... I took economics once during the 11+ years of college I attended. I didn't need that snide lecture from the 26 year-old who answered the phone at the OB who asked what I expected with the "most in demand watch in the world"... Still, if an Omega fan with the ability to write a check for this watch can't reasonably obtain one, what does this say about Omega and how much or little they value those of us who aren't on their "preferred customer" list with a boutique?

Thanks for letting me rant... I've lurked here for many years and regret that this is my first post... Thanks for letting me rant.

Aaron