Hello all! I'm picking up a new Speedmaster Pro sapphire from my local AD this weekend. I've asked the AD to swap the polished/brushed bracelet for the fully-brushed bracelet that comes with the haselite Speedy, and they can't do it. So... if there's anyone out there in the UK with the reverse desire, ie who would like to swap an unworn fully-brushed bracelet for my unworn polished/brushed, do get in touch!
Can you just tell them you won't buy it unless they switch it?
Can you just tell them you won't buy it unless they switch it?
They'll switch it if the buyer wants to pay for the new bracelet, you can't expect the AD to eat the $700+ cost of a new bracelet.
They're not eating anything. Just a bracelet swap. 1 for 1.
They're not eating anything. Just a bracelet swap. 1 for 1.
Where does the AD get the new bracelet from? Omega doesn't provide extra ones to the dealer. Someone has to pay for it! There is no free lunch.
The Ad gets the new bracelet from its own stock, and replaces it in the stock with the bracelet removed from the watch. It is, indeed, a 1 for 1 swap, and nothing resembling a free lunch. However, most ADs do not have stocks of extra bracelets. Certain OBs do--like one I spoke to today--in which case they usually don't mind offering such a swap for someone like me, who prefers the sapphire version on the haselite bracelet (or vice versa), but only inasmuch as you buy the watch directly from them.
The Ad gets the new bracelet from its own stock, and replaces it in the stock with the bracelet removed from the watch. It is, indeed, a 1 for 1 swap, and nothing resembling a free (of even mildly subsidised) lunch. However, most ADs do not keep stocks of extra bracelets. Certain OBs do--like one I spoke to today--in which case they usually don't mind offering such a swap for someone like me, who prefers the sapphire version on the haselite bracelet (or vice versa), but only inasmuch as you buy the watch directly from them.
The Ad gets the new bracelet from its own stock, and replaces it in the stock with the bracelet removed from the watch. It is, indeed, a 1 for 1 swap.
PS Before someone asks 'so why didn't you just buy the watch from them?'... I got a much (much) better deal from the AD! 😀
Hello all! I'm picking up a new Speedmaster Pro sapphire from my local AD this weekend. I've asked the AD to swap the polished/brushed bracelet for the fully-brushed bracelet that comes with the haselite Speedy, and they can't do it. So... if there's anyone out there in the UK with the reverse desire, ie who would like to swap an unworn fully-brushed bracelet for my unworn polished/brushed, do get in touch!
That would not be a 1 for 1 swap. That's placing the sapphire's polish accented bracelet on a hesalite model (which should be brushed). As @texasmade stated, the remaining set would be mismatched and could be a headache for the AD.
Just take the bracelet to an independent watchmaker and have them brush the polished parts. Straightforward and wouldn’t cost too much.
Not quite: OBs sometimes keep stocks of bracelets. That's understandable, since all bracelets are available to buy on their own. When such a swap is done for a customer, the unwanted bracelet taken from the watch (polished/brushed, say) goes into the stock of bracelets; it is not put on a haselite watch to create a mismatched item. I received precisely this explanation from an OB today. That's why they were willing to do that, but if and only if the watch is acquired from them.
Not quite: OBs sometimes keep stocks of bracelets. That's understandable, since all bracelets are available to buy on their own. When such a swap is done for a customer, the unwanted bracelet taken from the watch (polished/brushed, say) goes into the stock of bracelets; it is not put on a haselite watch to create a mismatched item. I received precisely this explanation from an OB today. That's why they were willing to do that, but if and only if the watch is acquired from them.
Yes we understand that and this is precisely why an OB can do this but an AD can't. The AD can't just put this in their inventory of stock bracelets to swap and sell since they have to pay for the part. OB's can easily trade inventory in and out with other OB's and the warehouse.
That's a great idea, it didn't occur to me--thank you! If there are no takers for my offer of a swap, I'll certainly explore this avenue. It may be quite an involved job, since I imagine that the bracelet will have to be taken apart completely so as to individually polish all those tiny middle links. If I go down this route, I'll report my findings in case others may be interested in such an undertaking. I'm sure I'm not alone in preferring the more muted look of the fully brushed bracelet...
