was at Water Tower Place today and saw their store had closed. Was a little surprised for such a big city. Retail is tough

 

Company was sold to Bucherer this year. Plenty of watchdealers on the Mag Mile. I had a very off putting experience there a few years back when I thought I wanted a PP. Snooty sales people.

 

Tourneau in Houston closed several years ago. I'm not shocked considering how bad their customer service was. I still remember when they were the Patek AD in Houston and Patek pulled their AD.

 

I used to go in there from time to time. I have definitely heard less than great things about the salespeople at that location but I never experienced anything really bad. I did go in a few days before they closed and everything was marked down but all the good stuff wasn't discounted very much at all. There are still plenty of other official boutiques (including Omega and Rolex) and authorized dealers within walking distance so not a huge loss for Chicago watch enthusiasts.

 

They closed in 2017.

 

Although I've never walked into a Tourneau, I've heard this same complaint about many different Tourneau locations.

 

Honolulu Tourneau was off-putting as well. I was there back in November, and while they had some really nice pieces on display, I didn't stay long.

I wonder if it's company policy to discourage people who aren't serious about buying, or something. There are some strange business practices in the luxury item world.

 

It must be a company policy - I had the same experience with Tourneau locally as well.

 

I'll take one of these, please

 

This ^^^ specific Tourneau location was located @ my express bus stop when I was noob office drone.

I spent countless hours staring in the preowned window as they shuffled their inventory pretty aggressively.

I can recall being late for work more than a time or two when there was a new Patek on display...

 

I walked into a Tourneau because I had to get my Rolex serviced and it was an AD and the watch was still under warranty. They were ok-ish. They weren't very talkative, in their own little world. Rolex this, Rolex that. Handed over my Sub, got it back a month or so later. Business as usual.

After the Bucherer buy, I walked in to see some Tudors. The salesman was nice. He commented on my Alaska Project and how he never seen one. Still the same staff though, I guess I just got one of the younger guys vs the old snobs.

 

Well since we are detailing...I was looking for a gold dress(y) watch. I had already seen the JLC RG Master Moon when I had bought my SS Reverso at Marshal Pierce - a class act all the way and I highly recommend them, but I thought I wanted a PP. Anyway the experience was chilly at best. When I was quoted full retail plus City and County Taxes on a RG Calatrava Date, I flinched and politely asked if there was anything she could do with the price. I also mentioned that there was some wiggle room on other brands like Omega/Rolex/JLC. (I was wearing my Reverso) "Oh well those are common and not in the same class as PP" she said. "We don't negotiate." If you want something cheaper, our vintage is over there." ... I did look at the case and left. I eventually bought my Master Moon at a Paris AD who were lovely to deal with, happy to spend time with me looking over lots of watches, and yes I got a great price. What I found shocking was the disdain Tourneau had for a brand they carried in their shop. To be honest the Calatrava was lovely, but not full retail plus taxes lovely.

 

I saw that too. In fact here’s a photo below I took of their sign last week.

I’ve had nothing but good experiences at both the Chicago and Manhattan Tourneaus. I know a year ago the Chicago one stopped selling Pateks, must not have been moving enough inventory.