a watch for over $1000

[afterhours]

Seeing that we live in Canada where prices are inflated comparing to US and the choice is limited - where do you guys buy your watches? Dealers in Canada/dealers abroad/privately/internet?
How do you deal with taxes/duties if buying abroad?
Also, is it a consideration for you when buying a watch that should it need a fix the watch has to be sent abroad for repair (eg Audemars Piguet) as our fucking country is not advanced enough to justify having a shop here?

 

[blackrock13]

Seeing that we live in Canada where prices are inflated comparing to US and the choice is limited - where do you guys buy your watches? Dealers in Canada/dealers abroad/privately/internet?
How do you deal with taxes/duties if buying abroad?
Also, is it a consideration for you when buying a watch that should it need a fix the watch has to be sent abroad for repair (eg Audemars Piguet) as our fucking country is not advanced enough to justify having a shop here?

Your price point is right in the middle of nowheresville.You can start to get different good quality at around $2000. If you just want quality $400 -$500 is a good start on ly anl ot of the watches look the same. If your good at negotiation you can sometimes with the right timing get $21/2300 watches for $15/1600. Shop on line to get prices and say you have sources for these kind of prices. The retailers knows what you mean and will hate you for it, but be prepared to walk out of the store on a couple of visits. You're not buying his friendship, you're buying his watches. I've got a few great watches at cost +10/20%. You save some money and he makes some money, everyone is happy. get an idea what watches are serviced in TO, as down the road you'll save bundles on service and time for same. Drive it over and drop it off. Pick it up and drive away.

 

[CUTTERBUCK]

A watch for over $1000.

Why would anyone want to pay such high prices for a damn watch??? My $25 Timex tells me everything I want to know. The time of day, the month, the date. Ohhh, and it keeps perfect time
Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[blueflame]

A watch for over $1000.

Why would anyone want to pay such high prices for a damn watch??? My $25 Timex tells me everything I want to know. The time of day, the month, the date. Ohhh, and it keeps perfect time
Just my 2 cents worth.

the same reason someone drives a BMW over a Civic.. Both will get you from point A to point B.

 

[CUTTERBUCK]

the same reason someone drives a BMW over a Civic.. Both will get you from point A to point B.

Ahhhh, now I get it. The guy in the Beemer can overtake me in my Hyundai and arrive at the next stop light before me

 

[Bif_Butkiss]

I started with the $500 - $700 Citizen Eco - drives (nice watches) but wanted something a bit more and ended up with a $2,500 TAG (much better watch). AND, I can still sell it after a couple of years for at least $1,500! Bet ya can't do that with a TIMEX!!!???

 

[alexmst]

The best watch I've bought for under $1,000 was a Hamilton Automatic "Khaki" with steel bracelet, sapphire crystal back, day + date, Omega movement. I think I got it for about $500.

A Rolex is nice as the ladies associate it with luxury. I wore mine to an incall once and the SP was checking it out on the nightstand and said "I knew from your personality/clothes you had good taste so I wanted to see what watch you wore". A Rolex is good for that. Watch collectors often hate them, but Rolex makes a good watch movement. They are overpriced for what you get, sure. $5,500 for a steel bracelet men's auto-winding watch is a lot of $. They hold their value well, as even used you'd pay $1,500 - $2,000 for one 25 years old. If you are a gambler and have to pawn your watch often, a Rolex is the way to go as it has a firm used value by model, so you know what you'll get.

Does the Rolex do things the Hamilton does not? No, but for man jewelry the Hamilton doesn't get the same admiring glances.

 

[afterhours]

Your price point is right in the middle of nowheresville.You can start to get different good quality at around $2000. If you just want quality $400 -$500 is a good start on ly anl ot of the watches look the same. If your good at negotiation you can sometimes with the right timing get $21/2300 watches for $15/1600. Shop on line to get prices and say you have sources for these kind of prices. The retailers knows what you mean and will hate you for it, but be prepared to walk out of the store on a couple of visits. You're not buying his friendship, you're buying his watches. I've got a few great watches at cost +10/20%. You save some money and he makes some money, everyone is happy. get an idea what watches are serviced in TO, as down the road you'll save bundles on service and time for same. Drive it over and drop it off. Pick it up and drive away.

as you could have guessed from my mentioning of Audemars, my price range is above 1K. My thread name just echoed an earlier "under 1000" thread.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions re problems with service with certain brands. I guess it pretty much limits the choice to Rolex (if one grew out of omega).

 

[blackrock13]

A watch for over $1000.

Why would anyone want to pay such high prices for a damn watch??? My $25 Timex tells me everything I want to know. The time of day, the month, the date. Ohhh, and it keeps perfect time
Just my 2 cents worth.

.... and if you sat across from a couple of decision makers negotiate a large business deal wearing that timex that matched your felony Flyers, I'll bet you won't get asked back to sign anything. It kind of goes with the tape on you glasses and your broken shoe laces though. I bought my Rolex 35 years ago for less than I pay for a bottle of scotch last week and have recently been offered low four figures. Try that with your Timex. If you want to swim in the deep end and make jokes, know what you're talking about first.

Oh, I own a Timex for working in the garden or my workshop. I splurged and spent $35 at Walmart. My previous Timex finally fell to pieces two years ago after buying it in '87.

 

[afterhours]

Ahhhh, now I get it. The guy in the Beemer can overtake me in my Hyundai and arrive at the next stop light before me

Moreover, his $300/hr SP and your $20/pop streetwalker will perform basically the same task too and both will bring their respective clients to pretty much the same happy ending

 

[blackrock13]

as you could have guessed from my mentioning of Audemars, my price range is above 1K. My thread name just echoed an earlier "under 1000" thread.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions re problems with service with certain brands. I guess it pretty much limits the choice to Rolex (if one grew out of omega).

no all sorts of products are serviced in the GTA. Off the top, Mont Blanc, Cartier, Longines, and don't knock the high end citizens. They're well built, uniques and in around you price point of $800-$1500.

In the range of $2000 -$3000 you also have more room to bargain. Remember you save some money, they make some money, and everyone is happy. There's no reason with a little bit of work you can't get 25-30% off MSRP at least and even better the store price. If it's really popular watch forget it, but if its a little different 'and' you like it, go for it. Read up. There all sorts of forums and BB as well as some magazines out there.

 

[blackrock13]

Moreover, his $300/hr SP and your $20/pop streetwalker will perform basically the same task too and both will bring their respective clients to pretty much the same happy ending

I'll leave that analogy to the experts on this BB, but somehow, I doubt it.

 

[Nickelodeon]

.... and if you sat across from a couple of decision makers negotiate a large business deal wearing that timex that matched your felony Flyers, I'll bet you won't get asked back to sign anything. It kind of goes with the tape on you glasses and your broken shoe laces though. I bought my Rolex 35 years ago for less than I pay for a bottle of scotch last week and have recently been offered low four figures. Try that with your Timex. If you want to swim in the deep end and make jokes, know what you're talking about first.

Oh, I own a Timex for working in the garden or my workshop. I splurged and spent $35 at Walmart. My previous Timex finally fell to pieces two years ago after buying it in '87.

I also got a Rolex 35 years ago, but mine doesn't require the attitude adjustment that blackrock has. And it was a lot more than today's prices for a high end bottle of scotch. The other thing you need to remember about a Rolex is that although it is a beautiful machine it requires maintainance. Every 5 years I drop around $500 to get it cleaned and tuned up.

So yes, it's an emotional thing not a rational thing.

 

[Asterix]

People still wear watches? Why?

 

[blackrock13]

I also got a Rolex 35 years ago, but mine doesn't require the attitude adjustment that blackrock has. And it was a lot more than today's prices for a high end bottle of scotch. The other thing you need to remember about a Rolex is that although it is a beautiful machine it requires maintainance. Every 5 years I drop around $500 to get it cleaned and tuned up.

So yes, it's an emotional thing not a rational thing.

Agreed, and the first thing a serious re-buyer will look for are the date stamps on the inside to confirm your taking it in for service. They don't really trust paperwork. Once mine required service after only three years and I politely complained, got the service for free and since then it's been every eight or ten years. It goes to a master watch smith in Ontario for half the rate and full warranty. When you find them, they're worth their weight in gold.

 

[AJstar]

I started with the $500 - $700 Citizen Eco - drives (nice watches) but wanted something a bit more and ended up with a $2,500 TAG (much better watch). AND, I can still sell it after a couple of years for at least $1,500! Bet ya can't do that with a TIMEX!!!???

Maybe true,but for the wasted 1K you could have a new Timex each month and throw it away if you wanted to. BTW, a Timex will keep better time than a Rolex. Just don't go scuba diving with a Timex. They all blow their seals around 60'.

 

[afterhours]

no all sorts of products are serviced in the GTA. Off the top, Mont Blanc, Cartier, Longines, and don't knock the high end citizens. They're well built, uniques and in around you price point of $800-$1500.

umm once again, my price point is above the one that you are referring to. I am looking at Jaeger, Blancpain and the like.

 

[blackrock13]

People still wear watches? Why?

.... and we watch televisions and read books. What can i say? We save time not reaching in our pockets for our cell phones or swearing when they drop in the toilet bowl. We can even use them as a compass faster than cell phones, if they have a traditional face.

 

[rapsfan]

I recommend purchasing overseas if you are buying a high-end watch. Hong Kong is a awesome place to buy high end watches. I just got a Rolex GMT master II for a good $1500 off the best price I could get here. Our awesome exchange rate helps as does the fact that there no tax. Also you can't beat the selection in HK - downtown in the jewelery district there are dozens of stores that will put Royale de Versaille (yorkville watch boutique) to shame ... and the best thing is that you can try on anything ... even 30-50K watches and they will be happy to let you do so even if you are in shorts and a t-shirt .. no snobby attitude at all.

The warranties to these watches are all worldwide as long as you take to authorized service centre and getting past customs is really easy - you just wear the watch and mail the fancy box to yourself so that it is not in your luggage.

 

[alexmst]

I bought my Rolex 35 years ago for less than I pay for a bottle of scotch last week and have recently been offered low four figures.

My steel Rolex was manufactured in 1974 (a family gift to me) ) and it is still humming along with only a cleaning every 5 years and never a breakdown. It gets knocked about a lot too. Tough watch.