The Watch Appreciation Thread - Part two (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger LeCoultre,

[Keith T]



Tim

Until very recently there was a time only Grand Reverso Ultra Thin with a manual wind and guilloche dial [2788520] . They may still be in stock at some distributors if that type is on your radar..

Correct. And I would think some of the trusted gray sellers might *possibly* still have a GT in stock as well, if the OP really wants to have the sub seconds function.

With enough patience, they are frequently available gently used .... and if you're okay going that route, you could really save tons of dough on a nice piece. (I would keep hunting around if my heart were really set on it).

The Reverso 976 that foo mentioned is quite large, btw. And I would at this point like to remind any interested readers of dino's frequent admonition: for square and rectangular shaped watches, it is quite important absolutely crucial to try on the wrist before making a decision. It's just not the same as comparing case sizes with round watches.


Also, speaking of dino....I'll just leave this here

 

[SteveH35]

@DLJr The Bleu is insane value for money. I've had everything, and nothing even remotely compares to it in this ballpark. I'd rate it about as strong a buy as nearly any watch in the industry. Here are two more pics of the pair from when I was strap swapping earlier

 

[chanoch]

My GO Senator just arrived -- love at first sight!

For those of you who have been following my search for a replacement for my father's old Rolex (which was pretty close to beyond repair, and who wants a watch from Dad that just sits in a drawer, and I didn't much like it anyway ...), here are a few closing thoughts on the way from start to finish. I hope these will be especially useful for those of you who are contemplating becoming grey market shoppers.

1. Frank Schuster (watch-lounge.de) was fantastic to deal with. Both he and Chrono24 communicated everything very well and delivered as promised. The watch arrived with the original box, papers (warranty card) filled in, signed and dated as of the shipping date, and stamped by an AD in Germany (listed as an AD on GO's site); the deployant clasp had the original plastic on it. Everything clean and clearly in new, unworn condition.

2. The shipping was exceptional, too: the watch left Germany yesterday at 12:30 PM my time and arrived this morning at 10:15 AM. Under 24 hours from some small town in Germany to Munich to France to Newark to Edison to my place in central NJ.

3. Frank provided the required papers for customs. I only had to complete some Customs form as an individual importer. Fedex again came through, answering my questions via email in minutes and getting the watch through customs in Newark in an hour. There was no additional charge and I don't expect one, though who knows with the gov't.

4. I highly recommend both Frank and Chrono24. The 3.5% charged by Chrono24 is a bit much to some, but I appreciated the peace of mind. They store all communications in case of disputes, and hold the funds in escrow until delivery has been accepted. Buyer and seller thus share the risk along the way, but I liked having the protection, especially as some of my previous grey market experiences weren't so positive. Would do business with Chrono24 and Frank again without hesitation.

A small note on the price, which was discounted 35% from list, and 25% better than anything I could get from an American AD. It seems that GO is forcing all ADs to take 40 watches/year, including a number of slow sellers. Small dealers can't move that many, so some of them resort to grey market channels to keep sales up, which enables them to maintain their relationship with GO. Poor marketing and sales from GO, but a real benefit for those of us who'd rather not pay list price, as they are basically driving small retailers to increase supply by off-loading the extra watches on the grey market. You probably know and understand this already, but it was news to me and maybe to some of you.

Many, many thanks to all of you in this little SF Watch Appreciation community. Your encouragement and sound advice really helped me sort out my heart and mind and choose the right watch at the right price. Really very grateful to all of you for your support and guidance.

Here are two pictures, in the box and on my wrist ...

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

 

[Dino944]

Congrats and enjoy !!!

 

[Cleav]

Looks great @chanoch enjoy

 

[Beckwith]

Looking for a Pepsi, anyone have experience with SwissWatchExpo? What would be a reasonable price to pay for one? I know that is a tough question, but it seems they trade in the $6K range. I am new to the secondary market as I have purchased my Panerai and Franck Muller new from an AD.

 

[firenze_rob]



Looking for a Pepsi, anyone have experience with SwissWatchExpo? What would be a reasonable price to pay for one? I know that is a tough question, but it seems they trade in the $6K range. I am new to the secondary market as I have purchased my Panerai and Franck Muller new from an AD.

Did you have a particular model in mind (1675, 16750, 16710)? I think the key is to get something that is hasn't been polished to death.

Just took a look at their current offerings. In pepsi they only have ref: 16700. This was the last reference to have a synchronized 12 and 24 hour hand. Which is a real pain. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Keith T]

If you're referring to the place north of ATL? Although I haven't actually purchased from them, I can say that I have been inside their place before, just "tyre-kicking".

I was quite helpfully shown every watch that I wanted to see... and in fact, I damn near bought a vintage Tank that afternoon, ultimately deciding it was too small. (And I don't regret that decision).

To me, they were pretty helpful and knowledgeable. Most of their inventory was in good shape, probably some of it overpriced-- and I'd say some pieces over- polished, but that's not uncommon in the vintage world. The sales guy that I was working with gave me one follow-up call, but was not overly pushy or anything. I probably still have his card back at the office but I'm out of town this week.

So... they are a "legit" seller, at least in the sense that they have a real physical presence, and actual watches available. But that's all I got. Hope this helps.

Good luck to you.

 

[Best4Best]



My GO Senator just arrived -- love at first sight!

For those of you who have been following my search for a replacement for my father's old Rolex (which was pretty close to beyond repair, and who wants a watch from Dad that just sits in a drawer, and I didn't much like it anyway ...), here are a few closing thoughts on the way from start to finish. I hope these will be especially useful for those of you who are contemplating becoming grey market shoppers.

1. Frank Schuster (watch-lounge.de) was fantastic to deal with. Both he and Chrono24 communicated everything very well and delivered as promised. The watch arrived with the original box, papers (warranty card) filled in, signed and dated as of the shipping date, and stamped by an AD in Germany (listed as an AD on GO's site); the deployant clasp had the original plastic on it. Everything clean and clearly in new, unworn condition.

2. The shipping was exceptional, too: the watch left Germany yesterday at 12:30 PM my time and arrived this morning at 10:15 AM. Under 24 hours from some small town in Germany to Munich to France to Newark to Edison to my place in central NJ.

3. Frank provided the required papers for customs. I only had to complete some Customs form as an individual importer. Fedex again came through, answering my questions via email in minutes and getting the watch through customs in Newark in an hour. There was no additional charge and I don't expect one, though who knows with the gov't.

4. I highly recommend both Frank and Chrono24. The 3.5% charged by Chrono24 is a bit much to some, but I appreciated the peace of mind. They store all communications in case of disputes, and hold the funds in escrow until delivery has been accepted. Buyer and seller thus share the risk along the way, but I liked having the protection, especially as some of my previous grey market experiences weren't so positive. Would do business with Chrono24 and Frank again without hesitation.

A small note on the price, which was discounted 35% from list, and 25% better than anything I could get from an American AD. It seems that GO is forcing all ADs to take 40 watches/year, including a number of slow sellers. Small dealers can't move that many, so some of them resort to grey market channels to keep sales up, which enables them to maintain their relationship with GO. Poor marketing and sales from GO, but a real benefit for those of us who'd rather not pay list price, as they are basically driving small retailers to increase supply by off-loading the extra watches on the grey market. You probably know and understand this already, but it was news to me and maybe to some of you.

Many, many thanks to all of you in this little SF Watch Appreciation community. Your encouragement and sound advice really helped me sort out my heart and mind and choose the right watch at the right price. Really very grateful to all of you for your support and guidance.

Here are two pictures, in the box and on my wrist ...

Beautiful....enjoy it in good health Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Best4Best]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kaplan]

Try to avoid doing a full quote of a long post just for a one line reply. Use the spoiler if you feel the content needs to be included, address the poster by name or just click the 'like' button. Thanks.

 

[Best4Best]

My watch of the day.....IWC, pity they discontinued this model. It's one of the coolest ingenuir out there originally designed by Gerald Genta

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dino944]

My watch of the day.....IWC, pity they discontinued this model. It's one of the coolest ingenuir out there originally designed by Gerald Genta.

I like the Ingenieur series from Genta and some of the later revised versions too. Yours is far more angular than the Ingenieur SL that was designed by Genta.

Here is the Genta version from the late 70s, which has softer lines and if you look closely the dial is not merely textured, but it gives a sort of checker board appearance, depending on the light.

another view of the dial

 

[Beckwith]

Thanks. I am deciding now if I want new or used, knowing I will sacrifice the Pepsi, since I am not buying the wg new. Kicking tires at a local AD, where I have purchased all my watches from, but they do not have pre-owned.