jkerouac Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 The Luxury Watch Bust Last week my watch broke. Fixing it would have cost more than the $200 purchase price (it was a gift) so I decided to look for a new one. I eventually found one I liked. But when I asked the price, I was told it was $1,500. That may be inexpensive in the world of high-end watches, but it is far too rich for me. So I asked for a discount or upcoming sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 I can certainly see why luxury watch sales are slow these days, even the rich are watching their dollars. Of course, wives will still buy purses and handbags- those are necessities! All in all, I would think there are some bargains to be had on luxury watches- you just have to be persistent and shop around. Certainly I've noticed prices have come down on ebay for watches and I pretty much consider it a wholesale market place, but you have to know what you're doing. And I would think retail dealers will come around sooner or later- they've got rent and salaries to pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 The watch business (like many others) really got silly towards the end of the boom, it seemed like everyone was asking $10k for base models with pretty average spec ETA movements. Every brand had limited editions .. in fact some brands didn't have any models that weren't limited edition (eg Panerai) The better brands will certainly survive, but I believe we will see the model ranges significantly re-shuffled to bring prices down a lot. I see the second hand market having a massive shake up too. The days of pre-ordering the latest Audemars limited edition for $25k, and flipping it in ebay immediately for $50k are well gone. Most of those models were hardly worth the $25k to start with. When the profits from flipping are gone, then the speculation on models ends too, and the limited editions will have to drop back in price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 History always repeats itself. A similar observation was made a couple of years ago & again this past March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 RE: Discounts and AD's. So I asked for a discount or upcoming sale. “These watches never go on sale,” the sales clerk told me, quickly walking away. Having recently purchased a Gen Rolex, here is what I experienced: AD #1: "Our Prices Fixed" (Snooty) AD #2: Knowledgeable, fun, willing to show me things outside my (known to AD) price range. Took 15% off price. Shop around, there are deals out there. Almost jumped at a 20% off deal on a Breitling around last Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt.watch.obsessive Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Here's an article from today: How to Sell a $35,000 Watch in a Recession Salespeople Study Distracting the Wife, Avoiding Talk of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neuuubeh Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 God, I hate the way the "luxurious" lifestyle is presented to the masses in such articles and even TV shows. Makes me nauseous.. He drives a Ferrari and has 61 luxury watches of his own, including four IWCs. Mr. Br Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcoast68 Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Steve Fleischer wrote: .I bought a Rolex 34 years ago for $900. Seemed expensive then, but reasonable over the life of a watch. Great watch and I enjoyed it. I wanted to get the watch cleaned (done every 5 years), and the Rolex dealer asked $600 for the job (claimed that the cost of parts had gone up!). My watch isn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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