Buying genuine from Japan?

[abakan]

Hey guys,

I am pondering on the idea of getting a gen Omega SM Pro. There is one seller on ebay from Japan that sells genuine watches (I hope he does), but I wanted to find out if there is anything I need to know to avoid some surprise later, like US dealer refusing to service it etc. One little thing I noticed on one of his watches is presence of a stamp on the caseback that looks like a earth globe with omega sign over it on the outer ring of the caseback (if it tells anything? I have never seen like this one before).

Your comment would be appreciated.

[Corgi]

pictures would help a lot here to determine if it is real.

I think you would have a lot of trouble getting it serviced by an AD if you bought it in eBaY.

[docblackrock]

One little thing I noticed on one of his watches is presence of a stamp on the caseback that looks like a earth globe with omega sign over it on the outer ring of the caseback (if it tells anything? I have never seen like this one before).Your comment would be appreciated.

That's a security symbol Omega uses on the casebacks of some of the newer SM models, in particular limited editions like the Casino Royale PO.

Lookie here...gen version. Unfortunately for you it has been repped, on the aforementioned model for one, but maybe elsewhere also, so I wouldn't take its presence as confirmation of authenticity.

Aside, why would you buy used gen Omega from ebay let alone ebay seller in foreign country (Japan in this case)? If you don't know exactly what you're looking at and are unsure of certain details, then you really would be well advised not to purchase in this way. Instead, go to a local or regional AD or reputable jewellers who carry pre-owned....your service issues will be taken care of, and most importantly you can sleep at night without giving yourself an ulcer wondering what strange marks on a caseback mean and if you are going to get ripped off or not.

[abakan]

Thank you for your comments. I am sure seller is legitimate, and watches he sells look spot on, I would be surprised it is a rep. He's sold thousands of them over the past few years (not that it means anything knowing people who shop on ebay I wasn't ready to pull a trigger yet, just wanted to ask you guys about buying it from a foreign country. I always first look at ebay to see what price range is there and what is available before I start shopping seriously. But it is a good point that most likely AD will offer a reasonable used SMP with a piece of mind.

Cheers!

[Moppel]

Hi Abakan,

the only thing I would be concerned of would be some additional tax that you may have to pay.

About a month ago I bought a genuine Omega SMP mid-size off Ebay USA. It was meant as a birthday present for my girlfriend.

It was shipped to Germany and the German customs charged more than $250 sales tax on that watch which hit me totally unexpected.

So be carefull if you buy something from outside your country at least you know about sales tax or import duty.

Cheers

Moppel

[t]

it not worth it to buy a gen from outside... you will pay high taxes...

it is very sad, because a IWC big pilot 5004 is in USA available for $2.500 less than in germany