My Miami trip

[LordRasta]

My cousin recently got married and postponed the reception until we could get all the family members together. My wife had never been to Miami so we headed on down. I took her to South Beach on saturday and she was having a blast. I used to live in Miami and I remember when South Beach was a bad area and was to be avoided at all costs. So we're walking, taking in the sites, deciding on a place to eat, she's stopping in every store and suddenly I see this little AD right there on Ocean Dr. Those of you that live in the S. Florida area may be aware of it. So I go in there and they had Omegas, Rado, Raymond Weil, Tissot and Jacob & Co. just to name a few. I tried on a 20k Jacob & Co. which isn't my style but I figured what the heck. There was an older gentleman in there with a gen Ingy on that he let me take a look at once we struck up a conversation. The first thing I checked was the case back and it had "CO" instead of "Co". I tried on most of the Omegas and as a general rule I never wear a rep in an AD. I was so excited that I forgot to take off the rep Aqua Terra I was wearing. It has the bluish/purplish dial to it and the AD loved it. They only had the white face AT's and if he noticed it was a rep he never called me out on it. Once the wife was done spending my money she found me still in there and announced "don't even think about it". It was a great trip, got to see family and friends I haven't seen in 20 years. Getting to hang out in a AD and talk watches was one of the highlights though. I missed my RWG family but I was warned to stay away from the internet for the weekend.

[Corgi]

Cool! Those tourist destinations always have great ADs with the high-end brands, Miami must be no exception - lots of wealthy residents.

Since I always wear reps, I try usually to hide it in a pocket when I go inside... but that watch is so good you need'nt worry, only an expert in that particular brand from Switzerland could tell it was a fake...

[Watchmeister]

Sounds like fun. Next time you are in Miami you should check out East Coast Jewelry (in Palm Beach as well). They have a great selection and are the ones responsible for numerous anniversary editions including HBB mellow yellow. For their 20th (??) anniversary they had limited edition watches with yellow in them made by everyone from HBB to AP.

[Victoria]

My cousin recently got married and postponed the reception until we could get all the family members together. My wife had never been to Miami so we headed on down.

Wow! To think I've been bedridden for a week, so you totally missed a possible Vicky sighting, Lord Rasta.

I took her to South Beach on saturday and she was having a blast. I used to live in Miami and I remember when South Beach was a bad area and was to be avoided at all costs.

Blimey, that was ages ago, and only lasted about 7 years. The Marielitos (a wave of over 100,000 Cubans who were "released" by Fidel Castro in 1980, the latter of whom took the opportunity to empty out his gaols, and send in rapists, thieves, the mentally unstable...) occupied South Beach 'til about 1988. Before that, it was a community of little old senior citizens, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, who sat in the hotel porches all day rocking themselves.

But being the US, and particularly, being South Florida, that changed LIGHTNING quickly into the elegant, urbane area you saw before you.

(I still don't care for SoBe, though I've been here nearly 10 years. It's too claustrophobic AND reminds me of Copacabana -- with rich and poor, normal and criminal, living cheek-by-jowl)

So we're walking, taking in the sites, deciding on a place to eat, she's stopping in every store and suddenly I see this little AD right there on Ocean Dr. Those of you that live in the S. Florida area may be aware of it.

Hmm, there are a few. Not sure by your description where you landed.

So I go in there and they had Omegas, Rado, Raymond Weil, Tissot and Jacob & Co. just to name a few. I tried on a 20k Jacob & Co. which isn't my style but I figured what the heck. There was an older gentleman in there with a gen Ingy on that he let me take a look at once we struck up a conversation. The first thing I checked was the case back and it had "CO" instead of "Co". I tried on most of the Omegas and as a general rule I never wear a rep in an AD. I was so excited that I forgot to take off the rep Aqua Terra I was wearing. It has the bluish/purplish dial to it and the AD loved it. They only had the white face AT's and if he noticed it was a rep he never called me out on it.

Very nice. In my experience, ADs in South Florida are not too embarrassed to call you out, and can be very snobby about it -- the only exception being the rubes at Torneau. So I think you lucked out.

Once the wife was done spending my money she found me still in there and announced "don't even think about it". It was a great trip, got to see family and friends I haven't seen in 20 years. Getting to hang out in a AD and talk watches was one of the highlights though. I missed my RWG family but I was warned to stay away from the internet for the weekend.

Ah, 20 years. There you go.

As the saying goes about the weather in Florida, which is true of the neighbourhoods, if you don't like it, just wait 5 minutes. It'll change.

Nice anecdote, LR!