Boardies view on reputable Dublin jewellers VS Online

jcb1986

Hey all, NOOB alert here, I've recently began building a collection, own a Maurice Lacroix Pontos S dive watch Orient blue Mako, as well as a Fossil & Storm Quartz watches that were gifts.

What's baffling me is how jewellers these days can compete with the online shops / grey market. I got the Maurice Lacroix for €1500 brand new off adverts.ie off a guy who had a contact with Christ jewellers in Germany and bought in bulk, came with Christ receipt and warranty card and Dawson jewellers didnt even charge me to verify it as they it was "1 million percent", he struggled to sell Maurice Lacroix in Ireland and was impatient so I got lucky. Retails close to €4k and is currently 2nd hand in watchfinders.co.uk for £2250.

Now I can buy a brand new Tudor Black Bay (might be out of my price range at the mo) or Oris Aquis brand new online for €2200 and €1000 respectively with official Tudor and Oris
warranties. After haggling I could Weirs down to €2690 for the Black Bay and Fields down to €1500 for the Oris. I've also just paid for a GLycine combat sub Goldeneye for €600 when the Glycine shop / wholesaler in Temple bar quoted me €1150.

I realise they have staff and shop frontage to pay for, but would they not be advised selling higher quantities at lower prices? I'm struggling to see how they are surviving or do several watch enthusiasts prefer the safety of reputable jewellers?

Also anyone want to suggest which to pick between the Black Bay or the Aquis, was thinking the burgundy bezel Black Bay 41mm with the leather strap that also comes with the NATO and the Aquis 43mm with the grey dial and orange markings with the much praised Oris rubber strap

Eoin

I think Maurice Lacroix watches tend to get an awful hammering on their second hand value anywhere, not just Ireland. Not a watch you'd ever want to pay full retail for, from what I've heard.

I'm not sure that shops can afford to match online prices, due to the cost of overheads. Not sure they really need to either - I'd imagine that the majority of people who will pay 1K+ for a watch would rather do so in person. The markup on the likes of Seikos is incredible though.

Both those watches look nice - I love Tudor watches, but personally I've gone off the faux vintage look a bit. I love the Black Bay Blue, even if it's not a very original design. Pelagos looks great, but a bit sterile looking. The gliding clasp makes for a very comfortable bracelet.

art

Think Maurice Lacroix has been in a vague place for a few years now, bought and sold as a company and looking for a new buyer. It's impacted their direction and extended to their reputation.

I mentioned my own experience on other threads but there are certain shops and certain brands that are definitely overpriced in Ireland, Seiko being one clear example, but it is not all one way: Rocks in Grafton street had a very nice perpetual calendar Tissot for sale at 279 euros around Christmas - cheapest online price I saw for that was 370 (it's gone now). Weirs have a watch that I want to buy so I'm not going to be precise but it is around 800 and 50 less than the best online price I can see anywhere. I think basically, like Eoin says, there are certain price points at which the reassurance and confidence you get from a shop is worth the extra to be paid, e.g. going north of 1K. And there are also certain watch brands that will always sell so there is no impetus on shops to be competitive in a fairly guaranteed market. But there are very good prices to be had too, particularly if buying around the main marques.

(As an aside, I think the worst thing to do, personally, is go to a shop, try on a watch, get the experience and staff time, then say you'll think abut it but actually go off and buy it online - long term, none of us benefit from that way of doing things.)

art

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jcb1986

art wrote: »

(As an aside, I think the worst thing to do, personally, is go to a shop, try on a watch, get the experience and staff time, then say you'll think abut it but actually go off and buy it online - long term, none of us benefit from that way of doing things.)

This was certainly not my intention, I'd prefer the convenience and security end enjoyment of picking something out in a local jeweller and purchasing it, if they went to €2.5k they had a deal for sure as its a beautiful watch that is holding its value in the secondary market.

Going forward if I see a price in a jewellers I like I will pull the trigger, but with regards Japanese watches I will buy online and just flip or return the watch if I don't like it, would certainly not a waste a staff members time or my time as Seiko and Citizen watches are grossly overpriced in this country.

Lex Luthor

any suggestions of where is the best place to get Tudor here in Ireland or online?

I'm looking for a watch for my wife and the this Tudor style 34mm could fit the bill

http://www.tudorwatch.com/en/tudor-style/#/introduction/

gold face with 2 tone bracelet

Bluefoam

I saved nearly 4000euro (more than half the price of the watch) recently by buying in an airport rather than the Dublin Jewelers that stocks the brand... The Jewelers have made it clear to me that they won't give discounts & even though I'm entitled to a tax refund (i'm resident elsewhere at the moment), it still didn't make sense... BTW, they also wanted a percentage of my tax refund, and wouldn't give me a VAT receipt otherwise.

Bluefoam

art wrote: »

(As an aside, I think the worst thing to do, personally, is go to a shop, try on a watch, get the experience and staff time, then say you'll think abut it but actually go off and buy it online - long term, none of us benefit from that way of doing things.)

I can't agree with that. I go to my local mall regularly & try on watches in the boutiques and shops... The staff are more than happy to accommodate you, even though there are queues of Chinese and Russians trying to throw their money at them... They know I'm not going to buy there and then, or even soon... I get a feel for the watches, learn a little and ultimately my next watch purchase will be made easier as I'll know what I want....

They are there to help you with that decision. Although maybe that applies to boutiques rather than retail shops... On the other hand, I got the feeling in Dublin that they were only interested in extracting as much money out of each customer as possible and it dampened the experience for me.

art

I would have thought it self evident that if I go to, say, Weirs here, try on a watch, have a chat with the guy, take up twenty minutes of his time, walk away and buy it online; someone else repeats this and another, and another, the service he is providing is simply not sustainable. I'm not sure where exactly you see the funds coming from to pay this guy?

You infer you have the experience where there are of lots of Chinese and Russians willing to be the ones paying, which is nice, but I think the reality is if we abuse a service it will be gone.

As a flip too, to the original question, I bought a watch online last week (by coincidence, a Junkers, so had no choice but to get online), the delivery is being handled by a multinational delivery company who have just gone and lost the sodding thing. Three days now waiting to hear what's happened

Bluefoam

art wrote: »

I would have thought it self evident that if I go to, say, Weirs here, try on a watch, have a chat with the guy, take up twenty minutes of his time, walk away and buy it online; someone else repeats this and another, and another, the service he is providing is simply not sustainable. I'm not sure where exactly you see the funds coming from to pay this guy?

You infer you have the experience where there are of lots of Chinese and Russians willing to be the ones paying, which is nice, but I think the reality is if we abuse a service it will be gone.

I can't disagree with this. However, to maintain the hightreet shop, and therefore the shopping experience the watch makers have to stop releasing quantities into the grey market... it is they that are causing the difficulties for the shops.

They also need to manage the price disparagies... the prices in Ireland can be shockingly high in comparison to other countries. Add to that the fact that many are unwilling to give discount (a practice that is standard in other countries), you have a massive difference in price. Why wouldn't a hard working individual chose to buy their watch elsewhere & save a large amount of money?

blue5000

If anybody is interested in Longines or Hamilton it's worthwhile having a look in kildare village if you are passing. It's potluck though with what's in stock. They also have tissot. I nearly always buy used watches online, rarely if ever buy new.

art

Bluefoam wrote: »

They also need to manage the price disparagies... the prices in Ireland can be shockingly high in comparison to other countries. Add to that the fact that many are unwilling to give discount (a practice that is standard in other countries), you have a massive difference in price. Why wouldn't a hard working individual chose to buy their watch elsewhere & save a large amount of money?

Well, to add an addendum to my earlier sob story, I've been told it will be 21 days before I'm eligible for a replacement or refund for my lost watch. That's one thing, online shopping opens you to the vagaries of shipping and can be quite deflating when things go wrong.

I have been offered discounts, without having to ask, but the retailers I have talked to have been frank - can't offer much on this brand but can on that type thing. And certainly repeat business is rewarded. But to make comparisons with other countries, well on the one hand there is our ridiculous rent standards and excessive insurance rates but also, relative to Europe, I honestly don't think we are "shockingly" high (* bar Seiko) - Netherlands I'd say is generally dearer, Belgium seemed much the same to me, Spain I'd expect to be cheaper, and so on; certainly not the extreme levels of disparity you are implying here. Of course, if you are comparing to prices outside the EU, ie and not paying VAT and Duty, then that's obviously a separate matter, between you, your conscience, and your tax man...

And, to reiterate, and as blue5000 also mentions, there are loads of watches available here in Dublin that are at very competitive prices, even in occasional cases cheaper than online (or that I can find anyway, e.g. if I was looking at Meistersinger, Certina, Hamilton, off the top of my head, I'd see no benefit buying online).