Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

Homer

Cienciano wrote: »

Weirs location is one of the best in the country for a shop where you want footfall. They get so much passing traffic at that junction. But the nice watches are right inside the door. It's always chaos in there. They must get 1000 people in asking stupid questions or just a look for every person buying (or just seriously interested). They good watches just inside the door is terrible, it's cramped, busy and everything feels rushed. You'll be trying to look at stuff and there'll be 3 spanish tourists with backpacks on trying to get past.

Never mind the prices, buying a watch should be an enjoyable experience, it's definitely not an enjoyable experience inside the door of weirs.
They can keep the window display to let you know what's available, but they need the nice watches in an area at the back with more space, where you have to be buzzed in or something.

Yep, Paul Sheerans have the experience perfected. Nice area upstairs where each brand has their own space and a chair to sit down and enjoy what should be a memorable shopping experience.

VW 1

Cienciano wrote: »

Weirs location is one of the best in the country for a shop where you want footfall. They get so much passing traffic at that junction. But the nice watches are right inside the door. It's always chaos in there. They must get 1000 people in asking stupid questions or just a look for every person buying (or just seriously interested). They good watches just inside the door is terrible, it's cramped, busy and everything feels rushed. You'll be trying to look at stuff and there'll be 3 spanish tourists with backpacks on trying to get past.

Never mind the prices, buying a watch should be an enjoyable experience, it's definitely not an enjoyable experience inside the door of weirs.
They can keep the window display to let you know what's available, but they need the nice watches in an area at the back with more space, where you have to be buzzed in or something.

I've had similar experiences to some of the ones above, being an inconvenience or having to really try to get someones attention to try something on. It would be better for a customer experience to have the high end and nice watches downstairs, where it's less busy and you wouldn't just wander down if not interested. Likely not as good from Weirs point of view though, to have their nicest fair out of sight when you pop in the door.

Fitz II

I shop a lot in Weirs, some watches but mostly my wife's Jewellery. I go out of my way to deal with only one person in there, and if out of their department ask them for a recommendation who to deal with. Now I am waiting for a few watches that may never come (and unlike some wont immediately flip them), but thats not my reason for buying there. I find the experiance excellent and you know what you are buying. The Rolex experiance is great when you are taking delivery, the service department are excellent, communicate very well and deliver on time. And jewellery department has always made my wife feel special, well looked after and great aftersales if there are issues.

Its an old institution and as Cianciano says they are busy at the moment and 90% of people are tyre kickers in to try on watches they will never buy, or intend to buy elsewhere at the cheapest price. Or those that want to haggle like the Marrakesh bazar and expect Weirs to decimate their bottom line just cause they have decided drop some wedge on a watch.

The only thing I needed to do to get good service, was become a good customer by buying things on a regular basis, stop thinking I am special, not being a grumpy prick, not being a tedious WIS in front of sales staff (they are not really all that into watches they just sell em), being patient and asking in a polite and direct fashion for the things I am after. At the end of the day its a high street Jewellery store, money talks and bull**** walks. Like any luxury business they will make 80% of their money from 20% of their clients.

The person told to buy cheap watches online was given excellent advice, if you want to buy a 300 euro Seiko for 600 euro do it in Weirs. If you want to stand around a empty store talking watches for hours go to Dawson but their stock is limited and their prices very high. Buy online from the comfort of your own computer, buy from chris in Ichrono who is good. Paul Sheerhan is good but again prices high and they dont have the brands you are really after do they, they only have the brands you would be mad to buy new at retail. Dont hate the player, hate the game...

Homer

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game” Jesus wept are you twelve.

Cyclingtourist

As I started this Weirs discussion by relating my less than happy experience I'd like to add that I haven't totally written them off. If and when I'm really in the market for an Omega or a Tudor I will give them a second chance.

Fitz II

Homer wrote: »

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game” Jesus wept are you twelve.

No I am not 12, but I see you call money "hard earned" so are you 90? or do you work "down't mine"? Add to the discussion and give us your insights without attacking me personally please. So far all we know you NEVER (in capitals) had a good experience in Weirs. What were you in there to buy? What had you bought in there before? How did they slight you? Did they hurt your feelings?

You know the game I am referring to, but maybe if your up buying at retail in Sheerhan's you dont? At least they are nice to you.

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

As I started this Weirs discussion by relating my less than happy experience I'd like to add that I haven't totally written them off. If and when I'm really in the market for an Omega or a Tudor I will give them a second chance.

Paul Sheerhan do Tudor and Breretons do Omega so loads of choice around the area. Sheerhans usually have the hard to get Tudor available quickly without needing a long purchase history. Omega is all in stock mostly.

Wibbs

To be fair my experiences were many moons ago. My dad was a regular enough customer(for him, but more for the mum, so like Fitz), but drifted away from them after a couple of nope experiences. I had an issue with their service department later on and that was with a PP so hardly could be construed as wasting their time with a battery change on a g-shock. And both our experiences were way before the excesses of the celtic tiger when there would have been a significant increase in footfall(I always got the strong impression back then it was much more tourist traffic). But like I say that was then and certainly before the latter explosion in popularity of higher end watches, so can't really be indicative of what they're like now. Plus I'd not be close to their customer base anyway.

Thirdfox

There’s a good reason why they have Chinese speaking sales agents in Weirs - for the rich Chinese tourist wandering down Grafton street any watch purchased comes with 16-17% VAT discount automatically. Makes sense for them to target tourists and give the VAT savings (no cost to Weirs bottom line). And hey, good for the Irish economy too

Same thing in Brown Thomas (where I worked as a jewellery salesperson back in university) - the people who spend the most are appreciated the most...which is fair enough. It doesn’t excuse bad service to anyone however. I enjoyed spending time helping someone pick out a 60 euro piece, maybe moreso than the person coming in to spend 5-600 - but I was a seasonal worker who wasn’t paid on sales targets and commission. Good for the permanent sales associates to sell those 600-1000 pieces and leave the 60 euro spenders to non-commission folks like myself

I haven’t been personally, but I have acquaintances who get invited to Weirs events, so they would fall into the 20% of super appreciated loyal customers that Fitz mentions. I’ve had a generally pleasant experience in Weirs (but maybe they thought I was a Chinese tourist ) I don’t do much window shopping either so that might be a factor. Our wedding rings were purchased at Weirs so I do consider them an institution (a mini-Harrods as it were). When burglars broke in to our house - they took the Weirs bags too - so there must be some value to the name too (they took my Swiss watches - left my Chinese ones though ha!)

@cyclingtourist - perhaps speak loudly in Russian to ensure better service? :P

OldBean

Fitz II wrote: »

I shop a lot in Weirs, some watches but mostly my wife's Jewellery. I go out of my way to deal with only one person in there, and if out of their department ask them for a recommendation who to deal with. Now I am waiting for a few watches that may never come (and unlike some wont immediately flip them), but thats not my reason for buying there. I find the experiance excellent and you know what you are buying. The Rolex experiance is great when you are taking delivery, the service department are excellent, communicate very well and deliver on time. And jewellery department has always made my wife feel special, well looked after and great aftersales if there are issues.

Its an old institution and as Cianciano says they are busy at the moment and 90% of people are tyre kickers in to try on watches they will never buy, or intend to buy elsewhere at the cheapest price. Or those that want to haggle like the Marrakesh bazar and expect Weirs to decimate their bottom line just cause they have decided drop some wedge on a watch.

The only thing I needed to do to get good service, was become a good customer by buying things on a regular basis, stop thinking I am special, not being a grumpy prick, not being a tedious WIS in front of sales staff (they are not really all that into watches they just sell em), being patient and asking in a polite and direct fashion for the things I am after. At the end of the day its a high street Jewellery store, money talks and bull**** walks. Like any luxury business they will make 80% of their money from 20% of their clients.

The person told to buy cheap watches online was given excellent advice, if you want to buy a 300 euro Seiko for 600 euro do it in Weirs. If you want to stand around a empty store talking watches for hours go to Dawson but their stock is limited and their prices very high. Buy online from the comfort of your own computer, buy from chris in Ichrono who is good. Paul Sheerhan is good but again prices high and they dont have the brands you are really after do they, they only have the brands you would be mad to buy new at retail. Dont hate the player, hate the game...

Ah come on now Fitz. They're a watch and jewellery shop in the centre of a city. They have a Seiko section there with watches both cheaper and more expensive than I was looking for. It was poor customer service for a watch they didn't have any interest in looking into. It was condescending and unnecessary.

I don't want to buy a watch online. I much rather buying in person - you said yourself, you know what you're buying, whether it's a couple of hundred quid or a couple of thousand. I don't mind spending more in a bricks and mortar shop, and I prefer having an Irish receipt/warranty.

I get that you spend a lot of money in there and get treated well, but it's no excuse for the poor service shown to myself and a lot of the other people on here.

Cienciano

OldBean wrote: »

Ah come on now Fitz. They're a watch and jewellery shop in the centre of a city. They have a Seiko section there with watches both cheaper and more expensive than I was looking for. It was poor customer service for a watch they didn't have any interest in looking into. It was condescending and unnecessary.

I don't want to buy a watch online. I much rather buying in person - you said yourself, you know what you're buying, whether it's a couple of hundred quid or a couple of thousand. I don't mind spending more in a bricks and mortar shop, and I prefer having an Irish receipt/warranty.

I get that you spend a lot of money in there and get treated well, but it's no excuse for the poor service shown to myself and a lot of the other people on here.

Seiko you're pointed downstairs to the dungeon. At least there's a bit of room to look and the display cases are at a decent level. The low down ones upstairs are poxy, you've to crouch down and get in the way of the mountain of tourists. I love the look of the oldstyle shop and honestly hope they don't ever change it, but it makes the buying experience ****ty! If that makes sense. I think a buzzer on the door might make a difference, I Breartons on grafton street has one. Maybe they tried it and the buzzing drove the staff mad.

RMDrive

Fitz II wrote: »

The only thing I needed to do to get good service, was become a good customer by buying things on a regular basis ....

I'd suggest that therein lies the debate. Bit of a chicken and egg thing. Does working in retail/service means that every potential customer should be viewed and treated as a good customer? Or in certain business models can you afford to demand that they prove themselves?

IMO courtesy and respect are the most cost-effective things that a business can provide - manners cost nothing, as does patience. Some of those tyre-kickers are genuine customers; there's no need to demand subservience from them to prove it. Life is too short to give my custom to any business that can't be bothered to respect me as a customer.

unkel

The likes of Frank Keane have that down to a T. If you go in to just buy a €3 nut for an oil sump because your old one broke off while you were changing the oil yourself, you get treated with the same courtesy and professionalism as if you went in to buy a €100,000 BMW 7-series with cash

My own experience with Weir's goes back over 25 years and is a bit hit and miss. Overall not impressed, but I'm sure that would be different had I spend many thousands a year there.

Fitz II

unkel wrote: »

The likes of Frank Keane have that down to a T. If you go in to just buy a €3 nut for an oil sump because your old one broke off while you were changing the oil yourself, you get treated with the same courtesy and professionalism as if you went in to buy a €100,000 BMW 7-series with cash
.

Frank Keane blackrock overfilled the oil in a M5 for me and damaged the engine, Frank Keane Naas road sold me a X5 that I had to get solicitors involved with to correct and if they treated you the same buying a 3 euro nut, I would order the nut elsewhere. M&G Miltown took said same X5 for a joyride round the country and left 3 lads scuba gear in the boot when I collected it. I was a good customer but got crap service and voted with my feet. Goes to show that one persons experiences are not universally translatable.

Wibbs

RMDrive wrote: »

I'd suggest that therein lies the debate. Bit of a chicken and egg thing. Does working in retail/service means that every potential customer should be viewed and treated as a good customer? Or in certain business models can you afford to demand that they prove themselves?

IMO courtesy and respect are the most cost-effective things that a business can provide - manners cost nothing, as does patience. Some of those tyre-kickers are genuine customers; there's no need to demand subservience from them to prove it. Life is too short to give my custom to any business that can't be bothered to respect me as a customer.

I'd agree, but in the "luxury/veblen/aspirational" segment that's often upended as that's precisely what attracts many of their customers by giving off an air of exclusivity especially for them. A sometimes odd mix of human nature/social insecurity/masochism/social proof.

Rolex's current business model of constraining production would be a good example of this when they could quite easily produce enough to satisfy the market. With non luxury goods a company would quite naturally rush to produce more of any item because of high demand, but that would seriously impact a market like Rolex at the moment. Omega go the other angle of "limited editions" which aren't particularly limited to telegraph the same exclusivity. Ferrari do similar only mix a bit from both the Rolex and Omega approaches. Limited editions(even cars that aren't road legal you can only drive on a track. Usually of their choosing) that are by invite only to those special customers who have already bought a few million of their product*. A site like Hodinkee can charge double even triple for often dubious vintage pieces because of the cache they've built around their brand.

Basically if you can mix the dopamine hit(temporarily, or you won't get return trade) of social cache among your peers and on instagram and add in penis extension options for willie waving, the tills will ring out. And it is what it is and fair enough. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy into it.




*In the 60's Ferrari himself could be even worse. Making some "valued" customers wait, even berating them for complaining about his cars(which where often crap. The restored ones you see today are far better made than when they were new), but he knew this would sell more road cars. He knew his market well. He didn't piss off old money, but he made new money wait, because they're the more insecure in general. A big customer of his Ferruccio Lamborghini after another of Enzo's cars gave him grief and Enzo gave him short shrift thought sod that bollocks and built his own. As you do

Fitz II

Wibbs wrote: »

Basically if you can mix the dopamine hit(temporarily, or you won't get return trade) of social cache among your peers and on instagram and add in penis extension options for willie waving, the tills will ring out. And it is what it is and fair enough. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy into it.

And this Sir is mid tier watch collecting in a nutshell, this is the game and the players that 12 year old me is referring to.

Wibbs

I'd say it's also in the very high end of the collecting game too F. About the only differences are the hammer prices at big ticket auctions. You have been exclusively invited to [insert big auction house name here] to even more publicly flash the cash/wave the willie among your peers. That you can find watches that are currently in production and on sale going for more in auctions an example of that. That market are notorious flippers too. The same Audemars Philllpe reference number XHT677554-09b(which makes it sound more knowing of late) made from the finest unobtanium, on a centaur skinned strap tend to come up every year.

Thirdfox

Very excited about a piece I have coming to me after an ebay offer was accepted... not a watch but belongs in this forum too - can't wait to show it to in the show and tell thread

And in case people think I'm skiving off with Starlight funds what with all the recent watch purchases :P - it's actually a change of job recently - so there was a Christmas treat for the better half and the ebay purchase is for myself (hoping to keep it in the new office).

njburke

On the Weirs customer service. I had a chat with my wife about her experience in Tiffany's. We arrived as a family having walked in the summer rain from the intrepid exhibition. She was adamant she wasn't going to miss Tiffany's.

Anyway we were politely met at the door and my wife asked which was the best coffee shop to park a husband and three teenage boys, the Starbucks in Trump tower. Sorted.

My wife browsed and perused,was offered assistance on several occasions.
In the end she bought a small Tiffany silver bracelet, a common piece they've sold since the fifties.

Anyway she left very happy with the bracelet and the experience. She was wearing the bracelet this evening as we celebrated with a quite dinner for our sons 18th.

She also has great stories of the gold souks in Saudi, apparently you bring a seasoned Filipino haggler with you and take your time to agree the fair bargain, both sides happy. Far from Rolex AD.

I think the Weirs experience, could reflect an element of irish culture that I thought we had rid ourselves of. I can't think of the word for it, but it's a sense of unworthiness.

unkel

njburke wrote: »

apparently you bring a seasoned Filipino haggler with you

James Bond Junior

I bought a new diamond ring for my wife here in Oman a few weeks ago. We are unusual in that we don't have a gold souk proper but do have an area of the city with a large concentration of jewellers. We went to an appointment only place which was recommended by quite a few local Omani ladies and were treated like royalty. I am principal of an international school and come in to contact with a large amount of very wealthy, influential and or Royal Family and they ALL recommended this woman's to go to. There was no haggling, the price was the price, no pressure and we were made feel the same as any royal family or super wealthy local. I will be back again. Her family sell new and used watches and she promised to help me find something to take home with me.

On that note, is this a stupid idea? Easily picked up here naturally enough.

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/watches/article/khanjar-oman-sultan-watch-rolex-patek-philippe

unkel

Anything done to the watches by Rolex themselves is not necessarily a stupid idea (unlike aftermarket jobs). That said, I wouldn't. I don't particularly like the look of it and I wouldn't pay a premium for it for investment reasons either

But if you like it, want to keep it and have it as a mark of your period in Oman and as a reward for yourself, for your hard work and the sacrifices you made by moving there, by all means do go ahead. It would be an interesting conversation piece and a super gift to hand down to your children!

Cyclingtourist

James Bond Junior wrote: »

On that note, is this a stupid idea? Easily picked up here naturally enough.

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/watches/article/khanjar-oman-sultan-watch-rolex-patek-philippe

Stupid idea. When you get back I'll sell you my Vostok 'Desert Shield' for under a grand.

James Bond Junior

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Stupid idea. When you get back I'll sell you my Vostok 'Desert Shield' for under a grand.

Part of me agrees with Unkel. Part of me agrees with you CT!

Lorddrakul

Hmm, not sure.

Unless you got one that had a specific back story and some kind of provenance to support it, I'd steer clear.

As has been pointed out, a nice piece with a custom logo is a ruined piece unless you know why it is there and for whom it was created.

Just buying one with the marking should come in well below market value as it is now imperfect.

My tuppence, anyway.

blue5000

It's a bit of a gamble James, the engraving on the back of a PP I reckon will put a lot of future buyers off. But if it's a definite long term keeper it might be a good way to remind you of your time there.

njburke

I suppose you have to ask if the khanjar daggers hold any significance to you. You'll be looking at the face of the watch often enough. Will you tire of the daggers.

A Watch is a collection parts, the face can be changed and you'll have a franken watch, that's i'ld say is your lower limit.

If it had comex written on it, comes with a story. Doxa have had various series in collaboration with diving companies, the extra dial logo adds to collectable range and generally adds value to the piece.

Oddly, one watch I like, is a Mickey Saud, it says loads of things to me about watches and people.

James Bond Junior

I think a framed Khanjar would be a nicer thing to have. And a genuine Omani door.

Jude13

James Bond Junior wrote: »

Part of me agrees with Unkel. Part of me agrees with you CT!

You used to see quite a few of the Omani armed forces/Kanjar/ROP Rolex's for sale in the jeweler's on the first floor of the Sabco centre (I have only seen the insignias on the face, never handled one to look at the case at the back), this may have been the jeweler's you went to? Anyway when I first visited there many moons ago you could pick a second hand sub or Daytona there with the insignia's or either the royal guard, RAFO or ROP for a song.

We had a few old timers on the rugby club committee who were either RAFO or army officers when SQ came to power (have a read of the feathermen, one gents is part of that book though if you speak to people who have been in Muscat for 20 odd years they will know exactly ho I am talking about). They had an array of 'gifted' watches with some lovely insignia (also some Brits with Omani passports which was rarer than the watches). A few sold them on and usually in the sabco centre. Wish I had bought one, though at the time I didn't realise Oman would play such a big part in my life.

In other news I got a call from and AD for the new sub, I am mulling it over at the moment. It is not a grail watch but something tells me never to turn it down, the AD may also think that I am not keen on future watches.

*Don't be fooled by an 'Omani' door / coffee table unless you see it come off the hinges. Even in the market in Nizwa they are made in Pakistan or China

redlead

Never turn down a sub a retail. Even if you don't want it, it's free money.

Cyrus

Jude13 wrote: »

You used to see quite a few of the Omani armed forces/Kanjar/ROP Rolex's for sale in the jeweler's on the first floor of the Sabco centre (I have only seen the insignias on the face, never handled one to look at the case at the back), this may have been the jeweler's you went to? Anyway when I first visited there many moons ago you could pick a second hand sub or Daytona there with the insignia's or either the royal guard, RAFO or ROP for a song.

We had a few old timers on the rugby club committee who were either RAFO or army officers when SQ came to power (have a read of the feathermen, one gents is part of that book though if you speak to people who have been in Muscat for 20 odd years they will know exactly ho I am talking about). They had an array of 'gifted' watches with some lovely insignia (also some Brits with Omani passports which was rarer than the watches). A few sold them on and usually in the sabco centre. Wish I had bought one, though at the time I didn't realise Oman would play such a big part in my life.

In other news I got a call from and AD for the new sub, I am mulling it over at the moment. It is not a grail watch but something tells me never to turn it down, the AD may also think that I am not keen on future watches.

*Don't be fooled by an 'Omani' door / coffee table unless you see it come off the hinges. Even in the market in Nizwa they are made in Pakistan or China

Take the sub for sure I’m after one if you need a short