The (Less intimidating) Watch Thread

[neph93]

THese last few posts have turned me on to bronze wathces… I need to make a purchase soon  ::)

[JDelage]

The Borealis was a good value, but I think it's sold out now. Steinhart has a well reviewed bronze (dive) watch in the same price range.

[JDelage]

@neph93:

THese last few posts have turned me on to bronze wathces… I need to make a purchase soon  ::)

This Gruppo Gamma caught my eye on Instagram (although I'm not sold on the Cal dial, but I understand there will be other options):

https://www.gruppogammawatches.com/collections.html#!/Vanguard-Retro-Bronze/p/105666273/category=25527850

[Chris]

That is nice, though like you, I'm not sold on the Cali dial.  Makes my low level OCD crank up unpleasantly.  I'll have to keep an eye out for the other dial options.

[UnTucked]

I think it looks nice also, but isn't +/-30sec per day a bit much for $850?

[neph93]

If Cali dial means the mixed roman and arabic numerals then I could not deal with that either. In fact, roman numerals are a deal breaker on their own. The rest of it is pretty sexy though.

[Giles]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_dial

I dislike it too…...

[Chris]

@UnTucked:

isn't +/-30sec per day a bit much for $850?

Yeah, that's so bad I thought it must be a typo.  The ETA 2824 is capable of much, much better accuracy.  I'd expect closer to +/-10 seconds, and wouldn't be surprised at +/-5.

[Graeme]

The Californian dial doesn't bother my OCD. I quite like this Panerai that I saw a few weeks ago.

My OCD would be more affected by the accuracy, and the sharp looking corners on the case.

Personally, I'd either get a Hamilton or Seiko, or spend a bit more on a Tissot or Longines.

[JDelage]

I don't think that Seiko has a bronze watch, do they?

[Graeme]

Not as far as I know. The cheapest bronze watch from a major brand is probably one of the Oris models, or the Tudor Black Bay.

[Graeme]

Just checked, and the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze is $1900 according to Hodinkee. It's probably the cheapest Swiss watch in bronze.

Most Oris pieces can be had for 30% or more off at Jomashop, so I'd expect a similar discount for the bronze one in the not too distant future.

[neph93]

Is Jomashop a reliable retailer?

[Graeme]

@neph93:

Is Jomashop a reliable retailer?

From a quick Google, they sound pretty reliable, and the watches are authentic.

However, anything they sell will have a Jomashop, rather than manufacturer's, warranty. There are a few unhappy customers who've had trouble getting things fixed.

Personally, I'd look up prices of my desired watch on Chrono24, Jomashop, Ashford, and Watchmaxx, and use that to negotiate with an authorised dealer.

[neph93]

Thanks for the tip. I’ve done a web search myself and got the same impression. I asked specifically because I read a while back that the  Scandi web retailer of luxury watches urverket.se/no/de has received criticism for some of the same drawbacks you mention. I now understand that these issues seem standard for this kind of «grey market» web retailer.

The prices for the models I’m drawn to are more expensive on Urverket than on the international/US sites but I need to do some math because I’m pretty sure import duty will be a bastard and that may eat up any savings that could be made.

The watches I’m looking at are certainly at the lower end of the market, so the warranty service issue with these sites doesn’t bother me so much.

[Graeme]

Have you looked at prices in the UK @neph93? It tends to be the cheapest market in Europe, or was a year or two back, and you could possibly reclaim VAT when you head home.

Of course, you'd be duty bound to declare the watch when you reached Norway…

[Appfaff]

@neph93:

Thanks for the tip. I’ve done a web search myself and got the same impression. I asked specifically because I read a while back that the  Scandi web retailer of luxury watches urverket.se/no/de has received criticism for some of the same drawbacks you mention. I now understand that these issues seem standard for this kind of «grey market» web retailer.

The prices for the models I’m drawn to are more expensive on Urverket than on the international/US sites but I need to do some math because I’m pretty sure import duty will be a bastard and that may eat up any savings that could be made.

The watches I’m looking at are certainly at the lower end of the market, so the warranty service issue with these sites doesn’t bother me so much.

Ask @hajduk - I am a pro at getting expensive items into Norway duty free

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[neph93]

Ah… options.

@Appfaff I have heard about the legendary ski boot scam! That’s something to think on. The watch price with shipping in the US is 425USD. With shipping, import duty and handling fees it goes up to 580USD. I can buy in Norway for 630USD. Let me have a look at things and I may be in touch.

The British option had not occurred to me, no. I’ll check that out. Although how on earth can you get it back into Norway? It’s not like you can just strap it to your wri.... oh, hang on [emoji848]

[Appfaff]

I could ship with a “repair form” and claim repair work was done

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[JDelage]

As someone who bought the other Oris bronze watch, I'm not sure it's fair to put those in the same category as a $900 watch (and there are plenty of cheaper bronze watches).

As a side note, Ball also have a cool bronze watch, for $2,200 or so: http://www.gnomonwatches.com/engineer-iii-pilot-bronze-ref-nm2186c-l3j-bk