LF Chrono24 experiences

[Dmage]

Thanks to RWI and the TDs, I had a great chance to try so many different watches, learning about their style/history along the way. I think I have found a few watches that I can make a more serious commitment on.

In the past few months, I was contacting/visiting several ADs to get a watch I want most, but as expected, they all called me crazy & asked me to buy some unwearable gold watches first to establish my track record. Well, whatever, I guess I'll have to explore the gray market.

On Chrono24, there's a reputable seller with a physical store in NY (Sky Diamonds), who is selling the watch I want (an RO) with about 15-20% markup, which is probably ok-ish. Now, if it's business as usual, I'd fly there and do the trade in-person, but it's impossible with this pandemic.

I am new to the watch world and could really use some experienced views here:
- Is there any better way (than chrono24) to buy those hard-to-find stainless steel sport watches?
- what should I do to buy from chrono24 online? (lots of money at risk?)

Any real-world gen buying experience would be greatly appreciated!

 

[micksmith1987]

1. I just got one watch at Ch24 a couple years ago and if I remember correctly there is a Trusted Checkout option. You pay for the watch, but the money is not released until you confirm it is ok. So you can receive the watch, get it to a watchmaker/AD and have it checked (that's what I did). If everything is ok, the seller gets the money. If not, you send it back and get the money from Chrono. The problem with Chrono is that the watches are at least 10% more expensive than they should be..
2. When it comes to AD and their "track record requirement" you should follow my mom. She wanted to give me a sub for my birthday and was shocked when she heard about the 1.5 year waitlist. Of course, she signed up, but after 10 months she got fed up with this BS. She called the AD (both the dealership landline and mobile), every Monday at 9:00am asking where the hell is her sub. 2 months later she got the watch... apparently the hulk is coming soon, too

 

[Chroniker]

https://davidsw.com/watches/rolex/


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

 

[srhoque]

Any real-world gen buying experience would be greatly appreciated!

As mentioned by the member above, Chron24 is a very reputable site. I have purchased lots of parts using "Trusted checkout" option. They are very buyer friendly.

Regarding trying to buy a SS sports model, ultimately its your choice about when to buy it. I suggest you wait to see how the economy goes. Because SS has no intrinsic value (unlike precious metal), they may be more price friendly in the coming months when economic uncertainty hits the market. All high end branded watches will get a price correction (my opinion).

 

[Dmage]

Thank you! I was sending emails to all my AD contacts today, hoping things may change a bit during this crazy time.

 

[rabl253]

yeah, no issues with chrono24, I think you'll probably be safe, but as Chroniker said, try the following also as they should also be reputable:

DavidSW
Bob's watches
Watchbox
watchfinder
delray watch

Happy hunting! I wish I was in gen territory with my financial situation, I'm jealous

 

[Dmage]

yeah, no issues with chrono24, I think you'll probably be safe, but as Chroniker said, try the following also as they should also be reputable:

DavidSW
Bob's watches
Watchbox
watchfinder
delray watch

Happy hunting! I wish I was in gen territory with my financial situation, I'm jealous

Thanks, the money was saved up long time ago bro. I wish I knew these damn watches all the way back then

So, one of the AD got back to me offering SS RO chrono today; not what I want, but that’s an improvement from the last time I saw them, they had nothing but full gold & ice. I’ll give them maybe a month or two before trying with grey market dealers again.

 

[yongsum]

Agreed it's near impossible getting some love from AD's these days. I've all but given up. And just forget about getting a discount on sought after a ss sports model. I recently expressed I'd be willing to spend about 100k if I could put in a few special orders and was still pretty much blown off. Not sure how it even works for them, like do they get to order what they want or are they restricted heavily by availability, do they get watches on net terms like auto dealers or do they have to buy them upfront, etc etc.
A lot of options online though. I don't believe there are brand warranties when buying from a non-AD but you could still get a vendor warranty. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Hodinkee is now an online AD for a few brands ? Could be a sign of things to come.
Pretty secure checkout for chrono24 and even ebay. Probably even more buyer protection with ebay. But I do hate ebay since there are so many scammers. Still, have to be very diligent about verifying your watch when you buy. Be sure to stay away from sellers who want wire's or non-secure checkout.
And yes how great to be able to learn about and try on something close to gen for a fraction of the cost, thanks to places like right here. It's a privilege.

 

[rabl253]

Apparently, according to info that Federico talks watches was discussing in his last video this week, because of coronavirus Patek has started allowing some of its (UK?) ADs to sell online, when before this was strictly not allowed. So the tides are definitely slowly changing