Review/timeline of my first purchase with Steve - Rolex Daytona and box

[mynameisneo]

I found Steve and theonewatch website on this forum and decided to buy this Rolex Daytona rep and box:

https://www.theonewatches.ru/index.p...n=true&page=10

10/20/21 - I contacted Steve via whatsapp and asked some questions. He stated that the Daytona rep was in stock and advised buying from the AR Factory because Noob is shut down. I paid via CC and got the insured shipping option

Waiting for QC pics of watch and box, will keep thread updated

[G0dL1k3]

nice timepiece. Have sent him a query for availability check. Let me know how your purchase expierence went.

[mynameisneo]

Update: the purchase experience went well. I got great QC pics, timely shipping (a couple of days delayed from when Steve stated he would ship, but that was fine), a tracking number, etc.

When the watch finally arrived, I got a nice looking box, papers, etc. And a great looking watch.

This is where the great purchasing experience stops and became really bad. Let's explore why:

After deciding on the watch, I told Steve I'm willing to switch to a thicker model to have a fully functioning chronograph. I even volunteered to pay the same price as the mod, which was about $100 more, fo the trouble. The video Steve sent me showed a watch with a fully functioning chronograph.

I also asked, repeatedly, whether he was certain they would send that watch, and he ensured me they would.

The watch I have does not have a fully functioning chronograph. The chronograph either stops after a few seconds, but ABSOLUTELY CERTAINLY at the 58 second mark. The large second hand never makes it past one minute. EVER. The movement is completely broken.

I texted Steve, who asked me to take it to a local watchmaker to get this fixed, and they would cover the cost. I tried two. One would not work on the watch at all. The second one REALLY tried, more as a challenge to himself, than anything. He told me the movement could not be fixed, and was nice enough to not charge me for his time, even though I insisted.

Additionally, the movement has no meaningful "battery". Even after wearing the watch all day, setting it on a winder - if you take it off your wrist or off the winder and leave it for a couple of hours, it stops completely.

I contacted Steve, and told me to either send me a replacement or a refund. After several repeat pings, he's insisting on me shipping the watch back and then issuing a refund.

Given that there is no possible way that I received the watch I asked for, or at the very least the working watch I saw in the video, I am not doing this under any circumstances. I have videos and have kept the entire correspondence thread, and I'm happy to share the videos here as soon as I post them to an anonymous link.

So, in conclusion - HUGE BUYER BEWARE with Steve and TheOneWatch. I am also absolutely considering a chargeback with my credit card company - while I understand the sensitivity to the community, I didn't asked to be ripped off and be on the end of a bait and switch. Mods can feel free to PM me regarding this - I don't want to get banned, but I don't want to be out several hundred dollars either and I won't be.

Super, super disappointed.

[bleedinglottery]

Update: the purchase experience went well. I got great QC pics, timely shipping (a couple of days delayed from when Steve stated he would ship, but that was fine), a tracking number, etc.

When the watch finally arrived, I got a nice looking box, papers, etc. And a great looking watch.

This is where the great purchasing experience stops and became really bad. Let's explore why:

After deciding on the watch, I told Steve I'm willing to switch to a thicker model to have a fully functioning chronograph. I even volunteered to pay the same price as the mod, which was about $100 more, fo the trouble. The video Steve sent me showed a watch with a fully functioning chronograph.

I also asked, repeatedly, whether he was certain they would send that watch, and he ensured me they would.

The watch I have does not have a fully functioning chronograph. The chronograph either stops after a few seconds, but ABSOLUTELY CERTAINLY at the 58 second mark. The large second hand never makes it past one minute. EVER. The movement is completely broken.

I texted Steve, who asked me to take it to a local watchmaker to get this fixed, and they would cover the cost. I tried two. One would not work on the watch at all. The second one REALLY tried, more as a challenge to himself, than anything. He told me the movement could not be fixed, and was nice enough to not charge me for his time, even though I insisted.

Additionally, the movement has no meaningful "battery". Even after wearing the watch all day, setting it on a winder - if you take it off your wrist or off the winder and leave it for a couple of hours, it stops completely.

I contacted Steve, and told me to either send me a replacement or a refund. After several repeat pings, he's insisting on me shipping the watch back and then issuing a refund.

Given that there is no possible way that I received the watch I asked for, or at the very least the working watch I saw in the video, I am not doing this under any circumstances. I have videos and have kept the entire correspondence thread, and I'm happy to share the videos here as soon as I post them to an anonymous link.

So, in conclusion - HUGE BUYER BEWARE with Steve and TheOneWatch. I am also absolutely considering a chargeback with my credit card company - while I understand the sensitivity to the community, I didn't asked to be ripped off and be on the end of a bait and switch. Mods can feel free to PM me regarding this - I don't want to get banned, but I don't want to be out several hundred dollars either and I won't be.

Super, super disappointed.

Yeah well shipping back a watch and then getting a refund is the normal way to go?
Nobody will refund you if you still have their product.
So ship it back to him. Have him cover the cost. Get a refund and take your business elsewhere.

Sorry your purchase went wrong but if you ship it back you'll get your money. I have done this 1 or 2 times before and did not have any problems.

[mynameisneo]

Yeah well shipping back a watch and then getting a refund is the normal way to go?
Nobody will refund you if you still have their product.
So ship it back to him. Have him cover the cost. Get a refund and take your business elsewhere.

Sorry your purchase went wrong but if you ship it back you'll get your money. I have done this 1 or 2 times before and did not have any problems.

It's not as easy as, "Yeah, well, that's how it goes". I'm sorry, no. I have zero reason to trust that I'll see any money at all once I refund the watch.

It's one thing to do this with an established online retailer in the states. It's another to do it with a retailer in China that bait and switches you.

I sent him money sight unseen and got a bait and switch sh*t product, and promise of a refund only after me having to pester him and threaten to charge back. I'm afraid trust cuts both ways here.

[trailboss99]

You didn't get a bait and switch product, you got a watch some dickhead postal worker probably dropkicked.
Name me one store that issues a refund before you get the product back, just one. That's not how commerce works.

Why the hell would Steve risk his position as a dealer here to rip you off for the price of a single watch? That would be pretty stupid wouldn't it?

Besides, a chargeback will result in a brigging and that can lead to an interaction with proxyserv and you don't want that . . .

[mynameisneo]

It's possible that I wasn't clear, so I'll expand a bit. The package was so well bubble and shrink wrapped that an anvil could have been dropped on it. Nothing was damaged. The watch box, which I also bought, was intact. Everything was as it should be- except the actual watch.

So - no - this didn't get damaged during shipping. Also, the reason the chronograph function doesn't work is for the simple reason that it cannot. The second hand never ever makes it past 58 seconds. It cannot complete a 60 second rotation and advance the chronograph.

So - yes - it's a bait and switch. I don't know of Steve's motives and I don't really care at this point. I also haven't gone through with the chargeback, but it's very possible that I will. It's a right I have as a consumer to not trust a shady overseas vendor. Being banned from some online forum is literally the least of my worries.

I also hope this serves as a cautionary tale in buying from this person - to whom, I might add, I paid a premium to get what I wanted, willingly.

Also, I thought honest reviews were a helpful service to this community. You guys should want to know stuff like this. I certainly would have before I bought the watch.

This is my last post on this topic, I've spent too much mental energy on this already. I appreciate everyone's thoughts. Happy holidays to you all and I hope your purchase experiences are better than mine.

[bleedinglottery]

It's possible that I wasn't clear, so I'll expand a bit. The package was so well bubble and shrink wrapped that an anvil could have been dropped on it. Nothing was damaged. The watch box, which I also bought, was intact. Everything was as it should be- except the actual watch.

So - no - this didn't get damaged during shipping. Also, the reason the chronograph function doesn't work is for the simple reason that it cannot. The second hand never ever makes it past 58 seconds. It cannot complete a 60 second rotation and advance the chronograph.

So - yes - it's a bait and switch. I don't know of Steve's motives and I don't really care at this point. I also haven't gone through with the chargeback, but it's very possible that I will. It's a right I have as a consumer to not trust a shady overseas vendor. Being banned from some online forum is literally the least of my worries.

I also hope this serves as a cautionary tale in buying from this person - to whom, I might add, I paid a premium to get what I wanted, willingly.

Also, I thought honest reviews were a helpful service to this community. You guys should want to know stuff like this. I certainly would have before I bought the watch.

This is my last post on this topic, I've spent too much mental energy on this already. I appreciate everyone's thoughts. Happy holidays to you all and I hope your purchase experiences are better than mine.

we know the things you stated in your post but that is nothing new. it just came to happen to you on your first purchase that is extremely unlucky
a watch can break simply because a gear broke during shipping because nobody gives a shit about your package and its being handled accordingly. i hab my keyless works break, rotors fall off etc. that is nothing new, nothing ground breaking.
you got offered a refund. so take it and ship the watch back. that is the standard procedure on this board with the trusted dealers. not even amazon issues you a refund before the package was not shipped to them.
i understand you are agitated because the watch you wanted came broken but it cant be helped. just ship it back and get a different watch. maybe get a clean 4130 that was released just shortly.

[WolfKissed]

You didn't get a bait and switch product, you got a watch some dickhead postal worker probably dropkicked.
Name me one store that issues a refund before you get the product back, just one. That's not how commerce works.

Why the hell would Steve risk his position as a dealer here to rip you off for the price of a single watch? That would be pretty stupid wouldn't it?

Besides, a chargeback will result in a brigging and that can lead to an interaction with proxyserv and you don't want that . . .

Oh shite… you’ve summoned the Cracken…. OP beware… you know not what awaits you.

In the future maybe only throw money you have as disposable income at a transaction that is….. not Amazon


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[fatarms]

Being banned from some online forum is literally the least of my worries.

You're correct, especially if proxyserv gets involved. You may want to search for some of his posts here.

Your best bet is to just return the watch. If they don't refund you, then the moderation team here gets involved and the TD can be removed from this board eliminating over 100,000 potential customers. I don't think they'd risk that over one watch. This stuff happens, this is a hobby for illegal watches. Sometimes they don't function as gen since they cost a mere fraction of the cost. You either have it repaired locally (which has not been possible for you as you stated) or you return the watch and await the refund.

[C Master]

mynameisneo unfortunately that is an A7750 based watch. These movements are notoriously fragile. They do not love shipping and they certainly do not love working as a chronograph. I had many that just gave trouble ( chrono not working, low power reserve etc.) and some that went and worked for ever. They cost me €340 to service them (excluding parts costs) each time so they do drive me nuts. I have made many posts about A7750s. I still have a few but I have actually started buying quartz chronograph reps as they are more reliable. I know that makes me a pariah in the horology world lol but it adds to my peace of mind. There is plenty of info on the A7750s but you do have to search.

I would suggest doing as Steve has suggested. Pack it correctly. Make sure you have a tracking number and signed for delivery. I will say shipping back to China is a PITA as it takes forever and it is not the most reliable place to send a watch to be honest, however I have never had problems doing it. Do not do a chargeback under any circumstances unless advised to do so.

[GenTLe]

After deciding on the watch, I told Steve I'm willing to switch to a thicker model to have a fully functioning chronograph. I even volunteered to pay the same price as the mod, which was about $100 more, fo the trouble. The video Steve sent me showed a watch with a fully functioning chronograph.

LoL, so basically you were willing to switch the great ARF for one of those super badly modded 7750 that not only are thicker but also have a totally unreliable movement that has no power reserve?
Good move mate... (<- yes I'm ironic here)

Well, at least you got the same power reserve on yours...

[tripdog]

It's a right I have as a consumer to not trust a shady overseas vendor.