Hi everyone,
Yesterday I made my first trip up to Canal Street in New York. After searching through the various posts, I was excited to see what kind of reps I could find on the streets of Chinatown. Unfortunately I was unable to locate "Benny" and the good reps, but what I did find was pretty interesting.
The first thing I noticed was that there were no Rolex watches in people's stalls...there were however plenty of people asking if you wanted to buy a Rolex, and then they would open up their briefcase to see the goods. I was on a mission to find an Omega Speedmaster Professional...the kind that they don't make anymore with the plexiglass crystal, wind up movement and clear back. Unfortunately I didn't find this watch, and I didn't even find anyone who offered to take me into the back rooms to see the good stuff. I had plenty of people who wanted to show me the Swiss watches, but every time it was the same watches that were being sold on the street.
From an Omega standpoint I saw several Seamasters...Professionals, Planet Oceans (with bracelet, leather straps and rubber straps), and Aqua Terras (with and without chronographs) and yes, Speedmasters (pros, racing, etc.)....some with bezels that moved and some with fixed bezels. As I was looking for Speedmasters, I focused on these. What I saw was a mixed bag...first, they all seemed to be non-working chronos....the chrono hand acted like a regular second hand...the 9 oclock dial moved (not continuous) with the top pusher, the 3 oclock dial was moved by the bottom pusher, and the 6 oclock dial is a 24 hour indicator. I noticed two different buckles...one that looked genuine, while others just didn't make sense. Luckily I had an idea what I was looking for. The backs were very different too....some had a very lightly engaved back, while others were more pronounced. There were huge differences in quality, but they all seemed to have the same price ranges...between $40 and $65.
Initially I wanted a plain black Speedmaster professional, but then I figured that since the subdials didn't work, I didn't want to do that...instead I opted for one with a silver dial, and a red "July 20. 1969" on the dial. It had the better buckle, a crisp back, and a dial that I really liked. The same stall had a black dial with the same quality. In retrospect I should have bought both the black dial and the silver dial. I will pick one up the next time I go. Initially the guy wanted $65 for the watch and I was able to easily bargain him down to $50. Could I have gone lower? Probably...maybe to $40, but in reality it was $10.
From a flaw standpoint, the subdials don't work as they should...the 6 oclock is a continuous 24 hour dial...the 9 oclock is operated by the top pusher and the 3 oclock by the bottom pusher...you have to push each pusher about 10 times to get the hand all the way around. Of course the biggest flaw is the chrono hand....it moves as a second hand. The dial itself is very pretty, with crisp printing, applied markers, but very weak lume. Honestly it is a stunning watch that one day into it, is keeping pretty good time. It is an automatic, and has a screw down crown too....once more, not authentic, but what do you want for $50? The crystal is not plastic, and I would doubt that it is saphire, so it is probably a mineral crystal...it is a domed crystal, not flat. An interesting note is that the "e" of Tachymetre has the proper accent over it.
Overall it is a nice watch...I'll pick up a plain black one next time I am in NYC (I am kicking myself for not buying it at the time.) Here are some pictures.
I was very surprised that the watches were all out in the open, but thought it was interesting that Rolex was never included in the stalls...the prices were very nice, but obviously these were not the ETA movement watches that some of our dealers sell. I was not disappointed at all...I felt like a kid in a candy store!!!
I would be interested in hearing about your experiences on Canal Street.
Tom
Yesterday I made my first trip up to Canal Street in New York. After searching through the various posts, I was excited to see what kind of reps I could find on the streets of Chinatown. Unfortunately I was unable to locate "Benny" and the good reps, but what I did find was pretty interesting.
The first thing I noticed was that there were no Rolex watches in people's stalls...there were however plenty of people asking if you wanted to buy a Rolex, and then they would open up their briefcase to see the goods. I was on a mission to find an Omega Speedmaster Professional...the kind that they don't make anymore with the plexiglass crystal, wind up movement and clear back. Unfortunately I didn't find this watch, and I didn't even find anyone who offered to take me into the back rooms to see the good stuff. I had plenty of people who wanted to show me the Swiss watches, but every time it was the same watches that were being sold on the street.
From an Omega standpoint I saw several Seamasters...Professionals, Planet Oceans (with bracelet, leather straps and rubber straps), and Aqua Terras (with and without chronographs) and yes, Speedmasters (pros, racing, etc.)....some with bezels that moved and some with fixed bezels. As I was looking for Speedmasters, I focused on these. What I saw was a mixed bag...first, they all seemed to be non-working chronos....the chrono hand acted like a regular second hand...the 9 oclock dial moved (not continuous) with the top pusher, the 3 oclock dial was moved by the bottom pusher, and the 6 oclock dial is a 24 hour indicator. I noticed two different buckles...one that looked genuine, while others just didn't make sense. Luckily I had an idea what I was looking for. The backs were very different too....some had a very lightly engaved back, while others were more pronounced. There were huge differences in quality, but they all seemed to have the same price ranges...between $40 and $65.
Initially I wanted a plain black Speedmaster professional, but then I figured that since the subdials didn't work, I didn't want to do that...instead I opted for one with a silver dial, and a red "July 20. 1969" on the dial. It had the better buckle, a crisp back, and a dial that I really liked. The same stall had a black dial with the same quality. In retrospect I should have bought both the black dial and the silver dial. I will pick one up the next time I go. Initially the guy wanted $65 for the watch and I was able to easily bargain him down to $50. Could I have gone lower? Probably...maybe to $40, but in reality it was $10.
From a flaw standpoint, the subdials don't work as they should...the 6 oclock is a continuous 24 hour dial...the 9 oclock is operated by the top pusher and the 3 oclock by the bottom pusher...you have to push each pusher about 10 times to get the hand all the way around. Of course the biggest flaw is the chrono hand....it moves as a second hand. The dial itself is very pretty, with crisp printing, applied markers, but very weak lume. Honestly it is a stunning watch that one day into it, is keeping pretty good time. It is an automatic, and has a screw down crown too....once more, not authentic, but what do you want for $50? The crystal is not plastic, and I would doubt that it is saphire, so it is probably a mineral crystal...it is a domed crystal, not flat. An interesting note is that the "e" of Tachymetre has the proper accent over it.
Overall it is a nice watch...I'll pick up a plain black one next time I am in NYC (I am kicking myself for not buying it at the time.) Here are some pictures.
I was very surprised that the watches were all out in the open, but thought it was interesting that Rolex was never included in the stalls...the prices were very nice, but obviously these were not the ETA movement watches that some of our dealers sell. I was not disappointed at all...I felt like a kid in a candy store!!!
I would be interested in hearing about your experiences on Canal Street.
Tom
