I am a member of Reddit Rep Ladies and just made my first rep watch purchase with Lucy at Truetime168 and couldn't be more thrilled! and highly recommend Lucy!! Read on for more particulars.
Here is a Link to the Authentic 33 BB automatic SS w/pink dial which is the photograph I sent Lucy when I decided I was ready to purchase: http://www.cartier.com/en-us/collec...er/w6920100-ballon-bleu-de-cartier-watch.html
Here is a link to the QC photos Lucy sent: https://imgur.com/a/w5Y1W9F
Here is a link to my photos of the watch received : https://imgur.com/a/HfJVXkh
Seller contact info: Trusted Dealer (TD) Lucy w/Truetime168. Contacted via email at [email protected]
Price: $289 for the watch + $30 for EMS shipping - $10 WU discount = $309.
Payment method: WU (I know some members are not fans of WU but it is a very common method of payment for Reddit RepLadies so it didn't even phase me when Lucy requested WU for my purchase. She did tell me that I can use paypal for my next purchase although WU is super easy for me and it's only $5.00 for wiring up to $500 if you use the WU app to put in the information and then pay at any WU location (which are like everywhere where I live).
As recommended by members on this site, I did a ton of research and educated myself about watches in general before making a decision to purchase. Unfortunately, women's rep watches are not talked about nearly as much as men's on this forum but I still felt very educated not only about reps but watches in general after a few weeks. I originally reached out to Lucy back in March to inquire about a different brand of a watch I was interested in. In exchanging information, she mentioned that the V6F BB was a fantastic rep and suggested I take a look at it. I knew from my research here that what she said was consistent with the general consensus among RWI members and RepTime that the best versions of this particular watch came from V6 Factory ("V6F") and JF. However, I still took my time before deciding to take the plunge.
I ended up emailing Lucy again on April 5th and told her that I wanted to get the 33mm BB with the pink dial and sent her a picture of the watch I wanted from the Cartier website. I paid by WU on April 6th. As I previously mentioned, it is very common for the Trusted Sellers on Reddit RepLadies to require payment by WU (especially first time buyers) so paying by WU was no big deal to me although I could tell that Lucy felt bad for requiring it for a first time purchase.
On April 9th, Lucy emailed me to let me know that the pink dial was out of stock so she said I could wait a few weeks or the silver dial available immediately. I elected to wait. On April 17th, I sent her an email b/c I hadn't heard anything and she replied on April 18th that it had come in and that she would send me some QC pics the next day which she did. I confirmed the watch size and my shipping information. From here, I knew from my research on RWI that there would be some lag time b/c Lucy takes a few weeks to do her own quality control process to make sure the watch is working properly. On April 27th, she emailed me to let me know it was working great and she was ready to ship it to me. She sent me the tracking on May 2nd and I received it on May 17th.
Communication/thoughts on sale process: Obviously, the process was a bit drawn out and I was a little nervous even though I knew from my research that she takes longer than some sellers. Lucy always responded to my emails within 24 hours but there were times when I would have appreciated a quick email just to let me know she hadn't forgot about me but that was probably because I had never bought from her and I was just a nervous nelly.
That said, I'm very much pleased with the watch and I will definitely be buying from her again especially now that I know how thorough she is in her quality control. I should note that when I researched different TDs, the thing that attracted me to Lucy was that the only complaints I could find about her were that she takes a bit longer to ship her orders because she is very particular about quality control for the watches she sells. Many of the other TDs had complaints, some obviously frivolous but some that just made me a bit more cautious and appreciative of her strict quality control.
My watch didn't come with a Cartier box but I didn't ask for one nor do I keep that kind of stuff so it wasn't a big deal to me. It was wrapped securely in bubble wrap. I thought it was interesting on the outside package description it described the contents as "watch reworked." I'm glad I didn't run into any custom/seizure issues. The watch was very much protected by bubble wrap so I have no complaints there. My only complaint about packaging is that there was adhesive protective tape all over the watch and it was very difficult to get off and still left some sticky residue on the watch. Honestly, it was a pain to get off but I'm assuming most watch reps come similarly packaged. My husband tried first to get it off and when I took over I almost had a heart attack b/c I thought he had scratched the stainless steel. However, what I was seeing were the crinkles in the clear protective tape that was protecting the watch. LOL. Now, I'd much rather have to deal with burdensome tape than a scratched watch but it was still annoying.
I would rate the quality of this rep as a 9/10 with the deduction being solely attributable to it being a rep. I am so very pleased with this watch!! In fact, I went to my local jeweler today b/c I needed a link removed. He knows me well as I have been a good customer over the years. He doesn't carrier Cartier but I did purchase my auth Rolex from him so he knows watches well. He didn't bat an eye at this Cartier rep. Now, he didn't exactly inspect it as we were catching up on our families and he wasn't paying that close of attention. However, he commented that my tastes are never cheap as he handed it off to his watchman to take it in back to remove the link. That said, however, he is a good enough guy that even if he suspected I'm not really sure he would have said anything so I can't say for sure whether he noticed anything amiss or not.
In any event, my only regret is that I wish I would have asked Lucy whether this watch was available in quartz. I asked for an automatic b/c that is what I am used to wearing everyday and have done so for years. What I failed to take into account, however, is how I will get it serviced in the event I run into issues with it. My local jeweler sends out luxury watches for servicing so I wouldn't want to put him in the position of sending out a replica and having somebody think he is selling reps or potentially making him feel uncomfortable by asking him to service a rep when his business is dependent on people buying authentic. I've had to have my auth Rolex serviced 2x in the last 15 years so I know first hand that even with authentics, the need for servicing arises from time to time regardless of quality.
My second concern regarding automatic v. quartz is that my use of this watch will likely be sporadic b/c of the pink dial which will not go with everything I wear. I would expect it to be more of a summer watch with my use being dependent on what I'm wearing. Because this will not be an everyday watch, I realized that I could easily find myself having to reset the watch every time I wear it. This gave me pause to think about whether constant resetting of a rep may make it more susceptible to breakage. Not sure if that is a legitimate worry or not but I ended up ordering a self-winder this morning on Amazon to take care of this issue. I guess I am just second guessing myself on whether a quartz may have suited my particular needs better. Again, this issue has nothing to do with Lucy but might be helpful to those thinking about buying a quartz v. automatic.
The only other thing that feels off to me about the quality of this watch is the weight of the stainless steel. It is much much lighter than my auth Rolex. That said, I have seen complaints about the steel feeling light on forums discussing authentic ballon bleu women's watches so this may not have anything to do with the watch being a rep. Nevertheless, the lightness of the steel is not noticeable to the naked eye so it doesn't concern me at all but something I thought I should mention.
I would rate the accuracy of this watch as a 9/10 with the deduction due solely to the watch being a rep. I cannot find any discrepancies between the authentic and the rep besides the fact that the stainless steel feels light and since I don't have a scale I cannot know for sure if there is any difference in weight. I was originally concerned that "Cartier" was not on Roman Numeral VII as it is in many of Cartier watches including the 33mm BB SS silver dial. However, after looking at both Cartier websites (particular those outside the US where they don't photoshop out the Cartier reference on VII) and reputable resellers, it does not appear that it is on the 33mm pink dial automatic. Not sure if it has to do with the dial coloring but I found that missing aspect interesting.
I can't highly recommend Lucy enough. I will definitely buy from her again. I am also very appreciative of RWI and the members of this forum as I feel like I got a great education about watchmaking and watch buying. I am already thinking ahead to my next purchase!
I hope you found this review helpful!
Here is a Link to the Authentic 33 BB automatic SS w/pink dial which is the photograph I sent Lucy when I decided I was ready to purchase: http://www.cartier.com/en-us/collec...er/w6920100-ballon-bleu-de-cartier-watch.html
Here is a link to the QC photos Lucy sent: https://imgur.com/a/w5Y1W9F
Here is a link to my photos of the watch received : https://imgur.com/a/HfJVXkh
Seller contact info: Trusted Dealer (TD) Lucy w/Truetime168. Contacted via email at [email protected]
Price: $289 for the watch + $30 for EMS shipping - $10 WU discount = $309.
Payment method: WU (I know some members are not fans of WU but it is a very common method of payment for Reddit RepLadies so it didn't even phase me when Lucy requested WU for my purchase. She did tell me that I can use paypal for my next purchase although WU is super easy for me and it's only $5.00 for wiring up to $500 if you use the WU app to put in the information and then pay at any WU location (which are like everywhere where I live).
As recommended by members on this site, I did a ton of research and educated myself about watches in general before making a decision to purchase. Unfortunately, women's rep watches are not talked about nearly as much as men's on this forum but I still felt very educated not only about reps but watches in general after a few weeks. I originally reached out to Lucy back in March to inquire about a different brand of a watch I was interested in. In exchanging information, she mentioned that the V6F BB was a fantastic rep and suggested I take a look at it. I knew from my research here that what she said was consistent with the general consensus among RWI members and RepTime that the best versions of this particular watch came from V6 Factory ("V6F") and JF. However, I still took my time before deciding to take the plunge.
I ended up emailing Lucy again on April 5th and told her that I wanted to get the 33mm BB with the pink dial and sent her a picture of the watch I wanted from the Cartier website. I paid by WU on April 6th. As I previously mentioned, it is very common for the Trusted Sellers on Reddit RepLadies to require payment by WU (especially first time buyers) so paying by WU was no big deal to me although I could tell that Lucy felt bad for requiring it for a first time purchase.
On April 9th, Lucy emailed me to let me know that the pink dial was out of stock so she said I could wait a few weeks or the silver dial available immediately. I elected to wait. On April 17th, I sent her an email b/c I hadn't heard anything and she replied on April 18th that it had come in and that she would send me some QC pics the next day which she did. I confirmed the watch size and my shipping information. From here, I knew from my research on RWI that there would be some lag time b/c Lucy takes a few weeks to do her own quality control process to make sure the watch is working properly. On April 27th, she emailed me to let me know it was working great and she was ready to ship it to me. She sent me the tracking on May 2nd and I received it on May 17th.
Communication/thoughts on sale process: Obviously, the process was a bit drawn out and I was a little nervous even though I knew from my research that she takes longer than some sellers. Lucy always responded to my emails within 24 hours but there were times when I would have appreciated a quick email just to let me know she hadn't forgot about me but that was probably because I had never bought from her and I was just a nervous nelly.
That said, I'm very much pleased with the watch and I will definitely be buying from her again especially now that I know how thorough she is in her quality control. I should note that when I researched different TDs, the thing that attracted me to Lucy was that the only complaints I could find about her were that she takes a bit longer to ship her orders because she is very particular about quality control for the watches she sells. Many of the other TDs had complaints, some obviously frivolous but some that just made me a bit more cautious and appreciative of her strict quality control. My watch didn't come with a Cartier box but I didn't ask for one nor do I keep that kind of stuff so it wasn't a big deal to me. It was wrapped securely in bubble wrap. I thought it was interesting on the outside package description it described the contents as "watch reworked." I'm glad I didn't run into any custom/seizure issues. The watch was very much protected by bubble wrap so I have no complaints there. My only complaint about packaging is that there was adhesive protective tape all over the watch and it was very difficult to get off and still left some sticky residue on the watch. Honestly, it was a pain to get off but I'm assuming most watch reps come similarly packaged. My husband tried first to get it off and when I took over I almost had a heart attack b/c I thought he had scratched the stainless steel. However, what I was seeing were the crinkles in the clear protective tape that was protecting the watch. LOL. Now, I'd much rather have to deal with burdensome tape than a scratched watch but it was still annoying.
I would rate the quality of this rep as a 9/10 with the deduction being solely attributable to it being a rep. I am so very pleased with this watch!! In fact, I went to my local jeweler today b/c I needed a link removed. He knows me well as I have been a good customer over the years. He doesn't carrier Cartier but I did purchase my auth Rolex from him so he knows watches well. He didn't bat an eye at this Cartier rep. Now, he didn't exactly inspect it as we were catching up on our families and he wasn't paying that close of attention. However, he commented that my tastes are never cheap as he handed it off to his watchman to take it in back to remove the link. That said, however, he is a good enough guy that even if he suspected I'm not really sure he would have said anything so I can't say for sure whether he noticed anything amiss or not.
In any event, my only regret is that I wish I would have asked Lucy whether this watch was available in quartz. I asked for an automatic b/c that is what I am used to wearing everyday and have done so for years. What I failed to take into account, however, is how I will get it serviced in the event I run into issues with it. My local jeweler sends out luxury watches for servicing so I wouldn't want to put him in the position of sending out a replica and having somebody think he is selling reps or potentially making him feel uncomfortable by asking him to service a rep when his business is dependent on people buying authentic. I've had to have my auth Rolex serviced 2x in the last 15 years so I know first hand that even with authentics, the need for servicing arises from time to time regardless of quality.
My second concern regarding automatic v. quartz is that my use of this watch will likely be sporadic b/c of the pink dial which will not go with everything I wear. I would expect it to be more of a summer watch with my use being dependent on what I'm wearing. Because this will not be an everyday watch, I realized that I could easily find myself having to reset the watch every time I wear it. This gave me pause to think about whether constant resetting of a rep may make it more susceptible to breakage. Not sure if that is a legitimate worry or not but I ended up ordering a self-winder this morning on Amazon to take care of this issue. I guess I am just second guessing myself on whether a quartz may have suited my particular needs better. Again, this issue has nothing to do with Lucy but might be helpful to those thinking about buying a quartz v. automatic.
The only other thing that feels off to me about the quality of this watch is the weight of the stainless steel. It is much much lighter than my auth Rolex. That said, I have seen complaints about the steel feeling light on forums discussing authentic ballon bleu women's watches so this may not have anything to do with the watch being a rep. Nevertheless, the lightness of the steel is not noticeable to the naked eye so it doesn't concern me at all but something I thought I should mention.
I would rate the accuracy of this watch as a 9/10 with the deduction due solely to the watch being a rep. I cannot find any discrepancies between the authentic and the rep besides the fact that the stainless steel feels light and since I don't have a scale I cannot know for sure if there is any difference in weight. I was originally concerned that "Cartier" was not on Roman Numeral VII as it is in many of Cartier watches including the 33mm BB SS silver dial. However, after looking at both Cartier websites (particular those outside the US where they don't photoshop out the Cartier reference on VII) and reputable resellers, it does not appear that it is on the 33mm pink dial automatic. Not sure if it has to do with the dial coloring but I found that missing aspect interesting.
I can't highly recommend Lucy enough. I will definitely buy from her again. I am also very appreciative of RWI and the members of this forum as I feel like I got a great education about watchmaking and watch buying. I am already thinking ahead to my next purchase!
I hope you found this review helpful!