Watch Dealers = Used Car dealers except this one....
I like buying pre-owned watches (indeed, one has no other choice for some brands...) Over the years, I've noticed a parallel between watch dealers and used car dealers. They adhere to a few shared mantras:-
- They make their money when they buy. Stock bought cheap = stock sold at a good margin.
- They don't spend anything they don't have to after purchase and before selling. Almost regardless of what the dealer says, the thing you bought, car or watch, will be in exactly the same condition it was when the dealer bought it in.
- Warranties are worthless.....in general, the things that will break are 'wear and tear' items, and as such not covered. Best case the dealer (watch, or car) will try to fix it themselves, with varied results.
The car pictured (not mine, a friends!!) is the exception to those rules. It was bought from HWM Aston Martin in England, and it is perfect.....not just good, or good for its age, but perfect...concours perfect. Their prep, attention to detail, mechanical rigour and care is off the charts, which probably explains why they are one of the few independently owned Aston Martin main dealers.
So a question - who's the HWM of the UK's used watch dealer market? (good recommendations in the USA also very welcome).
Old git with large collection of watches ( I mean to sell some, but can never quite get there!!) - likes sports/tool/vintage inspired stuff, as well as geeking out on fine movements
you trust a used car salesman?
Not entirely, no.... 😀
It's a good point Bob - it can be advantageous to have 'zero-touch' at the dealer, but the converse is also true. Language like 'inspected' or ' verified' is common, but in practice, the caseback has never been off :D