Online Purchase disappointment
How many of you had less than satisfactory experiences purchasing online, I am not talking about full out scam or such, I am talking you look at the watch online, examine every little detail, drool about the clasp, stare in amazement at the movement, you just cannot look away from the screen, master card makes this tortured sound when the transaction goes through
...then the anticipation, you already seeing the watch on your wrist, flashing it at macdonalds because you cannot afford more expensive places because you paying for the watch, the poor courier company is tired of your calls, in spite of you offering to drive the 800km's to go collect from their depot. You sit at the front door like an eager puppy waiting for his master to return home.
The hour arrives and you sign all terms and conditions not caring that you signed for a year subscription to readers digest and volunteered for the French Foreign Legion, you cannot wait to get rid of this person to tear into the package and have the dream, the ultimate, the one and only masterpiece on your wrist.
and it is meh..no sparks, no inspiration, it is just meh, you notice the leather strap is black instead of blue, the clasp is difficult to work, the movement is not as accurate as you wanted it to be, the colour on the dial is not as sharp as you expected...meh
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
I’ve not been disappointed when the watch arrives With the exception of the accuracy of one watch. I believe it was jarred in transit based on the condition of the packaging shipper.
I have fallen out of love rather quickly. Sometimes it is rekindled and sometimes not.
Got this First Gen Mako from Amazon a few years ago and it was trashed!! Had fingerprints on both sides of the crystal, shit inside the case and the rubber strap smelled real bad!! I was hot pissed for sure but I had intended on modding it anyway. Still, I sent pics to the seller and gave a less the nice review. Anyhoo, the watch has since been living its best life in its 3rd reincarnation and my personal favorite. Here's a few pics of UnoMako.
Bought an NTH azores absinthe. It is a microbrand and the particular watch was a compressor style case with an extremely strong sunburst dial. I thought Id hate it, but felt I deserved to give sunbursts a fair shot.
https://nthwatches.com/products/azores-absinthe
in person, it was straight up the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. It looked cheap and made of plastic (the dial). Less than an hour later, I put it up for sale and traded for an Alpinist.
To the brand’s credit, the build quality, lume, etc were all great. It’s just the sunburst was so “coarse” it felt like the watch had had a rough bout of acne.
Part of the deal I'm sorry to say. It can be minimized by some extra legwork but you really never know until you strap it on your wrist.
Both the Invicta 1953 and Orient Bambino 38mm I received recently were as expected.
The only other relatively recent online purchase in 2017 was my grey market Rolex Submariner, which was new.
All as expected, and being enjoyed.
I ordered a Cincinnati Watch Company Cincinnatus Field Watch, as soon as it arrived I knew I didn't like it. The lume was terrible, and the watch overall felt cheap. It was cheap to buy, so I essentially got wheat I paid for.
The experience confirmed two things for me:
Never been disappointed in the looks of a watch. Only in the accuracy. I don't expect every watch to keep COSC accuracy, but I think any watch over $1,000 should be able to stay within about 10 seconds/day. My Kodiak Super Sea Wolf gains about 14 specs/say; a real shame as it looks so good & is very comfortable & easy to read. Fortunately, the movement us based on the ETA 2824-2, which most good watchmakers should be able to service.
My only online disappointment was just because I didn’t vibe with a watch. The Marathon GSAR is a fantastic watch. It’s every good thing everybody says it is.
I found that didn’t wear it much, maybe because it was too toolish, as in hard edged, stiff and rugged. But that’s what it was promised to be. That’s just not me.
I would have kept it and worn it regularly but a collector friend asked if I would sell it to him so I did.
For me it was the Spinnaker Tesei Titanium. Web photos looked great, but on the wrist the finishing let it down signfiicantly.
>90% of the time as calculated by "purchased / currently own".
I think every one is going to be amazing, but very few stay more than a few weeks (some <24hrs).
My only online disappointment was just because I didn’t vibe with a watch. The Marathon GSAR is a fantastic watch. It’s every good thing everybody says it is.
I found that didn’t wear it much, maybe because it was too toolish, as in hard edged, stiff and rugged. But that’s what it was promised to be. That’s just not me.
I would have kept it and worn it regularly but a collector friend asked if I would sell it to him so I did.
My GSAR experience was the exact opposite, I knew I'd like it, but I didn't expect to love it. I have to remind myself to wear other watches...
It's amazing how much personal taste varies. Two people can wear the same watch and have entirely different experiences.
I've been burned with online purchases. My Orient Mako has a misaligned bezel. My Vostok Amphibia is uncomfortable and doesn't suit me at all. If I had got those two pieces in hand, I would not have bought them, despite their "value for money".
I have also had some lovely watches online, but the difference is that I actually handled similar watches before and knew what I was getting. There is no substitute to holding a watch in your hand. I would strongly recommend doing so before pulling the trigger on an online sale.
So far so good. Not really had one I don't like that has been bought on line.
Infact I recently bought one on an impulse sale price and wasn't expecting to really get on with it . As it turns out I absolutely love the particular watch. Once I had got it on a leather strap it was transformed into one of my current favourites.
My GSAR experience was the exact opposite, I knew I'd like it, but I didn't expect to love it. I have to remind myself to wear other watches...
It's amazing how much personal taste varies. Two people can wear the same watch and have entirely different experiences.
I still think it’s a great watch and highly recommend it. I’d still have it and wear it if my friend didn’t want it more.
I think I like more finely finished watches and have gravitated towards Longines.
I still think it’s a great watch and highly recommend it. I’d still have it and wear it if my friend didn’t want it more.
I think I like more finely finished watches and have gravitated towards Longines.
I had been considering a black 39mm Hydroconquest at the same time I was looking at the GSAR. I still occasionally think about a Hydroconquest, but if I went that route now it would be blue.
I had been considering a black 39mm Hydroconquest at the same time I was looking at the GSAR. I still occasionally think about a Hydroconquest, but if I went that route now it would be blue.
I think have best version of the LHC but the full numeral dial was a short lived version. It’s very, very comfortable to wear.
Obvious ones to me were an omega seamaster diver 300m and a Rolex oysterquartz datejust Two tone.
in both cases the watches themselves are lovely - but I pop them on and just know they are that bit too big..
I’ve never been disappointed with my watch purchases as I’ve always purchased them in person. But if you’re talking about online purchases in general, a pile of disappointing products in a dark corner of my closet that I was too lazy to return would like to have a conversation with you haha
Always a risk when buying older, pro-owned watches online... a supposedly 9.5/10 condition watch arrived with no significant marks on the case or acrylic crystal, yet the second hand is curved and the polished steel indices have some kind of discolouration. Not really sure why, especially for a watch that seemingly has barely been worn and most likely never been opened up either.