ADs: How to lose friends and alienate people

Yep, no more business for them!

I've found the boutiques here (Boston) to be full of jerks, but the much fancier multi-brand stores to be really pleasant.  

what an awful experience... and the people complain about some Rolex ADs... 

However the result counts, nice watch, sits well on your wrist!

I'm always very careful about what watch I wear into a local AD. I have a boutique AD right around the corner from me at work. They carry Seiko, GS, Longines, Oris, Meistersinger, and Muhle Glaschutte primarily. I got my Oris Big Crown Pointer Date before my work relocated offices and I knew the shop existed. They have been pretty cool about it and even sourced me an OEM bracelet for the watch. But I don't think they do any heavy discounting (they are located in a very affluent area of central florida) as as much as I want to buy my first GS, I'm not sure I'll get the best deal there. But I don't relish the idea of buying it somewhere else and then facing the same kind of commentary when I walk in there. Decisions, decisions.

This is a sad story. I have always bought my watches second hand so that I can get more for my money so don't have any experience with ADs myself. In my head I've always thought I'd love the AD experience though and imagine it as a champagne, white gloves, genuine smiles, suit and tie affair... not "Here's your watch, now **** off and be grateful". 🥺

Oh man… I’d be pretty livid. My first reaction to the associate who calls out your GS:

When I go into my AD, I purposefully try to wear a watch from a brand that they don't carry. It's my way of showing them that I have options, even if they are the only Rolex and Omega AD within hundreds of miles of me. The hobby is supposed to be enjoyable, and groveling to an AD isn't exactly something that I find enjoyable.  

Too many ADs for the more "aspirational" brands act like they're doing you a favour. Like we should be grateful they've allowed us to spend our grubby money on one of their wonderous watches. Said it before... Two words, seven letters three of which are 'f'. Not all are bad, those that are... bye bye.

Thank you, man!  This was a multi-brand shop located on the main strip in a very affluent beach town.  I guess there are 2 possibilities:  1) they're doing such good business, they don't need to be nice, or 2) I walked in with my Amazon Basics white t-shirt and 6 year-old jeans and they assumed I was a hobo?  

My experience, meanwhile, with any Omega Boutique, couldn't be more night and day.  At the Omega Boutiques, I've only ever been treated with utmost respect and civility.  One gentleman even sat with me and geeked out about the co-axial escapement for 15 minutes, drawing out diagrams to explain to me how it worked versus the Swiss lever escapement.

I guess, from now on, I will only ever patronize the Boutiques themselves!

Too funny.  My experience with Omega boutiques has been nothing short of stellar.  There, it really has been champagne, white gloves, genuine smiles, etc.  A couple of the folks in the boutique here in San Diego studied as watchmakers and will sit and geek out with you.  

Meanwhile, I literally got kicked out of a Breitling Boutique once.  Like, yelled at to "get the F&^% out!  Craziness.

I guess it really is hit or miss.

Please list the ones you have had good and bad experiences with!  Moved to Somerville last year and hoping to establish a relationship with a few good ones!!

It’s not exquisite timepieces in Naples is it? If you ask for nick, I bought my snowflake from him and I like their shop…they get a lot of window shoppers but if you are there to try stuff on and know your stuff they really light up when they know they can actually talk watches with you!

I play a game where I go into a shop wearing jeans, T shirt, etc and compare the staff reaction to the times when I go into the exact same shop in a suit, expensive shoes, etc. The difference in attitude in the sales staff is astonishing. I'm not sure any other industry feels the need to deem its customers worthy of spending their money on its product. As far as I am aware my money is exactly the same as anyone else's. Hate the snobbery.

This actually reminds me of a story from 'The Cartiers' book about Pierre Cartier, who ran the New York branch:

Pierre and Elma ended up getting married. Now, I'm not saying I expect every AD to want to marry me... but it would be nice.

Kicked out of a Breitling Boutique? Did you tell them that nobody cares about air races?

I've been hunkered down for a couple of years, but when I was working in the Back Bay I'd patrol the nearby spots.  I really liked Shreve, Crump, and Low; they were super nice, happy to let me get finger prints all over their Langes.  On the flip side, I found the Rolex boutique (in the Copley mall at the time) to be snooty jerks.

That makes sense. The Omega Boutique here is outstanding. Incredibly friendly staff and true watch nerds too. My problems have always been with multi-brand ADs that happen to also be jewelers. 

What did you end up getting, by the way?

Speedy

Congrats!

What do you think of the new MoonSwatch thing?  You gonna get one for fun?

I don’t get the new moonwatch, i’m sure I’m missing something because I keep seeing all the posts about it. I saw that there’s thousands of people waiting outside the swatch store for one so it can’t be that bad

Ha!  I'm guessing it's all young people lining up and buying them right now.  I mean, what old person has time to sit in a line, right?  I found this video to be absolutely mind-blowingly informative - ignore the stupid clickbait title:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-SxNxsfWc&t=61s

I guess the plan was all about attracting the younger, non-watch-buying audience.  And, clearly, it's worked wonders, as the thousands-deep lines at the stores has shown.  And, apparently, it was #1 on Hypebeast.  What is Hypebeast?  No frickin' clue!  Why?  Because I'm old.  But, I guess the kids these days, on their interwebs, use this Hypebeast thing.

I'm definitely gonna pick up a few for my 6 and 8 year-old daughters.  They're just now learning how to read the clock, so it'll be fun for them.  And I'm definitely getting the "Mission to Uranus," just so that I can say, "Hey, check out my watch.  It's the Mission to Uranus," to every passerby on the street.

Thanks for the vid, lots of good info. The marketing is great and the colors are awesome. They seemed to be designed as affordable watches so I’m not sure why people are spending so much on eBay and other auction sites for them. I guess they may become collectible at some point but who knows. I agree they would make an awesome gift for a kid. Great idea!

Yeah, I'm sure that once the initial crush settles down, they'll be available for regular purchase at MSRP.  

I'm dying for the new Speedmaster '57 in green.  But, I've set for myself a policy of "one-in-one-out."  Yet, every time I think about trading in one of my existing watches, I have an existential crisis.  😜

I love the faux vintage look of those new '57s though!

The ‘57 is a beauty, seems like a better deal compared to the Ed White IMO. 

Man, you could get shot for saying that in front of diehard Speedmaster collectors!

I figure I'd have to trade in my Chronoscope for the '57.  I mean, I can't have 2 Speedies sitting around - at that point, you just accept that you're a hoarder, and start slowly walling yourself into your home with all your collected detritus, right?

But, I love my Chronoscope.  I'm thinking maybe after a year or something, I'll love my Chronoscope less and be ready for a change - probably how my wife feels about me.

Hey the Ed White Is cool but not 15k cool IMO

Dude,

$15k is the MSRP.  The real market price has it listing for $23,220 on Chrono24!  I'd buy one in a heartbeat, and then flip it, and use the proceeds to effectively get my '57 for free!

i guess really depends on the individual SA. i have met both awesome and despicable SA at the ADs. Some really follow up with calls or message regularly to keep me updated about my waitlist, others I have to call and beg for follow up. 

Yes, you're right.  You're absolutely right.  It's not fair to categorically paint multi-brand ADs as bad or boutiques as good or vice versa.  Yes, it entirely depends on the individual SA.  

I guess my problem with a bunch of the multi-brand ADs I've gone to is that they sell jewelry as well as watches.  So, in most cases, the SAs know very little about the watches, other than, "Oh, look, pretty!"  Meanwhile, I suspect that the single brand dedicated boutiques require significant training specifically on the watches, in order to get certified.

I've also noticed that how well I've been treated is often very closely correlated with how hungry / how much of an underdog the brand is.  Here, the Omega Boutique is situated directly across from the Rolex Boutique!  They're working extra hard to butter you up to get you to buy Omega, rather than Rolex!  Also, I've never experienced better treatment than that from the folks at the GS Boutiques - straight up champagne, text messages, phone calls, notification of limited edition models...  with them I feel like, as the saying goes, "the prettiest girl at the dance."  😂

OMGosh! What a nightmare! It's sad that they jerked you around like that and even more cringe that they made a comment about how you should have purchased from them. IMHO, I'd find a new AD. I recently did this and couldn't be happier. 

That piece looks awesome by the way!

Yeah, totally.  To be honest, the only thing I've ever purchased from them was the bracelet, and it will be the only thing I ever purchase from them.

And, yeah, I love the 007 Seamaster.  Like I always say, "Putting it on my wrist makes me feel like James Bond...  if James Bond were short, fat, and asthmatic."