Omega titanium Bond and a dilemma
I have fallen head over heels in love with the Omega titanium Bond watch. It's become my grail watch but I have a problem. It's expensive and is set to become expensive on February 1st when Omega raises its prices. My AD said the price increase will be around 10% here in Australasia. This translates to a $14,000 watch becoming a $16,000 watch overnight. Barring the unlikely event of a lottery win in the next 22 days, I began the uncomfortable process of letting go.
The problem is that each of us has a line beyond which we cannot go when it comes to watch prices. The line changes as circumstances change, be it better jobs, an inheritance or the aforementioned lottery win. $14k was just at the outer limits of what I could justify. Thankfully I'm single and have no kids. That makes the justification process much easier.
Then I remembered Chrono 24. I looked up the watch and, after calculating customs and duties, found the watch could be mine for $13k. Still a lot of money and I'd have to sell most of my watches but I could do it. I'd be left with a very solid four watch collection. Unless I win the lottery that would be it for buying watches in the Rolex/Omega/IWC range of watches.
So what do you think? Would you do it? And if you did, how would you tell the AD that you went the pre-owned route?
Just your average watch obsessed lesbian, really. Learning more about watches and my tastes every day.
Consolidating up is almost always a good idea (IMO) as long as you don’t end up with a one watch collection.
What I would do is save, save, save until I’m at the point where I can cut the watch with the trade ins, then I would see what the used market price is at that point. Maybe it will be more affordable?
Don‘t worry about your AD. You can call them at that point and let them know that X is what you can afford and that ask if there is anything they can do.
To address the easiest point, I don't think you should consider your AD's feelings in the matter, unless there's something specific you're trying to get from then I wouldn't even go out of my way to tell them.
I like having a pleasant relationship with my ADs but it's ultimately commercial in nature. They provide something at the price you want or they don't. If someone else is willing to then you should buy from them. Put another way, they would feel little guilt over selling a Bond Seamaster out from under you if they found a willing buyer.
If you want to tell them, then use it as a point of negotiation for them to get it to get it to you at the price you'd feel comfortable at.
The harder question is whether or not it's worth it for you to sell the rest of your watches to get it. I couldn't possibly answer that one.
But in my experience, grail watches (in the sense of watches that prevent you from ever buying another watch,) don't exist, at least not permanently. Purchases tend to beget more purchases, at least for me. So I'd probably underweight the idea of owning the titanium Omega preventing another buy in the price range.
@Edge168n nails it.
If it were possible for me to sell all but about 3-4 watches to get my Grail, I absolutely would.
The ones I would be letting go are pretty much just support watches & placeholders for the absence of a Grail anyway
Talia, I would start to look at the preowned market where they are often available around $7500 USD. Obviously, with how many knockoffs are out there, stick to a trusted source. That looks like just shy of under $11K AUD before importing, so I can see the dilemma. I did find this one currently in Australia, which could reduce customs. I would also try to negotiate down.
Consolidating up is almost always a good idea (IMO) as long as you don’t end up with a one watch collection.
What I would do is save, save, save until I’m at the point where I can cut the watch with the trade ins, then I would see what the used market price is at that point. Maybe it will be more affordable?
Don‘t worry about your AD. You can call them at that point and let them know that X is what you can afford and that ask if there is anything they can do.
There's not much danger of me ending up with a one watch collection. :-) Thanks for your thoughts on this.
To address the easiest point, I don't think you should consider your AD's feelings in the matter, unless there's something specific you're trying to get from then I wouldn't even go out of my way to tell them.
I like having a pleasant relationship with my ADs but it's ultimately commercial in nature. They provide something at the price you want or they don't. If someone else is willing to then you should buy from them. Put another way, they would feel little guilt over selling a Bond Seamaster out from under you if they found a willing buyer.
If you want to tell them, then use it as a point of negotiation for them to get it to get it to you at the price you'd feel comfortable at.
The harder question is whether or not it's worth it for you to sell the rest of your watches to get it. I couldn't possibly answer that one.
But in my experience, grail watches (in the sense of watches that prevent you from ever buying another watch,) don't exist, at least not permanently. Purchases tend to beget more purchases, at least for me. So I'd probably underweight the idea of owning the titanium Omega preventing another buy in the price range.
The interesting thing (for me anyway) about the Bond titanium is that it wasn't on my radar. At all. I'd seen it in the case at my AD and never thought twice about it. Then the AD asked if I'd like to try it on and I fell for it. We'll see what happens.
The interesting thing (for me anyway) about the Bond titanium is that it wasn't on my radar. At all. I'd seen it in the case at my AD and never thought twice about it. Then the AD asked if I'd like to try it on and I fell for it. We'll see what happens.
Yeah, that definitely speaks to the idea of waiting a bit. I've had many of those infatuations before. Most of them pass.
OP, I would say to wait for as long as humanly possible before doing anything.
Once you get your grail, it just becomes another watch. I mean, sure, you may love it. But, it's still just a watch. BEFORE you get your grail, though, you get to delude yourself into thinking that it will give you the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. So, the longer you can stay in that delusional state, the better!
OP, I would say to wait for as long as humanly possible before doing anything.
Once you get your grail, it just becomes another watch. I mean, sure, you may love it. But, it's still just a watch. BEFORE you get your grail, though, you get to delude yourself into thinking that it will give you the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. So, the longer you can stay in that delusional state, the better!
Wait ... you mean I'm not the only one with dozens of photos of watches on their phone? Who's repeatedly changing the lock photo on my phone to a pretty picture of a watch? :-) I'll do my best to maintain the delusional state.
As mentioned, don’t worry about the AD, this is business. As for selling everything to get this watch? Well I wouldn’t, but I’m not you. I could see selling all but a few watches, but the few I’d want to keep would probably be the higher-priced watches I’d need to sell to finance the purchase. The other thing, in my mind, is that I see very few people making a big purchase and being satisfied with it for years. I think if I did this, I’d start to regret it and make sad WC posts about the watches I sold and how I missed them. Every third post on here mentions some watch somebody regrets having sold. But again, that’s me not you.
Only you know the answers.
I'm in exactly the same position, with exactly the same watch.
At this rate the retail price is accelerating away from - what was already - a ludicrous price. Meanwhile, the pre-owned prices seem to be drifting downwards. Until this year, a generous discount from an AD could bring the price down to the point where buying new was still an option. From Feb, however, I think that's not going to be viable.
I have no inherent problem with buying pre-owned but I'm very aware that, as the value of the watch increases, the chance of being scammed does, too. As the golden rule states: buy the seller, not the watch.
The watch will be yours when that time comes and is right. Sell the watches you are not in live with and keep saving. My smart advice I wish I had taken many times
I would look at your current collection and think, is there anything in that collection that you were head over heels obsessive about, while now you're fine throwing it to the wind to trade up? If so, just keep in mind that whether this watch costs you 13k or 16k (and as an Australian, I feel your pain on the prices, I really do), are you going to get 6-12 months down the track after buying it and think, ok, great watch but I'm not as enamoured with it AND I now have a $%#^load of money, tied up in one watch? Easier to lose, harder to sell, and all of that? I'm not saying don't do it, but do think about this one before you pull the trigger.
As for the AD, it's a business. They're not going to be upset with you if you buy elsewhere.
Thats 6 months in Thailand $14K living like a King …. Just saying…..
The watch will be yours when that time comes and is right. Sell the watches you are not in live with and keep saving. My smart advice I wish I had taken many times
Absolutely
Thats 6 months in Thailand $14K living like a King …. Just saying…..
LOL, fair enough.
What is it about the Ti that gets to you? The Seamaster wears so comfortably with its lugs and bracelet, that the extra weight of steel might not be as much of an issue as you think.
Have you had both Steel and Ti on wrist?
What is it about the Ti that gets to you? The Seamaster wears so comfortably with its lugs and bracelet, that the extra weight of steel might not be as much of an issue as you think.
Have you had both Steel and Ti on wrist?
No I haven't and that's an intruiging point. They have three of the colour options at my AD on bracelets. I'll give this a go next time I'm down there.
I know a lot of people like the white dial but I quite like the gray dial. I think the indices and hands pop well while keeping the gray dial keeps the watch ... subdued, I guess you could say. One of the things I like about the titanium watch is that it's subdued. The gray dial seems less blingy than the white dial. Hmmn, you've given me something to think about. :-)