Wait for the AD or get it cheaper in the Grey Market?

On a watch like that? Go to an AD -- it doesn't have to be your regular AD, but I'd still recommend using one. A Tissot or Hammy is one thing to get from a grey dealer - a luxury piece is a whole separate animal. Unless the savings justify giving up YEARS of warranty coverage (and they probably don't), I wouldn't recommend going grey market for any luxury piece.

In my opinion it really does depend on the Grey Market dealer. Many are of course reputable, some are not.Also, As said above, are you prepared to forego years of warranty protection in order to scratch that itch now? There is no easy answer to this question and I wish you luck with your decision.

Thanks for your careful advice. Truly agree.

Great point. Thanks for sharing.

Very good advice stated above.

Cheers!

Just get it now. ADs are silly places. I don’t need champagne while I wait for you to size the bracelet wrong. I don’t need to small talk with the salesman who knows nothing about the product he’s selling except that “it looks good on you. We have excellent payment options” while he stands over you as if you are going to smash the display glass and run off with the merch. Lastly, if the watch is so great and the brand is so legendary, then a warranty isn’t really needed.

Also, what kind of dad leaves the heirloom watch to one twin son and nothing to the other twin? You got the shaft! 😆

Wait. Dont grey dealers just pass on the warranty from when and where they got the watch? I understand if the grey dealers watch is older than the warranty coverage, but if i buy a 2023 watch from a grey dealer, doesnt the warranty run from the date stated on the 2023 warranty card?

Dumb question possibly, never bought from one of them. Im considering going grey for an Explorer 1 NO AD will let me purchase after waiting and waiting for it, so im curious.

Grey market dealers are not permitted to provide manufacturer's warranties on their watches. In lieu of this, they frequently provide a warranty through themselves, but that warranty will almost certainly not be as good as the manufacturer's warranty, and can require you to jump through hoops to use it. Unless you are content with buying a piece without a warranty for all intents and purposes, I'd avoid the grey market.

So the dealer that sells the Explorer, 2023 unworn, is selling it without the usual warranty card (that would most likely mention a legit, Rolex AD anyway since that's where they probably get them from)?

That's not the same for pre owned watches from private sellers onChrono24, for instance, right?

Cause the line is blurry at this point, since grey market dealers actively sell on marketplaces.

I'm guessing that the reason Grey dealers can sell current models below retail is because they were sold it cheap and without warranty.

For that specific Omega? Go grey all day. The challenge with Omega is many of their watches are delayed and/or some ADs aren’t getting the inventory. I’d hit up Jomashop and others. Heck, call the awesome folks at Topper, I bet they can source one.

My Seamster was bought via a large grey dealer, had the warranty card, all the paperwork etc, no issues. There is an old misconception it doesn’t, but again, the warranty for most brands these days follows the watch, not the dealer.

Edit, some ADs may not give the cards to greys when they unload inventory, but to date, that hasn’t been my experience. YMMV.

They are sold cheaper because ADs need to unload them to free up capital. They are able to unload mass quantities at reliable rates. In many cases, the warranty is still valid.

Omega has a 5-year gaurantee, so if you buy grey market, make sure that the dealer will offer you an identical warranty period.

I got a great discount on my SMP that I bought from an AD about 18 months ago. It's not like an Omega boutique where you have to buy at retail.

I never buy from grey unless the watch is cheaper than AD. Buying overpriced watch is supporting the resellers IMHO. I’d try to get from the AD, it sucks I know, but it’s the world we live in it now weather we like it or not.

But if you don’t want to wait, and you buying from grey won’t drain your account, it’s your money, life is short, enjoy while it lasts.

Yeah, that just sounds like extortion to me.

Go grey. Be happy. Give the AD the finger.

I think the green dial is VERY popular here. My dad gave me his 36mm datejust and an AP.

This is the real issue at hand.

@complication absolutely!! But my relationship with this AD is for pure humor. It’s always if not this, then what about this? Only for Rolex it’s been spot on. Tudor also. Everything else is wild hunting.

The chances of something going horribly wrong with the watch in the first 5 years is so small, by the time you come to do your first big service on it, the warranty won't even be current.

I wouldn't overthink warranty issues too much.

I picked up a Rolex for my wife last year from my AD & for the first time I was "Asked" to purchase something else in the store to make me a valued customer. Let me pronounce to the world I am an A-Hole by telling you this was the 3rd Rolex last year and a few decades of buying watches from that store. I paid the Grey Market Update but just with the AD. So I'm kind of done. Don't need another Rolex (at least that's the thinking today). I loves me some Omega! If Omega is going that rout, then it's time to just pay less and get what I want. These are all luxury purchase items. Who cares who sells it? I don't need champaign because I quit drinking decades ago. I need to size the watch when purchased and that's it

Spot on, I couldn't agree more. It only makes sense if. your purchase leads to greener pastures with your AD. But come to think of it, is that right? It's your hard-earned money shouldn't you be treated better?

Completely agree. They don't allow Champagne at my AD's shop. It's just sky-juice

The way I understand it there are two types of "Grey Dealers", true "grey dealer" that sells watches with no Manufacturers Warranty, instead only offering their own warranty. And "Pre-owned" resellers who are selling AD bought watches under the guise of "used" but many sell completely unworn and new watches with AD warranty cards etc.

If the "grey seller" offers the original warranty cards with date filled in like ROLEX and OMEGA whoever is the current owner, so long as the warranty is still valid from purchase date on the warranty card, irrespective of who the original owner is. Buy these watches with confidence!

I am still trying to work out if online stores like Jomashop are which type of grey dealer? This is grey in my brain... 😂Also what I am unsure on is if you can even buy Omega purely from grey market supplier to resell like you could maybe 20yrs ago, and nowadays they originate only from an AD? (like Rolex, you cannot buy a brand new Rolex from anyone other than AD) Maybe I have something to learn here and if I am way off??

Who's older?

As I've said on here before, I found it easier to get a 36mm Explorer than the Green Seamaster. I'm still waiting...

That's said, models like this and others in high demand, are no cheaper on the Grey market, in fact several on my list from various brands are more expensive than retail.

Personally, I like getting them from the AD, unless it's a piece from a brand whose value nosedives the second you walk out of the door.

@Watchgeekery spot on again. It's such a moral dilemma for me. I've managed to find a few green ones cheaper than retail. Maybe something is amiss. I have not contacted them yet.

If they're new with papers then that's a great find! They'd have to be quite a bit cheap than retail for me. I do like the retail experience over just a box being delivered, but that's a personal view.

Hodinkee has them, they’re an authorized dealer.

That’s a valid reason. Thanks for sharing your story