AD or Grey Market

I always buy used, save a fortune & gets access to higher tier watches. 👍🏻

Don’t see the benefit in AD’s either, I have a 70/30 split I bought online/ad. And I’m happy with how it turned out.

I have bought watches from an AD but always negotiated a discount. I have also bought from grey market and also from the used market.

Would be nice to have two other options. One option for used/secondary market and one to include all of them.

The only problem with the grey market is that you may not be able to get a model you want, especially if that model is in high demand. (Then there is the warranty issue.)

I'm personally staying away from grey market sites, as it is too easy to get a great deal on a watch that you actually don't need.

Depends.

Rolex? AD.

Casio? Gray market.

My favorite AD has a strong online presence, and that’s how I have made all my purchases through them. I’ve had nothing but great experiences with them. A good AD will work with you on pricing, depending on the piece and market. I also love having full warranty and piece of mind against the possibility of getting stuffed with a super clone.

In contrast, I bought two watches on the grey market (which I differentiate from used dealers as grey primarily sell ‘new/unworn’ unauthorized by brands) and had lousy experiences both times. One was lost I shipment, to which the only way the grey dealer responded was when I threatened to call my credit card company and reverse the charge. The other was with one of the biggest grey market dealers, and the watch wasn’t the exact model advertised as well as having been obviously worn. No response from them until I posted a negative review, when suddenly they were willing to respond.

Never again with the grey market dealers for me. My experience is that they are grey market because they suck at customer service, and I figure that’s why the brands don’t want to be represented by them. I’ll still buy from reputable used dealers. For instance, I bought two watches from Crown and Caliber without issues. But the classic grey market, heavy discount, back door/close out types, never again for me.

All 5 watches in my collection were bought online (2 from the manufacturer's official websites, 1 each on Amazon, a Portuguese dealer's website and a Swiss auction site). AFAIK none of them (and none of the next 3 on my shortlist) are available from ADs in my area.

I’m neither. I typically buy pre-owned from a reputable source.

I think I’ve bought most of my sub $1k watches on eBay at this point. I’ve only a couple over that price and one was at the AD the other from the brand’s website.

I only had one problem on eBay and that was a 40 year old Seiko 5 Bangladesh special. I paid for a repair on it and it’s been running fine since but I spent a bit more than the original $40 price.

Online AD and Gray market I do those two. Regarding your drawback, I think the issue lies on knowing your wrsit size and the watch's measurements. For newbies I wouldn't recommend buying your first watches online if you don't know your sizes. But I buy most of my watches online and in gray market. Happy new year!!

Your comment implies that buying online or in the gray market is not reputable which is a false argument. There are PLENTY of reputable and well established online jewelry/watch stores and Gray market stores as well (Jomashop, Macy's, Teddy Baldassarre, etc...) which provide you with original packaging and papers. I don't know... Your comment makes you sound like a snob (don't know if you are, but that's what it sounds like)

AD if there’s a deal on, but mostly grey market and have developed a great relationship with a London boutique for my Grand Seiko purchases who provide guarantee etc and always much cheaper.

You completely misinterpreted what I said. I didn’t make any comment on the grey market. I’ve considered buying from Jomashop and watchmaxx before. I’ll accept your apology.

Baldassarre is an AD, not grey market. He does sell pre-owned, but that’s not grey market either.

A good seller is a good seller gray market or AD. It is good to cultivate some trusted contacts in the preowned market so you can save some money.

Most likely anymore, grey market. I know what I want. I don't like any games. And I don't need to pay a silly premium from a pretentious retailer.

In my current assortment, I have two categories: bought direct from the manufacturer and bought from an AD. That's Farer, Chris Ward, Bamford, Spinnaker, Longines and Rolex.

It seems you have more much availability or buying options with the grey market. They either have it or they don't. If one doesn't, move on. AD's can only (maybe) sell what they have. Or, ask you to sign on to a list then wait indefinitely. If they think that's creating exclusivity, that backfires with me.

It will of course depend on the market segment and your location. I was largely talking about the mid market when I was briefly considering a Longines or Tudor last year. The ADs may have been able to get what I wanted, and the grey market dealers were lagging a bit behind.

(The point was ultimately moot, since I ended up with something altogether different.)

I think it depends on the price of the watch - the higher it is, the higher the relative return the on "investing" in the assurances an AD provides in my opinion

Depends on the watch, AD and your plan down the road ( aka building a "relationship" with AD for more exclusive pieces ). So no clear answer, need to see the bigger picture. But if those things are not important grey for sure

Sometimes I do this, especially for Seiko Diver, if they don't fit me, I can sell them back with not much loss, while saving for my grail watch.

"too easy to get a great deal on a watch that you actually don't need". I was proven guilty too in this matter 😂

It's a shame you had a bad experience with the gray market, where I live, there are several sellers who have good service and prices, although the downside is that I can't try the watch directly.

Sometimes, when the watch is priced above 1000 USD, the price difference is also higher from the gray market, and that makes me think again about buying from AD.

I always do research on watch dimensions and even try to Photoshop it onto my wrist, but still sometimes factors such as the shape of the case, bracelet, can make the watch not fit.

I've done this several times, but, if I visit AD too often without buying, sometimes I feel embarrassed.

Most are AD purchases.

Some are gray market.

Online. When I can get an AT for about $2,000 off list, why leave the comfort of the couch?

That is true, i do everytime. But that’s honestly just how it is. They can’t expect you to buy from them if you can get at a much lower price elsewhere. And they know that. Just because you’ve tried it on, it doesn’t necessarily force you to buy it