A tale of two ADs

I should tell this story before details completely slip away:

Approximately a month ago I went to Singapore to meet up with my girlfriend for vacation. It was there that I gifted her with a 21 Must De Cartier, which you can read here. I only mention this to establish that I'm a big Cartier fan though I've only ever bought the one I gave to my girlfriend. I'm a fan of many luxury watch brands--champagne dreams, beer budget and all that.

Being in Singapore, my girlfriend tolerated (allowed?) my want to window shop for watches. I had no intention of buying one right there but I am looking for options for my next major purchase.

We went to the Takashimaya Shopping Centre on Orchard where several watch shops are found. First we went to The Hour Glass where some big brands are being sold. Now I'd been seriously considering getting a Cartier Tank so I went straight to the Cartier section. A neat looking guy wearing a stiff suit was behind the display. Conversation went something like this:

AD: Can I help you?

Me: I'm looking for a Tank

AD: What Tank are you looking for?

Me: Uhm... a Tank. I don't know.

AD, in a snippy, condescending tone he pointed at the display and said: This is a Tank, this is a Tank, this is a Tank. You should know what you're looking for.

Me: Should I?

I didn't even spent another second in that shop. I had wanted to look around at the other brands but I didn't feel welcome there so I left. I got very annoyed by the exchange. A flurry of random thoughts just kept parking themselves into my head. I'm supposed to know what I'm looking for? Have he not heard of how shopping goes? Did every single person who came in there an expert on watches? Do only people who know what specific item they want have the right to talk to him? Or did he take one look at me and thought "he ain't gonna buy no Tank?"

Bear in mind I was very dressed down, wearing only shorts, suede loafers and a t-shirt. Oh and the watch on my wrist is my trusty vintage 1950s Zenith, you can see here:

That exchange put me in such a bad mood that I told my girlfriend I wanted to just go back to the hotel. She scoffed and ignored me. Then we stumbled upon The Sincere Fine Watches shop. I was at first apprehensive to go inside given how I was treated at the Hour Glass. The Hour Glass had Patek Philippe, Jaeger LeCoultre, IWC, Rolex, Hublot, Ulysee Nardin. BUT the Sincere Fine Watches had watches that made the Hour Glass look like Walmart. It had H. Moser, Arnold and Son, Czapek, Breguet, Greubel Forsey, Jacob & Co, Moritz Grossman along with the brands that by their standards would probably be considered proletariat like Omega, Bell and Ross, etc.

That said, I wasn't going to let a weird exchange with a stranger get in the way of my curiosity. So we went into the shop. A nice Singaporean lady in business suit beelines to me. I defensively said I'm just looking around. She smiled and said, "No problem. Anything I can show you?" Hesitantly I said, "H. Moser?" She smiled and directed me to their H. Moser display. I gawked and oohhhh at an H. Moser tourbillon and said gingerly, "I bet that cost something like 40k Singaporean." Again, she smiled and said, "It's actually 80k Singaporean." That made me laugh. She asked me if I wanted to try it on. But I said no as even if you squeezed me I could never sweat out enough coin to afford an 80k watch. To this day I regret saying no.

She then asked if she could show me their room of prize pieces. I was floored. "Are you sure?" She nodded but apologized that we won't be able to hold any of the watches. She told me to go into a pathway and there my girlfriend and I went with her.

It was a small display room. But lo and behold, I died and went to haute horology heaven. The "cheapest" piece on display there was 300k Singaporean. But she lead me to two particular pieces:

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon, which she said is 500k Singaporean.

And right next to it was something I've only ever seen on YouTube videos. The Jacob & Co. Opera Godfather Musical Watch, which she said they're selling for 900k Singaporean.

She was very accommodating and allowed me and my girlfriend to take as many pictures as we like. We stopped at a few out of politeness.

Afterwards, I asked about Omega. She took me to the Omega display area and we got to try out a potential Aqua Terra couples watch.

The difference between the two ADs is staggering. Remember, this was at the same mall, I was wearing the same thing on the very same day. The thing that got to me (and I'm not bragging here, just making a point) is that I could've afforded a Cartier Tank. I could've walked out of the Hour Glass with a watch (and buyer's remorse, sure, but still) if the conditions were right whereas even if two hundred women started caressing me at the Sincere Watches I still wouldn't be able to buy one of their products. I just don't have that kind of money. And yet, the AD who probably didn't need to be nice because she knew she wasn't going to make a sale was nice and the AD who could've made a sale was snooty.

There's no conclusion to this story. Just wanted to highlight the difference an AD can make on a watch-shopping experience.