Watch Hunting in Indonesia

Some months ago, I saw a photo of a Spinnaker Amalfi posted by a fellow Cruncher (@jccrunch was that you?) in WRUW, and was quite taken by it. Months later, I came across another photo of it, and decided I would like to add it to my collection. Unfortunately, it seemed that I arrived late to the game, and it was no longer available. Snooze, and you lose. I persisted in searching, however, and found a watch store ("Jamtangan") in Indonesia that claimed to have it in stock. Their web site looked vey professional, however, the only words of English on it were “#1 Watch Store In Indonesia.” I noticed they had a Facebook presence, and I sent a message to them inquiring about the watch, and if there was anyone who spoke English that I could deal with. In short order, I received a reply. The watch was indeed in stock, and at a very good price. I was informed that the price did not include shipping, which I expected. I did not expect, however, just how astronomical the shipping cost was. It gave me pause. I already was apprehensive about dealing with a company in Indonesia, #1 watch company or not, and upon learning the shipping cost, I almost declined the deal. Despite the shipping cost, though, the final price was 20% below the regular price the watch was selling for here in the U.S. So, I decided to pull the trigger, and do the deal. For whatever reason, it took a bit of time for the transaction to go through on their end, this despite it being done through Paypal. This did concern me, despite the reassurances (always polite) I received through e-mail. Finally I received notification that the transaction was approved, and notification the following day that it had shipped via DHL. Five days later,  I had the watch on my wrist.

I am very pleased with the watch, and glad that I took the effort to track it down. While I suppose it is possible that Spinnaker will re-issue it, they could also choose not to. It may be that I managed to get one of the last remaining watches of this model. In any case, I love the color of the dial, its bezel, and the overall design. The bracelet is solid, the finish is very nice, and the price was reasonable. If the watch has a downside, it would be its weight. It is quite heavy.