I've bought and flipped maybe 30 watches in the last couple of years.
Of these some have been returned straight away to well-known online dealers due to their over-generous use of words like 'mint' and 'excellent condition'.
Others have been bought, worn for a few months, and then reluctantly let go, usually at a loss, when it becomes clear that the love just isn't there.
A lucky few have been kept and will be kept for ever.
In all cases though I have done extensive research beforehand, tried the actual or similar watches on, made sure I have funds available etc. and made sure the purchase does serve a purpose in the collection.
I understand the flipping madness, but I just don't understand how anyone can buy a brand new watch from an AD, and try to sell it just a couple of days later. Do these people just buy thousands of pounds worth of watches on impulse, and then get home and realise they forgot to try it on, don't like or need it, or can't afford it?
Much as I love watches and would love to try loads of new ones, I just couldn't ever imagine buying a brand new watch just to sell a couple of days later.
I think that could be said for a few things, like cars etc.
There are some people just like the feeling of buying something, or just have to much money and so just don't care!
I like to keep my purchases and so will do the research where possible before hand!
Even if there was no financial penalty in doing so?Originally Posted by Archduke
Sometimes the thrill is in the chase and reality doesn't live up to the hype.
In the past I have been guilty of trying a number of watches and selling fairly soon afterwards - I remember going through a number of Speedmasters trying to find one to keep - but ultimately decided the model range was not for me.
There must be any number of reasons someone would try for a short time and sell on.
Just look at almost any new release of Rolex models and you will see the same pattern - sometimes sold on at a small profit and sometimes at a small loss. At the end of the day the used watch market is huge and there are buyers for all popular models.
It's just a matter of time...
Not something I do, but I can see how it happens.
You may be in a part of the world where discounts are a little more available and the VAT is zero. You know what you can get for the watch in UK. So you may as well buy it, there is no penalty at all, in fact some of your travel costs may even be offset. You can have the watch long enough to get a good look at it and know how it feels to wear, then just flip it. If you do it often enough, you may even build a good relationship with the AD for other watches you may purchase to keep.
I've bought a few watches that are 'practically' new, at much lower than normal UK prices, - mostly JDM (Japan Domestic Market) not available in the UK. The seller probably hasn't sold at a loss.
I think the atmosphere in an AD is just conducive to dumb decision making, what with the sales people pumping up your ego and (at least in my case) the wife giving me the rare green light to make an expensive purchase. After two stupid buying decisions I learned not to buy watches at an AD. The whole process is just too rushed, and a well thought out purchase requires time to consider a variety of different factors.
I think so, not even if there was no financial penalty. I can't really see what I would get out of owning the watch for only 2 or 3 days that I couldn't get by trying it on in a shop a few times.
And even if the watch washed it's face, there is still a risk inherent in selling it on.
Yes the Speedmaster was the one I lost most on when I flipped after a few months (bought new). Not an experience I want to repeat too many times.
Really?? You can't see the difference between wearing something for 5mins and 72hrs?
It might not sit right on your wrist, it might feel to heavy or too light, might tick too loudly, might have a horrible rotor noise, might have crap lume, might not fit under your shirt cuff, might look too big or too small when you catch sight of it in the mirror; in short, there are dozens of reasons you might like it in the shop and might not like it when you get home.
Yes really.
For a purchase of several thousand pounds I would try it on for many minutes on several visits to the shop, listen to the rotor, look in the mirror, try it under my shirt cuff, as you say, etc.
My local AD has no problem with this, and has been happy to offer to let me try watches on outside to see it in daylight, and to size bracelets before purchase.
Can't see what I would gain by buying it and taking it home for a day or two, apart from removing stickers.
Last edited by Archduke; 13th May 2014 at 11:50.
But if it was a highly desirable model that wouldn't be there the next time you visited and no guarantee when you might actually see one again and if there was no financial risk and you had the funds available then I can see why you might grab it when available and decide in slightly slower time if it is a keeper or not.
I'm sure I would do this if I was in this position.
"To the most beautiful moment in life, Better than a deed, better than a memory, the moment... of anticipation!"
"To the most beautiful moment in life, Better than a deed, better than a memory, the moment... of anticipation!"
Very eloquently put sir. I liken it to this.
I have had loads of girlfriends.Binned them or got binned and got another model.I had a girl that was a keeper until something else caught my eye. I now have a wife of 13 years. She stays.
I have found that it is possible to go through the whole build up and anticipation to reality dawning and then back-tracking as some sort of thought experiment, without ever having to actually go through the process of handing over cash and owning the bloody thing. You just have to be patient and let it pass and move on. This year I have owned in a 'virtual' sense all sorts of nice watches I cannot really justify and moved on without regret!"To the most beautiful moment in life, Better than a deed, better than a memory, the moment... of anticipation!"
Martin
I guess for some people if cashflow is not a problem then why not try out a new watch for a day or two.
I think some people prob jump the gun a bit though e.g. I lusted for a SS White Daytona for ages, kept looking at beautiful pics online etc. once it arrived I liked it but was not in love like previous purchases. Have been close to trading it etc however the other night wore to a function and really bonded with it that night and have been wanting to wear it all weekend however been doing various tasks which required my beater.
Think I learnt a lesson that night that you need to give a new watch at least a month
I must have collected a similar virtual collection - some of the fun for me is the research, reading up on reviews from owners - and the ones I look at are nowhere near some of the exotics I see posted up on the forum.
Although I have very recently ordered a Tuna without trying one before, it is currently on the way over from Japan. Should I not bond with it, there is no benefit in me keeping it, so would rather take a small hit and move on.
I must admit it seems odd to me.
I suppose I might feel a bit pressured into buying a watch, but I'd get over that if it was more than £100!
I guess we all find things we don't like as much as we thought we would, but I can't really understand the concept of buying something and deciding in a few days it wasn't right. I'd know if I was really going to hate something in a few days time before I bought it and if I grew to realise I didn't like something as much as I thought I would, it would take a bit longer.
Still, I suspect in many of these cases, someone's done a cracking deal and is looking to make a few quid quickly, so the fiction that "It's just too big" or "I'm not bonding with it" is just to make you, the buyer, not suspect there's a bit of wiggle room on the price...
M.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Sounds like classic buyers remorse to me. On sub £200 watches I will buy new and move on at a loss if I can't pick one up on sales corner. I just view it as keeping the hobby fresh and something interesting on my wrist. I would spend more on a night out meal pub etc than something that lasts a few days and get most of my money back. Don't know on Rolex etc don't have that sort of money.
I could never go into an AD and try one watches let alone buy one. However watches are like clothes: just because it looks great in photos doesn't mean it I'll look good on the wrist.
I bought a 16610 and hardly wear it but am loathed to sell it. There are some watches that still give me tingles when I look at them in my collection and others that fail to excite me when they arrived and I feel no attachment to. These are the ones to get flipped. Eg: I lusted after a jean Richard highlander new model- I ordered it from the USA - paid massive duties and as soon as I opened the box it looked and felt like about £50 worth :( so I sent it back and lost nearly £200 in customs charges. I guess that's the totally mad world of watch desire and flipping cycle
I have commented on this before, I assumed that they were buying them with vouchers from work or Tesco points. Its also a good way to get a cash advance on your credit card without paying the higher rate.
I do this far too often for my sanity but the way I reconcile things with myself is that as long as I get a decent deal from new then flipping losses are minimised, plus once the watch is worn it is no longer new and therefore I can buy a used watch of equal stature on the forums for a decent price so I lose on the sale value of my newly flipped watch but gain on the buying value of a pre owned forum bargain.
And also, without seeming too crass, it's only money, by this I mean I really don't care about the value of my watch portfolio and if a watch has been resold at a loss as I don't view the watches as investments. I could buy a brand new Hublot Big Bang discounted from Darren Reay for £7,500, wear it a few weeks, sell it here on SC for around £6,500, then 2 weeks later buy the exact same Hublot off the forums for £6,500 or less. Have I really lost money? Well I lost money the instant I strapped the watch on but at the end of the day in the scenario above I still have a Hublot Big Bang, it has just depreciated.
And one final point - people worry about their watch being flipped at a loss yet don't bat an eyelid at their car's massive depreciation.
In the past I have made a lot of impulse purchases and never really thought them through. Part of this was down to getting a good discount from new, and when I did flip them I rarely lost much money.
For example; not so long ago I bought a Breitling Avenger Seawolf II with the cobra yellow dial. I got caught up in the yellow dial craze. When I got home I wore the watch for longer than 5 minutes and realised it didn't suit me at all and I didn't actually like yellow dial watches all that much. Basically just stupid impulse buys but from now on I am making much more informed and thought out decisions. Never say never though, I really like the look of the new X33!
In the past 6 months I've spent in the region of £7k on various watches for myself and the wife and all from an AD. If they want to rush me then they don't get my money. In all fairness to most of them they are all very patient, I will try on everything I like and then keep it on my wrist for a while.
Back to the op, I've flipped only one watch BUT I can see how it happens. As someone else has said the thrill is in the research and the chase. The reality sometimes isn't as great as owning a piece.
If I was a multi millionaire I know I would flip cars like there was no tomorrow and I guess for some watches are no different.
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 13th May 2014 at 23:07.
Amen to that brother. I've lost something in the order of £3000 per year on various cars, so much so I budget for it as cost of ownership. If you think about it that's a lot of nice watches, flipped or not.
On point, if you don't feel an affinity towards a watch after a few days and especially if you have stumped up a significant wad for it then for me at least I'd rather free up the cash for something more rewarding, be it another watch, a holiday, some maths tuition for my kids or whatever. Better that than trying to love it, convince myself it was a sound purchase, finally concluding that it was a mistake and then flipping it anyway.
“Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
I should have clarified that. I don't recall being pressured by the ADs, but when I have the wife along I'm always conscious of the fact that she views the stop at a watch store as a brief interruption of her shopping agenda. I guess the lesson I've learned is don't go shopping with the spouse.
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