Reply With QuoteLove the Burlington Arcade and a quick jaunt to Wempe and Breguet around the corner.
Dear god the prices of vintage rolexes are still climbing, having looked in the vintage rolex shop, winstons and Duggans it's a wonder they would sell anything at that price, i think i'll give the birth year Sea Dweller a miss for the forseeable future :lol:
But at least i got to try on a few things, especially in the WoS on the corner of Bond Street, i think they stocked every make i like :D
Love the Burlington Arcade and a quick jaunt to Wempe and Breguet around the corner.
I normally pop around once a week just to look at all the watches I cannot afford! But I don't really care, it's just good to look ..
/vince ..
Did you visit the Omega Vintage Watch shop at the top of Burlington Arcade?
Some fabulous vintage omegas but their prices are ridiculously expensive (they wanted £2600 for a Memomatic :shock: ... the one I bought from Neil cost £700 - and in my opinion, better condition).
Der
so what did you try on? :) Im always too nervous to go in to Wos etc if i aint buying .Originally Posted by Argee1977
Yeah, i had a look at that, but they're all way too expensive, but i guess with the London market open to them they can get those sort of prices, it's something that a lot of folk don't understand, that for all the guys on here who ask for the information, track down the good deals and so on there are a dozen others out there who just walk in and hand over their bank card without even asking for a discount, or even checking the overall condition.
so what did you try on? :) Im always too nervous to go in to Wos etc if i aint buying .
Just a few things like PAMs, APs and the likes, it was good to actually kill off a few of the 'grails' that i'd decided on through pictures. The PAM 249 is now off the list, way too big for me, same with the AP ROOs.
I did also notice that every shop seems to have security that looks very much like ex ghurkas, they must have a regiment round the corner :lol:
Just got a Rolex DJ from David Duggan earlier this week.
The price was pretty stiff but the watch was the right spec and the finish was perfect. TBH I found them rather 'up themselves' and very off-hand until I parted with my money - perhaps they thought I was a timewaster :?
They wouldn't take a card payment over the phone and had a minor spaz when I told them to send it RMSD as I wasn't going to drive there to collect it, which I thought was a little odd.
Nevertheless I would buy again if they had what I wanted.
really ? surely there is a huge market up on them as they simply aint flying out the doors ,so they sell fewer watches but big profits on each.
And there is a Kronometry 1999 opening up on Bond Street shortly too....so finally I can see some Jaquet Droz in the flesh :)
I find this kind of behaviour well out of order to be honest. Who exactly do these jumped up sales assistants (no offence to the many conscientious, professional sales assistants out there) think they are?
Who's to say someone who doesn't look like your typical buyer isn't in fact in a much better position to buy and much more likely to do so? It's just poor salesmanship in my view, probably costing them business.
Makes my blood boil - as you can probably tell... :D
Actually it was the owner's wife in my case :blackeye:
I find this kind of behaviour well out of order to be honest. Who exactly do these jumped up sales assistants (no offence to the many conscientious, professional sales assistants out there) think they are?
Who's to say someone who doesn't look like your typical buyer isn't in fact in a much better position to buy and much more likely to do so? It's just poor salesmanship in my view, probably costing them business.
Makes my blood boil - as you can probably tell... :D
When i'm away to buy a watch i tend to dress a little bit more scruffy than usual, just to see the reaction :lol:
I had to laugh a few weeks back when i was in my local AD getting a watch, there was a couple in that i would describe as sounding like and with the appearance of higher middle or upper class, but i could see straight off they were not really that up to speed and had a feeling they'd walk out without buying, if i as another customer can gauge that from the demeanour and the way they talked then i guess sales people can also spot this a mile off.
But i would also add that i tend to prefer the normal sales people who just ask if you're ok, let you get on with it and then come back once you look like you're deciding on either one or two. I'm not a fan of the others who either hover around you or who ignore you completely.
And there is a Kronometry 1999 opening up on Bond Street shortly too....so finally I can see some Jaquet Droz in the flesh :)
So you like this do you...
For me the looking is great. When it comes to buying one I would look elsewhere and save some serious money
+1 - it's best for most people if you just regard it as a free watch museum / gallery. Having said that, I went into a place near Bond Street tube for a valuation who had a very nice red Sub in the window; it was loose but appeared to be original, and for a good price - pretty much as cheap as I've ever seen one for a private sale, never mind from a shop. I don't exactly regret not buying it, but I should probably have looked at it a little more seriously whilst I was there as it had gone the weekend after.
A good walk if you have an hour to spare: Burlington Arcade, Royal Arcade (Watch Club; currently has a MilSub in the window...drool), up New Bond Street (WoS, Wempe and a dealer at the top on the right (can't remember name), then across to Gray's Antiques which has a few dealers.
Eye candy galore, but prices...? 2-3 times the going rate for some things, especially the Omega shop (Somlo).
Ross
Thats very strange so did I, I was there about 3.50ish, I was having a day out with my wife and didnt realise we were going to be walking past there so that was lucky for me.Had my first trip to the Burlington Arcade today
My wife and I were also around Bond St, Grays Antique market today. Had a day off work so I could go to Swissmade in Hatton Garden, (Ebel service centre). Took two watches, one an Ebel Sportwave diver for a battery and reseal. The other a 1911 Discovery diver for regulation as it has been gaining quite a few secs per day just recently, been told it might have to go back to Switzerland, so won't see that till next spring probably. Anyway after that onto Bond St. Could have met up if we had telepathic capabilities. Anyway always a pleasure to do some window shopping and the wife said she had a nice day too. By the way if you do this again there is a lovely little pub in Duke St. called the chequers just off Jermyn St. Small but interesting selection of real ales reasonably priced pub fare and no T.V., fruit machine or background music, luvverly.
Cheers.
Not wishing to hijack a perfectly good thread, but I just throught I'd add that despite actually receiving the watch on Tuesday (5 days ago) they still have the watch up for sale on their web site :?
Does anyone know if David Duggan are just a bit slow with updating their web site, or do these type of dealers tend to not mark watches as sold in order to get fresh enquiries?
Perhaps the Burlington Arcade mob tend to concentrate on the passing trade rather than web enquiries, particularly as it' wasn't a rare or exceptionally valuable watch...
I love looking around Burlington but mostly looking............ their prices are enough to put anyone off, they sell used watches close to full RRP for many models.
Of all the ones I have been in I find Armour Winston to be the most pleasant.
Still, I reckon the rent will be steep in there hence the high prices.
.
Soon (around the first week of Dec) I will be doing a physical London round as part of the "Future Watch Trends" article I’ve been asked to write … so expect something.
john
THIN is the new BLACK
Before or after a sojourn in Burlington Arcade do visit the Red Lion, in Duke of York Street, just off Jermyn Street. It's a jewel of a pub, Fullers Ales, no music, fruit machines or telly either. You might need a stiff one after perusing those old shoppes prices! Br, RidleyMy wife and I were also around Bond St, Grays Antique market today. Had a day off work so I could go to Swissmade in Hatton Garden, (Ebel service centre). Took two watches, one an Ebel Sportwave diver for a battery and reseal. The other a 1911 Discovery diver for regulation as it has been gaining quite a few secs per day just recently, been told it might have to go back to Switzerland, so won't see that till next spring probably. Anyway after that onto Bond St. Could have met up if we had telepathic capabilities. Anyway always a pleasure to do some window shopping and the wife said she had a nice day too. By the way if you do this again there is a lovely little pub in Duke St. called the chequers just off Jermyn St. Small but interesting selection of real ales reasonably priced pub fare and no T.V., fruit machine or background music, luvverly.
Cheers.
i think i need to take a trip there to see the delights
Whenever I go to London, I always go to a Hotel that is very close to the Arcade. It is always nice to walk a bit and take a glance.
Always worth a visit to see some very good, occassionally great, watches, but I think The Arcade must be recession-proof , as the prices are always on the top side of high !!!
Dont forget Patek Phillipe
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