They have a Panerai PAM 183 (2007) for £3,550 and a PAM 0048 (2003) for the same money.
Is it just me, or do 'new' prices look good by comparison to items which are already 5 years old?
What do we think...?
I believe Watch Club have been mentioned in numerous threads previously.
There appears to be absolutely no reason to purchase a watch from them
unless you happen to be passing the shop and wish to be charged over the odds
whilst being served by arrogant staff.
Ditto.............Originally Posted by farmkid
Snobby/patronising and expensive.
Go to David Duggan's in Burlington Arcade, or Watchcentre up the other end of Bond Street, instead. Neither cheap, but theu have overheads to cover.
Understood, thank you! I had a feeling as I was submitting the post that would be the answer!
Unfortunately this does sum Them up.
Too expensive and the staff really think they own the world are your a blot on it!
Some nice watches to gorp at and try on though. Which is worth it because it winds the staff up. ;-)
I can't emphasise how different Duggans is. There is a guy that works there with a beard and glasses, dark hair. He's an absolute gent and genuinely wants to help. Can't remember his name. :-(
Said chap's name is Tony and very nice chap he is too. He let me try on a 185k Patek (can't remember the reference) followed by a 180k 5101P.
And this wasn't me posing as some big shot. I merely mentioned that the Patek window was well stocked and he decided to open it and being out those two watches for me to try/see.
I'm a little late replying to this post but having just purchased two watches from Watch Club I thought I'd pass on my experience and re-balance things a bit.
Yes, they do appear to be a little more expensive than other pre-owned watch suppliers I've seen on the web but bear a few things in mind which not all competitors offer.
a) The photo image quality and quantity on their web site is far better than any others I've seen - this is expensive but it really helps when assessing what you want.
b) They have a 'bricks and mortar' shop front in an expensive overhead location but is great for viewing prior to purchase.
c) They post new watches every day and have a very wide stock available - stock holding is expensive.
d) Refurbishment (leather straps), polishing and servicing prior to sale if necessary.
As for staff attitude, I speak as i find. Louise Feather has been nothing if not exemplary in her dealings with me. I also witnessed the owner dealing directly with a disgruntled customer - very politely and apologetically - in front of other customers, not ushering him away - and even offering to buy the item back without prompting.
Did I have any problems? - yes but on each occasion the issues were acknowledged and compensation given without question.
OK guys - wake up and smell the coffee - They're in business to make money but if you do your homework and negotiate hard, discounts can be had. Mine were in the order of 15% which, given the quality of the watches, I think isn't bad.
p.s. I have no connection to the business or it's owner - I just wanted to balance the feedback a little!
I went into Duggan's last week with the intention of purchasing an Explorer 1, I received less than stellar service.Upon inspection of 1998 Explorer I noticed a pretty obvious chip in the crystal, which the sales staff attempted to polish out (even though it was clearly a chip). I noticed this as he was telling me about the expert service work they carry out on all of their watches. When I also pointed out that the bracelet displayed a fair amount of wear ( in truth it had more stretch than a slinky) the response was "what do you expect, it's a fifteen year old watch", I might add this was delivered in a particularly charmless manner. At this point my mind was made up and I took my business elsewhere.
Last edited by Operation Grandslam; 25th March 2013 at 19:38.
Buy a watch in Bond Street, and get charged accordingly - though some pieces seemed more reasonable than others. They also offered me a very low sum for a trade in, though perhaps didn't realise the going rate on the quite unusual watch in question. Guess that's how they make a living in the end, the rent must be astronomical.
That said, they were very polite and usually have an interesting selection in the window. A nice place for the wealthy, rather than the enthusiast with time for research and bargain hunting I'd say.
I have brought and sold to the watch club and would happily deal with them again. I found there service really good and there prices were fair on both of the separate I ocassions that I used them. They were always polite and courteous and helpful and deals done rapidly.
Simon
They are not actually that expensive compared to some dealers.
Considering their location near Bond St you'd think
they'd alway's be top whack but they are not.
They offered me a very good discount on a brand new Patek Nautilus-the same
watch from Blowers based in Hull was far more expensive.
I have to concede though the owner can come across as rather unpleasant to deal
with...ie arrogant
You want a REALLY UNPLEASANT experience? Try the Rolex shop in burlington arcade. www.vintagewatchcompany.com/
This should provide vaccination against buying anything from any of them for life. 1st hand experience. Use the search button...
Comical prices in there as well.
I have to say that I have had fantastic service from watch club! If anything I found Duggans in Burlington arcade rude and pushy, but we all have a job to do :-) I dealt with Justin at Watch club, very polite and had a great deal of knowledge. I didn't buy the Rolex GMT Pepsi in the end but he still emails me now about the watches we talked about when he gets them in! Couldn't fault the experience, plenty of wrist candy on show as well!
I found Armour Winston very helpful last time I visited Burlington Arcade
i spoke with them over the phone once and thought they were very pushy
Seems to be because of the type of market, i.e. luxury goods.
I think the level of service will depend on the general demeanour of the assistant and the type of day they are having, after observing a various potential customers in this type of environment I can safely say there are a lot of dreamers and people out for a wind up. Given that a small percentage of people coming through your door are probably going to buy; even less will buy then and there then you can understand why the assistant maybe at first a bit curt. When I enter a shop there is a very high chance I'm there to purchase and not waste anyone's time but I'm in the minority.
My beef is will car dealerships ! I've been lucky enough to own a lot of amazing cars but could I get the attention of a Mercedes salesman when I needed it ? ...
Probally right about the tyre kickers and timewasters due to there location I expect they get there fair share of people window shoppig and just passing through but thats no excuse for poor customer service
Very pleasant when I bought from there recently.
Problems stem from the fact that the shop is very small, and they only let you in when they want to. So it's easy to get miffed before you even start, when you are left standing outside until they deem it appropriate for the very polite and friendly "doorman" to allow you to enter.
Once inside they were very helpful, and negotiations took place with no snottiness. I got a very decent discount on the watch I had gone to see, and which was in exactly the excellent condition that it was described.
I would draw exactly the opposite conclusion. If only a very small proportion of prospective customers are actually going to make a purchase, then you need to treat every prospective customer as if they may be the one to do so.
Absolute flawless logic. +1
That's an interesting set of observations, so on one hand you sing their praises (expensive because of photographs ... errrr ... really!!?!?) but then admit you've had problems with them but you were bought off with a little bung?
Personally I prefer the shops where you don't have problems in the first place ;-)
I hadn't drawn any conclusions, merely posed a reason as to why the sales assistant might not be at first be warm and welcoming. Agreed a good sales person will treat all customers as if they would be a purchasing customer but that isn't the case and in the luxury goods market there are plenty of time wasters, I'm sure you can see both sides of the argument.
Hi, for what it's worth I sold to them and the guy I dealt with was very honest and pleasant. I already had some bids so the negotiation wasn't so hard, just a beat this price, but they were fair.
Cheers
TBH i would get Racked off with people spending silly amounts of cash on a watch when i was only paid 7 quid per hour, if you want great service find an AD's that's family owned like i have i get a superb service everytime.
For instance, bought a watch from an AD 150 miles away family owned and used them many times it was Saturday about 1.30pm, i just mentioned it was a pity i didn't find this watch yesterday (Friday) as i would have loved to have worn it Saturday night, they asked what occasion and the time of our reservation, anyway chatted away bought the watch, 3 hours later knock at my door owners son arrived with my watch, with the tools for re-sizing the bracelet, we had a coffee a chat and off he went, that's service.
Last edited by Fords; 27th March 2013 at 19:23.
I brought a gmt II Pepsi from watch club and tbh I found them very good to deal with. Bearing in mind I am compley covered in tattoos,arms and hands i didn't find them snotty, rude or dismissive at all which I have experienced in other places judging me on the way I look. ( very 70's view on tattooed people and I know a lot of tattooers especially who are big watch collectors)
I d say yes they are alittle expensive but their watches are always exactly as described and come with a 2 year warranty which is good.
I do see your point, however a very long time ago I worked in luxury retail and perhaps the greatest bit of wisdom I gained on the shop floor was" treat all customers equally (well)". It's a foolish shop assistant that judges a book by its cover, it really is very difficult sometimes to spot the serious buyers, as a result simply be polite and courteous with all who enter your store. It really isn't very difficult and brightens every bodies day ( yes even the underpaid sales assistants). After all its nice to be important but its important to be nice.
I nearly bought a JLC Navy Seal Auto on the lovely teg bracelet a couple of months ago- it was very well priced. In fact i have not seen one on chrono 24 that cheap.
The service was par at best. I think it depends on the brand as to what sort of deal you can strike. I noticed a 16600 for £4700 which was ridiculous.
Please share with us the problem free shops which you prefer - we would all go to them, if the price was right.
Any shop worth it's salt strives for customer loyalty; repeat business is cheaper than finding new business. They do this by exceeding customer expectations and, in my (admittedly extensive years) with those that succeed in this, it is as much about how customer issues are dealt with as it is with product quality and price.
As for your doubts re. added value - photos of the profesional standard in WatchClub do not come cheap. They do not use images ripped off the manufacturers site, nor do they 'snap' a watch such as those that appear on the Blowers UK web site. You could expect to pay a pro. £100 - £200 for the WatchClub sets. Add £50 quid for a polish and maybe £200 - £300 for a replacement bracelett or leather strap (health issues and all that) - plus any servicing costs; and you can see how costs soon mount up.
Mind you, I still wouldn't mid a piece of the mark up that ALL pre-owned outlets make!
Well, that's me done on this thread - best of luck everyone.
Excuse my ignorance - whose 'AD'?
Wouldn't the same overheads apply to any other Dealer? Other than the photographs which you think they'd pay a pro £100 to £200 to do?
Last edited by GMC41; 28th March 2013 at 12:44.
Never bought anything from WatchClub but went into to check out a ALS Datograph. I found them to be professional and courteous BUT not very knowlegeable about watches, but then no AD is really as knowledgeable as us WISs ;)
They offered me a drink, I asked for water, they brought Evian bottle out, etcetc. Not bad. I mean minimum expectations, its not GREAT service, its just decent service. Price I found to be around 10-15% higher than others.
At the risk of sounding too much like a male chauvenist pig, I think men's relationship with watches is the same as with women. Enjoy what you can afford and lust after what you can't!
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