Distance traveled would have to be proportional to the value of the watch.
If this buyer is flying in to buy a Casio then that would raise suspicions!
Evening all,
A colleague is selling one of their watches on chrono24 and a buyer wishes to fly from Northern Ireland to Southampton to collect and pay for the watch in person. I said that would make me nervous of the buyer as just seems an awul long way go! However, I am also pretty lazy! haha. The reality is a flight from Belfast to Southampton is less than 90 mins so I have def driven further to collect cars, watches etc. Just funny how perception works.
So how far have you travelled to collect / view a watch?
Last edited by Gerald Genta; 19th March 2019 at 22:16.
Distance traveled would have to be proportional to the value of the watch.
If this buyer is flying in to buy a Casio then that would raise suspicions!
I travelled to Italy from the UK to get hold of a Hulk! Was told that I’m mad for going so far...
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Lyon, to a bricks and mortar jewellers. But there was quite a lot of money involved, so I wanted to be sure. And it was a day out, although it did involve getting up at about half past four in the morning to catch a plane from Gatwick..
Cheers,
Plug
I drove from Brighton to Glasgow overnight and then straight back home after the deal conducted on the roadside. Nearly 850 miles for a Deepsea JC. It was worth it!
Last edited by tz-uk73; 19th March 2019 at 22:28.
I travelled to Japan to buy some of my watches (around 7.5 hrs of flight,roughly $300-400 for return flight)
I would have no problem travelling half way across the world for a watch if it worked out cheaper than buying here. I’d just make a holiday out of it!
Flew to Copenhagen a couple of years back to buy a watch. Early flight out, evening flight back.
Last edited by Onelasttime; 19th March 2019 at 22:51.
Post office collection depot. Only if I miss the delivery mind
I think of this as excursion, roadtrip and that sth that makes me happy...
travelling to get a gem you re after
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I flew to Italy (Milan) to view and purchase an Ed White Speedmaster some years ago. The seller even took me out on Lake Como for a couple of hours on a stunning old motor boat.
Drove from Essex to Southport a few years back to pick-up a Zenith Rainbow Flyback. 550 miles round trip if I remeber correctly. Sold on SC a few months later. Wish I had held on to it, but still have a framed picture of it in my 'little' study; second bedroom to be precise. Left home at 8 in the morning & got back about 7 in the evening, well worth it though. I'd happily travel anywhere in Europe if the watch was a bit cheaper all found.
Not the furthest, but the worst......Chichester to Worcester. For some reason, it’s a lousy journey. Worcester felt as if in a different country.
Chichester to Manchester (further) easy peasy. Must be the roads.
If the price was right, I’d fly somewhere warm.
Flew Leeds to Paris, met at the airport followed by champers and sushi. Lift back to the airport and home.
Traded the watch back a few months later after the seller had remorse - he flew to the Uk to collect.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
I did Paris for a watch which was a pleasant day out.
Drove to Norwich for another (same model as it happened) and it was a hateful journey.
Half-day trip to Amsterdam to buy wife’s watch. Cost only slightly more money and only a couple of extra hours compared to what I spent on meeting a seller half way between London and Leeds to buy a watch for myself.
Flying to a major European airport cost peanuts these day and if you can put up with the tedium of sitting in an aluminium tube for a few hours, then it is well worth it.
Buying a Rolex in Rome is no more of an ordeal than getting yourself up to Edinburgh.
Anywhere in the UK if the watch is hard to source and what I want. I’m a great believer in seeing watches in the flesh rather than rely on pictures, especially if it’s expensive.
Train travel’s best, but it’s not cheap. I’d rather spend £100 on a train journey than buy a watch unseen and regret it.
Easy for me, because I have plenty of spare time, but I think some folks are too lazy to travel sometimes.
Bristol
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Edinburgh to Inverness and back by train. Started early, took my dog. Bought a lovely First Omega in Space Speedmaster. Did the same journey, this time without the dog, and bought a 16610.
London to Liverpool recently.
LHR to Frankfurt Main & back for a vintage Breitling.....
Anyone who buys an unseen watch from a total stranger and then allows it to be sent through the post is a risk taker. That is fair enough but please don't bore the bum off the rest of us by moaning if it all goes pear shaped.
Last edited by Dave+63; 20th March 2019 at 09:44.
I have twice flown from northern Ireland to London to buy a watch from a fellow TZer. Nice chat and coffee each time and two cracking watches, each if which I love.
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I've jumped on Merseyrail before now to go to Haywood's shop and have even ventured onto the Northern Line up to Southport to visit Mike Wood.
Longest journey was probably a drive to Hilton Park services on the M6 (about 100 miles) to drop off a DRSD.
Flew Edinburgh-LCY-Edinburgh to pick up Mark0's SD43.
Burnsey drove Liverpool -Edinburgh -Liverpool to drop off a Jaeger Deep Sea.
Last edited by 33JS; 20th March 2019 at 11:50.
Hahaha such a London response. As a Londoner myself I think even going out to the Home Counties would seem a ball ache frankly.
You never know, if it was a grail, I’d travel overseas and make a weekend out of it I suppose.
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Leicester
Couple of good watch dealers in Chichester with some nice pre owned bits and pieces...I remember checking them out last time I went to visit some family.
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Bordeaux for an unworn 14040M
My dad still has it, no longer unworn.
I sold a watch to a guy in Leiden (Netherlands) and he paid me to fly it out to him.
It was a nice smooth transaction, slightly spoiled by the 8 hour 10 minute flight delay on the way home....
Simon
I've been on the lookout for a particular Blancpain for a while now.
Most available on C24 appear to be in Germany, so I would happily consider taking a trip over there for the right watch.
Bought my Sub in Zermatt , just a coincidence that it was the same time as I was on a skiing trip .
Joking aside , I’d quite happily jump on a plane to Europe to buy something I really wanted all things being equal.
and enjoy a holiday same time
regret not pick that sub
Last edited by xiaogouju; 20th March 2019 at 15:04.
220 mile drive to london. 1st time the jeweller had sold the watch to someone else by the time I had arrived even though I had already prepaid and arranged collection, 2nd time just window shopping. However both occasions were tied in to visiting family so didn't raise any objections from other half.
I hopped on a Eurostar to do a deal with Pacchi in France many years ago...think it was a Sea Dweller and IWC 3536 trade, not sure which way round though!
Happy days!
Sanjay
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Edinburgh to Madrid for a montblanc, although we did make a 4 day trip of it, the price and availability of an old model decided the trip away destination so I suppose if the watch had in Glasgow we would still had a few days away regardless.
As I said earlier, it's easy for me to travel because I have plenty of spare time, but now I think about it I travelled to buy watches when I was still working. On several occasions I took a day's leave and had a trip out to view watches, some I bought and some I didn`t. Collecting watches is a hobby, so I was justified in spending time pursuing a hobby, that's how I see it.
Buying unseen always carries a risk, I agree with Mick on this point, and sometimes when a deal goes pear-shaped the buyer has only himself to blame for not getting along to actually see the watch.
Best approach is to treat it as a day out and enjoy it.
Flew from London to Houston a few years back when the £=$ was a tad better than it is now.
Falklands to UK (ok I was over on business also)