Timefactors Success Stories
There are so many critical posts around the Timefactors store experience, I thought we should be sharing success stories as well.
I’ve been circling around a black dial Everest for quite a while, saving, thinking, pondering and then saving again. I finally decided to have a go on January 16. Like many others, I was doubtful I’d get an order in but decided to remain hopeful and do as much as I could in advance.
I created an account long ago so updated my address and added a credit card to Safari’s AutoFill. When it comes to tech, I usually have strange/weird experiences so I planned for the worst. I wrote down all of the CC info (number, 3 digit code and expiration date) on paper to keep beside the computer. I also shut down everything that might consume network bandwidth so it was bone silent on the line.
About an hour before opening, I copied my CC number into the clipboard to cover Safari crapping out or a sudden game of cat grab-n-go with my lifeline sheet. I also had the bank app on my phone open and waiting in case I had to verify anything.
I logged in to my account, went to the PRS-25 page and had it ready to go. About 3 minutes before the store was to go live, I started refreshing every few 30 seconds or so. At 15 seconds to opening (timed with an atomic G-Shock that I made sure was synced that morning), I started refreshing every second. At first, the sold out indicator disappeared. Then the add to cart button showed up. Tap, go to cart, buy, info check (Safari did its thing—thanks, Apple), tap, pray…
It worked!
First time buying, first time using the store—successful purchase!
I had zero issues with the store or the process. I know the current system keeps many from buying but I anticipated the frenzy and treated it like defusing a bomb.
And it was worth it! I got the watch just before weekend but had work related calls all day Friday. I spent Saturday morning sizing the bracelet, taking in the wonderful fit and finish and… worrying, to be honest. Thus far, my watches have been either G-Shock squares, a 40mm SWC Bunker or a Newmark Panda chronograph. The Everest felt (and initially looked) diminutive by comparison.
I deliberately stopped wearing any watch three days prior so I could “reset” my thinking a bit. And I’m glad I did. Quite simply, the size is perfect. Absolutely perfect! And this is coming from someone with a 7.5” wrist. All of my fears were unfounded as it fits like a dream and looks, well… elegant is the word that comes to mind. I love the vintage feeling and it's nice wearing a watch that I simply don't notice as much while going about my daily business. It’s unobtrusive when you’re looking elsewhere but gorgeous when you focus on it. I also enjoy being able to being my hand back without feeling the gouge of a crown.
There’s a reason that watches were once this size.
I couldn’t be happier. And I truly have nothing bad to say about the store. It did what it was supposed to do. I think the bulk of the criticism comes from those that see it like yet another online purchase. For better or worse, Eddie has limited manpower and resources so it is what it is. My experience is proof that with preparation and deliberation, it can be done—even on the first try.
Perhaps many will see this as a strange post but I just wanted to share a great experience. I’m enjoying the hell out of this thing and will now save up for a Commando or gilt dial.
Good luck to everyone who has a go at ordering!
Last edited by swanksteak; 30th January 2022 at 13:17.
I don't think it's a strange post and I agree that it is possible to successfully get an order in.Originally Posted by swanksteak
It is nice to see something positive. :-)
I'm more than pleased with the five watches I bought from Timefactors.com last year.
I thought this was going to be a tale along the lines of I bought one and sold it for a fortune on ebay
Enjoy your new watch
It certainly is possible - looks great especially with the new Everest text in white.
Last edited by TheGent; 30th January 2022 at 16:31.
I have to say that I’ve also been fortunate with my purchases. Admittedly no attempts in the last six months but even when I was buying, tales of woe with the store abounded.
As per the OP’s post, I already had an account and all my details set up for iOS to do its magic filling in trick. From memory, I managed to purchase on each occasion that I tried.
It’s a shame buying has become even more difficult now, due to the obvious demand but I just think myself lucky to have three great watches. When funds allow, I might have another attempt. Although, it seems an equal dose of preparation and luck is now involved!
Can’t wait to contribute to this thread ….. 🤭
I’ve had several Timefactors watches over the years and really enjoyed them and love the look of many of the new models. Got my eye on a Speedbird GMT at some stage but I’m not getting involved in all this who can order first, 1 second after the store opens malarkey.
Hopefully when you can just go the site and and order something when I’m ready in and in an unhurried fashion then I’ll probably buy something again. Will those days ever return?
Cheers
Neil
What a performance.
No thanks.
The Speedbird range are not in high demand as far as I can see. Thus there's no need to get the order done in seconds to beat others to limited stock (compared to the number of wouldbe buyers). You have as long as the store remains open... a luxurious 3-4 minutes or so (although it varies).
While I am delighted at Eddie's success, I'm with SM73.
And we thought these poor sods genuflecting before Rolex dealers were crackers.
Ah ok Mark , hadn’t realised that and had assumed the store closed seconds after all the in demand models been bought.
Cheers
Neil
I know, here we are, spent years building umm... undermining our relationship with the main dealer, we've purchased all of the less popular models, bought all the optional accessories, you name it, and then when it comes to the LE version, it's straight in the window at a bargain price and sold out before the butler even notices.
It's Rolex from now on I tell you.
Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that all he best Timefactors watches have been out of production for years. He's doing you all a favour.
I already knew I didn't have an ounce of that. Both the Air Ministry and the Navigator are as good as anything Eddie has done and the mini Dreadnought isn't bad either.
Ah no, the store closes after the total number of manageable sales is hit. From what Eddie has said, this is between 150 and 200 in total. "Manageable" here means what Eddie and his helper can ship before authorisation to collect payment expires.
The store is configured to close after the first 200 orders are taken, irrespective of what item is being ordered. AFAIK, you've an equal chance to get a Speedbird or a strap or a Silver Jubilee within those 200 - although the system will only allow x of some of the latest releases to be made available each time.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Well, not quite equal chance. Some items are of course in high demand and so there is massive competition for the few (compared to number of wouldbe buyers) that the system has in stock in that day's batch. Other items are in relatively low demand (e.g. straps, Speedbird range) and so there is less competition to buy one.
And so, statistically speaking, one has a better chance of being able to get a low demand item than a high demand item. Which is where all the angst originates of course. ;-)
But yes, those 200 sales could in principle consist of any mix of items that the system thinks are in stock for that opening.
Last edited by markrlondon; 31st January 2022 at 08:52.
A general observation to those who are annoyed by this: Yes, it is frustrating but I did it successfully five out of the five times I tried, four of them being very high demand items at the time I ordered. It's not even difficult or a faff; it just needs preparation (and, yes, some luck).
And as discussed ad nauseam, there is no simple, better solution. Personally I think that first come first served is a vastly better solution to demand exceeding supply than non-existent waiting lists, 'buying history', and fragging interviews.
There are always exceptions.
I bought a Helm Vanuatu back when it was a free-for-all and I got it at my first attempt, no issues.
I was then accused on another forum of either lying about my success and accusing others of lying about having no luck.
I guess most of that was frustration and I just got lucky!
Helm now have a waiting list, which seems a fairer way to sell watches than the old system.
I guess the current TF experience is what works best for Mr Platts, but it does seem a shame to see TF watches for a premium on eBay while forum regulars repeatedly fail to get one.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I understand Mark’s lining up of his ducks to make the system work although it did sound a bit like a Mission Impossible film plot.
I have no issue with Eddie restricting sales to 200 orders or whatever, but why not specifically control what is contained within the 200 items offered for sale. If a new watch is released and is in demand, make 50 of those available and mix and match the availability of others to make up the 200. Once those watches have sold the shop would shut. If this could be done every two or three windows and have general opening for everything at other times it would give people a better chance of buying the specific watches that they want.
I appreciate that this a futile discussion and that nothing will change, but it just adds to the general dissatisfaction that some feel with modern watch collecting. That’s why I in the main I have given up on the modern stuff and have concentrated on vintage and military watches in recent years.
That what you’ve mentioned with mixing and matching is what he does. At least that’s what was alluded to a few weeks ago. Eddie even listed the amount of each watch he had up within the 200.
As you say, it's exactly what Eddie does: releasing a number of specific models each time the shop is open (as well as limiting the amount an individual can have).
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
If that’s the case why put so few Jubilees in the mix. In one statement Eddie says 10 sold, then in another he still has 300 in stock. Putting 50 or 60 in the mix in a single opening would probably sort the issue for most.
Oh right I never read that with 10 being sold. Can you point me to where he said that? But 10 would be a small number if that’s correct.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'll listen to the MI theme tune next time I (attempt to) place a TF order. :-)
I think that any set of instructions, when written down in detail, look far more complex than they really are. It is actually very straightforward.
Are you aware that according to Eddie this is exactly what he does: https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...=1#post5882505
I.e. You are describing the current approach.
This sort of thing (alternating) has been suggested but I don't think it would help provide access to high demand watches.
Why?
Because the demand for high demand watches would not go away with this approach. Furthermore, if they were released more slowly overall then (a) demand could actually get worse and (b) it would take even longer for people to get the high demand watches they wanted.
Last edited by markrlondon; 31st January 2022 at 14:27.
Or perhaps proximity to a very fast connection? Knowledge engineers, getting expertise out of experts and into AI, talk about the craft / ideology distinction - craft is the stuff you actually need to do, ideology is what you think matters but doesn't. So if you are directly connected to fibre with sod all latency most of 'the faff' is ideology and someone at the end of half a mile of copper on an older computer will never ever succeed against someone near a backbone with UUF to the door in Sydney.
To look at two bad solutions and conclude that there is no better one is a false dichotomy. Simply randomising orders received over a day, say, would give everyone, savant or otherwise, town or country, a decent shot. For a start.
The title says it all really.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
In my case, no.
As I said previously in one of these threads, I am on a rather average FTTC VDSL2 connection. About 60Mb/s down and 20Mb/s up. Nothing special in today's world.
Outright speed (above some difficult to establish lower limit) is not the issue as far as I can tell.
The major issue outside of a user's personal setup appears to me to be latency (i.e. number of hops) from end user to Shopify and/or its CDN(s), and very possibly cacheing or traffic shaping at various possible points (from CPE, to ISP, to transit or peering, to CDN, to Shopify).
(In theory, the ISP should not be able to cache a HTTPS connection but who knows what they're trying to do, possibly badly).
It would just create a new, different set of winners and losers, and a new set of reasons why it was unfair. It wouldn't get any more people than at present the watch they want.
Last edited by markrlondon; 31st January 2022 at 14:40.
Where is that?
On the last (and only) occasion that I saw a complete breakdown by Eddie (quoted above), that is exactly what he did.
And your contention (Sunday afternoons are a busy time) and ping? All those packets back and forth add up. The real question is how far away the cabinet is. In Dorset...
I agree, it wouldn't make any more watches, but it would offer a clearly level playing field.
It's been a long time since contention was a serious issue from what I've seen in the UK. Of course there'll be someone on some dodgy old ISP with massive contention but I have to say that worrying about contention is a bit like complaining that you've got to have an Internet connection to be able to buy from Time Factors.
So yes, very high contention could in theory make things slow but it's unbelievably unlikely from what I can see to actually matter in practice.
Wireless pollution/frequency contention is actually more of a concern to me than ISP bandwidth contention. If I write an updated version of my suggested steps it will include a bit about preferably using a wired LAN connection rather than wifi. But stuff like this is fractional, not critical, as far as I can tell.
For the most part, the only thing that copper run distance affects is speed, not latency. As I said, above a certain lower speed limit, which the vast majority of FTTC connections will easily exceed (even in deepest darkest Dorset!), speed is probably not the issue.
So what is the minimum speed I refer to? Difficult to tell without experimentation but I'd guess about 15Mb/s down and 5Mb/s up. You really don't need all that much speed to quickly load the pages needed and send responses, not even with modern Javascript bloat.
And if one's computer is really slow then get a faster one. We're talking enthusiast watches here, not expensive but not exactly especially cheap, so having a reasonably fast computer should not be unreasonable. It doesn't need to be especially modern or super-fast. I've done all my TF ordering on a 9-10 year old Dell i5-3570 purchased for £70 (which I'm using right now), so clearly a tip top modern system is not needed. It's plenty fast enough to render JS.
<shrug> A different "level" perhaps, but no fewer complaints. You can bet that people would be saying how much fairer first come first served would be. :-)
[QUOTE=swanksteak;5925191]There are so many critical posts around the Timefactors store experience, I thought we should be sharing success stories as well.
I was able to order a Baby Dreadnought Polar on my first attempt to buy a watch from Time Factors. Have had the watch for almost a week now and its looks and feels great, so so far I am a very satisfied customer. The issues with buying from Timefactors are well known so I just don't get the gripes. If you want to be assured you can order what you want when you want you just have to look elsewhere. I was prepared to get shut out, planned to make a second attempt on the next opening if I did, and had a back up plan (another watch from another seller).
Friend of mine managed to get an Everest on first attempt.
That’s me snookered then!
I purchased a polar Dreadnought last Sunday. It’s my first TF watch for quite a few years, the last being the bronze Precista on first release. Didn’t have any issues ordering the dreadnought but it doesn’t seem to be one of the “in demand “ models.
It sounds like you're a relative newcomer.
While some people just like to grumble if something isn't instantly available, a lot of those 'griping' have been loyal customers for a number of years and can recall when you could more or less buy a TF watch any time you fancied it day or night.
They're also often the people who provide input to the design process that Eddie goes through on the forum and so they feel a little disappointed to be unable to buy a watch they've followed from an early design through to production, only to see those watches quickly listed on eBay for a markup.
Eddie's tried to discourage that with the first-year warranty for original buyers only, but it doesn't seem to have had much impact on the scalpers.
I'm probably going to try and buy one of the new Mission Timers when it's available, but I suspect I'll end up picking one up as its second owner, as I did with the Caribbean.
M
Last edited by snowman; 1st February 2022 at 11:34.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Congrats! I did almost exactly the same stuff that you did, but a few months ago this method did not even work (for me, at least). Other watch purchases from other brands have been made since then.
I might attempt again when I get motivated once more to join the mad rush.
Last edited by lexminute; 1st February 2022 at 17:00. Reason: Content
Well done, lovely watch
Sent from my M2101K7BNY using Tapatalk
I was lucky on my very first purchase with TF and managed to purchase a black dial Everest but this was nearly two years ago back in the days of Roman Cart and when more than 200 orders where available during the shop opening window.
Since then I have had the total opposite experience, I'd like to think I am pretty IT savvy also have a pretty decent setup at home and even with 500mb fibre broadband, wired CAT5e cable connection to the Hub from a 1GB PC network card.
I have still been unsuccessful, and last Sunday being my eighth time so far, it must just boil down to perfect timing and a whole lot of luck.
However since then as needs must, I have managed to pick up a brand new black dial Everest (still wrapped) by other means and yes unforunately, at a slightly higher price than RRP, with no warranty cover for the first 12 months but I am not that bothered to be honest as having owned a TF watch before, I have great faith in the quality of Eddie's products.
Happy with my new Everest and also no more Sunday melee for a while so I guess in a way, it's a personal success story.
It is indeed a matter of patience and luck but it can be done. I got mine through the website and usually at the first try, except the PRS-29A & AM which I found on eBay before the prices got out of hand. However, I missed the PRS-57 black (I was lucky to get the white in the last weekend opening) and the yellow/blue PRS-55 (any idea when more will be available?).
My main issue has been the post-Brexit scenario, not just because an increase in final cost due to Customs fees I didn't have to pay before but having to deal with a clueless courier which delayed deliveries, in my last purchase for as long as a month. I can deal with the Sunday frenzy but these last issues kept me away from TF for almost a year. I decided to give it another try last weekend and I just got the email informing my order is on the way, let's see how it goes this time. Needless to say I don't blame TF for any of this but I just wish TF could have an arrangement like other stores did post-Brexit where you pay for everything (item, taxes, fees,...) in one go and you get your item swiftly delivered at your doorstep without any problems or delays. As I said, patience and luck.
Well my polar Dreadnought turned up yesterday & first impression were a bit mixed due to the relatively small size. I normally wear watches in the 40-42mm range so this looked a bit “off” initially. After wearing it all day at work it’s definitely won me over and this is a keeper.
It’s built like a tank which is very important as this will be my new work watch and will replace my old trusty g-shock Riseman. The Casio has served me will for about 10 years but is now looking a bit worse for wear as it’s taken quite a bashing over the years. Hopefully the Dreadnought will be a capable replacement.
Cheers
Dave
I know what you mean. I have a Voyager and so when my Polar arrived I initially thought it was a bit well... small. But as with you, it's grown on me. It's not small at all really. It works well at the size it is and I enjoy wearing it in my rotation now.
Exactly. I think the thickness helps as it looks robust.
I’ve been considering the Voyager, how do they compare?
That's a good question. It might sound like I'm stating the sort-of-obvious but they are very similar apart from the size. Overall I think they wear similarly for me once they're on the wrist. The larger size of the Voyager is apparent in direct comparison to the Polar but is not overwhelming by any means. For me it wears quite easily on the wrist.
After 18 months of wearing the 36mm Expedition now it's beginning to look err... small. 39mm would be better.
I’ve been wearing mainly 36mm watches for months now, G10s etc and recently bought a PRS29B and it’s like wearing a dinner plate. Will have to keep my eye out for a 29A as 36mm has now become a comfortable size for me.After 18 months of wearing the 36mm Expedition now it's beginning to look err... small. 39mm would be better.
SUCCESS......I have just managed to pick up a plexi Commando, unbelievably no issues this time, straight through, however did have the banking app open & ready this time to approve the purchase.
Last edited by Planet Ocean; 13th February 2022 at 15:20.
Congrats on finally being able to get what you wanted 👏😁
Cheers, it's only taken nine attempts so pretty happy to make the score.
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