Sorry for being a pest but I have a couple more questions. I have noticed on Amazon these watches are significantly less expensive than the same models in the stores. How and why? I noticed one Seiko I was looking at in the fine print it was discontinued by the manufacturer.

I'd like to save a few bucks so are there any Amazon dealers that are trusted over others? What should I avoid if I go the Amazon route?

quote:

Originally posted by goose5: I have noticed on Amazon these watches are significantly less expensive than the same models in the stores. How and why? I noticed one Seiko I was looking at in the fine print it was discontinued by the manufacturer.

Many sellers on Amazon are selling "gray market" watches. Those are watches intended to be sold in foreign markets but are diverted here. Usually they will not be covered by a manufacturer's warranty, but Amazon may provide a warranty through a "warranty insurance" company. Also, as you saw, some are discontinued models that are old stock that didn't sell, etc.

There's nothing wrong with any of the above as long as you know what you're getting, and if you can save a few bucks, why not?

finally got a spring bar tool to fit into the bracelet and swapped it out for the Bond nato. Love the way it looks... makes the midsize face look a little larger and really makes the black/stainless pop.

Anyone seen/handled the Straton watches? I like the look & at sub-400 it's not a bad price.

Really like the blue.

Bing brings nothing and that would worry me. I would suggest Asian (Chinese, not that this is bad) and probably a cheap Quartz movement. At that price, go carefully.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by rduckwor:
Bing brings nothing and that would worry me. I would suggest Asian (Chinese, not that this is bad) and probably a cheap Quartz movement. At that price, go carefully.

RMD

They popped up on the BookFace, not currently in the market to get a new watch, but enjoy browsing a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianO:

quote:

Originally posted by goose5: I have noticed on Amazon these watches are significantly less expensive than the same models in the stores. How and why? I noticed one Seiko I was looking at in the fine print it was discontinued by the manufacturer.

Many sellers on Amazon are selling "gray market" watches. Those are watches intended to be sold in foreign markets but are diverted here. Usually they will not be covered by a manufacturer's warranty, but Amazon may provide a warranty through a "warranty insurance" company. Also, as you saw, some are discontinued models that are old stock that didn't sell, etc.

There's nothing wrong with any of the above as long as you know what you're getting, and if you can save a few bucks, why not?

Thanks you so much. I wasn't aware Amazon was a "gray market" but I thought something was up. For a purchase requiring hundreds of dollars I think I'll remain in the complete light of day. I'll be in a much better position if I encounter a problem. Hopefully I'll have pictures soon. Still want to check out Luminox, but a Citizen Eco Drive Promaster Diver is in the lead.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket: finally got a spring bar tool to fit into the bracelet and swapped it out for the Bond nato. Love the way it looks...

I think that looks really sharp.

As an aside, I don't know if you're familiar with the back story of the "Bond" NATO, but I found it interesting:

The designer of that strap must have been color blind, or maybe just had a bad memory, because James Bond had never worn a five-striped, black and gray watch strap. The strap that Sean Connery wore in Goldfinger was actually a nine-striped pattern, with wide stripes of black (some sources say navy) and olive separated by narrow stripes of burgundy. It also wasn't a NATO (AKA G10) strap, which hadn't been developed yet, but just a standard one-piece strap...and it was the wrong size! They put a 16mm strap on 20mm lugs!

So anyway, this black and gray NATO strap went on the market as a "Bond" pattern, and soon others were selling the same pattern and also calling it the Bond pattern. Pretty soon, people were believing that James Bond had worn such a pattern in one of the movies, but it just wasn't so...until Daniel Craig wore one in Spectre, the (as of now) LAST of the Eon Productions Bond films. Art imitating life imitating art! And so the circle is complete, and the "Bond" pattern is finally really a Bond pattern.

(And of course Ian Fleming wrote Bond as wearing a Rolex, which Sean Connery did, but Daniel Craig wears an Omega on film. Product placement money and advertising tie-ins at work.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BrianO,

yeah, I love the story of the bond nato. not sure who came up with black/gray/black/gray/black, but I like the looks of it better than actual goldfinger black/olive/red nato, especially with a black bezel watch.

FWIW, I did not spend $200 on the OEM Omega Nato strap as that seemed..... ridiculous.

original (funny how it looks to be an 18mm strap on a 20 mm lug):


spectre (man, I love the new co-ax smp):

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Here it is folks. This was in the top three, but once I saw it in person I had to have it. And, a 35% off sale really helped.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Here it is folks.

Congratulations. That looks very nice, and the case is excellent! (My Casio Duro came in a flimsy cardboard box, and my Casio "plastic fantastic" just came on the plastic display stand.)

Nice!

RMD

Seico BlackMonster + Emerson LaGriff:

It's not that Amazon is a grey market, it's that Amazon is but one of a handful of places where some sellers and companies commonly sell grey market watches, as the grey market watch business is huge, and even more so as the price of watches increase.

In many cases individuals travel overseas, buy several, bring them back themselves, and sell them, or watch sellers have others do this for them, etc. The difference in price can be hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the watch. The price is pretty much always a dead giveaway. There are exceptions, of course, but usually...

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Got this Luminox 3089 today and added the Zulu band.

Johnny, does the watch still work? Are the cypher indicators and hands self-luminous? Is the case made of steel or plastic?

Thank you!

jhe888, I see you blue (very cool by the way) and I'll counter with my new blue.

I've been using this as my daily driver w0rkWorkwerk watch since acquisition. The black strap seemed to formal it up well enough for the purpose. Nice and thin, not overly large.

This past weekend was my first attempt at a crossover for casual (a duty usually reserved for my "other" watch, in my now two watch collection). My wife and I went out for our anniversary. Pretty great time, great watch. Wife is nice too!

I think it did a grand job of being playful and joyous!

It is a great looking watch, Rogue. Very mid-century elegant.

You are down to two? What is the other one you kept?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jhe888,

I too like to occasionally change out the SS bracelet for a Spectre style NATO (from BluShark; $15 vs $200 real deal) on the "old" co-ax SMP.

very nice. I get mine from cheapestnatostraps.com