Watch buying advice

[jcdenton08]

I call upon the font of all knowledge for a little advice please!

Have finally decided to buy myself a nice watch having saved about £400 to do so, but have quickly discovered what a minefield it is. Spotted a gorgeous Emporio Armani watch at £379 in jeweller and all reputable stores (John Lewis, Watch Hut, main jeweller chains) are selling it at this price. The model is AR5889. Found some listed on eBay brand new priced £130-180 which must be fakes? Although the sellers have high feedback, apparently Chinese fakes are extremely common and often indistinguishable from the real thing with people never knowing.
basically they seem too cheap, seeing as the watch is RRP at all reputable retailers. There's also a few Amazon sellers (but not amazon themselves) selling the watch for sub -£200 which is almost half the price everywhere else. Am I right to be suspicious?

Finally I'm off to Vegas and California next week and my original plan is just to buy the watch from an official stockist over there at RRP (works out around £280 so still around £100 cheaper) but might I encounter counterfeits there too?!

All advice greatly received thank you!

 

[fataddick]

Putting this as politely as I can Armani isn't a watchmaker and at that price point you are buying a watch simulator (Quartz shit) rather than an actual watch. The ebay ones are exactly the same as what you want to buy - no-one does fakes of watch simulators! True watches are mechanical and will start around £900 for the cheapest. What you want to buy you should get as cheap as you can. It's not going to be a proper watch no matter where you get it from.

 

[8ace]

Look at the time on your blower.

 

[jcdenton08]

I am buying the nicest watch within my (pre-stated) budget. If I can avoid paying £250 for a fake rather than £270 for the real thing then I will. If I had £900 I would've stated my budget was £900. A more useful reply would've been to actually contribute something relevant to my OP. the eBay ones are not exactly the same as the ones I want to buy as they may be counterfeit, a matter I was seeking advice on. Perhaps in a few hours of research online I already know more about watches than you do?

 

[beorhthelm]

...apparently Chinese fakes are extremely common and often indistinguishable from the real thing with people never knowing.

you know why? because usually they are the same, out of the same factory, either rejected due to a minor imperfect (which could be in the packaging no the article), a production over run or simply the manager on the fiddle. applies to most things, not limited to watches.

anyway, high margin items are easy to under cut so chances are this is "real" eitherway. your US price should tell you that.

 

[Bozza]

I agree with my learned friend above. If you really want that watch - go for it - but be aware it's a fashion watch.

For similar money you could get a 'proper' watch, check out the like of Christopher Ward and Lum-tec for well made lesser known watches...

http://www.christopherward.co.uk/men/view-all-mens-watches.html

http://www.lum-tec.com/#category117

If you can stretch a bit further, check out Glycine too...

http://www.jurawatches.co.uk/collections/glycine-watches

 

[jcdenton08]

Bozza, thanks for the links.

Fellas, if you had a budget of £400 what watch would you buy?

 

[Billy the Fish]

Get one of these and blow the rest on cocaine and hookers!




In all seriousness don't get an armani watch. It's chavvy for a start and also it will be a re-badged thing where you'll pay a massive premium for the logo rather than the quality. Save up and get something swiss.

 

[fataddick]

Dear OP, if you re-read my previous post when sober you will see I responded to every question you asked. As regards the particular watch you are asking after, yes the Ebay ones are the same as jewellers ones as I've already told you. No one makes fakes of cheap watches. If you want that "watch" get it from whoever does it cheapest.

 

[Bozza]

Sorry, difficult to look properly as I'm on my phone. I have a very nice Lum-tec I wear quite often. Very well built for the money and a bit different from a lot of stuff...

 

[Bozza]

That's a mechanical watch, BTW - an automatic - and cost nowhere near £900. The boutique brands - Tag Heuer and Omega for example - charge a hefty premium over some equally good watches.

 

[pishhead]

You should be able to pick a Tissot up for around that price mine is ten years old and looks good as new despite being worn often. The armani watch will last maybe 2 or 3 years, also black stainless steel watches scratch very easily. I brought a cheap black fossil watch and it looked tired after a month or so!

 

[fataddick]

I have some very nice automatics that cost £100-150 myself Bozza. I assumed the OP was a jewellers window looking type so stated £900 as I think that's what brands aimed at them sort (eg Omega/Tag) start doing automatics from?

 

[Bozza]

Tissot are decent and don't rule out Seiko either. The Seiko 'monster' is an incredible watch for the money. Again it's an automatic.

I've got this one but with a black rubber strap. If the orange is a bit much, they come with black dials (faces) too...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000EPLR2G/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

 

[Lady Whistledown]

A "watch simulator"?

Surely a watch is just something you wear that tells you the time, and it's still a watch whether it costs a tenner in Argos or ten grand from Tag Heuer? It might be a far nicer watch for ten grand, but the one costing a tenner is still a watch, no?

 

[Canonman]

I call upon the font of all knowledge for a little advice please!

Have finally decided to buy myself a nice watch having saved about £400 to do so, but have quickly discovered what a minefield it is. Spotted a gorgeous Emporio Armani watch at £379 in jeweller and all reputable stores (John Lewis, Watch Hut, main jeweller chains) are selling it at this price. The model is AR5889. Found some listed on eBay brand new priced £130-180 which must be fakes? Although the sellers have high feedback, apparently Chinese fakes are extremely common and often indistinguishable from the real thing with people never knowing.
basically they seem too cheap, seeing as the watch is RRP at all reputable retailers. There's also a few Amazon sellers (but not amazon themselves) selling the watch for sub -£200 which is almost half the price everywhere else. Am I right to be suspicious?

Finally I'm off to Vegas and California next week and my original plan is just to buy the watch from an official stockist over there at RRP (works out around £280 so still around £100 cheaper) but might I encounter counterfeits there too?!

All advice greatly received thank you!

Is this the AR5889 OR THE AR5889S?, because there is a difference.

 

[jcdenton08]

]

That's a mechanical watch, BTW - an automatic - and cost nowhere near £900. The boutique brands - Tag Heuer and Omega for example - charge a hefty premium over some equally good watches.

It doesn't look as nice to me though. But I appreciate it is much higher quality... It seems to have both style and quality is well out of my price range until I get that promotion...

I can't help but feel this might be one of those clashes that happens on here. Like how someone might swear a steak at XYZ restaurant is better than Gouchos because at Gouchos you "pay for the name", but XYZ's is so much better because it's lesser known and the beef is organic and comes out with mud and hair on it. Or "random weird Romanian ale here" is better than those ghastly "commercial" drinks us mortals drink. Or maybe I'm just being cynical.

 

[Comedy Steve]

If you want a sound mechanical watch I had an Oris watch that was beautiful, simple, and indestructible. Unfortunately engraved by my ex-wife so completely unwearable now, but a great piece of kit.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

A "watch simulator"?

Surely a watch is just something you wear that tells you the time, and it's still a watch whether it costs a tenner in Argos or ten grand from Tag Heuer? It might be a far nicer watch for ten grand, but the one costing a tenner is still a watch, no?

My watch is my phone...

Or sky tele when watching tele... Or the oven/microwave when in the kitchen... Or my iPad when surfing the Internet...

 

[jcdenton08]

Is this the AR5889 OR THE AR5889S?, because there is a difference.

AR5889. One is shit the other good?