Seeking Opinion : Buying from Watch Arena

[Hendri Leong]

i buy my GMT IIC TT V series from them.. and got lower price. so far i satisfied with my buying. and i never go and check for authenticity.. because i trust my feeling and i trust them.

one of the seller said why they can sell a bit lower because the shop is owned not rented so the operation cost can much lower then other shops.. i think it was make sense reason ...

if i was them .. i also never want to ruin my reputation with one incident by cheating customer.. one incident they were gone...

just my 2 cents...

[seiko.citizen]

do your homework and dont expect information to be spoon fed to you.

[jonolau]

Watch Arena used to be a pawn shop until about 3 years ago when the sons decided to take over and focus only on watches. Yes, they do import a lot of their watches especially from Japan which is one of the top Asian importers of Swiss watches.

I must say that they have some of the best prices in Singapore, but no harm checking around. They have a BNIB GMT IIc 'V' series going for S$8.5k. But variations in prices not just affected by supply and demand, but also timing of initial purchase which affects exchange rates.

The watch import market is a very interesting one. There is also a lot of manipulation of second hand watch prices by brand owners themselves to maintain values.

So, the final price of your watch is dependent on many factors and variables. Of course when price of a particular watch is higher at one shop compared to another, our first instinct is that they are out to make super high margins. But as you can see from above, it all varies.

Therefore, best thing to do when you want to buy any particular watch model is to always do your own homework, and timing! Remember, caveat emptor.

[daveevan]

Thanks everyone for the kind advice. I do have some additional questions after reading some other threads:

1. What is the difference between a local set and and overseas one?
2. How much would it cost to have a Rolex checked for authenticity at RSC? How long would it take?

watch wise no difference, but some people prefer local set. As for authenticity at RSC, S.S watches = $75 as for gold and T.T should be $100.
If there is no queue should take around 20 to 25 min

[Vedder007]

Thanks everyone for the kind advice. I do have some additional questions after reading some other threads:

1. What is the difference between a local set and and overseas one?
2. How much would it cost to have a Rolex checked for authenticity at RSC? How long would it take?

[siambee]

overall i must say having good impression about them compare to some of the private retail shop i have been to. but this kind of issue really very individual.

[exxondus]

He said young lad not young lady haha..

ya a bit too talkative for my liking..but service is good tho

[116520]

young lady? got young lady there meh?

Those elderly salesmen are really nagging.... you're right... ha ha...

True.

Their watches is mostly oversea sets. And price slightly lower then local AD. But some sets does not have complete set such as accessories.

As for their service. I would like to feedback there is a young lad who is very firm on price and a elderly salesman who is sometimes nagging. Overall their watch price is reasonable.

As for price wise I think some of SROC Dealers price are also competitive to theirs.

[optimusprime]

True.

Their watches is mostly oversea sets. And price slightly lower then local AD. But some sets does not have complete set such as accessories.

As for their service. I would like to feedback there is a young lad who is very firm on price and a elderly salesman who is sometimes nagging. Overall their watch price is reasonable.

As for price wise I think some of SROC Dealers price are also competitive to theirs.

[Oceanklassik]

Is it SAFE to buy from Watch Arena? I saw some of the pieces and the prices quoted appear relatively lower compared to the ADs (even after slashing price)...

safe.... if you worry, send it to RSC to check...

Hi Vedder007,

If you mean ROLEX watches only, then 116520's suggestion is appropriate. If you are asking on other brands, then do check which is the correct distributor. Because WA not only sells ROLEX watches.

WA is similar to most other watch dealers/shops here like Visiotime, JW Watch, Hobbylink, etc. IMO, it is still better to get a watch purchased from them authenticated for peace of mind. Why are most of their (WA) watches slightly less expensive is because (I believe) most of them are overseas sets. I visited them months ago and almost all of the watches I'd asked were overseas sets, ranging from Explorers, Submariners and Daytonas, to pams and IWCs.

.

[Darkangel]

Is it SAFE to buy from Watch Arena? I saw some of the pieces and the prices quoted appear relatively lower compared to the ADs (even after slashing price)...

Yeah...of course

[sportee]

Is it SAFE to buy from Watch Arena? I saw some of the pieces and the prices quoted appear relatively lower compared to the ADs (even after slashing price)...

Think they are able to offer a lower price dur to the fact their cost of running their business is lower than the ADs...

[116520]

safe.... if you worry, send it to RSC to check...

Is it SAFE to buy from Watch Arena? I saw some of the pieces and the prices quoted appear relatively lower compared to the ADs (even after slashing price)...

[Vedder007]

Is it SAFE to buy from Watch Arena? I saw some of the pieces and the prices quoted appear relatively lower compared to the ADs (even after slashing price)...

[triton]

Local = buying from local AD eg. THG, WP, KHH, THH
Export set = Parallel Import. gray dealers buying from overseas such as japan, HK and selling it in sg.

What is the different between local and export set? Are you referring to pre-owned or brand new here? Thanks.