Local AD VS overseas AD

[buaysaikum]

well... to me buying (direct) from local AD the goods thing is that you get to kio some catalogues, a nice paper bag, and perhaps network with SAs abit...

is it worth that extra few hundred bucks? not for me...

[exxondus]

local watch or overseas watch. As long as its an authentic watch, then its a good watch

[dennlow]

When I started the thread, I was not looking at Rolex watches in partiicular
but watches(BNIB and pre-owned) in general. From the various postings,
I believe I can roughly summarise as follows:

(1) The consensus is that the watch purchased locally should not have a
distinct advantage over the same watch purchased overseas in
terms of resale value. The only advantage is that you can sell the
watch easier at a lower price as the cost of watch is cheaper
overseas than locally. (How true is it is debatable??)

(2) If there is a local service centre for the watch that you wish to
purchased(in the case of Rolex), then there is no difference on
location of purchase(local or overseas) as the watch can be easily
serviced locally. However, if there is no local service centre(in the
case of Sinn watches), then it's better to buy from the local
AD as he can facilitate in sending the watch to the manufacturer's
service centre on your behalf without incurring additional cost;

(3) For certain brands(in the case of PAM), it is better to buy from
overseas due to vast difference in prices and the availability and
waiting time of certain models which the local AD might not carry;

In conclusion, it is still better to buy the watch from a local AD for
'peace of mind' in case you need to service it..... however if the local AD
do not have the watch that you die die must buy, then you have to weigh
the consequences that come with it before jumping in to purchase overseas.

[PamDino]

I believe the thread starter has Rolex in mind (although he did not specify) when he asked the question. One would assume the top brands (Rolex, Pam, IWC, JLC, AP & PP etc) in general. As the discussion progressed, it became more specific as brand name was mentioned. Then, this could be a totally different ball game with different consideration points. I believe there are many other brands that do not have a service centre locally too.

Another point to take note is to select the brands that you collect carefully so that you do not have to worry about servicing your watch.

I think many people in this forum also know that I'm a Pam collector. So, for me, there's no different in local or overseas set. It's not that I do not like a local AD set but I'm not a regular/VIP customer with any of the ADs & there's possibly no chance to get the Pam that I want from them. I think many of the Lau Jiao here have good relationship with the ADs where they can get extremely good discount & received regular updates/offers on good deals.

Dino

[triton]

it is very true, condition of the watch and price. however if we limit to just BNIB pieces to discuss. it will be easier.

yes, there is no difference between an overseas set and local AD. it is still technically the same watch. one main difference is the price. AD has a shop front, parallel/gray dealers do not have, hence the lower pricing.

bottom line is if anything happens to the watch you still have to send it to the service centre to get it fix regardless local or overseas set. however, if there is no local service centre or if the watch cannot be serviced locally, then buying from an AD might help from this perspective.

another difference is when they watch come into sg, the AD has to pay GST. hence the higher price compared to gray dealers. so it boils down to your main point - PRICE.

how many of us got such good lobang like you. there are many people who are still sceptical about buying watch from gray dealers as they are not sure if it is the real mccoy or not. some do not want to take the trouble to go to RSC to authenticate. so for the price of convienience, they pay more.

also gray dealers may not have all the brands you want to build your watch collection. so dealing with an AD might be a better choice. to build a relationship so that you can get better discount.

bro, you are a pam collector MAINLY. so it is advisable to deal with gray dealers as the pricing varies is quite substantial, price could be a new leather strap.

that is why when some people come and ask me where to buy, i ask is it a one off purchase or you intend to buy more watches. if it is one off, go to gray dealers when possible. if it is for future purchases, then head for AD, may be a better choice.

If your watch is not functioning well, do you think that they can service for you? They still need to bring it to the official service centre. So, they are just acting as a postman in this case.

Thus, I do not see any advantage of a local AD set over an overseas set. More importantly, is still the conditions of the watch & price.

Just my 2 cents of unworthy opinions.

Dino

[turbocharged]

Just to clarify, I do not see any difference between local/overseas sets if I am the one making the purchase. That's because if there's any cost savings, it goes directly to me. However, if I'm buying a BNIB from the classifieds or preowned dealers, then I will pay less for an overseas set for the reasons I stated above.

[turbocharged]

Does THG obliged to attend to you since the watch was not purchased fromthem?

I don't see any reason for them to do so. Why would a company pay for the overheads of running a business (marketing, sales and support) and still have to service parallel imported stuff that they didn't make anything on? Would anyone here work for free?

I would definitely pay less for a Rolex that's bought from an overseas AD simply because I know its bought cheaper than local and I don't get the benefit of being pally with the local ADs who might extend a better discount to me on my next purchase. If its the same price, I might as well just buy from local ADs so I can build better relationship for future purchases

[triton]

depends on what fault the watch has.

if the watch has argon gas, it is like 100% need to send to germany. because local watch repairer does not have the equipment to fill in the argon gas. however, those models that do not have argon gas can be serviced locally whenever possible.

THG is not obliged, but they will provide the after sales service.

do remember that you can choose to send it back to germany on ur own, but have to insure your watch and handle the process on your own. however, if you go through THG, you dont need to handle the processing of sending the watch to german factory on your own.

and yes, because of the after sales service that they provide, they will have to charge a little more. this does not take into account if you have to send in your watch for service or not. it is like buying insurance, where u pay a premium now so uncertainities in future.

THG is the local AD for Sinn watches and I believe Sinn do not have a
service centre locally. If you have bought your Sinn watch from overseas AD and you need to service your Sinn watch, do you sent it directly to
Germany or can you go through THG.

Does THG obliged to attend to you since the watch was not purchased from
them?

[Oceanklassik]

I prefer local flavour. Tatz all!

[dennlow]

ADs do not manufacture watches. They simply act as agents/dealers. If your watch is not functioning well, do you think that they can service for you? They still need to bring it to the official service centre. So, they are just acting as a postman in this case.

At most, you can voice your dissatisfaction if it's a recent purchase & maybe get a better discount off your next purchase. Thus, I do not see any advantage of a local AD set over an overseas set. More importantly, is still the conditions of the watch & price.

Just my 2 cents of unworthy opinions.

Dino

You hit the nail on the head by saying that ADs are not manufacturer of the watch and merely agents. Let me take the example of Sinn watches.

THG is the local AD for Sinn watches and I believe Sinn do not have a
service centre locally. If you have bought your Sinn watch from overseas AD and you need to service your Sinn watch, do you sent it directly to
Germany or can you go through THG.

Does THG obliged to attend to you since the watch was not purchased from
them?

[PamDino]

ADs do not manufacture watches. They simply act as agents/dealers. If your watch is not functioning well, do you think that they can service for you? They still need to bring it to the official service centre. So, they are just acting as a postman in this case.

At most, you can voice your dissatisfaction if it's a recent purchase & maybe get a better discount off your next purchase. Thus, I do not see any advantage of a local AD set over an overseas set. More importantly, is still the conditions of the watch & price.

Just my 2 cents of unworthy opinions.

Dino

[Darkangel]

Americans will look at THG's rolex as overseas AD... HKers will look at THH's rolex as overseas AD... so, to me no difference....

You are old bird...so you say that...but newbies nope

[116520]

Americans will look at THG's rolex as overseas AD... HKers will look at THH's rolex as overseas AD... so, to me no difference....

In a sense...yes...for the local buyers who are not so gd with Rolex...they would prefer Local 1s...stereotype...that's all

[Darkangel]

In a sense...yes...for the local buyers who are not so gd with Rolex...they would prefer Local 1s...stereotype...that's all

[dennlow]

I would agree with all that have been said so far. But somehow, given 2 similar watches, one bought from local AD while the other bought from overseas AD, and all things being equal including the price, the buyer would still prefer the set bought locally. I guess it's because of the familarity with
the local AD.

If you are the buyer, what would be your preference?