Integrity of the Seller

For pre-owned watches, I normally "buy" the seller rather than just the watch. Replicas and counterfeits are a big scene in the pre-owned watches' secondary market these days, so we buyers have to be careful in our purchases. Granted that it may not be the rule of the thumb, but buyers of luxury watches are normally quite established career-, social-, or political-wise so that they could afford the watches in the first place. And when they sell of flip off these pieces, you could "read" that these were quite established people. Hence, chances of you getting a ripped-off watch from them has a lower probability.

That said, there are still experienced con-artist around.

When you have a young chap who knows not much about watches wanting to flip watches at very low prices, you would need to exercise caution. Of course, the young chaps could have rich fathers to finance their horological hobbies.  And I have met one before- the chap wanted to sell a few-months old luxury watch at 40% of its purchased price, with full box, warranty card and receipt from the AD. Of course  I was sceptical; but checking at the AD revealed that it was a genuine item and I later gathered from the chap that his parents only let him have a limited no. of luxury watches at any point in time, so he would sell them off whenever he sees a newer piece he likes, in order to keep to the quota. Bad news for his parents, good news for us collectors.

A reader pointed that there was a Rolex Submariner going at a very low price of RM6,800. He contacted the seller and asked if it was a genuine Rolex. The seller replied that it was a genuine Swiss watch. Now a genuine Swiss watch doesn't automatically translates to a genuine Rolex.

Probing further revealed that it was a replica although the seller insisted that it was a very good copy from Dubai (last i checked, that was not in Switzerland) and that no one would be none the wiser. When the reader declined, the seller revealed that "his friend" normally sold the Dubai Submariner at RM10,000 by claiming that it was stolen properties so it was his loss if he didn't get the seller's cheaper Dubai Submariner.

I looked at the advert and it was indeed mischievous. If it was a replica or copy, just state that it was a replica and copy. He shouldn't pass it off as a genuine article. People like this has no integrity and I wouldn't buy from them or touch them with a 10-foot pole. All they wanted was your cash and they don't care if your cash was hard-earned monies that you have saved for your horology hobby.

There was another chap selling a Rolex Master II GMT blue-black bezel some weeks back. I can't quite remember the price but it was for around this Dubai Submariner's chap's price. I called the seller and he too claimed that his was a Swiss watch and that he got it cheaper as it was OEM from Rolex. What the heck did that mean? In the end, I told him that I was a watch enthusiast and that I know my Rolexes; and if he allows me to open the case and it was a indeed a Rolex movement in there, I would buy it without bargaining. He backed off of course.

Be careful buying pre-owned luxury watches from these unscrupulous sellers. Read the sellers as much as the watches. When in doubt, just walk off. Good luck and good day...