I received an e-mail earlier today, from a reader asking if it was wise to pay for pre-order watches and then wait for months for the delivery? Especially when there was no real, physical watches to try on and gauge if one may like it; so it was pretty much a risky affair.
Indeed.
“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”, as quoted from Hunter Thompson.
It may be hypocritical of me to just give the reader a "yes-and-no" answer, since it was going to be his monies in exchange for a watch that he would own. No sirree, I would just share on my own experiences instead. Perhaps he may draw some references from my experience.
Readers sometimes inform me on the latest watch pre-orders that they have chanced around from word-of-mouth or sites, and some would thereafter forward those to me in case I may be interested to pick 'em up. Some of those that I had been interested were as per the following :
1) Maranez WatchReport Limited Edition #9 and #68 @ USD440 each
This being a limited edition titanium piece, I took the chance to order 2 pieces and was allocated #9 and #68 for it. Unfortunately, there were too few takers so the pre-order had to be cancelled. T'was a shame, but there would be other pieces. Cest la vie...
2) StuckX "The Rock" @ Euro 495 each (+ Euro 40 delivery)
StuckX was a relatively unknown European micro-brand, but it's pioneer piece was quite something. I got to know about the pre-order after the pre-order window period was closed; but otherwise I would have taken it up. Price during pre-order was Euro 495; now it was Euro 660. It was a brute of a piece, using a Swiss ETA piece- it ain't practical, it probably won't allure to most common collectors, and it would probably be tough to flip it off easily. But heck, look at how it looked!
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| Owner's picture posted on StuckX's FB. |
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| Owner's picture posted on StuckX's FB. |
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| Owner's picture posted on StuckX's FB. |
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| Owner's picture posted on StuckX's FB. |
3) StuckX "The Bull"@ Euro 280 each (+ Euro 40 delivery)
The earlier buyers of StuckX's Rock were reportedly starting to get their watches, and the micro-brand was creating their second product i.e. Bull. The Bull was reminiscent of bullhead watches from the 70's and really looked quite cool. There were 3 models utilising mechanical and mecha-quartz movements from Seiko; and I was attracted to the mecha-quartz models and was still pondering between Blue Bull, Sparkling Bull (champagne colour), and Dark Bull (75-pieces DLC limited edition). I have actually placed an order for the Dark Bull yesterday but there was an issue with the payment page, so I have more time to ponder over. Which one would you go for?
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| Dark Bull order confirmation page @ 25/12/2015. |
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| Dark Bull LE. |
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| Blue Bull. |
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| Sparkling Bull. |
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| Panda Bull. |
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| Black Bull. |
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| Funky Bull. |
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| Lemon & Bloody Bull. |
Being a micro-brand, the discount allocated ain't too significant so don't beat yourself if you miss the pre-order. The 1st 100 customers get to buy the watch at Euro 250, the 2nd 100 customers would buy the watch at Euro 280; and the subsequent customers could buy it at Euro 300.
Unless the local socio-political and economic environment improves, the 116610LV, 216570, 25500TN, Speedy Panda, and PAM0005 currently in my winder, would be the only pieces above RM10k that would accompany me for the interim period.
Never heard of this brand until you put it up. Thanks, Andy for introducing us to these little known brands. How is the quality of the watch? I want to buy but want to get your review first.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in the Sparkling Bull but am worried about the build. When are you getting yours? I will consider after your review.
ReplyDeleteDato, better not invest your money on those kichi-brat company. Read this @ http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/22/8823061/cst-01-kickstarter-fails-production-stopping.
ReplyDeleteNearly two years after "the world's thinnest watch" was supposed to arrive to Kickstarter backers, the project has announced that it's pretty much done for. It's a disappointing update in the long saga of the $1 million campaign for CST-01, what was once supposed to be a stylish, 0.80mm-thick E Ink bracelet that displayed the time. The CST-01 project has been detailing its troubles for a few months now, but last week it informed backers that it no longer expects to fill all preorders or to find another company to take over production. It now expects to either liquidate all remaining assets or, if unable to find buyers, open up all designs and distribute and sell off as many remaining parts as it can.
For a huge number of campaigns, "backers" are really just "buyers" placing a preorder, but backers don't always understand that there's a chance they may not receive what they ordered. In the case of CST-01, backers were funding the watch's creation and would receive a watch once it was made — but since it couldn't be made with that amount of money, there was ultimately nothing for them to get. It's an unfortunate possibility for many campaigns, and the end result is a lot of unhappy backers. And, in this case, likely unhappy creators, too.
I am a watch collector and have a few independent brands. But never heard of this Suckx. You sure it's okay to put in an order? Pay upon receipt or pay first?
ReplyDeleteHello bro, I am interested but not sure on the quality. Can you ask them to send you a unit first to review, then you let us Malaysians know? Malaysian cerita sama Malaysian, lebih senang nah paham ni. Hihihi.
ReplyDeleteAny review?
ReplyDeleteVery Interesting Your Post. Thanks for sharing information.
ReplyDeleteWatchBandGirl
I'm a lurker at Malaysia Watch Forum. You should post about the Stuckx watches there. Many people have not heard of this brand. There is a brother trying to sell the Stuckx Champ there (it should be the pre-order piece at €495 since he got it by Christmas, so you may be interested BUT he is selling at the current €660 price). The Bull looks quite interesting.
ReplyDelete