Experience Interacting with Watch Boutiques

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The history of my interest in wrist watches started almost 20 years ago. That is another story to share in the future. And once down the rabbit hole, and armed with some sort of knowledge, the next logical steps were to explore the channels for purchase.

There is a whole other side of discussion revolving around buy on the grey market vs. authorized shops or boutiques. I have experience in both - but here I want to focus on shop/boutique interactions that might help those who are just getting into this world.

Major watch brands sell watches through their direct shops (“boutiques”) or authorized dealers (“ADs”). Each brand approaches their sales differently - therefore the interaction with boutiques and ADs are going to be different.

Here is a very common scenario. You walked into a boutique or an AD - you were greeted by a sales advisor (hereon will be referred to as a “SA”). You started a conversation and tried on a few watches. You indicated that you want to purchase a particular watch but the SA told you that it was not for sale and it was “for display” only. The SA offered to put you on a waiting list but couldn’t tell you would that watch come in. SA might tell you that there are other brands of watches you could browse. You left the place empty handed and you never received the call.

This common scenario points to a fundamental factor: whether you have a purchase history with a boutique/AD. When there is not enough products for everyone, the boutique/AD has to allocate the popular watches to those who have already contributed in the form of prior purchase. For a new customer, the quickest way to establish that is to purchase something else that would build up the purchase history. So when the SA suggested to browse something else - that was the way to tell you to contribute.

This type of interactions with boutiques or ADs can feel exhausting and even tiring. This is why there are so many debate online about going to the grey market rather than having to spend time and energy at boutiques or ADs. You will have to ultimately make that choice. “Play the game” so that you get to purchase the watches at MSRP - or pay more to get it right away from the grey market.