AD vs Secondhand?
Been wanting to get the Tudor BB54 since its launch but so far not only has none of the ADs gotten back to me, the retail price has even increased!
A friend of mine recently introduced me to the secondhand market, where I can get a brand new or “like” new BB54 for at least $500 below retail. (Probably people just buying Tudors with ADs in hopes of getting a Rolex)
This is my first watch purchase so I originally wanted the “full experience” of buying a watch at an AD with my name on the papers and the supposed service. But emotions aside, going secondhand allows me to get the watch now and at a lower price. Is there something I’m missing or should I just get the watch now? What benefits besides assurance of authenticity would I get from waiting for an AD’s call?
Go secondhand and buy from a reputable seller (I.e someone with many confirmed transactions, great feedback history, and provides a detailed description and pics of the watch). Use some of that $500+ you save to buy yourself a really nice bottle of champagne or whiskey. When the watch arrives, stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself how amazing it looks while sipping said champagne/whiskey and putting it on your wrist.
Boom there’s ya go. Same watch, same affirmation that it looks amazing on your wrist, and a much better drink to go along with it.
And if you need the bracelet resized, you can buy a link removal kit on Amazon for literally $10. That’s it. They’re super cheap and it’s not hard to do.
Authenticity and warranty. You can always get an AD to check for authenticity, but the warranty is the risk you’re taking going grey. As long as you’re willing to take the risk and pay for any repair costs if there’s a problem with the watch then you might as well go grey and save a little cash.
They don’t put your name on the warranty card. I think the new style is just serial number, model number, and date of purchase.
There are some watch brands you should buy atleaat 1 from an AD because of special privileges. Tudor is not one of them.