[Jurgen B]

Hi, wanted to ask for some help regarding whether it is OK / recommended to buy
Glashuette Original on the grey market vs. from an authorized dealer.

New Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar Silver Dial

delraywatch.com

New Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite White Dial

delraywatch.com

Prices are about 20% below the list-price and Delay watches appears to be a legitimate company.
Does anyone have experience either with grey market for GO or with Delray watches?

Thank you kindly for any advice
Juergen

 

[CometHunter]

I've never heard of them, nor can I remember seing anything about them in WatchTime or Orologi magazine, not that that proves much of anything. Look.... I can only pretend I know what dropping a 5-digit figure on a watch is like. My most expensive purchase, ever, was a previously-used Ball Fireman ll owned by a fellow WTF member.
But if I were to buy a G.O., I would

***Figure out which Authorized Dealer(s) I would use, find out ALL the details on what is covered by the watch's warranty and then compare that to the warranty offered by Delray. Purchasers often lose some warranty benefits when buying through the grey market. Not every part or function on the watch may be covered. Likewise with service after the sale.
God forbid something is wrong with your watch, but if there is, will Delray honor the watch's servicing needs or repairs the same way that the AD will? Some grey market vendors won't even cover something as simple as replacing a cracked watch crystal. and did you know that if, for example, you go and install something as minor as an aftermarket bezel on your Rolex Submariner, Rolex has the legal right to disavow the watch's ENTIRE warranty and can consider your watch a counterfeit, even if you can prove you used a Rolex AD. I know it's an extreme example, but it illustrates my point of knowing all your rights as a customer.

*** Ask Delray if they are willing to supply you with contact information on previous customers so that you can ask other buyers what kind of buying experience they had. I know that if I were selling an $18,000 watch, I'd want to make sure the potential buyer was feeling at ease with the pending transaction!
Good luck. And come back to let us know how things turned out, or even if you have other questions.

 

[mikeyt_53]

Do a google search for "Delray Watch Reviews" and form an opinion. I'll agree with CometHunter in that when buying a prestige watch, an effective warranty is a big consideration. I'm not sure who Delray would send the watch to in the event your purchase has a problem and I doubt that Glashutte would honor the warranty. Also... we say this time & time again; "Buy the seller".

 

[Jurgen B]

I've never heard of them, nor can I remember seing anything about them in WatchTime or Orologi magazine, not that that proves much of anything. Look.... I can only pretend I know what dropping a 5-digit figure on a watch is like. My most expensive purchase, ever, was a previously-used Ball Fireman ll owned by a fellow WTF member.
But if I were to buy a G.O., I would

***Figure out which Authorized Dealer(s) I would use, find out ALL the details on what is covered by the watch's warranty and then compare that to the warranty offered by Delray. Purchasers often lose some warranty benefits when buying through the grey market. Not every part or function on the watch may be covered. Likewise with service after the sale.
God forbid something is wrong with your watch, but if there is, will Delray honor the watch's servicing needs or repairs the same way that the AD will? Some grey market vendors won't even cover something as simple as replacing a cracked watch crystal. and did you know that if, for example, you go and install something as minor as an aftermarket bezel on your Rolex Submariner, Rolex has the legal right to disavow the watch's ENTIRE warranty and can consider your watch a counterfeit, even if you can prove you used a Rolex AD. I know it's an extreme example, but it illustrates my point of knowing all your rights as a customer.

*** Ask Delray if they are willing to supply you with contact information on previous customers so that you can ask other buyers what kind of buying experience they had. I know that if I were selling an $18,000 watch, I'd want to make sure the potential buyer was feeling at ease with the pending transaction!
Good luck. And come back to let us know how things turned out, or even if you have other questions.

Thank you so much Bill for this careful and detailed reply. Yes, it is a risk to not go through the AD. And maybe there is an option to negotiate with the AD about the price. VAT in Germany is 19% and may be lower at other places in the world. Even if a grey market dealer was perfect, it is easy to imagine that warranty issues can arise. And yes, I did read the conditions from the grey market folks about returns following your recommendation.
I actually did call GO in Germany about this situation, and they sounded more relaxed about it than I thought. It is critical to get the purchasing card signed by an AD. If you do not have that, one can send the watch in for repair without the card. GO will still repair it for a cost. (Nikon would definitely not do that, but fortunately we are talking about watches and not camera lenses here!) Sending it in without the AD-signed purchasing card is not ideal of course. My guess is, if I was asked whether I would buy a new / unused Toyota at a Volkswagen dealership, I would not even think about this. And at least cost-wise, this is about the same league.
Thank you a lot again for all your thoughts and help. I guess going with the AD and trying to negotiate is the way to go.

 

[Jurgen B]

Do a google search for "Delray Watch Reviews" and form an opinion. I'll agree with CometHunter in that when buying a prestige watch, an effective warranty is a big consideration. I'm not sure who Delray would send the watch to in the event your purchase has a problem and I doubt that Glashutte would honor the warranty. Also... we say this time & time again; "Buy the seller".

Thank you kindly Mike. Yes, just too many things which can go wrong. And at an emotional level, the fun factor for a new, inexperienced watch-owner is definitely much lower, if you have to worry about warranty issues even in the first 2 years. It also depends in my mind, how often one was to wear the watch. For an everyday wear, AD makes much more sense. For an occasional dressy-watch wear, I would care less. So it will depend on which level of safety a potential buyer feels comfortable with and what is the difference in cost between AD (+/- negotiation) and grey market.
When I talked to GO Germany (customer service), they said that they are aware of other companies giving e.g. 8 years of warranty, but they had no immediate plans to change that at GO. Maybe they will in the future. In my mind, going with an AD becomes much more important, the longer the warranty is. And surely would I love to see >2 yrs for GO in the future.