Buying grey?

[Steve1980]

So......looking to get my first PP. Have spoken to my AD, who are requiring me to visit, with ID, just to register interest, and for them to give me a clue how long the waitlist is.

Or, I can get the watch I want from the grey market, in 'new' condition.....

So, first post to the forum hive mind, - what benefits make it worth taking a ticket and waiting in the AD queue?

Thanks

[Pw92676]

IMHO Depends on which watch and your goals.

[Bazil]

And if you are prepared to wait 37 years for a PP ..

[0nly5iv3Digits]

What are you looking to get? A calatrava will only take a few months - personally all I’m interested in from PP.

[abrosz]

Buyer beware the Patek ADs. I got screwed by one. Most Patek is at or below retail secondary market. Only real exception is the Nautilus and Aquanaut models. The secondary market premium on these is far less than what an AD will try to leverage from you. Just be very careful and document your every interaction with an AD and its representatives. Who you talked to, when, what you discussed, and what was represented to you…. Trust me…

[IGY]

You are in the UK.

FYI: if you deal with Patek's in house shop on Bond Street there can be some valuable incentives from buying from them, even if you are not a whale spender. They will usually offer the first service cost paid for by them provided you do it before the 5 year mark. Clearly they are incentivising you to keep the watch in this regard. You also might be able to ask / negotiate a spare strap on dress watches.

Unless you are chasing a hype piece you can expect them to get you the watch you ask for with a not unreasonably long wait. My experience is that Patek themselves are far more straightforward and professional to deal with than either the watch supermarkets (WoS etc) and or independent jewellers. Your mileage may vary of course, but that is my experience.

[1William]

The first thing to do is research the model[s] you are interested in acquiring. What is the msrp versus what is the secondary market charging. With this information have the appointment with PP and see what they tell you. If they require purchases that are not of the model you want to qualify for the watch you want it then becomes a matter of math for me. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Rolexadmirer51]

Originally Posted by 1William

The first thing to do is research the model[s] you are interested in acquiring. What is the msrp versus what is the secondary market charging. With this information have the appointment with PP and see what they tell you. If they require purchases that are not of the model you want to qualify for the watch you want it then becomes a matter of math for me. Good luck and keep us posted.

I made my first trip to the Patek A.D. the other day. They told me they required purchases of multiple watches I didn’t want to actually get in line to get the watch that I did want. I didn’t even know that this was a thing��

Needless to say, I don’t want to watch that bad….

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by Rolexadmirer51

I made my first trip to the Patek A.D. the other day. They told me they required purchases of multiple watches I didn’t want to actually get in line to get the watch that I did want. I didn’t even know that this was a thing��

Needless to say, I don’t want to watch that bad….

They were upfront about it, but it is really too bad. Some common ground may be to open the door with a model not as much in demand and see where the relationship takes you at your pace. Downside to all this buying high priced watches you really don't want to get something you do is fraught with perils with all the AD closures.

[jgottsman11]

I would never entertain a Patek AD. I don't want a Calatrava or most of their leather strap lineup. Why waste money when you can go grey and not be the slave to Patek?

[Moondoggy]

Originally Posted by jgottsman11

I would never entertain a Patek AD. I don't want a Calatrava or most of their leather strap lineup. Why waste money when you can go grey and not be the slave to Patek?

You are the slave to Patek buying grey. They love it, no one buys it goes back to normal.

Pretty simple.

[masochistsr]

Does buying grey mean your name isn’t on the papers?

[fsprow]

Originally Posted by masochistsr

Does buying grey mean your name isn’t on the papers?

Yes, the name of the original purchaser is there. After that individual sells the watch it goes through the hands of one or more parties before a reseller offers it to you and others. I don’t care what name is on the papers but some folks may. In any case any warrantee, if still in effect, goes with the watch not the owner.

By the way, this is not a “grey market” though in this site it is usually referred to that way. In a grey market the manufacturer offers a good for sale not through locally authorized channels. No watches are sold that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk