Vegas watch shopping day - review

[rosspanics]

Spent last Friday in Vegas doing some watch window-shopping... thought I would share my notes with everyone as the "where should I shop in Vegas" question seems to be asked regularly (including by me a few months ago)... these are in order in which I visited them. I "starred" (***) the ones that were the best experience and are not to be missed in Vegas.

Rolex Boutique (Encore) – Nice shop, woman salesperson wasn’t too friendly. They had just opened for the morning. Didn’t stay too long, knew there was bigger fish ahead.

*** Rolex Boutique (Wynn) – Best selection in the world? Yeah, they have quite a few beauties. Definitely the place to check out jeweled watches. An Eastern European couple was trying on several in the $70 – 170k price range. Doubt they were serious. A couple of young girls from California were trying on 36mm Datejusts. I thought about trying on a few things, but there were only 2 salespeople who were tied up with the other 2 groups, so I moved on.

*** Wynn and Company – Wow. A lot of very nice brands here! Was disappointed though at the lack of Patek and Lange options. Maybe 12-15 Pateks and 5-7 Langes in the cases. I asked the saleslady and she gave me the whole “Patek is sold out worldwide and we can’t get anymore, get one now while you can” speech. Anyways, this was my first shop that got a wrist workout. Tried on the Patek Nautilus 5980, which is quite impressive on the wrist! I also tried on a Patek Calatrava 5296G, which is such a classic dress watch! Wish they had it in the sector dial though. Over at the Lange case, I tried on the Grand Lange 1 in platinum, also a very impressive piece. They didn’t have any 1815s though, which is what I was really looking to try on. Saleslady and I had a little more chat, then time to move on.

Van Cleef and Arpels (Palazzo) – Just happened to walk by and I’ve never been in a VC&A store, so thought I’d take a quick look. The salesguy was really nice and showed me a few of their timepieces through the case. The ladies Charms watches were kind of cool and classic. I asked if they had the Pont des Amoureux in yet and he said they were next on the list to receive one. Price is $113k, if I recall.

IWC Boutique (Palazzo) – Had a nice chat with Steve here. The new Portofino line is quite impressive! Tried on several of them, all fit my medium-sized wrist very well. Steve was wearing a vintage IWC that was his grandfather’s, very cool!

Vicci Fine Jewelry (Caesars) – Didn’t stay long here. Looked at the few Richard Milles that they had through the glass. Saleslady was really pushy and didn’t know her stuff. This place won’t be in business long.

Tourneau (Caesars) – The infamous Tourneau! Walked the entire store (which is HUGE if you haven’t been there) once before someone asked if I needed any help. They had all of the usual Rolexes, didn’t need to try any of those on. Nothing draw my eye in the Patek or Omega cases. But, they did have some pre-owned Rolexes that were nice. Tried on a 5513 on NATO that was a real bargain at $9k. Also looked at a few pre-owned WG Daytonas that were nice, although also very expensive. Salesguy had a nice Root Beer GMT on, which was cool.

Hyde Park (Caesars) – Stopped in just for a few minutes here. I’m a regular at the Denver store, thought I should say hi to the crew down there. Christine was nice and helpful. She offered me a bottle of water, first one I had been offered all day (and it was 93 degrees out by now)! Two east coast guys were crowding the Rolex counter and trying to negotiate hard on prices. Discounts were possible, although these guys were looking for a total steal. I briefly mentioned to them that prices are going up on Tues, so they better take the discount today if they’re serious.

Roman Times (Caesars) – Very quick stop in here. Lots of Tags, which really don’t interest me. A friend of mine bought his Tag here a few years ago, so I thought I’d check em out. Nothing really to see though.

*** Tessorini (Bellagio) – This is of my favorite stores in Vegas. Right off the casino and lobby, very centrally located. Huge selection of Rolexes up front. I started to wonder how many BNIB Rolexes there are in Vegas across all of the dealers? Must be thousands and thousands! Anyways, went back to the PP counter to see what they had there. They had a 5396G still in the bag. I looked at it, the lady told me they were keeping it in the bag in case a collector bought it. Give me a break! I can see if it was a special order, but its not THAT high end, especially for PP, that it needs to be babied to that extent. Guy next to me walked out the door with a 5712 Nautilus. That’s a heck of a nice watch! Saleslady was nice and accommodating, although seemed to be in a hurry to get me out of there even though there was nobody else besides the one other guy in the store.

*** Tourbillion (City Center) – This is the Swatch Group’s new boutique in City Center. Most all of the watches are in display cases that face the outside of the store. Kind of big city/ European in that regard. Sophia was great to talk with. I tried on the Glashutte Senator Perpetual Calendar in SS, which is a great watch! Perpetual under $20k is great (and its under $10k on the pre-owned market). This watch is on my list to consider. I don’t have the cash for a PP or Lange Perpetual, but would like to own one someday.

Anyways, that was my day. Took about 6 hours to cover all of those bases and stop for a quick lunch. The number of Rolexes in that city is overwhelming and, although they’re still my favorite brand, make me want a PP or Lange even more to stand out in the crowd. Was disappointed in the selection of those 2 high end brands though, the shops that carried them had under a dozen in stock. I would expect more from Vegas. I hope to make this an annual or bi-annual adventure, probably in line with another event like one of the jewelry shows next time. Hopefully my sore feet will have recovered by then!

[mfer]

Thanks for this. Perfect timing for me as I'm going to Vegas soon!

[Dr. Robert]

Excellent.

[Sixxgrand1]

Great read and contribution. Thanks!

[Cru Jones]

great post!! THANK YOU.

[tgoose1]

You didn't mention the "Pawn Stars" establishment, bet they have an interesting collection of Rolex/etc.?

[troyus]

Great post, sounds like a window shopping dream day.

[btinl]

I was in Vegas this past weekend as well. The Rolex Boutique at the Wynn was by far the most pleasant experience. They didn't have a SS SubC but they did have the 39mm Explorer I. My buddy decided to pick it up before the price increase. The salesman Larry was a true gentleman and he knew his watches. We talked about Panerai and the Basel show prior to looking at watches. The people over at Wynn and Co. were also very nice. They have a great selection of Panerai. While I was there, a guy purchased a ~$135k diamond bezeled PP Nautilus.

Bejeweled at Mandalay Bay was absolutely terrible. They had a good selection of Rolex including the SS SubC in both black and green, but the sales people were rotten. The store was empty yet no one came to help us. Eventually I told the guy working there that I would like to see the sub. He responded, "it's right there in the case.". Needless to say, I will never stop there again.

I didn't get anything in Vegas, but I did pick up a new SS Daytona from my AD in New Jersey on Saturday before the price hike.

[TopNotchChach]

Good looking out!

Best place for panerai?

[KBM]

Very informative, thanks for the post.

[klayface]

Did you happen to notice any SS daytonas sitting all alone in display cases at any of those stores?

[LightOnAHill]

it's right there in the case

[MortgageGuy]

Great info, thanks for sharing

[rosspanics]

Originally Posted by klayface

Did you happen to notice any SS daytonas sitting all alone in display cases at any of those stores?

Not one.

[rosspanics]

Originally Posted by TopNotchChach

Good looking out!

Best place for panerai?

Tessorini and Wynn both had a good display of Panerais. I'm not a huge Panerai fan, so I couldn't give you specifics on models though.

[rosspanics]

Originally Posted by tgoose1

You didn't mention the "Pawn Stars" establishment, bet they have an interesting collection of Rolex/etc.?

Didn't make it over there. Where is it? I would like to see it sometime.

[Frogman4me]

Wow this is wonderful, I plan on being in Vegas late July and can really use this. Cheers

[tkc324]

Excellent review... was at Vegas 3 weeks ago... went to Wynn, Encore and Palazzo stores... very nice stores.

[mtrunner]

Great recap of your experience. Thanks for sharing. Gives me a better idea where to go next time I am in Vegas.

[hennabav]

Great post! Very detailed...LOL!! Hope you had fun though! LV is definitely a place to go window shopping!!

[Abid]

Glad you enjoyed your stay in Vegas believe me its getting hot here! Oh word of friendly advice avoid purchasing a watch from the casinos! They're over priced and do very little on discounts!

There was one occasion where a business man from China who stopped into the Wynn and Company and ended up purchasing two Pateks totaling150k, and he purchased in cash!

[btinl]

Originally Posted by Abid

Glad you enjoyed your stay in Vegas believe me its getting hot here! Oh word of friendly advice avoid purchasing a watch from the casinos! They're over priced and do very little on discounts!

There was one occasion where a business man from China who stopped into the Wynn and Company and ended up purchasing two Pateks totaling150k, and he purchased in cash!

Where are the best places to buy in Vegas?

[rosspanics]

Originally Posted by Abid

Glad you enjoyed your stay in Vegas believe me its getting hot here! Oh word of friendly advice avoid purchasing a watch from the casinos! They're over priced and do very little on discounts!

There was one occasion where a business man from China who stopped into the Wynn and Company and ended up purchasing two Pateks totaling150k, and he purchased in cash!

Alot of Chinese are buying in Vegas. The 5712 that I saw go out the door at Tessorini was to a Chinese man. Also saw one looking hard at several Pateks at Tourneau.

As a side, but somewhat related note, saw a Chinese man hit some bet (I have no idea what?!?) at the sports book at Caesars for $85k and take it in cash! I had no idea they'd even let you do that!

[Abid]

Originally Posted by btinl

Where are the best places to buy in Vegas?

Honestly In my searching I haven't really found any location in Vegas on or off the strip that offer watches at a decent price.

I was talking to another member here who also lives in Vegas and he mentioned one local jeweler here in Summerlin who offer decent prices on Rolex. I haven't been there yet to check them out, but it seems that the other member has purchased quiet a few pieces from them so he has a good relationship with that AD.

So far I would say source out models from sellers here on TRF for the best prices.

[skyedog]

thank you for sharing~!

[Abid]

Originally Posted by rosspanics

Alot of Chinese are buying in Vegas. The 5712 that I saw go out the door at Tessorini was to a Chinese man. Also saw one looking hard at several Pateks at Tourneau.

As a side, but somewhat related note, saw a Chinese man hit some bet (I have no idea what?!?) at the sports book at Caesars for $85k and take it in cash! I had no idea they'd even let you do that!

Yeah big money here! Even when they say the economy is taking a hit, i mean for 85k you can buy a house here in Vegas. Also if you haven't notice if walk into a watch store the Asian ethnic crowed will get more attention then the non Asian crowds. I guess the sales managers have told their employees that this people are actually serious about making purchases. Which ok with me because its 100% true. And I like being under the radar, Hate it when sales manger watch you like a hawk.

[TopNotchChach]

be there next week. want to get a pre-owned pam

[btinl]

Originally Posted by TopNotchChach

be there next week. want to get a pre-owned pam

Check out some of the collectors forums for preowned pieces. Just be sure to check references and exercise due diligence.

[Abid]

Originally Posted by rosspanics

Didn't make it over there. Where is it? I would like to see it sometime.

I actually visited the famous "pawn stars" Honestly it was a waste of time, they had a very small selection of Rolex watches, and there were extremely over priced I believe I saw a used no box no papers Sub-no date non cosc for 7k I saw that and left. But Check out the store for the other cool stuff they have.

[oldman2005]

Thousands of Rolex but not a single SubC??? SubC is easy to find locally with some discounts. Vegas is good place to browse for watches.