[904VT]

Originally Posted by HerbStempel3186

I hear you on the value proposition question. I did, to your point, end up paying $25 under retail price. However, I don't believe I'll have regrets about going gray here. My reasons are as follows:

- I feel a bit un-enthused about going to my local AD, 5 minutes from my house here in NJ. The sales atmosphere is a bit sharky. There was an aggressive tone to the negotiations and sales tactics. And to top it off, I took a Breitling chrono to their service department and it is still having problems a year later.

- I asked my salesperson at the AD, from whom I bought another rolex sport model this past spring, about getting a hulk. She got it in days before my vacation, but would not hold it for a week for me to inspect. Bummer, but no big deal, as it's not the last of its kind in the world.

- David's reputation is second to none. There are so many posts about his responsiveness, his ability to obtain pieces, and his friendliness and straight-shooterness. I had no doubts about working with him.

- In the end, it felt like no real difference buying the piece from an AD out of state and avoiding sales tax. I didn't have to worry about crazy negotiations or sharky sales strategies. I can make my own espresso or crack open my own pellegrino bottle in the comfort of my office.

Onward and upward. At this point, I feel like the top grey sellers can take care of an average expectable consumer like me. I won't ever be a 30-piece guy with a Platona and a collection of ROOs. Pretty sure I'm on safe ground price-wise and service-wise getting the next pieces on my list from a David or Thanh. Tell me if I'm wrong; next on the list, in no particular order are: a Z-blue Milgauss, a Speedy 1957, a 41mm RO white face, and maybe a nautilus if business continues to be good here in NJ.

BTW, full disclosure: I spoke with another very famous grey dealer. I could have gotten the sub from him at $8700ish, but I spoke with David first and decided to stay the course out of loyalty.

I'd certainly feel comfortable with going to trusted sellers for pieces and I have in the past in addition to my ADs. More so, I was just speaking to your level of comfort, since you seemed like you had some hesitation. Your response, seems more confident in your purchase. You certainly don't need to worry with David or Thanh. Congrats