Any De Bethune owners/supporters?

[Armis]

Surprisingly, I haven’t seen any DB wrist shots or discussions over the recent few months. I had done a search (perhaps inefficiently), but again found distant threads. Is it because of the WatchBox acquisition and practices that has made DB a limited topic of discussion? Or is it just their very limited production numbers?
Because otherwise, I know there is great admiration for the founders and the brand’s ingenuity. As I hope to be able to add a DB to my small collection of independents, I’d appreciate any more recent accounts of experience with the brand (e.g. acquisition) or their interesting pieces, if any.
Thanks all.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by Armis

Surprisingly, I haven’t seen any DB wrist shots or discussions over the recent few months. I had done a search (perhaps inefficiently), but again found distant threads. Is it because of the WatchBox acquisition and practices that has made DB a limited topic of discussion? Or is it just their very limited production numbers?
Because otherwise, I know there is great admiration for the founders and the brand’s ingenuity. As I hope to be able to add a DB to my small collection of independents, I’d appreciate any more recent accounts of experience with the brand (e.g. acquisition) or their interesting pieces, if any.
Thanks all.

I can’t speak for anyone else but the WatchBox acquisition really soured me on the brand. It has nothing to do with the actual watches but the impossible task of trying to buy one at retail.

I recently reached out to a local AD about the newly announced DB25 Perpetual Calendar. I was told that there will no longer be any US retailers except WatchBox. So if I wanted to get one at retail I had to deal with only WatchBox. I emailed WatchBox and guess what happened? I didn’t get a response. Ok fine, it happens. I waited a full week and then I emailed them again. Guess what happened this time? Yep, no response.

I was gonna just move on but someone was kind enough to give me their own contact at WatchBox and said I could drop their name. I reached out to this sale rep and told them I was interested in De Bethune and he set up a date and time that he would call me. This sales rep calls me up and it’s painfully obvious he’s at home with his family. I could tell he was busy but he was trying to be cordial. I told him he could call me back at another time but he insisted it’s ok to talk now. So I told him I heard that WatchBox would be the sole US retailer for De Bethune and I was very interested in the brand. I mentioned the specific pieces that I liked. I wanted to know how it would work from a retail POV since they will be an AD but they also sell pre-owned watches. I wanted to know would there be a waitlist? How I could get on one? You get the idea. We spoke for about 5-7 minutes but it was obvious he was distracted by his family. I told him it’s ok to call me back at a better time which he said he appreciated. He confirmed he had my contact information and would call me back in a few days. I never heard back from him again.

Look I get it. De Bethune is popular. They make amazing watches but not a lot of them. I have no purchase history with De Bethune or WatchBox. So I’m not their top priority. But I made it clear I was happy to wait as long as it took and I was willing to put a deposit down. I know that still doesn’t mean much but I’m a potential client and was in the market for at a minimum (2) decent independents. Yes I wanted the De Bethune at retail but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have spent money on a pre-owned watch.

I don’t care for the way I was treated and I really didn’t care for the lack of transparency.

I’ve given up on De Bethune and I will never ever give WatchBox any of my money.

Sorry for the rant and terrible grammar.

[sski]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

I can’t speak for anyone else but the WatchBox acquisition really soured me on the brand. It has nothing to do with the actual watches but the impossible task of trying to buy one at retail.

I recently reached out to a local AD about the newly announced DB25 Perpetual Calendar. I was told that there will no longer be any US retailers except WatchBox. So if I wanted to get one at retail I had to deal with only WatchBox. I emailed WatchBox and guess what happened? I didn’t get a response. Ok fine, it happens. I waited a full week and then I emailed them again. Guess what happened this time? Yep, no response.

I was gonna just move on but someone was kind enough to give me their own contact at WatchBox and said I could drop their name. I reached out to this sale rep and told them I was interested in De Bethune and he set up a date and time that he would call me. This sales rep calls me up and it’s painfully obvious he’s at home with his family. I could tell he was busy but he was trying to be cordial. I told him he could call me back at another time but he insisted it’s ok to talk now. So I told him I heard that WatchBox would be the sole US retailer for De Bethune and I was very interested in the brand. I mentioned the specific pieces that I liked. I wanted to know how it would work from a retail POV since they will be an AD but they also sell pre-owned watches. I wanted to know would there be a waitlist? How I could get on one? You get the idea. We spoke for about 5-7 minutes but it was obvious he was distracted by his family. I told him it’s ok to call me back at a better time which he said he appreciated. He confirmed he had my contact information and would call me back in a few days. I never heard back from him again.

Look I get it. De Bethune is popular. They make amazing watches but not a lot of them. I have no purchase history with De Bethune or WatchBox. So I’m not their top priority. But I made it clear I was happy to wait as long as it took and I was willing to put a deposit down. I know that still doesn’t mean much but I’m a potential client and was in the market for at a minimum (2) decent independents. Yes I wanted the De Bethune at retail but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have spent money on a pre-owned watch.

I don’t care for the way I was treated and I really didn’t care for the lack of transparency.

I’ve given up on De Bethune and I will never ever give WatchBox any of my money.

Sorry for the rant and terrible grammar.

This is unacceptable behavior from Watchbox......not an iota of customer service displayed here; this sort of arrogance is ruining the collecting journey. Sadly, now it has become the 'watch game.'

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by sski

This is unacceptable behavior from Watchbox......not an iota of customer service displayed here; this sort of arrogance is ruining the collecting journey. Sadly, now it has become the 'watch game.'

I do want to add a few more details.

When I reached out to their website both times I clicked on the ‘Contact Us’ section and said that I was specifically interested in De Bethune. Both times I got the auto reply confirmation that they got my message and someone will reach out to me. As I said no one ever did.

The sales rep I spoke to was very nice but he made a point of saying he’d definitely get back to me but he wasn’t sure about some of the questions I had. This is totally understandable considering they were probably figuring things out but I still expected some type of call back. When I didn’t hear from him I just decided to move on.

I’m a huge watch fan but I’m not wealthy. I saved some money to treat myself to at least one or two crazy expensive watches (to me anyway). I was hoping De Bethune would be one of them but I'm not in the mood to chase down a salesperson or beg for a watch. Maybe I should’ve been more persistent but I think a lot of us are tired of the silliness that this hobby can become.

[Armis]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

I can’t speak for anyone else but the WatchBox acquisition really soured me on the brand. It has nothing to do with the actual watches but the impossible task of trying to buy one at retail.
Sorry for the rant and terrible grammar.

Thank you, FG, for sharing these details. It is very telling and saddening to read that happened. Like you, in the past few months when I reached out to ADs that used to carry DB, they were sad to say that WB would be the sole distributor moving forward.
What I don’t fully understand with this sole distributor model is who will be the clients for newly announced pieces?? Because preexisting DB owners bought from their AD, not WatchBox. So who gets priority in the new WB world order? And why wouldn’t it be someone like you who is genuinely interested and prepared to purchase? As you guys are saying, the lack of transparency is off putting.
Nevertheless, thanks again for providing insight and helping to manage expectations, for better or worse.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by Armis

Thank you, FG, for sharing these details. It is very telling and saddening to read that happened. Like you, in the past few months when I reached out to ADs that used to carry DB, they were sad to say that WB would be the sole distributor moving forward.
What I don’t fully understand with this sole distributor model is who will be the clients for newly announced pieces?? Because preexisting DB owners bought from their AD, not WatchBox. So who gets priority in the new WB world order? And why wouldn’t it be someone like you who is genuinely interested and prepared to purchase? As you guys are saying, the lack of transparency is off putting.
Nevertheless, thanks again for providing insight and helping to manage expectations, for better or worse.

Yea, it really is all very confusing and frustrating. Even if I couldn’t get a watch I was hoping at least someone at WatchBox could tell me what the process is. If anyone ever finds out I’d love to know just to satisfy my curiosity.

You’re welcome. I also really appreciated your input. I hope you’ll be able to get one. They really are nice watches.

[ajw45]

Hey OP, we chatted about DB before, just thought I'd add some pics

Frugalgreubel is right on, the issue right now is access. I don't think DB has ramped up production as much as they'd like so still less than 200 watches / year which puts them at the low end of the indy pool with Gruebel. MB&F is over 600/yr, Moser over 1k. I don't know how to buy a new DB either but I will say WB has treated me really well as an existing DB owner even though I didn't buy my watch from them.

It sucks to have to chase folks at WB, tbh, thats the reason I didn't buy my DB from them in the first place. I called them first, a few years ago before the hype, and I still had to chase them for a quote. Maybe the launch of the WB locations with dedicated in person staff will help sort that out if you can work with a local sa. I do know they are still trying to introduce DB to more people so not gate keeping for vips only. I had a chance to meet the CEO Pierre, he was super down to earth and totally chill but he's also everywhere. Mexico, LA, NY, Geneva, all in 10 days. The demand is there and it looks like everyone is just trying to do the best they can. Not an excuse, the situation still sucks, but i think its general lack of caapacity vs intentional vip allocation shenanigans. I met an existing DB owner and good customer of WB and he's waiting like everyone else for his next DB (2024).

I love DB watches, the new Kind of 2 GMT is sick and in a crazy way I think it's actually a good deal but still big boy $. More realistically I'd like to add a DB25 or an older DB28 Digitale or skybridge but I'm not in a rush, hopefully this market will get closer to normal in a year or two.

[charger_vital]

Great watches!

I went to an event in Geneva last week called "Reluxury" (a 4-day event for the second-hand watch market... very interesting actually). They had a huge display of Debethunes. One display happened to show a couple of Debethunes next to some greubel forseys (the balencier in particular).

I must say that if GB is the pinnacle "1A" of watchmaking, Debethune has to be "1B." Gorgeous in the flesh and, to my eye, outstanding designs. Definitely opened my eyes.

[Armis]

Originally Posted by ajw45

Hey OP, we chatted about DB before, just thought I'd add some pics

Frugalgreubel is right on, the issue right now is access. I don't think DB has ramped up production as much as they'd like so still less than 200 watches / year which puts them at the low end of the indy pool with Gruebel. MB&F is over 600/yr, Moser over 1k. I don't know how to buy a new DB either but I will say WB has treated me really well as an existing DB owner even though I didn't buy my watch from them.

It sucks to have to chase folks at WB, tbh, thats the reason I didn't buy my DB from them in the first place. I called them first, a few years ago before the hype, and I still had to chase them for a quote. Maybe the launch of the WB locations with dedicated in person staff will help sort that out if you can work with a local sa. I do know they are still trying to introduce DB to more people so not gate keeping for vips only. I had a chance to meet the CEO Pierre, he was super down to earth and totally chill but he's also everywhere. Mexico, LA, NY, Geneva, all in 10 days. The demand is there and it looks like everyone is just trying to do the best they can. Not an excuse, the situation still sucks, but i think its general lack of caapacity vs intentional vip allocation shenanigans. I met an existing DB owner and good customer of WB and he's waiting like everyone else for his next DB (2024).

I love DB watches, the new Kind of 2 GMT is sick and in a crazy way I think it's actually a good deal but still big boy $. More realistically I'd like to add a DB25 or an older DB28 Digitale or skybridge but I'm not in a rush, hopefully this market will get closer to normal in a year or two.

Thank you for your valuable facts and sound points, AJW! I knew (from you) that DB production is low, but seeing the numbers in comparison with GF or Moser is really edifying. Importantly, to your point, it looks that the consensus is that the key DB people Pierre and Denis are great and highly respected. Instead, everyone’s issue has been WB. However, you fairly highlight the reality of business and capacity, especially as such a small shop emerges from Covid’s implications. And clearly they are all making an effort to succeed, which I figure includes extending brand awareness a little further beyond existing owners/VIPs (who do still fairly deserve attention from them). We’ll see how WB plays this in coming months. The fact is that DB has revealed new pieces in the recent months, so what I’d sincerely love to know is how one would try to make a play for these new pieces, even if needing to wait for 2-3 years.
Thanks again for your addition to this discussion.

[enjoythemusic]

Don't have one, yet they are incredible timepieces. If you love one and have the means go for it.

[PhilLynott]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

I can’t speak for anyone else but the WatchBox acquisition really soured me on the brand. It has nothing to do with the actual watches but the impossible task of trying to buy one at retail.

I recently reached out to a local AD about the newly announced DB25 Perpetual Calendar. I was told that there will no longer be any US retailers except WatchBox. So if I wanted to get one at retail I had to deal with only WatchBox. I emailed WatchBox and guess what happened? I didn’t get a response. Ok fine, it happens. I waited a full week and then I emailed them again. Guess what happened this time? Yep, no response.

I was gonna just move on but someone was kind enough to give me their own contact at WatchBox and said I could drop their name. I reached out to this sale rep and told them I was interested in De Bethune and he set up a date and time that he would call me. This sales rep calls me up and it’s painfully obvious he’s at home with his family. I could tell he was busy but he was trying to be cordial. I told him he could call me back at another time but he insisted it’s ok to talk now. So I told him I heard that WatchBox would be the sole US retailer for De Bethune and I was very interested in the brand. I mentioned the specific pieces that I liked. I wanted to know how it would work from a retail POV since they will be an AD but they also sell pre-owned watches. I wanted to know would there be a waitlist? How I could get on one? You get the idea. We spoke for about 5-7 minutes but it was obvious he was distracted by his family. I told him it’s ok to call me back at a better time which he said he appreciated. He confirmed he had my contact information and would call me back in a few days. I never heard back from him again.

Look I get it. De Bethune is popular. They make amazing watches but not a lot of them. I have no purchase history with De Bethune or WatchBox. So I’m not their top priority. But I made it clear I was happy to wait as long as it took and I was willing to put a deposit down. I know that still doesn’t mean much but I’m a potential client and was in the market for at a minimum (2) decent independents. Yes I wanted the De Bethune at retail but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have spent money on a pre-owned watch.

I don’t care for the way I was treated and I really didn’t care for the lack of transparency.

I’ve given up on De Bethune and I will never ever give WatchBox any of my money.

Sorry for the rant and terrible grammar.

My watchbox experience was terrible too for different reasons. Just was fed a spoonful of BS about the watch I was trying to sell and was treated like I was an idiot. I would have much preferred them to just say they weren't interested in it. Instead they fed me lies to justify their other lies then dug in deeper with more after I said I didn't realize the market was so low for that model and I'd like to buy another knowing that (I was being sincere too as I believed what they were saying at that point in time).

Was left wondering who would actually sell a watch to them.

[raclaims]

I’m all over the map with DB
I like their stuff but being owned by watchbox isnt ideal
I may get one at some point and fall in love but I’m in no rush

[Ichiran]

I do like some of their references from an aesthetics point of view but I find their watches too pricey vis-a-vis what they offer. I am not able to see the value.

[Gebbeth]

I have no experience with DB. But for me, their designs are a bit polarizing. I think the DB25 Starry Varius is beautiful. But the DB28 and the "Star Trek" designs are just not for me.

My take on the WB saga is not so much focused on them buying DB, but I remember when Tim Mosso and WB were relentlessly marketing DB for their resale side of the business....I mean not a day went by without a DB reference.

It sounded fishy because something similar happened with FP Journe and WB as FJ values started to skyrocket. I guess there were rumors that WB had acquired a significant number of FPs and had become a market maker of sorts.

Same thing was kind of happening with Moser and WB.

But the DB/WB connection, to me, was out of this world incessant.

Then WB announced they had bought an interest in DB, and it kinda all started to make sense.

So that's the bit that sours me on WB in general and DB in particular, with a wary eye also cast on FP Journe and Moser.

[ajw45]

Originally Posted by Armis

Thank you for your valuable facts and sound points, AJW! I knew (from you) that DB production is low, but seeing the numbers in comparison with GF or Moser is really edifying. Importantly, to your point, it looks that the consensus is that the key DB people Pierre and Denis are great and highly respected. Instead, everyone’s issue has been WB. However, you fairly highlight the reality of business and capacity, especially as such a small shop emerges from Covid’s implications. And clearly they are all making an effort to succeed, which I figure includes extending brand awareness a little further beyond existing owners/VIPs (who do still fairly deserve attention from them). We’ll see how WB plays this in coming months. The fact is that DB has revealed new pieces in the recent months, so what I’d sincerely love to know is how one would try to make a play for these new pieces, even if needing to wait for 2-3 years.
Thanks again for your addition to this discussion.

NP! Like any other brand, I think the wait depends on the model. I saw a new limited edition JPS DB28 get delivered (love that thing) which was just announced this year while the other guy has a couple more years to wait for a regular production DB25 Starry. It's like any brand, the wait for a MB&F LM 101 is probably a lot longer than and HM10 or a 5811 vs a 5270.

I think if you chase WB consistently you'll get through and be able to get on a list for the item you want. And then you still need to stay on their butt... which sucks. I don't mean to be a WB apologist, but this whole market is stupid and whether it's Rolex ADs, VC, Lange, PP, honestly most brands have been crappy to deal with these last few years so relatively, for me WB has been pretty good (DB has been great!). Again, no excuses, it should be a better/easier process and we shouldn't have to chase folks to spend money, but this is TRF, if there's any group that knows how harsh the AD game is these days, it's right here.

I'm too old, lazy, and grumpy to be chasing someone around trying to shove a pile of money down their pants so I've not gotten any Rolexes I've wanted form the AD. But, if folks can get fired up enough to stop at 20 different Rolex AD's, buy things they don't want, and send bottles of booze to SAs in hope of getting ceramic Daytona, getting a DB out of WB should be a walk in the park.

[ajw45]

Originally Posted by charger_vital

Great watches!

I went to an event in Geneva last week called "Reluxury" (a 4-day event for the second-hand watch market... very interesting actually). They had a huge display of Debethunes. One display happened to show a couple of Debethunes next to some greubel forseys (the balencier in particular).

I must say that if GB is the pinnacle "1A" of watchmaking, Debethune has to be "1B." Gorgeous in the flesh and, to my eye, outstanding designs. Definitely opened my eyes.

That's cool, that event looked really amazing from the pics! GF and DB (along with MB&F and others) are watches that have a lot of depth and dimension, they need to be seen in person to be appreciated. When I first saw a DB on insta I thought it was a star trek inspired microbrand, when I saw the price I assumed it was an RM for nerds, then I saw it in person, tried one on, and it became a worm in my brain. Then I started reading, some of the early interviews with David Zanetta were really interesting about the philosophy of DB's design aesthetic, and it was all I could think about. While I think it will always remain a polarizing brand from a design perspective, that's not a bad thing, and as more people get the chance to experience them in person I think they're going to stay busy for a while.

Also, I agree, DB and GF both are making some of the best watches

[watchboxofficial]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their opinions on this post. At WatchBox, we strive to provide a boutique-level of client experience. Whether working with our team remotely, or in one of our locations around the world (including 4 lounges about to open in cities around the US), clients should feel like they have received an experience commensurate with the Brand they are purchasing. Clearly, we missed the mark with @FrugalGreubel 's experience. We believe that this experience is not typical but would like to speak with you about it. @FrugalGreubel, if you haven’t heard from us yet, please reach out to our Client Experience Manager at mweitz@thewatchbox.com so that we can apologize in person as well as learn more about your experience so that we can improve our service for future clients. There is no good excuse for providing a bad experience, so please accept our apology. We hope that you, and other forum members, will give us another chance, either online or in person at one of our new locations in New York, Miami, Boca, or LA. We may have growing pains, but we are committed to providing excellent service and continuing to support the global watch community and appreciate the feedback we receive on this forum.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by watchboxofficial

Thanks to everyone for sharing their opinions on this post. At WatchBox, we strive to provide a boutique-level of client experience. Whether working with our team remotely, or in one of our locations around the world (including 4 lounges about to open in cities around the US), clients should feel like they have received an experience commensurate with the Brand they are purchasing. Clearly, we missed the mark with @FrugalGreubel 's experience. We believe that this experience is not typical but would like to speak with you about it. @FrugalGreubel, if you haven’t heard from us yet, please reach out to our Client Experience Manager at mweitz@thewatchbox.com so that we can apologize in person as well as learn more about your experience so that we can improve our service for future clients. There is no good excuse for providing a bad experience, so please accept our apology. We hope that you, and other forum members, will give us another chance, either online or in person at one of our new locations in New York, Miami, Boca, or LA. We may have growing pains, but we are committed to providing excellent service and continuing to support the global watch community and appreciate the feedback we receive on this forum.

Someone from WatchBox did reach out to me. They were very apologetic and I will be speaking to them more about this soon. I understand these things happen. It is nice to see a company try and resolve customer service issues.

[shafran]

I actually went to a dB dinner. I was invited by watchbox. They put four dbs in the center of every dinner table. I was tempted to go home with one. My wife wa swith me and gave me a green light. I ended up w moonphase db.
Very cool watches and great experience w watchbox. I think the way to work with them is to get acquainted with a specific person there and keep going back to the same person.

[watchucallit]

I just purchased a used DB from Watchbox. It should arrive tomorrow. I had my eye on a piece and sent an offer that was initially denied. They were totally professional in the communication. No issues. Nonetheless, I was a bit reluctant to buy a brand and specific model watch I had yet to see in person. Well I was traveling to Phili and I contacted them and let them know I was interested and would like to see in person. They said they would only show me the watch if we could agree on a price and I put a refundable deposit. Well we came to an agreement and made an appointment. They were very professional. I told them I needed time to consider and after a week agreed to move forward. Communication was outstanding. Will post photos once my watch arrives. My only issue was having to put a deposit to even see the watch. But overall professional and upfront. OK my 2c

[Armis]

Originally Posted by watchucallit

I just purchased a used DB from Watchbox. It should arrive tomorrow. I had my eye on a piece and sent an offer that was initially denied. They were totally professional in the communication. No issues. Nonetheless, I was a bit reluctant to buy a brand and specific model watch I had yet to see in person. Well I was traveling to Phili and I contacted them and let them know I was interested and would like to see in person. They said they would only show me the watch if we could agree on a price and I put a refundable deposit. Well we came to an agreement and made an appointment. They were very professional. I told them I needed time to consider and after a week agreed to move forward. Communication was outstanding. Will post photos once my watch arrives. My only issue was having to put a deposit to even see the watch. But overall professional and upfront. OK my 2c

Very interesting, that there needed to be an agreement on a price AND a deposit (refundable) placed just to see the watch. I don’t want to be unreasonable or ignorant in case this is the new acceptable standard for checking out pieces, but I have mixed feelings about such a requirement. I am encouraged by the fact that you ended up liking the piece, and am excited to see what cool piece it is (because they are all impressive)!
Thanks for sharing your experience too. It’s nice to see an overall positive outcome from your WB dealing, and sincere congratulations on your De Bethune

[Armis]

Originally Posted by shafran

I actually went to a dB dinner. I was invited by watchbox. They put four dbs in the center of every dinner table. I was tempted to go home with one. My wife wa swith me and gave me a green light. I ended up w moonphase db.
Very cool watches and great experience w watchbox. I think the way to work with them is to get acquainted with a specific person there and keep going back to the same person.

That’s an impressive event WB coordinated, especially allowing such interaction with various pieces. I am assuming they didn’t make you pay to attend the event. That also says something about dB pieces themselves since you liked something enough to happily purchase it.
Thanks you also for that account, and that’s reasonable advice to connect with a person at WB and stay in touch to hopefully get an allocation. Of course, that’s assuming the WB people show proper respect for such a potential customer. For the price of dB pieces, or any brand’s pieces for that matter, it still should be the client that is being wooed, IMHO.

[gliazzurri]

Originally Posted by watchucallit

I just purchased a used DB from Watchbox. It should arrive tomorrow. I had my eye on a piece and sent an offer that was initially denied. They were totally professional in the communication. No issues. Nonetheless, I was a bit reluctant to buy a brand and specific model watch I had yet to see in person. Well I was traveling to Phili and I contacted them and let them know I was interested and would like to see in person. They said they would only show me the watch if we could agree on a price and I put a refundable deposit. Well we came to an agreement and made an appointment. They were very professional. I told them I needed time to consider and after a week agreed to move forward. Communication was outstanding. Will post photos once my watch arrives. My only issue was having to put a deposit to even see the watch. But overall professional and upfront. OK my 2c

Deposit to see watch is bogus. Sorry but no explanation is going to be adequate on that one. Including the nonsense of we need to be sure you are serious.
Bad precedent watchbox.

[watchboxofficial]

Originally Posted by watchucallit

I just purchased a used DB from Watchbox. It should arrive tomorrow. I had my eye on a piece and sent an offer that was initially denied. They were totally professional in the communication. No issues. Nonetheless, I was a bit reluctant to buy a brand and specific model watch I had yet to see in person. Well I was traveling to Phili and I contacted them and let them know I was interested and would like to see in person. They said they would only show me the watch if we could agree on a price and I put a refundable deposit. Well we came to an agreement and made an appointment. They were very professional. I told them I needed time to consider and after a week agreed to move forward. Communication was outstanding. Will post photos once my watch arrives. My only issue was having to put a deposit to even see the watch. But overall professional and upfront. OK my 2c

We hope you love your new De Bethune, please post pics! Just to clarify our policy: we have inventory located all over the world, often requiring customs, duties, etc to move a watch from location to location. I would guess that the watch you were interested in was in another location, which is when we required a deposit. It would be unusual to request a deposit for inventory that we had in the location you were visiting (if that were the case, we’d need more information to research your case). We understand that some people don’t love placing a deposit before purchasing, but it’s the best way we have figured out to manage the cost and risk of moving watches globally. We’re glad it worked for you and hope you come back and visit us soon!

[watchboxofficial]

Thanks for your understanding. Hope we can make things right!

[ajw45]

Originally Posted by gliazzurri

Deposit to see watch is bogus. Sorry but no explanation is going to be adequate on that one. Including the nonsense of we need to be sure you are serious.
Bad precedent watchbox.

WB already explained below but for watches they have at their HQ, WB is more than gracious to show anything and everything one may be interested in... And they have some incredible pieces. It's better than any AD or boutique for shear range of special pieces that most people will never see because they never make it to a case at a boutique. All you have to do is make an appt. If you've ever shipped and insured a 6 figure watch you know it's expensive, this isn't an Amazon prime delivery of a box of cereal.

[sski]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

Someone from WatchBox did reach out to me. They were very apologetic and I will be speaking to them more about this soon. I understand these things happen. It is nice to see a company try and resolve customer service issues.

i'm very happy to hear; thank you Watchbox for reaching out! hopefully FrugalGreubel's collecting journey continues onwards and upwards.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by watchboxofficial

Thanks for your understanding. Hope we can make things right!

I just want to provide a quick update.

As I said in an earlier post someone from WB reached out to me about what happened and apologized profusely. I then also spoke to someone else in sales who was also an absolute delight to talk to.

I know a lot of us are huge watch nerds. I mean we must be if we are posting on a forum about it all the time. But I’m sure like most we can become disillusioned with the process for various reasons. This hobby can be a lot of fun but also legitimately frustrating. As far as WB is concerned they really went out of their way to make things right. There’s a lot of businesses that wouldn’t think twice about trying to do that. If this is the way they plan to operate going forward then I truly feel DB is in good hands.

[ajw45]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

I just want to provide a quick update.

As I said in an earlier post someone from WB reached out to me about what happened and apologized profusely. I then also spoke to someone else in sales who was also an absolute delight to talk to.

I know a lot of us are huge watch nerds. I mean we must be if we are posting on a forum about it all the time. But I’m sure like most we can become disillusioned with the process for various reasons. This hobby can be a lot of fun but also legitimately frustrating. As far as WB is concerned they really went out of their way to make things right. There’s a lot of businesses that wouldn’t think twice about trying to do that. If this is the way they plan to operate going forward then I truly feel DB is in good hands.

Glad to hear it worked out! I know many people have mentioned they aren't sure about WB as the new owner of DB and while I understand their caution, that mostly based on what ifs. All my real world experience with De Bethune has been great but even better after WB entered the picture.

[gliazzurri]

Originally Posted by ajw45

WB already explained below but for watches they have at their HQ, WB is more than gracious to show anything and everything one may be interested in... And they have some incredible pieces. It's better than any AD or boutique for shear range of special pieces that most people will never see because they never make it to a case at a boutique. All you have to do is make an appt. If you've ever shipped and insured a 6 figure watch you know it's expensive, this isn't an Amazon prime delivery of a box of cereal.

Understood though I’d be willing to bet you a DB watch that the deposit required for our colleague here is nowhere near the cost of your said shipping costs.