Questions for a gray market purchase

[BigTex22]

Hello, I’m looking to purchase a new / unworn PM Rolex, most likely from a gray market dealer as none of my local ADs have anything in stock. Aside from obvious questions like fully boxed, warranty card, etc., what are some suggested questions you might ask the seller? TIA.


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[Laszlo]

I usually don’t ask any questions and when most trusted sellers advertised BNIB or unworn, 95% of the time that is true. No reason to question and if they’re not just return the watch. Most notable signs of a new Rolex is a squeaky bracelet and being unsized… if the screws have any sign of use (the steal is soft and very easy to see if the screw is untouched or not in most cases) and when you unscrew to size the screws should be hard to remove because they’re set with lock tight. If they come unscrewed with ease it’s been unscrewed and likely resized and worn. But bear in mind sometimes this happens at the AD. Then the watch is immediately resold to a 3rd party. The three I personally would trust the most is Leo of BDHD (truly unworn watches when advertised as such), Thanh of Takuya (Leo and Thanh IMO have the best competitive pricing), and finally DavidSW, but his pricing is really inflated and haven’t done business with him in years… but he’s also the most reputable based on years of doing business. I would steer clear of any sellers outside of the trusted seller community.

[Maleg]

Originally Posted by Laszlo

I usually don’t ask any questions and when most trusted sellers advertised BNIB or unworn, 95% of the time that is true. No reason to question and if they’re not just return the watch. The three I personally would trust the most is Leo of BDHD (truly unworn watches when advertised as such), Thanh of Takuya (Leo and Thanh IMO have the best competitive pricing), and finally DavidSW, but his pricing is really inflated… but he’s also the most reputable based on years of doing business. I would steer clear of any sellers outside of the trusted seller community.

Second this. I have purchased a half dozen watches advertised as BNIB from Takuya. All were perfect new watches. Thanh will find a watch for you if he doesn’t have it in stock.

[RichM]

Another vote for Takuya Watches (Thanh).

Tell him what you want, and in what condition (used, mint, BNIB) and I’m sure he’ll come through for you.

If he hasn’t changed location, he’s in Texas. Maybe you’ll be able to do a face to face.

Good luck

[John Deaux]

I think you will get better information seeing what others have said about the seller vs what the seller has to say to you! As they always say, buy the seller then the watch. There are a handful of well known names in the FS section I wouldn't give a second thought buying from.