Will Omega Fail time for a Vote

[Dream99]

Originally Posted by mfserge

In areas where it is not feasible to put a Boutique due to cost, location, etc, some high performing ADs were selected to become preferred dealers, basically a Boutique owner by the AD. They have an expanded assortment of inventory, more shelf space devoted to Omega, and much more signage than a typical AD. Along with that comes strict strict rules on discounting....and usually the surrounding ADs lose their AD status

That is exactly what happened in Bristol. 2 very near by watch dealers lost their Omega AD status because of the very small Boutique section in Ernest Jones store . This left Ernest Jones to sell a small selection of Omega's in a small store that also sells Tags - Rado - Raymond weil etc. E. Jones call it a MINI BOUTIQUE

[tfduff723]

Originally Posted by qwiklap

Well ... here are my thoughts. I have purchased and owned over a 1/2 dozen high-end watches (IMHO that means any watch that retails for over $1K). I have never once purchased a watch from an AD or Boutique. Only from forum members and one grey market website purchase.

That said ... I went into the Omega boutique at Tysons Corner galleria a month ago with a Great White I recently purchased (off a TimeZone member). I had a very nice service experience where the boutique personnel graciously sized the watch for me (free of charge) and showed me a Liquid Metal (while I waited). They also explained to me than when I was ready to do an Omega factory service I could just drop the watch off at the boutique -- and they would take care of everything. They made me feel like a member of an exclusive club, and I never even bought anything from them. That said -- I was wearing my PO and getting a Great White sized.

I tell you what ... from the service experience side of things. The boutique experience was pretty great (better than being nickel and dimed by ADs for things like sizing).

So yesterday I stopped into the Omega Boutique at Somerset Mall in Troy Michigan. I wasn't buying but just wanted to check it out.

In short I agree with Qwiklap's points.

The overall experience was pretty cool. Greeted, then left alone until I wanted some help. I was brought a bottle of water without asking, tried on a bunch of Seamasters (damn nice watches BTW) and found the saleperson to be pretty knowledgeable. No pressure or sales pitching going on! I actually didn't talk much about pricing. I wasn't even wearing my Speedy Pro but had on my Sub C. That worked out well for comparison purposes since I was checking out Omega's dive collection.

The visit concluded with some nice catalogues, a few pdf print outs of the watches I looked at and a nice red Omega shopping bag. Of course, I didn't need the bag to hold that stuff but a good marketing move by Omega. People walking all around the mall with those red bags = free advertising!

In the end I think the boutique approach will work for new buyers getting introduced to the brand. This will allow the boutiques to build new relationships. However, I personally will continue to patronize the AD I bought my Speedy from (thanks again to Fr. John!).

On a side note - Omega kicks Rolex butt when it comes to availability of things like catalogues, accessories, etc... at least here in the USA. That has always been a thorn in my side about Rolex.

Here are few pics of what they gave me.

[tranny]

The boutique route worked for Apple. :shrug: