Housekeeping

The secret to any successful retail business is in its ability to provide quality goods at the right price with the best possible customer service. Nothing new there.

The pre-owned watch retail business is essentially like any other retail business -
except for few unique details which are dictated by the very nature of the goods: we are dealing in precision instruments of high value which are in limited supply.

In order to serve you better, there are a few 'guidelines' which we've adopted over the years. While most of our customers and newsletter subscribers are familiar with the way we do business, it is always a good idea to highlight some of those 'rules' from time to time.

1. Viewing by appointment only

There are two main reasons why we operate 'by appointment only'. The first one is for security reasons: we don't keep our stock on premise! Also, we understand that making a decision to buy a right watch may take more than just a few minutes and in order to make you comfortable we need to allocate time for YOU. Please call or email for an appointment; 24 hours is usually enough time to have your selected watches ready for inspection.

2. Have realistic expectations

Australian pre-owned watch market is extremely small. There are just a handful of dealers and none of them carry large quantities of watches in stock. While we do our best to source as many popular brands and styles and to provide online information on current stock, chances of finding that rare or unusual watch in particular size with the dial of your preference is realistically very low. Before making an appointment, please take your time to browse our website. If you don't see what you like, send us an email. We may have a similar model in stock or we could source it for you. But be prepared to be flexible with your selection. And most importantly: stay on the mailing list because we do get new stock every day! Of course, if we DO have what you like then don't wait: call us ASAP to make an appointment.

3. Payment

Our preferred method of payment for all interstate customers is direct deposit / transfer to our bank account. For 'over the counter' sales we prefer cash or EFTPOS. Please note: you may have a daily limit on your EFTPOS transaction. Please call your bank ahead to have sufficient funds available to complete the transaction. Credit cards: for the amounts under $3,000 we also accept VISA and MasterCard with 1.8% surcharge. For larger amounts combination of cash/card/EFTPOS is also possible.

We don't accept Amex, PayPal, personal or bank cheques or any credit cards over the phone, regardless of amount. Our stock is limited and popular and for that reason we cannot hold, accept deposits to secure, do partial payments or lay-bys.

4. Discounts

We've been in the watch business for many years - actually for generations! We have sold many thousands of watches to many thousands of happy customers from across the road to watch aficionados in the most remote places on the planet. And yes, as watchmakers by trade, we do know our watches inside out. We work hard to ensure that our price is right because we don't list high and sell low. We don't play games with you or 'hide' GST. We don't sell a watch for $4,000 and then list the same watch on the website as "sold for $3,000". Unlike every other dealer in Australia, we don't do consignments because consignment means no responsibility to neither seller nor buyer and inflated price. Our motto is "Uncompromised integrity. Workmanship. No discount" and we are so serious about those 3 fundamental business principles that we've made them public to everyone who visit our shop. So please don't ask for discount because we do not discount neither our integrity, quality of our stock or price.

5. Selling a watch

Yes, quality stock is always wanted! We are looking for watches in mint and unworn condition (any brand - from TAG to Patek!) and fine pre-loved high grade stock. Vintage, unique and unusual pieces are also welcome, including pocket watches and fine carriage clocks.

If you have a single watch to sell or a large collection or looking to downsize, give us a call. We offer confidential transaction and quick settlement.

Unfortunately we cannot make you an offer over the phone or via email - you need to bring your watch to our shop for a quick inspection.

6. "How do I know that your watches are not fake?"

While five 'rules' are quite sufficient to provide basic guidelines in dealing with us, I could not resist to include one more. For some strange reason, many of our first time buyers just have to ask the above question. Which is fine. We understand that some of you have been "burned" before and you want to make sure that watch you buy form us is genuine, unaltered piece.

However - if our website, reputation, physical premises, customer feedback, your common sense and even the very watch you are holding in your hand is not sufficient to convince you that we ONLY deal in 100 % genuine watches, then please understand that there is really nothing else I can offer you to convince you even further.

Let me try it one more time: we have NEVER sold a fake, non genuine watch. Not because such practice is criminal offense under Australian law, but because we are so passionate about REAL watches that we *hate* scammers, fakers, fake watches and con artists. We have spent (and continue to do so) great amount of effort to educate our buyers, web site visitors and email subscribers by providing buying tips - so it would really make absolutely no sense if we would sell fake watches.

If you still have to as, then PLEASE ask it once only and I would once again answer your question with "No, we don't sell fake watches, we sell real watches only". And this is where we draw the line: ask it twice (or more!) and we would have to ask you to leave our premises and never to return.

After all, life is short and we would rather spend out time with customers who appreciate our service. Wouldn't you do the same?