What's My Best Watch Buying Option During a Pandemic? How (And Where) to Buy Watches Online

While the traditional method of buying from a local jeweler, a larger AD, or a brand boutique might be paused, buying a watch from any of them online is increasingly possible In buying a watch online, the options are much the same as buying a watch in person, leaving consumers with three primary routes: direct brand sales, authorized dealers, and the secondary, or "Grey" market The benefit of buying directly through brands is this is the method best able to ensure authenticity of the watch you are interested in, and further able to ensure the watch is brand new, never having been worn.

The second option for buying a watch online is through authorized dealers, which simply means that a watch brand directly authorizes a private third-party seller to sell its watches The third and final method for buying a watch online is via the aforementioned secondary market, sometimes called the "Grey market." It can be described, quite simply, as a market where goods are bought and sold outside of a manufacturer's officially approved distribution channels- though in the world of watches this definition encompasses a wide variety of watch sellers These include large-scale pre-owned and vintage dealers, like WatchBox and HQ.

Milton; selling platforms that connect buyers and sellers, like Chrono24 and eBay; smaller-scale dealers like Eric Wind's Wind Vintage, Theo & Harris, Oyster Palace, and Those Watch Guys; and one-off private sales where owners sell their watches directly, most often through an online listing on a forum like Reddit's r/WatchExchange, as well as long-time watch forums like WatchUSeek, Rolex Forums, and Chronocentric's Chronotrader Buying a watch online without ever seeing the timepiece in person takes a significant leap of trust, and just because a watch might be a couple hundred or sometimes thousands off its MSRP does not necessarily mean it is a good deal. . Source