#BEST GREY MARKET ROLEX DEALERS HOW TO#
#BEST GREY MARKET ROLEX DEALERS PROFESSIONAL#

Often when you go to your local jeweler to ask about a limited edition watch, their sales pitch usually involves talking up the model's rarity, while claiming that due to its limited number, the watch holds its value very well.

#BEST GREY MARKET ROLEX DEALERS PROFESSIONAL#

Depending on model, this may be true, but the first thing to remember is this, your watch “starts” depreciating at the gray market price, so for instance, if an Omega Seamaster Professional 300 is worth ~70% as much after 3 years of ownership, you’re looking at around ~70% of ~$2900 (its gray market price), and not ~70% of ~$4000 (its MRSP). For instance, my local Seiko shop always seems to have some sort of sale, and the jewelry counter at my local department store also almost always have their Movados at below MRSP.Ī lot of people also seem to believe that watches don’t depreciate as much as their other hobbies, that they can enjoy their watch for a while, and then resell it to the next enthusiast without losing too much to depreciation. However, you must consider that the brands that have the biggest gray market discount often have very big deals at the authorized dealer too. Frugal watch buyers should probably look at the gray market first for the watches that they like before they start checking out the local authorized dealer. So yes, on the surface, the gray market offers massive discounts over the authorized dealer. Women's watches usually sell at a larger discount on the gray market, probably due to the fact that men on average buy more watches.

You're not likely to find big deals on the limited edition or the very small scale production stuff, but usually gray market sellers do sell the classic volume models at a significant discount. The least is Rolex, where the average gray market Rolex sells for only 5.125% lower than MRSP, while the most is Invicta, where the average gray market Invicta is retailing for 87.25% below MRSP.įor most brands, the average discount ranges somewhere between 30% - 60%. A few months ago, I did some research on how big the average discount for each brand is on the gray market. Gray market watches are usually slightly older, last season’s watches, but nowadays there are some larger gray market dealers who can get the latest models.įirst, let’s talk about gray market pricing. Usually gray market dealers sell watches that authorized dealers cannot sell, those unsold watches get returned to the distributor, who sells them in bulk at vastly reduced prices to the gray market. Gray market watches are authentic, new watches sold legally, but not through an authorized dealer. The gray market does not refer to fake watches, stolen watches, or used watches (well, many gray market sellers also do sell used watches). The gray market is actually much bigger than many realize, Chrono24, a marketplace heavily populated with gray market sellers, had over €1bn in transactions in 2017, and, a well known gray market dealer, had sales of $269m in 2016. This is in contrast with the authorized dealers, like the boutiques in your local mall, or the watch counter at your local department store. Some might be located in physical locations, often in the “sketchy malls” of Japan, Hong Kong, or most notably for North American buyers, Costco is also a gray market dealer. They’re usually located online, whether it is their on their own website, or on a platform like Amazon, Chrono24, or Ebay. So what is the gray market? The gray market refers to non-authorized retailers of various watch brands. So today, I’d like to talk to you about the gray market, one of the most influential parts of the watch market, and why you should care. However, I don’t think I’ve seen many good guides on the many nuances to actual watch buying.

#BEST GREY MARKET ROLEX DEALERS HOW TO#

Many are many very good guides on how to pair a watch with your outfit, and threads that recommend good watches. Here on /r/malefashionadvice, one of the most commonly discussed fashion accessories is the wristwatch.

Best grey market rolex dealers