I just got back from Switzerland two weeks ago. I don't profess to be an expert on the subject, but I will offer my observations. When I went, I just went to the various maker's home pages and copied a list of authorized dealers. If you have never been to Geneve before, you are in for a treat. Downtown near the old city there are watch dealers everywhere. Almost all of the dealers have the prices clearly marked in their display windows. I rarely saw any difference in prices. The prices were generally around
but just slightly above Internet Gray market prices. Switzerland was definitely the cheapest place I saw in Europe. Most dealer's don't move on the price. I bought a Rolex at Bucherer (not an Omega dealer) and their policy is the posted price is the price. Same experience on a Breitling. The dollar is dropping every day in value. It dropped 4 percent during the month I was in Europe. As a word of caution be sure to see how your credit card company handles foreign exchanges. You can loose 2% if you aren't careful. Be sure to get the Swiss tax free refund form from your dealer to avoid the VAT, and then go out of your way to make sure it is stamped when you leave the country. I have had some troubles in the past on trains out of Switzerland where the customs agent never got onboard. US customs duty has recently dropped. It was about $160 on a TT GMT II Rolex. Good luck and happy hunting. You will love the hunt even if you don't buy.
: Hi,
: I will be travelling to Geneva soon, and I
: would like to purchase an Omega Seamaster
: Professional automatic chronometer with
: black face and black bezel and the steel
: bracelet that is currently on the
: speedmaster models. The ref. # is 2254.50.00
: (see link below to image and specs). I would
: get it in New York, where I live, but I
: believe this particular model is only
: available in Europe.
: I wanted to get advice for purchasing it in
: Switzerland. Any good, authorized dealers
: that folks have dealt with and would
: recommend? Also, how are prices in Swiss
: francs compared to the US dollar? Will Swiss
: dealers haggle at all on the retail price?
: (I know in New York you can usually get it
: down 15% or so.) Are Omega prices less
: expensive in Switzerland? What about getting
: service on the watch in the future if I
: purchase it so far from home? Any other
: things I should look out for? Thanks!
