zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Hello,

: I live in Ventura County and the local auth
: Omega dealers don't give much of a
: discount(10%). This will be my first fine
: watch and I would like to buy from an auth
: dealer for peace of mind but I'm willing to
: go gray market if I can't find a better
: deal. Not looking for the ultimate lowball
: price, just something more fair. Thank you
: for any info.

If there's anything to be learned from this board, it's to do your homework up front. There's an entire section on this site concerning the gray market angle. Only you can make the decision that's best for you.

There's a post titled "Insane Dealer Story" where someone mentioned a discount between 30-35% from some authorized dealers. I've seen other info that suggests that the max is 25%. Use the search function (maybe using the key word "discount") and see what you come up with. Can you get a better deal from a gray market dealer, quite often the answer is yes.

If you come to the conclusion that gray market is an avenue you want to explore, I can only offer you feedback on the one experience I've had. I just received my SMP from Bernard Enterprises (www.bernardwatch.com) out of Dallas, TX and am extremely satisfied with their professionalism as well as the product.

It was a sweet deal if you're OK with going outside the dealer channel. I did a Google groups search on them for feedback, searched this board and read their testimonials on their site and I can't find a single negative piece about them anywhere. I shared the same concerns you've got just after I forked over the cc number to them (as in I was thinking "Oh my God, what did I just do?!!) and posted these concerns. I got a reply stating "If Derek says they're OK, then they're OK".

Visit their site to check their inventory (which gets updated every M, W and F evenings) as well as their policies and warranty information.

I can't tell you what else is out there in terms of alternative sources as I found Bernard right off the bat, liked what I saw and did the deal. Hopefully others will share their experiences if they went in the same direction I did.

Once you go outside the authorized channel, you need to have your radar up and beware of a number of issues surrounding, shall we say, less-than-authentic product. That's not to say that other outlets other than Bernard are bogus. All I'm saying is to research the company, get feedback if at all possible and go with what your senses tell you.

Some will argue that you'd be crazy to spend that much money and NOT go to an authorized dealer. I don't totally disagree with them. But for me, it was OK to do. For others, and perhaps you, it may not be.

Best of luck!