omega authorized dealers dump inventories into the gray market. the AD's are the largest supplier of gray watches. the AD's have "order quota's" required by omega to keep authorized status so dumping watches becomes a part of doing business. they also dump old stock that they are having trouble retailing. they sell them for close to cost (+/- a few bucks) and free up space/cash for the next factory order. most gray dealers are fine with 10%-20% profit (very little overhead selling online) thus the 30%-40% discounts you see on most of these piece's. these guys still make a few bucks at the discounted price. it's a reality that i don't see going away anytime soon.
if omega were to crack down on gray market watches....they would have to crack down on authorized dealers (read THEIR customers). as already stated by others.....omega has no reason to crack down. they get their money regardless of who retails the watch. they also get to keep pumping out volume which bring overall production costs down. it's a win-win for omega.
regarding gray watches in general. i've been into omega's for over 20 years and have owned/own many. i've purchased a few gray watches over the years along with purchases through authorized dealers (and used of course). the handful of reputable gray dealers out there are fine to deal with imo. i've had good luck with this select group.....and yes....even with their in house warranty service.
the MANY none reputable gray dealers are a nightmare waiting to happen. the good guys do in fact sell brand new watches with serial numbers ect..... . the bad guys sell what ever they can get their paws on (returns/repaired/almost new/ect... and FAKES).
