zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Has anybody had any dealings with
: authenticwatches.com, favorable or
: otherwise? Thanks in advance.

I know this is an old thread but I've got a story that may help others - so here goes.

One watch that I've always wanted is an Omega Seamaster. After a lot of online research (but not enough!) I found this forum.

A regular and respected forum member and I exchanged several emails regarding the differences in certain Seamasters; This kind fellow helped me make a decision that I'm happy with.

Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to dig deep enough into this forum. You new guys, use the SEARCH function! I wish I'd have done so to begin with but this story does have a happy ending.

Looking for "best price" I found AuthenticWatches.com. My mentor suggested an AD but I'd already ordered the Seamaster 2232.80 from the best price, non-authorized dealer which was AuthenticWatches.com.

The night I ordered this watch, I discovered the SEARCH function here on Chronocentric. Imagine my dismay when I read about AW. So, I was really nervous and was wishing that I'd called & ordered from the AD as the kind benefactor had recommended!

The information I gleaned on this forum had keyed me in on what to look for. If only I had used the SEARCH function before-hand.

The first watch I received from AW had a small but notable ding in the bezel and the back of the watch had been opened.

Immediately, I called my long-standing credit card company. The bottom line is that whatever the VENDOR policy is, the credit card company (who has been wonderful for 27 years!) could do nothing; the vendor has the power. Take note of this, campers!

Then I called, talked to Peter at AW and he faxed me a return, 2 day Fedex shipping label. AW paid for the shipping. My reasoning to Peter is that I ordered a new watch, did not wear the watch, did not remove the tag, etc - so why should I have to pay for shipping? No argument, AW took care of me.

My discussion with Peter also went into the open case, the lack of certain documentation - and I thanked Peter for not taking off the serial numbers. Everything matched, it was a real Omega but it wasn't PRISTINE brand new for the aforementioned reasons (ding/opened case).

No problem. I sent the watch in and AW replaced it with a brand spanking new, ALL paperwork included, red dot on the back case, authentic Omega via FedEx overnight.

End result? My AW experience has been a positive one. They fixed the problems to my ultimate satisfaction. I'm happy but have learned a valuable lesson.

If I'd not read the information here, however, I'd probably accepted that first watch. I'd probably believe that I put that small ding in the bezel and would not have looked for the case to have been opened.

Buy from an AD. You'll have peace of mind and there's no price you can put on peace of mind.

I have peace of mind but for a couple of days, I was in limbo with $2k in the balance.

AW did fix the problem. Kudos to them for ultimately doing the right thing for the customer.