Relieving the Anxiety of Buying Pre-Owned

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, watches are not bread, milk or eggs.  They generally don't tend to go bad.  Watch fans, collectors and fans have engaged in selling and trading watches together through forums for some time.  And now Facebook has evolved into another possible venue.  And let's, of course not forget Ebay.   But these three options have become less and less reliable over the years.

With lawsuits being bandied about regarding inauthentic Rolex watches, it is becoming a chancier proposition to purchase a pre-owned watch from individuals, grey market stores, Ebay, etc.  It is hard to know where to go if you wish to buy a pre-owned watch with confidence.

And that is where Watch U Want comes in.

Watch U Want is something a bit different amongst the morass of pre-owned and grey market options out there. One key point to this is their stance on pre-owned vs. LNIB (Like New In Box) or NIB (New In Box).  Rather, they take the stance that as soon as a watch changes hands from a distributor or authorized retailer it can no longer be viewed as new by any description.  And that is a refreshing approach.  Although watches are not a "perishable" item, there is a difference between what the grey market might call BNIB and what Watch U Want refers to as "pre-owned".  And that leads to  the next (at least in my opinion) unfair advantage that Watch U Want has over many of its competitors in the pre-owned space.

Quality assurance.  In conversations with a spokesperson from Watch U Want, I was impressed with the commitment to the customer's complete satisfaction.  Any watch coming in goes through several checks - and one of them should be very important to any potential watch buyer - it the watch HOT?  It has happened often that someone buys a pre-owned watch only to find out that, in fact, it was "borrowed" from a rightful owner.  

And while were on the topic of provenance, this is another area where the folks at Watch U Want stand apart.  If the watch you buy is not as advertised, meaning the horological equivalent of, say, a Rolex playing with "Confederate Money", they will make it right.  This is important, because it is not too difficult to imagine trying to get your vintage Rolex serviced, or even to sell it only to find out it is not judged as authentic owing to some creative part replacements.  This is a strong comfort, and underscores the advantage of purchasing a watch from an outfit like Watch U Want.

Service is another potentially big issue, and on this end, again, you the customer are covered.  In most situations, the pre-owned seller or grey marketeer puts you through so many hoops that you will likely give up and get the watch serviced yourself by your own local watch maker.  But Watch U Want has multiple (i.e. more than one) watch makers on site to ensure the smooth operation of your watch.

Now one last thing that I would put out there is that Watch U Want offers the opportunity to:

1.  Trade your watch/watches towards the purchase of one of theirs

2.  Sell your watch outright - meaning that you do not have to purchase something from them

3.  Consign your watch 

Typical watch guys and gals are prone to say that they have a "connection" who will buy at a better price.  Maybe yes, and maybe no.  But the advantage of selling / trading with someone like Watch U Want is convenience.  Instead of an interminable amount of back and forth, you trade the watch in, you get an amount towards your future watch (or cash) and you move on with  your life.   Pretty good deal.

So check them out -

www.watchuwant.com