Review of Authentic Watches
Score: 90
Sub-Section: Misc
Date: Jul 2, 2006
When it comes to buying watches from non-retailers, the first thing that you ask yourself is whether or not the watch is authentic. Whether you are spending $100, $1000, or $10000, you want to get what you are paying for. Of course, when buying anything, you must use common sense. Is it really logical to get a Rolex for $300? Probably not, but is it logical to get an authentic Rolex for maybe a thousand under retail? Perhaps. It's hard to tell and when buying online, you don't get to inspect it first.
I recently just purchased my first watch from Authentic Watches, and was completely satisfied. The watch I purchased from AuthenticWatches was a mens Rado Anatom. It was an older model that is very difficult to find. In fact, I was in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, and couldn't find one in any of the 50 some store, in which I looked. Every place I went to told me they could order it and qouted me a price of around $3700. The only problem was that I had never seen it and could not commit to spending that kind of money on something I may not like.
Doing some searching on the internet for authentic Rado watches, I came accross several retailers with the model in stock and much cheaper. Obviously that quetsion goes through my mine. Is the watch authentic? How are the able to sell so much cheaper? Is it second hand? As most would do, I did a simple search, looking to find reviews of the companies. Most of what I found at first was all good. A Yahoo store with 100's of positive reviews. So far so good. Digging a little deeper however, I started finding more reviews, at other places, that just sounded awful. Whom am I to believe? The hundred positive reviews on Yahoo or the negative ones elsewhere. In my opinion, a few bad reviews can really spoil the many positive ones, especially when there is no way to verify who is leaving the positive remarks.
When I found the model at AuthenicWatches, I was skeptical. This could be exactly like the other place. I did some searching, couldn't come up with anything bad about it and decided to take the plunge. A big factor in ordering online was the return policy. I had never seen the watch before, so of course I needed to be sure I could return it. The return policy at AuthenticWatches is a mixed bag. It give you complete freedom to return the watch as long as it is returned in the condition it arrived it, however, their is a 10% restocking fee on all returns. So, if I didn't like it, I would have to eat around $300 to send it back. However, that $300 would actually spare me several thousand, Better to lose $300 sending it back, than to spend $3000 on a watch I didn't like.
So anyway, I read all their policies very carefully, then placed the order. It claimed my watch was in stock, however I soon received and email notifying me that the watch was not in stock and would be available in 2-4 weeks. Ugh. I kept the order in and my card was charged when it finally shipped. Luckily it only took the 2 weeks. AuthenticWatches ship watches, which are over a certain price, overnight for free. I received my watch in perfect condition with all of the paper and the box which Rado watches come with. The serials were intact as stated on the site, and it worked perfect. The warranty was through AuthenticWatches instead of Rado, but they tell you that before you buy.
Overall, the entire transaction went smooth and I was totally satisfied with my watch. It came in pristine condition and at a price that was $1000 under what every retailer quoted me. Keep in mind that most online retailers are not authorized retailers and therefor do not offer warrnties through the manufacturer. While this is the only watch I have purchased from AuthenticWatches, I would recommend them to others. Make sure you carefully read their policies and are OK with them before you buy. The prices were lower than I found else where and the product came exactly as it said.
They do not sell every brand, however they did sell many of the popular ones. As I write this I am not online, so I cannot see all the of what they offer. I can however tell you that the selection is large and they did have every watch I was looking for. They did/do not sell Rolex.
Major things to remember:
Unless the watches states that it comes with serials, it does not.
The restocking fee is %10.
No manufacturer warranty.
Watch may not be in stock even though it says so, allow time for them to get it if you need it by a certain date.
To visit the official website at AuthenticWatches.com.