Want a high end watch

[saleaaway]

Just asking an opinion.. Would like a Tag or Brietling but wanted to see where or who gave you the best price.. Going eastern.. St. Thomas, St. Martin, Bermuda, and San Juan..

 

Any and all suggestions are highly welcome... :)

[sailawayjack]

Just asking an opinion.. Would like a Tag or Brietling but wanted to see where or who gave you the best price.. Going eastern.. St. Thomas, St. Martin, Bermuda, and San Juan..

 

Any and all suggestions are highly welcome... :)

 

:cool:Canal Street, NY Fake Rolex about $20.00--LOL:cool: Can't tell the difference

[bmarchal]

Try Diamonds International in St Thomas and ask for Dexter. He has always given me a great deal on what ever I wanted to buy. Got a great deal on a Phillip Stein in November.

[Attapooch]

A little known fact is that all Swiss watches are manufactured by Swatch with just the superficial changes (faceplate, band, etc.) to differentiate between the brands.

 

Save yourself a ton of money and get a high-end Swatch - some are actually really nice and give the conspicuous consumption brands a run for their money.

[LMZinSC]

You probably won't get much of a special deal anywhere on a Brietling. They are only allowed to discount so much. They can however give you added bonus items i.e. hats, cases, t-shirts. Bought one for my husband at Art of Time in St.Martin on the main shopping road.

[FLACRUISER99]

Just asking an opinion.. Would like a Tag or Brietling but wanted to see where or who gave you the best price.. Going eastern.. St. Thomas, St. Martin, Bermuda, and San Juan..

 

Any and all suggestions are highly welcome... :)

Price will all be the same (Caribbean pricing) even on the ship. It's the selection that will vary.

[PeterPan]

Swatch does NOT produce Tag Heuer or Brietling watches. They don't even produce the movements for these two brands.

 

That being said, I got the best price on my Tag Heuer from the on board shop (amazing, I know). So far, it appears I have seen the best price on Brietlings to be in St Maarten. It does seem to vary from time to time on who has the best price.

 

If you are interested in a "nice" watch, you can check out the Citizen line. A fraction of the cost of Tag. And a Tag is a fraction of the cost of a Brietling.

[stones902]

Just asking an opinion.. Would like a Tag or Brietling but wanted to see where or who gave you the best price.. Going eastern.. St. Thomas, St. Martin, Bermuda, and San Juan..

 

Any and all suggestions are highly welcome... :)

 

Tag I would look at Goldfinger (St. Maarten) or on the ship, Breitling maybe Little Switzerland (St. Thomas or St. Maarten). You will get a better duty free allowance for your St. Thomas purchases ($800 pp) and the pricing will be identical.

 

BTW, Breitling will be significantly more expensive than the Tag.

[B-52]

Our last cruise they were selling TAG's on the ship. I have found prices on the ship are competitive with what you pay ashore.

Plus, some, not all, of these jewelery shops can be a little untrustworthy, knowing they will never see you again soon. A little like used car sales people.

[Attapooch]

Swatch does NOT produce Tag Heuer or Brietling watches. They don't even produce the movements for these two brands.

 

*cough*

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valjoux

 

...The company has been a part of ETA for a number of years and is a member of the Swatch Group.

 

... Notable watch brands that use base movements manufactured by Valjoux include Omega, Longines, Breitling, Cyma Watches, Oris, Appella, TAG Heuer, IWC, Porsche Design, Gallet, Sinn, Gc, and so on.

[Gingerbint]

As I type I am wearing my new shiny TAG watch, purchased on board during our cruise on AOS in November.

It was a tax and duty free cruise as we we're in the Canaries and I got it for a great price!

I am in the UK and to buy the same watch here at Goldsmiths (for example) will cost me nearly £500 GBP more!!

So I am a happy bunny with my savings and I have my TAG too!

[Tranquil Waters]

Swatch does NOT produce Tag Heuer or Brietling watches. They don't even produce the movements for these two brands.

 

That being said, I got the best price on my Tag Heuer from the on board shop (amazing, I know). So far, it appears I have seen the best price on Brietlings to be in St Maarten. It does seem to vary from time to time on who has the best price.

 

If you are interested in a "nice" watch, you can check out the Citizen line. A fraction of the cost of Tag. And a Tag is a fraction of the cost of a Brietling.

 

Not surprised here.:)

 

DH got me a TAG a few years ago - it was the Diamond Links Chrono and newly out at the time. We were quoted a price from the onboard shop and told that they would match if we found a better price anywhere on the islands. Needless to say, they knew that no one discounted (that line of) TAG anyway.

 

We got basically the same price from every vendor (no one would lower price). So we went with onboard shop since we knew we could come back to them in event of any problems with watch. We had also checked on line and locally before we left home.

[caripoo]

Know what the prices are before you leave. My husband has purchased many high end tags, breitlings, omegas, on our cruises. He has done his homework. He know what they would cost him if he bought them at home. Check Bacario.com they will give you a wide range of choices (no rolex) with prices, so you know what they should cost you. Good luck!!!

[PeterPan]

There is a subtle difference between "The Swatch Group" and Swatch as a brand. The group is a consortium of companies. The Swatch Group is the "parent company name" if you will. Most of these companies stood on their own prior to becoming part of The Swatch Group.

 

The point being, your previous statement saying that since "all Swiss watches are produced by Swatch", getting a Swatch brand watch will be the same thing but save a bunch of money. It's a bit like saying that since Fiat and Ferrari are made by the same company, just buy the Fiat and save some money.

 

They ain't the same! ;)

[stones902]

I'll agree with the poster's point about competitive prices on the ship versus ashore. My wife purchased a Tag Aquaracer series watch for me a couple of years ago on board for the same price as Goldfinger.

 

My only caveot is that the selection is much better on shore. I purchased her a beautiful Formula 1 ladies Tag in a hard to find brown mother of pearl from the same Goldfinger store (an authorized dealer). They have never had the same selection on board.

 

My advice on buying a Tag is that if they offer you the watch you want on the ship I would not hesitate but if you need selection than go to an authorized dealer on the island.

 

Breitling is not carried on RCI ships so you would need to purchase that brand in St. Thomas or St. Maarten. Little Switzeraland is an AD and will have the same pricing on either island.

[PeterPan]

There are some Brietling watches available on Oasis of the Seas. I was quoted a price of $2378.00 USD for a Brietling Superocean in steel. They do not have the higher end models of Brietlings though.

[stones902]

There are some Brietling watches available on Oasis of the Seas. I was quoted a price of $2378.00 USD for a Brietling Superocean in steel. They do not have the higher end models of Brietlings though.

 

That's good to hear. We haven't sailed the Oasis or Allure yet. The best I have seen on other RCI ships are Omegas.

 

Have you noticed that they really seem to push Lamborgini watches or is it just me? I'm not even that familar with the brand.

[sail7seas]

Of the ports you've mentioned, my experience has been AH Riise in St. Thomas is the most reliable. They tend to stand behind what they sell and will respond if you contact them about a problem with something you bought in their store.

 

Be very sure about any warranty you get that it will be honored at service centers. If you shop before you go, you will know the prices of 'fair trade' items and mfg. suggested retail prices. That's the best way to know if it is worth buying in St. Thomas or any other island. The added benefit to shopping in St. Thomas is the higher Duty Free exemption for purchases made in USVI.

 

[PeterPan]

That's good to hear. We haven't sailed the Oasis or Allure yet. The best I have seen on other RCI ships are Omegas.

 

Have you noticed that they really seem to push Lamborgini watches or is it just me? I'm not even that familar with the brand.

 

Yes, I've noticed that also. I don't know anything about the Lamborgini watches, and really don't care for the style. I'm holding out for a Brietling Chrono Galactic with a two-tone case and bracelet. :)

[imsulin]

Of the ports you've mentioned, my experience has been AH Riise in St. Thomas is the most reliable. They tend to stand behind what they sell and will respond if you contact them about a problem with something you bought in their store.

 

Be very sure about any warranty you get that it will be honored at service centers. If you shop before you go, you will know the prices of 'fair trade' items and mfg. suggested retail prices. That's the best way to know if it is worth buying in St. Thomas or any other island. The added benefit to shopping in St. Thomas is the higher Duty Free exemption for purchases made in USVI.

 

 

Well said, Sail! The best deals I ever got were from AH Riise, and I got GIA certificates. I still have these items and certificates. Check out pricing for what you want before your cruise. The first item I ever bought (1992??) was a multi-stone 14k amythyst 14k ring. One of the stones fell out and I received the ring with replaced stone in perfect condition for NO charge! They paid for shipping both ways.

[kitty9]

My question to you who've purchased those higher end watches on the ship, how do you avoid US Customs? I purchased a necklace on Celebrity, and the night before the last day of the cruise, I got a letter from the Purser telling me I had to report to a specific room by a certain time to present the purchase and the sales slip so I could pay duty. It seems ships have to report sales above a certain amount to US Customs in order for them to get their money. So, whatever money I may have saved, I lost because I had to pay a pretty steep duty. It's easier to "hide" purchases from the islands because those stores don't report anything, but on the ship, they must report all sales, even for those who purchase a lot of booze on the ship, amounts that go over the legal limit.

[mudscraper]

My question to you who've purchased those higher end watches on the ship, how do you avoid US Customs? I purchased a necklace on Celebrity, and the night before the last day of the cruise, I got a letter from the Purser telling me I had to report to a specific room by a certain time to present the purchase and the sales slip so I could pay duty. It seems ships have to report sales above a certain amount to US Customs in order for them to get their money. So, whatever money I may have saved, I lost because I had to pay a pretty steep duty. It's easier to "hide" purchases from the islands because those stores don't report anything, but on the ship, they must report all sales, even for those who purchase a lot of booze on the ship, amounts that go over the legal limit.

There was an extensive thread on this subject some time back. The concensus was that you can`t avoid customs and if you try, mucho problema for you. The ship does report high end purchases and I`ve also read that the jewelry stores will also forward reports of high end purchases to customs.

[Putterdude]

DW bought me a TAG Heuer at Little Switzerland in St. Thomas for a significant birthday a year ago. The prices are very tightly controlled by the manufacturer but they have some room to move and you do save at least the sales tax. I am a negotiator by nature and profession and you know that they have gone as deep as they can when they start throwing in cheap strings of pearls to make the deal. The real secret is to know your prices, check shipboard pricing and then go from there.

[firefly333]

bidz site online has tags for way below what you will find them on a cruise.

[Putterdude]

Just checked Bidz.com site and didn't see any TAGS, am I missing something? I know nothing about Bidz.com but when you buy from them are you buying from an authorized dealer who can provide a warranty?