I may treat myself to a new watch on board.

[PoohUnderstands]

I purchased my current watch (Rado with diamonds and enamel band) on a cruise last October.  On sale and was given an extra 10% off and didn't pay sales tax.  When I got home I looked up my watch on the Rado Website and Amazon and others and found that I had saved $150-350 dollars on the cost plus the tax.  I have warranty papers and all is good.  So it depends.  I have bought several of the cheap watches more as costume jewelry and a couple lasted me forever!!  So if there is a brand you are thinking of, get acquainted with the prices and then check out on ship.

 

Pooh

[Iamcruzin]

The days of duty free shopping have come to an end with the birth of on line shopping. I didn't spend a dime for the first time on my last cruise. I usually  buy liquor or fragrances but even the prices for those items are pretty much the same as home which doesn't make it worth carrying it back, especially if you are flying. Sometimes you can find a bottle of liquor that's not available in the U.S. and then it's worth buying.  DW even found better deals on handbags at  Macy's and Lord and Taylor when they run a friends and family discount, which seem to be happening more often these days, also due to internet competition.  Tobacco is the only true savings now.  Even the beach cover ups that you find in the Caribbean can be found on Amazon. Now if you have OBC then that's a different story.

[GUT2407]

Also depends if you have non refundable OBC to use.

[Papa Yoda]

Citizen Blue Angels Solar atomic for just a good bit less than Amazon

Edited July 14, 2019 by Ferd Berfle

[cheznandy]

3 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Agreed. Not always. Anyway, you are on the ship and if you see something you like at a price that you think is OK, why not buy it?

And if you have a few hundred OBC, its a good buy😉

[Potstech]

11 hours ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

This is just more "fake news"

And you can show that how?  Have bought two watches, several years ago, yhat lasted less than a month.  More like fake watches, dude.  Everyone has their own experiences.

 

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

That's true.  What steps did you take with Princess to rectify the problem you had?  How about the actual manufacturer?  

[denmarks]

There is a big difference between the watches sold in the jewelry store and the ones on the balcony. The cheap ones have designer names but will probably not last as long as the battery.

 

I purchased a Citizen EcoDrive watch for about $160 of free OBC money. The same watch is still sold on Amazon for $140 but no longer has the day of the week. When you add the tax Amazon is about $155. I don't know why they dropped the day for this model. You can not get it anywhere.

[MissP22]

19 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I also bought a nice looking watch at the $10.00 sale ($9 with Elite discount).  I couldn't set the time and had another small  issue, so took it to the "expensive watch" store on board.  He was most gracious and fixed my problem.  I was tired of constantly looking at my phone for the time.  Best purchase on board.

They're the best buys. I recently had to replace my $9 watch's battery after 3 years & it's still running great. It cost 20 cents for the new battery.😏

Spending more for an expensive watch on the ships is a gamble should anything do wrong, even if it is OBC. 

[Potstech]

1 hour ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

That's true.  What steps did you take with Princess to rectify the problem you had?  How about the actual manufacturer?  

First of all what proof have you it is not true. I contacted Princess both times and, at that time, several people told me that Princess had no responsibility. The manufacture said to send it to them but I would have to pay shipping both ways. As they were cheaper watches I decided it was not worth it. If that does not fit your agenda then too bad

[Outerdog]

Another uptick for Citizen EcoDrive watches. I have five of them purchased on various ships. All of which were below the MSRP by about $150 or so. I will probably purchase another on my upcoming trip.

 

Warranty service through Citizen is as simple as registering the product on their website when you return. You provide a copy of the receipt as proof of purchase (they really just want to verify the date of purchase; it's obviously a Citizen watch or it isn't).  That said, I have not needed any service on any of my Citizen watches in the 5 or so years I have had them.

 

There is no agenda. It's just the way it is. 

[c-boy]

Pots where on the ship(s) did you purchase these fabulous and expensive time pieces ?

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

On 7/13/2019 at 9:24 AM, Potstech said:

Would not purchase anything like that onboard. Despite what they tell you there is no effective warranty on them. ANd you can probably get it cheaper elsewhere.

So, even though the manufacturer was willing to honor warranty, you deemed it too expensive to ship.  This sounds like your own choice.  The item you bought was apparently covered by a warranty.  You chose not to use it.  Apparently many have been happy with their watch purchase.  You implied that there is no warranty, or even fake product.  I believe you should be the one to provide the proof you seek.

[Potstech]

6 hours ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

So, even though the manufacturer was willing to honor warranty, you deemed it too expensive to ship.  This sounds like your own choice.  The item you bought was apparently covered by a warranty.  You chose not to use it.  Apparently many have been happy with their watch purchase.  You implied that there is no warranty, or even fake product.  I believe you should be the one to provide the proof you seek.

You can believe what you want as it makes no difference to me at all.

[Potstech]

6 hours ago, c-boy said:

Pots where on the ship(s) did you purchase these fabulous and expensive time pieces ?

At the store that sells watches.  Is there somewhere else onboard that sells them?

[andlep]

When buying goods on board Princess, you only get the manufacturer's warranty (except for jewellery) so you must  consider if you can claim the  warranty  in your country of residence without having to post the item internationally. For example, citizen Australia honours all genuine citizen watches with an international warranty for one year, and provides a 5 year warranty for items purchased in Australia. 

Other cruise lines use Harding retail which has support in various countries.

Edited July 14, 2019 by andlep
syntax

[Thrak]

I have 2 watches. That's enough for me. I wear the Citizen Eco Drive most of the time. I wear the other watch after 6 PM on cruise ships and when we go out somewhere nice for dinner.  I'm not fancy enough to have a bunch of snazzy watches. Also, I'm never overburdened with "too much" OBC.

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

41 minutes ago, Potstech said:

You can believe what you want as it makes no difference to me at all.

There you go!  Have a good one!

[Iamcruzin]

9 hours ago, Potstech said:

First of all what proof have you it is not true. I contacted Princess both times and, at that time, several people told me that Princess had no responsibility. The manufacture said to send it to them but I would have to pay shipping both ways. As they were cheaper watches I decided it was not worth it. If that does not fit your agenda then too bad

I have read similar stories from those who purchased iffy jewelry on board. It was an ordeal to have it repaired. Once you are off of the ship there is nothing to compel them to help you. If you are standing at the counter at home they can't run away.

[Scorpio41]

Thank you for all the replies good and bad.

 

So they sell Citizen watches and what other makes? As originally asked I wan to research prices before I go.

 

I want to take advantage of the first day 10% discount, elite discount and use my on board credit.

[MissP22]

8 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I have read similar stories from those who purchased iffy jewelry on board. It was an ordeal to have it repaired. Once you are off of the ship there is nothing to compel them to help you. If you are standing at the counter at home they can't run away.

I've read those stories also & would be hesitant to make a large purchase on board the ship.

Perhaps returning it back to the ship on a subsequent cruise in the near future would be a solution? We've done that but only with small items & we had to talk to the shop manager to get approval.  

[cattman]

On 7/13/2019 at 10:57 AM, denmarks said:

I am currently wearing one I basically received free due to on board credits. It is a Citizen EcoDrive with day and date. The price was great and the model is no longer sold with the day indicator. I have had it for over 4 years and is one of the best watches I have ever had.

Picked up my Citizen EcoDrive on a Caribbean cruise using onboard credit too. Even though it was a few dollars more than Amazon the OBC covered it and as the OBC was nonrefundable(and we don't drink much or gamble), we would have lost it if we hadn't used it so it was a great deal.

[Porky55]

Scorpio41,

To answer your original question, to the best of my knowledge, (as I am a bit of a shopaholic) - watch brands I have seen for sale are:

Citizen

Baby G

Fossil

Kate Spade and

$$$$$$$ - OMEGA, Blancpain, Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Longines. 

 

 There are probably more, hope this helps with the research. I have bought more than one and have no complaints. It’s all a matter of - my money; my choice 😉

Cheers, Rose 

Edited July 15, 2019 by Porky55

[GUT2407]

2 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

Scorpio41,

To answer your original question, to the best of my knowledge, (as I am a bit of a shopaholic) - watch brands I have seen for sale are:

Citizen

Baby G

Fossil

Kate Spade

$$$$$$$ - OMEGA, Blancpain, Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Longines. 

 

 There are probably more, hope this helps with the research. I have bought more than one and have no complaints. It’s all a matter of - my money; my choice 😉

Cheers, Rose 

No idea if they still carry them but I’ve also picked up Invicta and Kors and seen Tissot

[AZJerry]

Shinola watches are a big push onboard recently.