What Watchfinder is not:
Watchfinder is not a watch dealer. We do not
sell watches. We are not a party to any transaction
for the purchase of a watch (or anything else)
and never receive payments for watches. Furthermore,
Watchfinder is not an authorized representative
for any watch brand. Please do not email us and
ask for the best price for a watch! Instead, visit
our dealers, who do
sell watches. Thank you.
What Watchfinder.net is:
Above all, Watchfinder is a resource which
helps watch buyers identify the watches that they
want, and then find watch dealers to buy from.
Accordingly, the site is organized principally
as a directory, which connects watch buyers with
watch dealers based on watch brands and categories
(Vintage, Accessories, etc.). We also offer Special
Offers. These offers are made through
Watchfinder by our dealers. Increasingly,
Watchfinder.net is also a watch catalog and learning
resource. We encourage watch brands to contact
us to sponsor their brand page, which is an
opportunity to reach our large audience in a direct
and dynamic manner.
How to use Watchfinder:
Read through the brand pages to learn about what
each brand has to offer. On each brand page you
will find a brief description of the brand, watch
pictures, a button with which to register for
that brand, and along the right side of the page
you will find banners for dealers who sell the
brand. Visit the dealers by clicking on their
banners. (If you register, we will email you
to let you know about special offers for the brand.
We will never sell or provide your email address
to anyone; you have our word).
About our dealer network:
Watchfinder presents a network of authorized
watch dealers, watch brokers, and pre-owned/Vintage
watch dealers (see below for more information). We
are very careful about dealer participation on
Watchfinder. Our dealers are the most established
and trustworthy online dealers. There are many
dealers who we have excluded because we judge
their business practices to be unacceptable. I
stand by the business practices and selection
of the dealers that you will find here. (Please
note that this statement does not apply
to watch dealers who appear in the Google Ads
at the bottom of some pages on Watchfinder.
We have no control over which dealers appear in
Google Ads, and offer neither assurances nor judgements
about their business practices).
As for the different types of watch dealers, there
are four types of watch dealers in our network:
Authorized dealers,
Watch brokers,
Liquidators
and Pre-owned dealers.
Authorized dealers are the watch manufacturer's
retail representative. Authorized dealers buy
their watches from the authorized wholesalers/distributors
who buy the watches directly from the watch manufacturer.
The greatest advantages to buying from authorized
dealers are that they always provide their customers
with the manufacturer's warranty, offer their
customers a direct line to the manufacturer, and
if you are a serious collector they can give you
first access to limited editions. Buying from
an authorized dealer ensures that you are receiving
a never-before-owned watch and, of course, the
authenticity of the watch is assured. The downside
is that, as part of their contract with the brands,
they can only discount their prices within a certain
range. However, authorized dealers will discuss
discounts with customers, so do not be shy to
ask them for their best price.
Watch brokers buy their watches directly
from authorized dealers or authorized distributors.
There are two sub-types of broker: those who buy
from dealers and those who buy from distributors.
Brokers who buy from authorized dealers receive
the valid and endorsed manufacturer's warranty
forms from the dealer and include them with the
watch when it is sold. Brokers who buy directly
from authorized distributors may not receive the
endorsed manufacturer's warranty forms because
distributors are not allowed to sell directly
to consumers, and accordingly, are not able to
endorse the warranty forms. However, this type
of watch broker self-warranties their watches.
Ultimately, it is the distributors who process
warranty claims and, if they sell the watch to
the broker, they will also do the warranty work
(although the watch will need to be returned to
the broker to initiate the warranty service).
Brokers play an important role in the watch business:
they buy slow-selling and/or hard-to-sell watches
from authorized dealers (often in large quantities).
In exchange for this, they can buy watches at
a lower price than a normal customer and pass
the savings on to you. The advantages to buying
from a broker is they can usually find any watch
and offer it at a very good price, and the manufacturer's
warranty is included. The downside is that the
watches are often bought in one country/continent
and sold to a customer in another country/continent.
Increasingly, watch brands are limiting their
warranties to prevent this watch brokerage activity.
However, most brands offer international warranty
coverage and as long as you present valid, endorsed
warranty papers you will receive warranty service.
Lastly, some brokers maintain a stock of watches
while others buy watches upon receiving an order.
Liquidators: Liquidators usually offer
lots of different products, and conduct business
by buying large lots of goods and selling them
at a deep discount. Accordingly, in terms of watches,
liquidators target the mass market and usually
offer very popular brands like Armani, Omega,
Seiko, Swiss Army and others. Up until 2004, we
did not have this type of dealers in our network.
However, two things happened. First, Overstock.com
(the quintessential discounter) acquired approximately
$2 million worth of Franck
Muller watches and asked us to help them sell
the watches. I was amazed at this, and the watches
were amazing (sold out now): rattrapantes, perpetual
calendars, tourbillons, etc. That got my attention.
We also have been receiving emails for years asking
us to cover the same inexpensive brands that these
liquidators tend to specialize in. Accordingly,
in 2004 we have begun to include liquidators in
our watch dealer network and to add inexpensive
mass-market brands to our brand selection. Just
because these watches are not from the elite Swiss
and German watch brands doesn't mean they don't
have a lot to offer. Two last points to note:
some of the liquidators are also authorized dealers
for some of their brands (which will be reflected
on each brand's page), and the warranty that comes
with the watch will be from the manufacturer or
from the liquidator (which is clearly stated on
their websites).
Pre-owned/Vintage watch dealers are just
that... they sell mostly pre-owned watches. These
watches may be pre-owned modern watches or vintage
watches (over 30 years old). These dealers will
also occassionally sell new watches.
If you are a watch dealer and would like to join
our dealer network please email
us.
Thank you for visiting Watchfinder. I hope
that our site helps you in your watch endeavors
and pursuits!
Best regards,
Rob Spayne