10 Watch Buying Mistakes (and how to avoid them...)

Buying a new watch should be one of the best things you can do. Forget getting married or the birth of your first child—strapping on a new watch for the first time after money has changed hands is a feeling that’s pretty much biblical. But not everyone gets that feeling, because buying a watch isn’t as simple as all that. With more pitfalls than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the experience of buying a watch can very quickly go sour if you’re not prepared. So, to give you a helping hand, here are ten things you should look out for when you buy a watch.

Featured Watches:
Breitling AVI Ref.765 1953 Re-Edition AB0920131B1X1
Grand Seiko SLGH003
IWC Ingenieur IW381701
H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Centre Seconds 3200-1200
TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph WBE5191.FC8276
Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition 771 7744 31 85
Rolex Explorer II 216570
Panerai Luminor 1950 PCYC Regatta 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titanio PAM00652
Patek Philippe Multi-Scale Chronograph Limited Edition 5975G
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Dark Side Of The Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.001

Shop now for Breitling watches:

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Shop now for H. Moser & Cie. watches:

Shop now for TAG Heuer watches:

Shop now for Oris watches:

Shop now for Rolex watches:

Shop now for Panerai watches:

Shop now for Patek Philippe watches:

Shop now for Omega watches:

Shop now for IWC watches:

[BrB]

Try looking at picture of the watch that you wanna buy everyday for 3 months. If you still feel like you wanna buy it, buy it

[dhunter]

#1: Cannot stress this enough; a watch is a tactile experience as much as a visual experience. Beauty shots often hide thickness, which impacts weight.
#2: Ask yourself, "when would I actually wear this?" & "what would I stop wearing to wear this instead?" If you struggle with the answer, don't buy the watch.

[jcmuscle]

Number one rule I learned, never buy over retail

[WatchesOnWood]

Rule one: I nearly fell foul of this. I convinced myself to get Defy 21 on the backing of your videos. I bought online, but was then contacted by the grey dealer to say they couldn't fulfill. I was annoyed but a few weeks later in a different city I visited the AD and it just didn't live up to my expectations. All those macros that i'd seen that made the watch special, couldn't be seen at a normal distance on my wrist - at arm's length, it was just a dial of metal spaghetti. What a bullet dodged.

[savariaxa]

I buy mostly vintage watches in good condition in Switzerland 🇨🇭 especially from the 50’s Zeniths + servicing that’s about 600 Euro in average I have now 10 pieces completely original and serviced this era of watchmaking is amazing !

[cdean]

Coming from a man who works for Watchfinder and yet only owns a Grand Seiko and a Tudor, I can trust this list far more than similar lists from others.

[neighborsgoat]

Buying my first collectible watch was an experience for itself; the experience in the AD store was at least 10% worth the price of the watch; something I will never forget!

[Valisk]

I have to say - a lot of this advice is directly relevant to Watchfinder as a company. I bought my grail watch from them and the experience was exceptional.

[billybenson]

I bought a Bulova Surfboard online because I loved the design and look. When I got it I realized that unless the lighting was perfect my eyes couldn't see the hands. At least I could return for a refund. Seeing a watch in person is a great way to avoid pratfalls and maybe change one's mind about the product. I didn't care much about the Hamilton Navy Sub in green until I saw it at a shop. Now it's a daily wear watch for me.

[SnoopMo-MBA]

I loved that blue GS! Looks absolutely incredible 😍😍. Make a video about it please.

[lancedisk]

I bought the new black Seiko 5 SRPD... Then bought the anni edition as well, because it's amazing and you can't buy much more "watch" for that money. Excited to have entered this universe

[mr_watchaddict]

My mistake was opening the ‘Watches & Jewellery’ page of the 1985 Argos catalogue in the first place.

[xxxlutzify]

All of this is actually amazing advice. Takes some watches owned to really know these things by heart.

[stevefox]

Took me 2 years to get my Omega sm200, just sent it for its first service - £485 & 13 weeks. Love it, but my favourite is my Willard 🤣
Good video, thank you 👍🏻👍🏻

[LHfT]

Ahhh the old style is back!!! Wonderful! 👍👍

[allanandrews]

Buying a watch which might impress others rather than the watch which you really want.

[bobbydazzler]

Buy a watch like you’d buy an outfit. If you can see yourself being comfortable in that outfit and wearing it to death all is good. But if it’s a special occasion outfit and you’re not a special occasion guy that watch will gather dust for more hours than you’ll ever wear it. Watches are, after all, just extensions of our daily garb.

[davidcoleman]

I made a few of these mistakes . I'm trying now to think more before buying . Thank you .

[whiskyguzzler]

Despite having several very lovely watches, my Citizen World Time Eco-Drive is family. If I am looking at something seriously, I wear the Citizen to remember that there is a difference between true love and a fling. It also reminds me of my economic status as a non-billionaire!

[Akstergrind]

It's quite refreshing not to be strong-armed into joining a channel's Patreon and paying them to create content...so, thanks very much for that, and for the great videos.