- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Winter Olympics
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Ingeniero's watch boutique extravaganza review (pics)
Posted on 5/21/21 at 7:14 pm
Posted on 5/21/21 at 7:14 pm
We took a day out of our vacation to visit the Miami Design District, so I got a rare chance to visit a lot of boutiques that don't exist in Louisiana. Here's a review of all the different ones I saw.
Because of COVID, a lot of the places had extra measures in addition to just masks and distancing. A Lange & Sohne and Vacheron Constantin made you call beforehand and schedule an appointment just to get in.
Panerai:
Started the day here because they were the easiest to get into. Had to wait for the door to be unlocked for me, but after that it was just me and the employees. Very polite, but left me alone to look at what they had when I said I was just browsing. Nice watches but not my style.
IWC:
Probably the best experience of the day. As soon as I walked in, the employee's eyes lit up and she asked if I was looking for anything in particular or if I'd just like to hear about their watches. She walked me around the shop and explained the different models, movements, etc. They had a BEAUTIFUL emerald green dial Portugieser Chronograph that the associate was enthusiastic about me trying on. I really didn't get the green dial trend until I saw this one in person and tried it on, but I'm totally on board now.
When we were ready to go, the associate told me to wait and came back with a very nice hard cover catalog for me to take home in an IWC bag. I hadn't really thought about IWC before this trip, but their customer service was top notch and I'd buy a watch from them in the future.
Vacheron Constantin:
First big boy store of the day. When I called to make an appointment, the employee asked if there were any particular pieces I wanted to see. I told him not exactly, but if he had an Overseas in the store I'd love to see it. He chuckled a little and said "that's what I was trying to tell you, we don't have a single Overseas," so I told him I'd be happy to come see their other watches.
Once we got in, I made it clear that their watches were lovely but not in my price range. The associate was still more than happy to show me all their different models and the stories behind each one. He showed me his personal Overseas Chronograph and said when I decided I wanted one, I could let them know and they would special order it. My wife also found a $180,000 ladies tourbillion that she liked. Ha.
Rolex:
I pulled on the door, the manager met me at the door and said "we've got 2 watches in the entire store and they're both ladies datejusts. We're kind of only doing order pickups right now." I got out of there quick.
A. Lange & Sohne:
Next big boy store. The sales associate was very polite, and I told her I was excited to see their watches in person because I'd never had the chance to before. She let me try on the only Lange 1 they had in the store, but expressed her frustration that they didn't have any Datographs or Zeitwerks in the store. She said a lot of people have asked to come by hoping to see them, but COVID has dropped their production to only about 3000 pieces in the last year, and it's tough to get them in.
When I was leaving, she said she didn't have a catalog to offer me but instead gave me a calendar to take home.
Omega:
The exact opposite of Rolex. Every slot in the counter had a watch in it, and the salesman was more than happy to let me try on anything they had. He showed me the one new 3861 caliber Speedmaster that the had in the store. Great watch, and my wife said this was her favorite store of the day, and she thinks a new Speedy should be my next purchase.
The memes about Omega beating the moonwatch to death are true. They had an astronaut mannequin wearing one. They had moon footprints for social distancing. The salesman mentioned it every time I tried on a different Speedy. They're very proud of it.
We talked a little bit about how frustrating the Rolex "shortage" is and he assured me that if I wanted a Speedy, the only wait I'd have is however many days it'd take to get it shipped over. He gave me two very nice catalogs on the way out.
Overall a really cool day. The enhanced safety measures kind of killed the vibe but I was still able to visit all the places that I wanted to. Nice to head home with some goodies too.
Because of COVID, a lot of the places had extra measures in addition to just masks and distancing. A Lange & Sohne and Vacheron Constantin made you call beforehand and schedule an appointment just to get in.
Panerai:
Started the day here because they were the easiest to get into. Had to wait for the door to be unlocked for me, but after that it was just me and the employees. Very polite, but left me alone to look at what they had when I said I was just browsing. Nice watches but not my style.
IWC:
Probably the best experience of the day. As soon as I walked in, the employee's eyes lit up and she asked if I was looking for anything in particular or if I'd just like to hear about their watches. She walked me around the shop and explained the different models, movements, etc. They had a BEAUTIFUL emerald green dial Portugieser Chronograph that the associate was enthusiastic about me trying on. I really didn't get the green dial trend until I saw this one in person and tried it on, but I'm totally on board now.
When we were ready to go, the associate told me to wait and came back with a very nice hard cover catalog for me to take home in an IWC bag. I hadn't really thought about IWC before this trip, but their customer service was top notch and I'd buy a watch from them in the future.
Vacheron Constantin:
First big boy store of the day. When I called to make an appointment, the employee asked if there were any particular pieces I wanted to see. I told him not exactly, but if he had an Overseas in the store I'd love to see it. He chuckled a little and said "that's what I was trying to tell you, we don't have a single Overseas," so I told him I'd be happy to come see their other watches.
Once we got in, I made it clear that their watches were lovely but not in my price range. The associate was still more than happy to show me all their different models and the stories behind each one. He showed me his personal Overseas Chronograph and said when I decided I wanted one, I could let them know and they would special order it. My wife also found a $180,000 ladies tourbillion that she liked. Ha.
Rolex:
I pulled on the door, the manager met me at the door and said "we've got 2 watches in the entire store and they're both ladies datejusts. We're kind of only doing order pickups right now." I got out of there quick.
A. Lange & Sohne:
Next big boy store. The sales associate was very polite, and I told her I was excited to see their watches in person because I'd never had the chance to before. She let me try on the only Lange 1 they had in the store, but expressed her frustration that they didn't have any Datographs or Zeitwerks in the store. She said a lot of people have asked to come by hoping to see them, but COVID has dropped their production to only about 3000 pieces in the last year, and it's tough to get them in.
When I was leaving, she said she didn't have a catalog to offer me but instead gave me a calendar to take home.
Omega:
The exact opposite of Rolex. Every slot in the counter had a watch in it, and the salesman was more than happy to let me try on anything they had. He showed me the one new 3861 caliber Speedmaster that the had in the store. Great watch, and my wife said this was her favorite store of the day, and she thinks a new Speedy should be my next purchase.
The memes about Omega beating the moonwatch to death are true. They had an astronaut mannequin wearing one. They had moon footprints for social distancing. The salesman mentioned it every time I tried on a different Speedy. They're very proud of it.
We talked a little bit about how frustrating the Rolex "shortage" is and he assured me that if I wanted a Speedy, the only wait I'd have is however many days it'd take to get it shipped over. He gave me two very nice catalogs on the way out.
Overall a really cool day. The enhanced safety measures kind of killed the vibe but I was still able to visit all the places that I wanted to. Nice to head home with some goodies too.
4
Posted on 5/21/21 at 8:07 pm to Ingeniero
That was very professional for those stores to treat you the way they did when you were very upfront and honest about not buying a particular watch.
Posted on 5/21/21 at 8:41 pm to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
quote:
That was very professional for those stores to treat you the way they did when you were very upfront and honest about not buying a particular watch.
I agree. I wore my Black Bay 58 and got complements from a few of the associates, which I think helped show that while I wasn't a "serious" buyer, I also wasn't totally wasting anyone's time.
Posted on 5/22/21 at 12:51 am to Ingeniero
That was interesting, thanks for posting. I'm not sure I can go back in another watch boutique after spilling a Dark & Stormy on the counter of the Omega store in Oranjestad in 2019. Never been more embarrassed in a store before or since 
I thought really hard about buying a Speedmaster just because I felt like such an arse.
I thought really hard about buying a Speedmaster just because I felt like such an arse. Posted on 5/22/21 at 8:39 am to Ingeniero
Great post! I never thought of going into these stores in the past bc who would think that they’d be more than happy to spend time with you knowing you weren’t buying anything. Really cool! Thanks for sharing
Posted on 5/24/21 at 10:18 pm to Ingeniero
I have always had good experiences in the Omega store in the Houston. I make a point to drive to that store to get mine derived just to walk around and browse their collection.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News