KMII
[Montblanc Moderator]
51371
Has the crisis arrived for real?
Been to Zürich the other day and while it was a family trip, I could not stop making it watch related, too (which one of us can? 
).
And there have been some quite interesting observations I made. 
Let's start with the outright shocking. One of the truly storied Zürich watch retailers (of many a double signage model) looked shockingly like a discount / outlet store - all across the shop windows you had massive sale and % signage. And the watches - mostly from reputed manufactures we all discuss here frequently - were arranged into clusters of -20 - -40% then -30 - -60%... Current models, too. And many high complications.
A bit taken aback the other observations were not pointing in a different direction, either. Without mentioning any brands, I got offered double digit discounts in brand boutiques on selected pieces, and was pretty much without exception handled by the boutique director - in spite of entering in a decidedly low key attire (polo, slacks & backpack).
And I have been to all boutiques for the first time - so no 'good customer bonus'.
While the really great customer treatment is highly welcome (not sure this has gotten better - got no comparison values), I am wondering if these are some harbingers of a real crisis in the industry.
Have any of you made similar observations lately?
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Has the crisis arrived for real?
Been to Zürich the other day and while it was a family trip, I could not stop making it watch related, too (which one of us can? ). And there have been some quite interesting observations I made. Let\'s start with the outright shocking. One of the truly s...
Do so - seems to be a good time for them.
You will hardly be able to miss what I described...
not the big discounts but quite similar
Was in Düsseldorf today, seen quite a few Panerai LE. Years ago these references like the 685, 687 and 662 would have been hard to get watches that sold out the first day of SIHH Today they are all in the window, UNSOLD
Shoot, went at the wrong time....
However, I do get some offer for discounts during my trip in Feb, and looking back, the deal was better than in Germany for that watch. On the flip side, dollar is so weak now so maybe that's why discounts can help to offset some foreseeable weakness ahea...
I live in Zürich.
But I do not know from which stores you speak. Non, that I would know of (and I know all of them ;-), looks like a discount store or has discounts pointed at openly. Except 1 window (from Meister and often from Kurz) of about 20 windows, where they have t...
Türler
I guess he's referring to Türler, which will close shop by end of the year, if I'm not mistaken. Best Marco
I see...
That bit I did not know. And yes, the discount signs were only at this one store (visible from the outside).
well I was inside and apparently the discount is only on some..
not so desirable models but..now that I know better I will try again to see if there is anything interesting !
Your fellow Zürich resident lifted the secret :)
It was Türler. The others did not look anything like it...
I do think discounts are to be had now more than ever.
Swiss watch exports numbers are still way down. The industry is still in crisis-my take.
being a very modest collector, I will answer from my own point of view
Luxury goods are often considered as Veblen goods. You need also money and a serious purchasing power to purchase some timepieces. Despite some so called discounts, some pieces are not sold because on some markets, the economic situation has worsened. I r...
In London in my experience
Hi all Although some higher end shops do have a small selection of watches in a discount window most seem to try and avoid this move for obvious reasons. However if not all most of these retailers are and have offered 0% finance deals over up to 4 years w...
The financing aspect is interesting indeed
Small payments make the purchase more easily digestible for those where the cash outflow of a new purchase is an issue. It will not sway everyone but will also be cheaper to offer for an AD than a discount and it will definitely not produce a precedent in...
Ah, Veblen...
Last man who knew everything according to his contemporaries I can definitely understand your approach, though. Still, I don't see us being past the conspicuous consumption phase as a society, in spite of some difficulties to move product. So from that pe...
well to be honest, I like hunting on ebay or chrono 24 and getting killer deals sometimes local auctions did help me, also my watchmaker has all nice things for sale
However, I have to be reasonnable because I have five watches in service and servicing a mechanical watch costs money and other usual expenses. I prefer to be cautious and wise when it comes to watch purchases, I am also very very selective of what I buy ...
Could have fooled me!
I travel very often, in the last couple of months I've been to Dubai, , Geneva, London, Paris, New York, Verona, Venice, Bologna and Florence. Of course I have stopped off at AD's in every destination and have witnessed a modest softening of prices, but r...
Thanks for adding your experiences!
Interesting to hear. There was a high complication watch from one of the brands you collect seriously discounted in that window in Zürich, btw. As long s brands can afford to take longer to sell, all is good, I guess. Not sure that all can, though...
I need to arrange a trip to Zurich 😉
I think it is very dealer specific, I am in Bologna at the moment and the AD was not willing to budge, he was almost offended I asked for a discount. Others are more flexible depending on the model, personally I find it difficult to achieve discounts on g...