A little advice for a newcomer, please?

[Deck]

G'day,

I'm looking to make my first serious foray into a mechanical chronograph (Breitling Transocean). I've looked around a fair amount, however... to be perfectly blunt, I'm a little scared to go ahead and buy with authenticwatches.com who seem to have the best prices so far.

Could I please have any advice on this company? Customer reviews seem to fall between 'it was great, well-priced and arrived quickly', and 'don't buy from them, the back case will fall off within a year and it turns out I had a second hand movement inside'!

I'd rather get it right the first time, as I'm sure you can sympathise with and so your advice comes recommended and will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[sierra11b]

They are grey market dealer meaning that their prices are competitive because they don't come with a manufacturers warranty. I don't have any experience with this seller but you need to buy the seller in these cases. If the seller doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy then I wouldn't buy from them.

Besides, aren't you going to take a considerable hit on tax once it reaches your customs anyway? I would find a Breitling dealer in Australia and see what type of discount they can give you. If you have to pay extra then that may be the price to pay to get it right the first time. Plus you'll have the added benefit of being able to work with a local AD for warranty concerns.

[Deck]

Yes, I think you're right. They have their own repair teams, Breitling won't touch the watches, and the warranty is through the dealer. As for tax, its not really a consideration at the moment due to where I am currently (Australia is home, I'm working overseas for a little while).

I appreciate your help. I'll save up for a little longer and go through the AD, like you said.