First time buyer question

[Jao-Quin]

Hi everyone,

First time poster, so please forgive me if I've put this in the wrong place.

I'm a branding consultant in London, UK. I've admired beautiful watches (inherited a sterling silver pocketwatch from my grandfather) but never really considered buying one, until now. A close relative had a milestone birthday this year and also completed his postgraduate studies, so I would like to buy him a Rolex from his birth year as a gift.

It's my first time buying a luxury watch, so I'm a bit nervous. I've been reading the comments on this site about how to spot fakes and bad sellers and I realise that I probably won't have the skill or knowledge to identify one at this point.

This particular model has been hard to find, but I found one in London and another through an online seller. The price is almost identical between them, with both saying the model is in high demand this year.

The London shop doesn't allow returns (only exchange). The online seller offers returns (as required by law) but charges 3% surcharge for credit card payments and doesn't take PayPal or escrow. The surcharge comes to a considerable amount, but I'm not so comfortable transferring that much money directly on a first purchase. He also had a very negative review in a long thread from last year. I would like to have a return option for peace of mind, in case something goes wrong or for some reason the recipient doesn't like it.

Does anyone have any advice where to start, or how to check a particular item before purchase?
Are there sellers on here that anyone would recommend when looking for a very specific piece?
Or tips on dealing with either in-person or online buying?

(Apologies if this is already covered in a thread I haven't seen yet.)

Thanks so much in advance! Looking forward to learning and getting to know all of you!