Bob's Watches

[wesdaniel]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

Based on my experience, this is factually erroneous. I purchased a 216570 from WatchBox, and it had all of the factory links with it. It also had about six months of Rolex warranty on it, so, when there was an issue, I sent it back to WatchBox, who sent it back to Rolex, RSC, who fixed it, provided for paperwork, and sent it back to me. An expensive, but an honest seller, in my opinion and experience.


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I've never had a bad experience with WB and wasn't trying to imply that I had. I've found them to be, as you stated, expensive, but honest sellers.

I do know that, at one point, one of their reps told me that they sell their watches sized to 7.25", so I presumed that meant they sized up or down in order to get that. I've only purchased two bracelet watches from them and, in both of those, they were sized to 7.25".

If I'm wrong, I apologize for the error.

[D!ngo]

Well, that was a lot to digest. I know the last reply was over a year ago, but I'm NOT here to bump this thread or revive the bad rap about this business.

I was looking to buy a watch for my wife for our 25th anniversary and Bob's Watches (AKA Pual) has the one I'm looking for. I did a little review check on their business and found this thread. Yes, I've read through the entire 14 pages.

Granted, most complaints were from people selling watches to them...and I agree that their buying practice is touching the bait-and-switch tactic. But, I do see some who were happy with their purchases.

Since I'm on the buying side, to those who have bought their watch from Bob's; are their descriptions and photos accurate?

Most of their watches are described as "Excellent" condition, even for 15-20 year old watches. And their photos are against a white background so that kinda washes out any imperfections being shown clearly. I wonder if they were polished just to get it to the "Excellent" condition so they can sell higher.

I know I can buy the watch and return it if I don't like it, but I want to avoid this if possible. I have about 2 weeks to get a watch and don't want to have to deal with returning and searching for another.

Please chime in if you've bought a watch from them. Would you say your watch has been polished and any imperfections, that couldn't be seen from their photos, become apparent once you have the watch in hand?

The watch I'm interested in says "Excellent" but when I zoomed in, I could see a tiny dent on the bezel. If anyone has better eyes and can scrutinize the watch in question, it would be very much appreciated.

*If mods think this is not the right section, please feel free to move it accordingly., Thanks.

[joli160]

Lots of sellers describe all their watches as excellent, dented bezel or not .
Purely subjective and meaningless.

Washed out pictures are terrible. Makes it very hard to properly judge the condition of a i.e. case. I always skip sellers who use these.

Polished you ask, rhetorical question, how else can second hand watches look brand new ?

You already made up your mind and don’t want to look for another so congrats are in order.
From what I have read in this thread you may want to ask them for the timer results and to provide you with a complete set of links. Good luck

[J!m]

Temper your expectations. A ding in a bezel may well be excellent. It sounds as if you want “mint” or “new” condition and that generally Carrie’s a premium over pre-owned.

I suggest you keep looking for new/mint or accept what you get from Bob.

[Maleg]

I've had good experience buying from Bob's. The watches are authentic and you get what they advertise. Pricing is upfront. You have all you need in their ads to know whether it's a good deal.

Their offers to buy OTOH were horrible. I wouldn't try to sell a watch to them.

[fozzyf18]

I purchased a watch from Bob's about 6 years ago. No real issue, watch was as described, but certainly on the higher cost end of similar watches for sale across the major sellers. Watch was about 13 years old when I purchased it, so it had obviously been polished but I had no issue with the job that had been done.

One of the biggest complaints is that Bob's specifically states the size wrist that the watch will fit in the listing. They do not provide additional links for free, they will charge you.

Also, depending on the age of the watch, do not assume that it has been recently serviced unless the listing specifically states it. My watch worked fine for about a year and then felt gritty when winding. Sent it for service and the tech reported that it was pretty much bone dry- it probably had never been serviced in the 13 years prior to my ownership.

Recommend calling them and asking very specific questions if you have concerns, or send an email to get their answer on record.

Lastly, while I am satisfied with my purchase, I do not plan to purchase from Bob's again due to other's experiences that I have read about (and not just here). I'm more informed now than when I made my purchase, and I would bias towards the trusted sellers on this forum and recommend the same to anyone I know who isn't very knowledgeable about watches but looking to purchase.

[D!ngo]

Originally Posted by joli160

Lots of sellers describe all their watches as excellent, dented bezel or not .
Purely subjective and meaningless.

Washed out pictures are terrible. Makes it very hard to properly judge the condition of a i.e. case. I always skip sellers who use these.

Polished you ask, rhetorical question, how else can second hand watches look brand new ?

You already made up your mind and don’t want to look for another so congrats are in order.
From what I have read in this thread you may want to ask them for the timer results and to provide you with a complete set of links. Good luck

Originally Posted by J!m

Temper your expectations. A ding in a bezel may well be excellent. It sounds as if you want “mint” or “new” condition and that generally Carrie’s a premium over pre-owned.

I suggest you keep looking for new/mint or accept what you get from Bob.

Thanks for the replies, gents. I really thought "excellent" meant little superficial scratches, but I didn't think that would include dents. I guess I'm giving them more credit and assuming they set a higher standard in the luxury watch industry. This is only my second purchase in twenty years.

[D!ngo]

Originally Posted by Maleg

I've had good experience buying from Bob's. The watches are authentic and you get what they advertise. Pricing is upfront. You have all you need in their ads to know whether it's a good deal.

Their offers to buy OTOH were horrible. I wouldn't try to sell a watch to them.

Thanks. I totally agreed on selling to them.

[D!ngo]

Originally Posted by fozzyf18

I purchased a watch from Bob's about 6 years ago. No real issue, watch was as described, but certainly on the higher cost end of similar watches for sale across the major sellers. Watch was about 13 years old when I purchased it, so it had obviously been polished but I had no issue with the job that had been done.

One of the biggest complaints is that Bob's specifically states the size wrist that the watch will fit in the listing. They do not provide additional links for free, they will charge you.

Also, depending on the age of the watch, do not assume that it has been recently serviced unless the listing specifically states it. My watch worked fine for about a year and then felt gritty when winding. Sent it for service and the tech reported that it was pretty much bone dry- it probably had never been serviced in the 13 years prior to my ownership.

Recommend calling them and asking very specific questions if you have concerns, or send an email to get their answer on record.

Lastly, while I am satisfied with my purchase, I do not plan to purchase from Bob's again due to other's experiences that I have read about (and not just here). I'm more informed now than when I made my purchase, and I would bias towards the trusted sellers on this forum and recommend the same to anyone I know who isn't very knowledgeable about watches but looking to purchase.

Thanks for the heads-up. I plan to have the service done after I buy the watch anyway, regardless of what they say about the last service. After all, it could be them that did the "service" and it's nothing more than just inspecting and cleaning. I also take snapshots of the photos online of any watch I am interested in. Especially with precious metals and diamond-encrusted links, every missing link is more than a grand.