Closing down.

[Tylden Reed]

Greetings. Having worked at the bench for over 60 years (mainly on Rolex) I have stopped taking in repairs. I will need to decide how to dispose of my spares when I have finished my customers' pieces and my families watches. At the moment I rent strong room space to keep the material safe, I will need to clear this out in about 12 months. More details on my profile page. Does anyone have experience of disposing of Rolex and other material either in bulk or piece by piece? At the moment I'm too busy to list all the material. How does one send material from the UK to the World? What insurance does one take out? So many questions, sorry.
Tylden.

[cjohns]

Man would love to see the pile he has !!!

[Valenciawatchrepair]

I've seen people do well on eBay. I've bought parts over the years. It's prettty helpful to the rest of the watch guys out there....like me. But, you should be able to find some sort of liquidator. I've found several on places like Facebook groups related to watches.

[Gtecko]

keep us posted !!

[SloRolexfan]

Ebay or polygon

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

I've seen people do well on eBay. I've bought parts over the years. It's prettty helpful to the rest of the watch guys out there....like me. But, you should be able to find some sort of liquidator. I've found several on places like Facebook groups related to watches.

Thank you for your suggestion. I have heard from a couple of companies very interested in my stock but I thought I should ask the question. I assume that anyone taking the whole lot will try to knock me down. Obviously I could get more for the material if I sold direct to the watchmaker but it would take time and effort to do this.
Thanks again for the comment. Tylden.

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by SloRolexfan

Ebay or polygon

Thank you.

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Gtecko

keep us posted !!

Will do! Thanks. Tylden

[Richard Carver]

Try to identify the special pieces for special attention. I'm sure in that watchmaker mind you probably have the whole mess catalogued, pick the best Rolex parts and sell them here and let the rest go to a bulk buyer.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by Richard Carver

Try to identify the special pieces for special attention. I'm sure in that watchmaker mind you probably have the whole mess catalogued, pick the best Rolex parts and sell them here and let the rest go to a bulk buyer.

This is how I treat my parts collection. Most of my stuff is old manual wind stuff. Or just plain junk. Pick out the stuff I know will sell or sell quick. Otherwise, I could end up wasting a lot of time trying to sell something that most likely won't sell or sell for peanuts. Such a time waster.

[77T]

Your inventory will likely fetch more value locally or within the UK. Maybe begin by calling some fellow watchmakers now who work on Rolex and don’t have a parts account. Gauge the local interest - maybe attend some guild meetings or watch shows.

You will avoid scammers on eBay and all the detritus that comes along. If you’ve not sold there, it can become a wasted effort.

Last thought, isn’t there a local watchmaker who might “buy your list”? In other words take over your client base. You could crossover those customer’s future business and maybe fetch a premium above your valuation of the parts alone.


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[ROLLiWORKS]

Put us down for all your collection of acrylic crystals if you have them. We always need these.

Originally Posted by Tylden Reed

Greetings. Having worked at the bench for over 60 years (mainly on Rolex) I have stopped taking in repairs. I will need to decide how to dispose of my spares when I have finished my customers' pieces and my families watches. At the moment I rent strong room space to keep the material safe, I will need to clear this out in about 12 months. More details on my profile page. Does anyone have experience of disposing of Rolex and other material either in bulk or piece by piece? At the moment I'm too busy to list all the material. How does one send material from the UK to the World? What insurance does one take out? So many questions, sorry.
Tylden.

[Tylden Reed]

Thanks everyone, all good comments. Some have received personal replies, all will hear when I decide what I'm going to do when the time comes. Re 'pick out the interesting parts' I'll take that on board.
I wonder what the situation is regarding the Swatch Group not supplying non agents is in the USA - or can you get all you need? Here in the UK Cousins Material House appears the only Material House willing to fight for the general watchmaker. A/c holders are kept informed via e-mail and on their web site.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by Tylden Reed

Thanks everyone, all good comments. Some have received personal replies, all will hear when I decide what I'm going to do when the time comes. Re 'pick out the interesting parts' I'll take that on board.
I wonder what the situation is regarding the Swatch Group not supplying non agents is in the USA - or can you get all you need? Here in the UK Cousins Material House appears the only Material House willing to fight for the general watchmaker. A/c holders are kept informed via e-mail and on their web site.

I called Swatch a few weeks ago. I just needed a Crystal for a Certina. The only way to get a parts account is basically the same as Rolex. Go to their school. They inspect your shop. Tell you what to buy and when. Etc. I just needed a piece of glass. lol. Sending it to them was the only other alternative.

[nboyer]

What a shame. I live in the Washington DC metro, when I take a look around, 85% of people are wearing smart watches or use their cell phone to check time. I would think, watch manufacturers would take note and do their best to sell to anyone who is willing to buy their product. Am I delusional? -Norm

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

I called Swatch a few weeks ago. I just needed a Crystal for a Certina. The only way to get a parts account is basically the same as Rolex. Go to their school. They inspect your shop. Tell you what to buy and when. Etc. I just needed a piece of glass. lol. Sending it to them was the only other alternative.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by nboyer

What a shame. I live in the Washington DC metro, when I take a look around, 85% of people are wearing smart watches or use their cell phone to check time. I would think, watch manufacturers would take note and do their best to sell to anyone who is willing to buy their product. Am I delusional? -Norm

Exactly. The crazy part is, they can charge whatever they want. And most do. I've ordered from Movado. They sell pretty easy. But, the prices for parts are insane. Was quoted over $150 for a couple steel pins for a ladies model. I can easily get parts for Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova. What a breeze it is to work with those companies. I can get parts quickly and at a reasonable price. Everyone wins.

I used to be able to get Omega parts through some third-party parts vendors. But, eventually Omega upped the prices so much they just couldn't sell them anymore. Same with some Tag Heuer parts they sold. Mostly OEM Crowns.

[nboyer]

For Omega parts, I order through CousinsUK. Somewhat reasonable on their prices. Cheers! -Norm

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

Exactly. The crazy part is, they can charge whatever they want. And most do. I've ordered from Movado. They sell pretty easy. But, the prices for parts are insane. Was quoted over $150 for a couple steel pins for a ladies model. I can easily get parts for Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova. What a breeze it is to work with those companies. I can get parts quickly and at a reasonable price. Everyone wins.

I used to be able to get Omega parts through some third-party parts vendors. But, eventually Omega upped the prices so much they just couldn't sell them anymore. Same with some Tag Heuer parts they sold. Mostly OEM Crowns.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by nboyer

For Omega parts, I order through CousinsUK. Somewhat reasonable on their prices. Cheers! -Norm

Yep, I ordered from them awhile back. Needed a part for an old Speedmaster. Always good to have at least one place to get stuff from. If I had the time I might go to the OEM's and jump through all the hoops. But, I'm way too busy running my shop to stop, travel, etc to do it all.

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

Yep, I ordered from them awhile back. Needed a part for an old Speedmaster. Always good to have at least one place to get stuff from. If I had the time I might go to the OEM's and jump through all the hoops. But, I'm way too busy running my shop to stop, travel, etc to do it all.

I understand. CMH are running out of Swatch Group material, life is tough when it should be the golden age of watchmaking. Lots of good quality watches using Swiss Eta etc. movements and spares kept for Agents to obtain direct. Many agents cannot or won't take on the older watches leaving the customer with nowhere to go.
I'll get off my soap box!

[MP5]

Vintage rolex forum would gobble the parts up

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by Tylden Reed

I understand. CMH are running out of Swatch Group material, life is tough when it should be the golden age of watchmaking. Lots of good quality watches using Swiss Eta etc. movements and spares kept for Agents to obtain direct. Many agents cannot or won't take on the older watches leaving the customer with nowhere to go.
I'll get off my soap box!

Yeah. These companies do not look out for the little guy. And now they are killing the independent stores because they have started selling direct to consumers. The very stores that built their brands. Those stores are dropping them. And when a customer comes in and asks about said brands....what do you think those store owners are going to tell them??

[Tylden Reed]

I'm grateful for the suggestions. One was to focus on the important and not the least wanted parts/calibers.
So, in your opinion which are the most sought-after Rolex calibers when it comes to movement parts and separately the most sought after casing, bracelet parts. What are your top 10 most interested calibers from Rebberg (9 3/4'",10 1/2'", 13'"), through 72, 90, 100, 113, 110, 160, 161, 170, 180, 190, 191, 192, 193, 200, 250, 282, 250, 300, 360, 400, 500, 600, 700, 1000 ( incl. 1040 Trubeat), 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1800, 2030, 2130, 2230, 3000, 3100 series, 4030 (incl Rx movement holder), 6620 etc. and casing parts (crowns, tubes and glasses perhaps). I don't have material for later calibers, sorry.
It is going to take some time to properly list what I have, I'm thinking of using the pages from the Rx parts listings for each Cal. and mark against the part number in pencil the number I have in stock. These pages can be sent to whoever is interested in making an offer. How does that sound? The other way would be to put the pages on my web site with a closing date for offers. The other way would to list Cal, name, part number of each part - that sounds like a big job!
I really am open to suggestions and again thank you for your interest. Tylden.

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

Yeah. These companies do not look out for the little guy. And now they are killing the independent stores because they have started selling direct to consumers. The very stores that built their brands. Those stores are dropping them. And when a customer comes in and asks about said brands....what do you think those store owners are going to tell them??

I agree, they could be shooting themselves in the foot!

[77T]

Originally Posted by Tylden Reed

I agree, they could be shooting themselves in the foot!

Although this is just an anecdote, my nearby AD had both Rolex and Omega retail agreements. They have dropped Omega.

It seems online direct sales was a tipping point - plus continued escalating costs to remain certified in their repair shop for Omega. While a small part of the revenue stream, it is a large part of the customer experience for the average buyer.

There are many ways the manufacturers squeeze the ADs. Increased training requirements, escalating parts costs and training fees, etc.


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[nboyer]

Does not sound good at all. At some point, other AD's will come to the same conclusion and drop brands. Economically, these increased 'associated' costs does not make for a viable business model. After all, businesses are to make money. As for online only retailers, who would drop $10K on a watch without seeing it first? Watches are a luxury item, especially brands like Rolex's, it's not like food, which is a necessity! Just my humble opinion of course, I may be totally delusional? Cheers. -Norm

Originally Posted by 77T

Although this is just an anecdote, my nearby AD had both Rolex and Omega retail agreements. They have dropped Omega.

It seems online direct sales was a tipping point - plus continued escalating costs to remain certified in their repair shop for Omega. While a small part of the revenue stream, it is a large part of the customer experience for the average buyer.

There are many ways the manufacturers squeeze the ADs. Increased training requirements, escalating parts costs and training fees, etc.


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[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by nboyer

Does not sound good at all. At some point, other AD's will come to the same conclusion and drop brands. Economically, these increased 'associated' costs does not make for a viable business model. After all, businesses are to make money. As for online only retailers, who would drop $10K on a watch without seeing it first? Watches are a luxury item, especially brands like Rolex's, it's not like food, which is a necessity! Just my humble opinion of course, I may be totally delusional? Cheers. -Norm

They are getting fed up with it. They're dropping those brands and even not carrying any watch brands, period. The independent jewelers are focused on service now. A lot of the stores that were retail only are either gone or hurting. The really nice stores are focused on repairs and customer service. Internet will have a hard time taking that from them and they know it.

I do multiple stores watch repair. The more new stores I go in to find work though, I find that more and more say things like, "I don't like watches" or "I'm done messing with watches...selling or repairing."

[nboyer]

Good article in Forbes magazine says it well. https://www.forbes.com/sites/enrique.../#2578cd6030f1.

-Norm

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

They are getting fed up with it. They're dropping those brands and even not carrying any watch brands, period. The independent jewelers are focused on service now. A lot of the stores that were retail only are either gone or hurting. The really nice stores are focused on repairs and customer service. Internet will have a hard time taking that from them and they know it.

I do multiple stores watch repair. The more new stores I go in to find work though, I find that more and more say things like, "I don't like watches" or "I'm done messing with watches...selling or repairing."

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by nboyer

Good article in Forbes magazine says it well. https://www.forbes.com/sites/enrique.../#2578cd6030f1.

-Norm

I want to say I've seen that article, or something very similar. Very true indeed. I repair watches, but I've also done computer repair. So, I've seen the behavior of people with both. I found that people tended to not want to spend any money on computers & laptops years ago and even today, yet they demanded performance at the bottom of the barrel price point. Yet, today, they don't bat an eye to dropping almost a grand on a phone...Another few hundred on a smart watch. Thing is, I get 10 times the use out of a phone that's around $200-$300. Currently have a Moto G5. I've yet to NEED or hardly want a flagship phone. Maybe the Facebook and Instagram experience is just so amazing with a flagship phone and I don't realize what I'm missing???

But, when I would suggest a good price to performance value they didn't care. Same with watches. I've had customers turn down a watch at half the price of something like a Michael Kors with 10 times the quality. TO MY FACE. lol So, I continue to scratch my head with consumers in both markets.

[77T]

The Forbes article points a causal finger at the entire industry. But I don’t think smart watches have had any affect on Rolex sales.

Sales aren’t reported by Rolex so we won’t know unless there is a sell off in the future. There have been some problems elsewhere...

In a follow-up article a year after the one cited above, by a different author, noted the following:

“How are retailers fighting?
One of the most common ways has been for them to “feed” the gray market. That means given the fact that most luxury watch buying has turned into a price war online, these retailers sometimes purchase watches from brands only to immediately resell them to gray market retailers via a dealer-to-dealer transaction. Such a move makes economic sense because even though the initial authorized dealer is purchasing at wholesale, they can re-sell the watches to a third-party at and price they like – thereby bypassing a watch brand’s rules against discounting. This practice (when discovered) can lead to a retailer’s “account suspension,” but much of the time watch brands turn a blind eye. In fact, many times a year watch brands in Switzerland with extra unsold inventory are known to sell watches directly to the gray market out “the back door,” while publicly admonishing the practice.

One might easily argue that watch retailers in America engaged in the above practice are clearly in violation of their contractual duties. They simply argue that the Swiss also violate their duties by selling them watches that are known to be very challenging to sell at retail or even close to retail prices. Some retailers are even going to the courts in order to adjudicate their complaints. A pending case in Florida pits a powerful retailer group against a Swiss watch brand that it contracted with to build two “brand boutiques” and fill them with inventory. Brand boutiques are those which only sell the products of one company, are intended to deliver a full brand experience, and are often operated by third-party entities as opposed to the watch brands themselves.

Part of the arrangement of these deals is that the brand boutiques are not allowed to discount prices, and also that they keep the store stocked with the brand’s latest luxuries. The lawsuit complains that the brand boutiques are (by the fault of the brand) commercially unviable because of the availability of steeply discounted identical watches online that the brand has allowed to be sold via the gray market. The complaint continues to suggest that the retailer who invested in the boutique was not only asked to fund a “showroom” for the brand, but that the brand also benefited by the ongoing sale of watches to the boutique that it was contractually obligated to make. Suffice it to say that the suit is for millions of dollars and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielad...ortant-market/


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[nboyer]

Thanks for the good laugh, what you say is so true. Cheers! -Norm

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

I want to say I've seen that article, or something very similar. Very true indeed. I repair watches, but I've also done computer repair. So, I've seen the behavior of people with both. I found that people tended to not want to spend any money on computers & laptops years ago and even today, yet they demanded performance at the bottom of the barrel price point. Yet, today, they don't bat an eye to dropping almost a grand on a phone...Another few hundred on a smart watch. Thing is, I get 10 times the use out of a phone that's around $200-$300. Currently have a Moto G5. I've yet to NEED or hardly want a flagship phone. Maybe the Facebook and Instagram experience is just so amazing with a flagship phone and I don't realize what I'm missing???

But, when I would suggest a good price to performance value they didn't care. Same with watches. I've had customers turn down a watch at half the price of something like a Michael Kors with 10 times the quality. TO MY FACE. lol So, I continue to scratch my head with consumers in both markets.