06-16-2017, 12:09 PM
I finally found who I hope will be a trustworthy watchmaker to fix the damage that was done to my Dagaz and get it properly regulated. I swung by South Park Mall this morning as this watchmaker works out of Finks Jewelers, who happens to be one of only two Rolex ADs in Charlotte. I'm still up in the air on whether to purchase grey market (ie. Jomashop) or through an AD when I'm ready to go on the GMT Master. The cost savings is pretty significant, and there is free shipping / no taxes via JS. The only downside is you do not get the warranty card signed and therefore have no factory warranty. JS addresses this by putting their own warranty on top of it, which is not as good at 2 years vs. 5 years from the factory.
I tried on the GMT Master again for S&Gs and obviously loved it, but also finally tried on the "polar" dial Explorer II:
![[Image: 216570_3.jpg]](http://www.oedvintage.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/650x/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/2/1/216570_3.jpg)
This has always been a close second for me. It's a fantastic looking watch and the white face and orange lettering and GMT hand really stand out. It's 42mm vs. the 40mm of the GMT Master, so it definitely wears larger. For some people that's good, for others not so much. It's very comfortable and light though and I see why a lot of people like this as a daily wearer / active watch. The MSRP isn't far off from the GMT Master but you can find this one on the grey market for much less ($7k brand new) and on the used market for as low as $4200ish.
Anyway I can see the allure of paying a little more for a factory warranty, my biggest concern was if they are willing to negotiate there and it seems that they are. To me, the sales tax hit is the biggest one to take and it sounded like they would be willing to work on the pricing to make it more attractive vs. going grey market. Just means I have to keep saving my pennies a little longer I guess!
I tried on the GMT Master again for S&Gs and obviously loved it, but also finally tried on the "polar" dial Explorer II:
This has always been a close second for me. It's a fantastic looking watch and the white face and orange lettering and GMT hand really stand out. It's 42mm vs. the 40mm of the GMT Master, so it definitely wears larger. For some people that's good, for others not so much. It's very comfortable and light though and I see why a lot of people like this as a daily wearer / active watch. The MSRP isn't far off from the GMT Master but you can find this one on the grey market for much less ($7k brand new) and on the used market for as low as $4200ish.
Anyway I can see the allure of paying a little more for a factory warranty, my biggest concern was if they are willing to negotiate there and it seems that they are. To me, the sales tax hit is the biggest one to take and it sounded like they would be willing to work on the pricing to make it more attractive vs. going grey market. Just means I have to keep saving my pennies a little longer I guess!
Posting in the banalist of threads since 2004
2017 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD Premium
Past: 2016 GMC Canyon All Terrain Crew Cab / 2010 Jaguar XFR / 2012 Acura RDX AWD Tech / 2008 Cadillac CTS / 2007 Acura TL-S / 1966 5.0 HO Mustang Coupe
2001 Lexus IS300 / 2004 2.8L big turbo WRX STI / 2004 Subaru WRX / A couple of old trucks
2017 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD Premium
Past: 2016 GMC Canyon All Terrain Crew Cab / 2010 Jaguar XFR / 2012 Acura RDX AWD Tech / 2008 Cadillac CTS / 2007 Acura TL-S / 1966 5.0 HO Mustang Coupe
2001 Lexus IS300 / 2004 2.8L big turbo WRX STI / 2004 Subaru WRX / A couple of old trucks