Some higher-end luxury watchmakers are still offering private in-person appointments, but even brands opting towards this method of sales most often still have an online concierge service to help with scheduling. The first option is to buy directly from the brands, i.e., go to a brand’s website or official online shop and purchase a watch directly through the platform. In buying a watch online, the options are much the same as buying a watch in person, leaving consumers with three primary routes: direct brand sales, authorized dealers, and the secondary, or “grey” market. While the guide is especially helpful now, the information will be relevant far down the road, even when social distancing standards and mask requirements begin to fade. To help you in your watch-buying journey, we at WatchTime have assembled a guide on the three most popular buying options, as well as helpful tips when looking for a watch. Still, for all the options, supply lines both for manufacturing and consumer sales have been crunched, with some of the most popular models on the market coming in and out of stock as retailers and watch brands develop work-arounds in the face of disruptive social distancing and travel restrictions. Others still are allowing limited sales via in-person private appointments at brand boutiques. Some brands facing this new reality have launched new online stores to cater to the growing demand of online purchasing, while others, such as Patek Phillipe, have allowed authorized dealers to sell online, lifting a longstanding ban on the practice. Nonetheless, while the traditional method of buying from a local jeweler, a larger AD, or a brand boutique might be paused, buying a watch from any of them online is increasingly possible. With the COVID-19 pandemic still wreaking havoc in many parts of the world, and social distancing measures likely to carry on for the foreseeable future, the capacity to browse and purchase watches at a boutique anytime soon might seem somewhat slim.
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