Where To Get Tag Heur Watch Serviced?

[ThaiWanderer68]

I hope you get your own watch back...I've seen a fair few good copies in Thailand

BTW Anyone know for a Gucci watch? Probably less expensive than a Tag Heuer. It cost USD 1k+ about 10 years ago, so for money as well as sentimental reasons I'd like my own watch back, please

Actually only needs a new battery...but all the same, I'd like it done by an expert in front of my own eyes if in Thailand

[steveromagnino]

I hope you get your own watch back...I've seen a fair few good copies in Thailand

BTW Anyone know for a Gucci watch? Probably less expensive than a Tag Heuer. It cost USD 1k+ about 10 years ago, so for money as well as sentimental reasons I'd like my own watch back, please

Actually only needs a new battery...but all the same, I'd like it done by an expert in front of my own eyes if in Thailand

Gucci is a Swatch movement inside, so it doesn't carry the prestige or investment value of the hand made/ proprietory Swiss movements like say a Patek Phillippe, JLC or similar.

U are paying for the Gucci brand name to get their watch; better to go for a cheaper quality watch like say a Sinn or Louis Errard or some such watch.

Or...If I am misunderstanding and you OWN a Gucci watch and want to replace the battery; well any watch repair shop should be ok for this one as it is not a Gucci movement inside; it is made under license; er, perhaps go and ask at Sector/Ikepod store in Gaysorn or at the Watch counters at Paragon/CentralWorld as they can direct you to a good place for that.

Chinthee - depending on your collection, you probably would do well to join a watch collectors website, there is also a club here in Thailand (which is a whos who of big names in business and 'ahem' big wigs that do dodgy businesses) but not sure exactly how to join that one. Speaking to some of the people in MBK/Fortune Town /CentralWorld, there are some good places to sell watches second hand but i don't know what the margin is that they take on the way through. Also.... you could also contact one collector directly; I know of a few people, but have no doubt that they will try to get the lowest possible price for you.

Auctions are also worthwhile, if you have some genuinely valuable pieces in your collection, then that may be the way to go; mostly they will be auctioned in HK, Singapore and can be taken across. I think Christies are the big one, but don't quote me on that. Best thing you can do is to check the price online; you might be pleasantly surprised how much some of these things have gone up in price. My dad owned a 3 wheel morgan sport car back in the day, and it got crushed in a car accident; since it was worth so little, he never repaired it. Yey gods, i got a shock when I found out what they are worth nowadays; you might be similar!

Fighting sports, watch collection, Bud Powell/Monk/Bird/Coltrane - next you will be telling me you are into sailing and snow!

[chinthee]

[Fighting sports, watch collection, Bud Powell/Monk/Bird/Coltrane - next you will be telling me you are into sailing and snow!/quote]

Stevero, we're gonna have to get a room. I was born on boards (of the snow type) but long ago gave that up. Sailing is nice, but anything that floats, flies...well you know the rest...

[mackayae]

I believe there are four dealers in Bangkok. I have always used the one at Silom Complex. No complaints.

Edited July 16, 2007 by mackayae

[bendix]

many places ! wonder if many of them are under a same owner ..

The master distributor is Tascedero Time I think and has some of his own branches plus he onsells to other retailers for Tag as well; like Baume & Mercier or Rolex, they are widely distributed.

For watch repaires, the Tag shop in Gaysorn will sort you out ok :-)

Not really a Tag man myself, prefer B&M and a little known brand called Glycine. Fakes are crap, no interest in them really for a watch; everyone deserves at least one decent timepiece; one decent suit and one decent ho. er, woman.

Completely agree with Steve on this. Guys don't wear jewellry so a decent watch is a must. I'd never buy a fake. Why would I? I might get minimal satisfaction fooling other people but everytime i looked at it I would know what it is.

I've got a Mont Blanc with wonderful (visible) mechanism. When I accidentally screwed it up a year ago by forcing the date mechanism forward in a 30 day month (long story) I took it to the watch repair shop in Central Silom. They did a sterling job. Not cheap, but worth it.

I've also taken my longine to the watch repair guy at Phrom Pong BTS but wouldnt trust him with the more complex Mont Blance.

Good taste in B&M Steve. I've been looking at them myself.

[LoveDaBlues]

many places ! wonder if many of them are under a same owner ..

The master distributor is Tascedero Time I think and has some of his own branches plus he onsells to other retailers for Tag as well; like Baume & Mercier or Rolex, they are widely distributed.

For watch repaires, the Tag shop in Gaysorn will sort you out ok :-)

Not really a Tag man myself, prefer B&M and a little known brand called Glycine. Fakes are crap, no interest in them really for a watch; everyone deserves at least one decent timepiece; one decent suit and one decent ho. er, woman.

Completely agree with Steve on this. Guys don't wear jewellry so a decent watch is a must. I'd never buy a fake. Why would I? I might get minimal satisfaction fooling other people but everytime i looked at it I would know what it is.

I've got a Mont Blanc with wonderful (visible) mechanism. When I accidentally screwed it up a year ago by forcing the date mechanism forward in a 30 day month (long story) I took it to the watch repair shop in Central Silom. They did a sterling job. Not cheap, but worth it.

I've also taken my longine to the watch repair guy at Phrom Pong BTS but wouldnt trust him with the more complex Mont Blance.

Good taste in B&M Steve. I've been looking at them myself.

Good post. I don't know why anyone would buy a fake watch either. I'm still wearing my real Timex 'Indiglo' I bought 19 years ago. Keeps perfect time, I've worn it every day. Replaced the battary a few times myself. Cost $19.99 USD. My mother's Rolex (yes Gertrude it's real) on the other hand.....many problems.

[simcity]

many places ! wonder if many of them are under a same owner ..

The master distributor is Tascedero Time I think and has some of his own branches plus he onsells to other retailers for Tag as well; like Baume & Mercier or Rolex, they are widely distributed.

For watch repaires, the Tag shop in Gaysorn will sort you out ok :-)

Not really a Tag man myself, prefer B&M and a little known brand called Glycine. Fakes are crap, no interest in them really for a watch; everyone deserves at least one decent timepiece; one decent suit and one decent ho. er, woman.

Hi Steve,

where is a good place to see some B&M in Bangkok?

was looking at getting one.

http://www.baume-et-mercier.com/f/index_f.aspx

Few models i like in they home page, price is cool too.

do you know if the price asking in Thailand are reasonable ?

the one i really like is Jaeger, but bit high price !

[bendix]

most of the big department stores have a half-decent selection of B&M. Try the department store in Siam Paragorn. Also, I think, Central Chidlom has a B&M section.

[mrtoad]

Doubt whether any of us will have such an expensive watch so no idea where you can get it serviced.

Most of us buy copies for a few bht and when the battery goes flat we simply throw it away and buy a

new one......

Speak for yourself mate ;-)))

Copies????? - only for peasants and those who turn right when entering aircraft ;-)

Although I do feel a a bit daft as my Patek Philippe only comes out of the safe once a month as I like to wear my Rolex more.

I think the poster talking about buying fakes was hoping to get some reaction from his Trolling.

As others have mentioned, most people do invest in at least one god timepiece, and the great thing is they are such good value for money when you consider thier lifetime and the use that you get out of them.

The posts here have got me thinking about buying another good watch in the next couple of months

[simcity]

Doubt whether any of us will have such an expensive watch so no idea where you can get it serviced.

Most of us buy copies for a few bht and when the battery goes flat we simply throw it away and buy a

new one......

Speak for yourself mate ;-)))

Copies????? - only for peasants and those who turn right when entering aircraft ;-)

Although I do feel a a bit daft as my Patek Philippe only comes out of the safe once a month as I like to wear my Rolex more.

I think the poster talking about buying fakes was hoping to get some reaction from his Trolling.

As others have mentioned, most people do invest in at least one god timepiece, and the great thing is they are such good value for money when you consider thier lifetime and the use that you get out of them.

The posts here have got me thinking about buying another good watch in the next couple of months

Patek Philippe is bit over the top for me ! firstly no kids to give it too and looking at 100K is a lot to walk in the street.

i got the watch of my father , a Movado , he bought after the world !

myself i got a gold jager ( 1961 ) i bought in auction in Australia, one of my friend who was working for watches really really like it , and i give it to him !

use to have a Rolex , but that disappear one day during a breaking .

I like B&M ( but only some models ), the recto verso from Jaeger-LeCoultre is the watch of my dream , but living in Bangkok i have to said no.

Did anyone know if a place like that :

http://www.gemnation.com/base?processor=getWatchesIndex

are reputable , or looking for problems ?

[chinthee]

You know, sorry to burst your bubble for all you guys looking for an expensive watch, but if you're wearing it in Thailand, AND unless you're doing important business and need the face, or attending hi-so parties, there really isn't much opportunity or advantage in doing so. In fact, it just sets you up as a sucker target if you walk around with bling on your wrist.

In Hong Kong, Singapore, London, NY, Las Vegas, Paris, yes, you can and should wear a nice watch and enjoy receiving lots of compliments from admiring associates for your good taste. I've even made good new friends in flight admiring one another's taste in watches.

In Thailand, no enchilada. Don't waste your time. And, if you live in a beach resort close to the ocean, you will have trouble with the mechanisms getting rusty, etc., and you have to take extra precautions to store them with drying agents, etc..

As the tired old saying is so apt: horses for courses.

[bendix]

Thank you, chinthee, for your invaluable advice on how members should spend their hard-earned dosh. Your input is much appreciated and duly ignored.

By the way, who says anything about bling. Most of the watches mentioned here as favourites are as far from bling as you can get. I prefer to think of my watches as classical understated elegance ;-)

[chinthee]

Here's the one I usually choose when we go out to Nana Plaza for the night or for weekends in Pattaya on the beach road.

[bendix]

Here's the one I usually choose when we go out to Nana Plaza for the night or for weekends in Pattaya on the beach road.

A perfect example of the understated elegance I referred to above

[simcity]

Here's the one I usually choose when we go out to Nana Plaza for the night or for weekends in Pattaya on the beach road.

are you gay ?

[steveromagnino]

Here's the one I usually choose when we go out to Nana Plaza for the night or for weekends in Pattaya on the beach road.

are you gay ?

not that there is anything wrong with that.

Re. B&M, bear in mind you can get some sizeable discounts on watches here in Thailand. B&M is a widely carried brand, and I suspect the brand guidelines are max discount of 25% or perhaps 30% absolute most cash price.

Go into Chronos, Gaysorn, and check out the one they have, then ask them for their lowest cash price and it should be somewhere in that realm. I don't think you can negotiate at CentralWorld etc, but you can try. I think that Cortina Watch also carries B&M, but not 100% sure on that.

On top of that, you can get 7% VAT refund at the airport as well. Definitely figure out some way to get that as 7% of a B&M is about 7,000b most likely.

The model featuring Gary Sinese as presenter is definitely available.

Also....make sure you check out the promotions and watch fairs; particularly using credit card can be worthwhile with spending incentives, although of course you will end up paying slightly more as they won't give you as big discount.

Understated elegance indeed :-) Chinthee, the people I work and socialise with for the most part have far more extensive knowledge and taste re. watches than I do; prior to moving back to Thailand it would never have occurred to me to get a nice Panerai or JLC or IWC - at various times I have met execs from many of the major watch brands here in Thailand from Switzerland/Germany and almost all their growth is in Asia where watch collecting and being interesting in horological art or whatever that fancy word is can be big business. Hence why I believe that you will find a good market for your collection here perhaps. I don't ever wear a fancy watch near the sea anyway as the info I need sailing is VMG, heading, 10 min countdown, speed - neither of my nice watches can handle those tasks :-) but for the pleasure of reading the time, playing with some knobs in a non gay way and flicking my wrist in a manner not likely to cause blindness, I can honestly say a nice watch is well worth the investment/cash.

Now watch this drive :_)

[chinthee]

In seriousness guys, I think you know me by now. I have a dual time zone tonneau cartier (one of only 200 made); a datejust oyster circa 1960 and another similar circa 1950s. I also have a Corum Gold coin watch which I bought in about 1985. All in pristine shape. Any takers?

Yes, nothing ruins a watch collection more than bad taste.

Happy shopping!

[sibeymai]

Took my 25 year old Heuer to the TAG service centre at President Tower because it was gaining time. They informed me that there are no parts available to fix it. No complaints about the service from the staff as they have genuinely tried to locate the parts through the Swiss head office.

However, I'm very disappointed that parts are not available. 25 years is not long for a watch brand which portrays itself as upmarket to keep spares. I wouldn't buy a TAG these days as it will eventually be an expensive paperweight when it can no longer be repaired.

My parents Movado watches are nearly 100 years old. Not only can the company repair them, the watches can even be restored back to their original condition. TAG have a thing or two to learn about taking care of their customers.

[bendix]

I'm not sure Tag positions itself as upmarket. Upper midmarket perhaps. The vast majority of their pieces are in the 50-90k price range which isnt really top end when you compare it to Patek Philippe.

Given that, I think 25 years is a pretty good lifespan.

I'd only expect 100 years plus from a genuine top-range watch.

[simcity]

Here's the one I usually choose when we go out to Nana Plaza for the night or for weekends in Pattaya on the beach road.

are you gay ?

not that there is anything wrong with that.

Re. B&M, bear in mind you can get some sizeable discounts on watches here in Thailand. B&M is a widely carried brand, and I suspect the brand guidelines are max discount of 25% or perhaps 30% absolute most cash price.

Go into Chronos, Gaysorn, and check out the one they have, then ask them for their lowest cash price and it should be somewhere in that realm. I don't think you can negotiate at CentralWorld etc, but you can try. I think that Cortina Watch also carries B&M, but not 100% sure on that.

On top of that, you can get 7% VAT refund at the airport as well. Definitely figure out some way to get that as 7% of a B&M is about 7,000b most likely.

The model featuring Gary Sinese as presenter is definitely available.

Also....make sure you check out the promotions and watch fairs; particularly using credit card can be worthwhile with spending incentives, although of course you will end up paying slightly more as they won't give you as big discount.

Understated elegance indeed :-) Chinthee, the people I work and socialise with for the most part have far more extensive knowledge and taste re. watches than I do; prior to moving back to Thailand it would never have occurred to me to get a nice Panerai or JLC or IWC - at various times I have met execs from many of the major watch brands here in Thailand from Switzerland/Germany and almost all their growth is in Asia where watch collecting and being interesting in horological art or whatever that fancy word is can be big business. Hence why I believe that you will find a good market for your collection here perhaps. I don't ever wear a fancy watch near the sea anyway as the info I need sailing is VMG, heading, 10 min countdown, speed - neither of my nice watches can handle those tasks :-) but for the pleasure of reading the time, playing with some knobs in a non gay way and flicking my wrist in a manner not likely to cause blindness, I can honestly say a nice watch is well worth the investment/cash.

Now watch this drive :_)

Hi Steve,

As you have experience on the B&M

Today in Australia, I went to a classy watch shop , find it bit strange :

Got a good price for a Rolex datajust , will be under $6000 after claiming at the airport the gst / vat !

Other wise, they have a nice Jaeger ( recto ) for 10000 dollars.

What was strange to me, I ask the price for B&M , two model I like :

Baume & Mercier Hampton milleis MOA08753

Baume & Mercier Hampton Milleis XL 8684 (BAM034)

The price was 3100$ and 3600$, i find it is in the high , do you think Bangkok will be cheaper .

The $AU are at 29 bath to one, mean nearly 100000 baht for a B&M

[lotus eater]

Would appreciate info from the obviously plentiful fund of sound knowledge here.

I have an 1950s Jaeger le Coultre which I inherited from my parents and which has had its ups and downs wile in my possession. A couple of years ago I paid a fortune (over 1000 CHF) to have it serviced by JlC factory in Switzerland). It wa sent back; I chucked in in the drawer for a year or more, then wore it and a few months later it's stpped working. I want it looked at but I just don't want to spend serious money by sending it again to Switzerland. Can anyone recommend somewhere in Thailand where they might inspect it, and maybe even mend it - reliably?

I also have a Baume and Mercier - bought 1990 and never came out of its box. A gift. But it has an unattractive corporate logo on its face. Is there an official B&M place that will replace it the face without the offending logo?

I can arrange to do these things in Bkk; but if I can have the watches sent to Bkk via a Chiang Mai branch that would suit me even better.

It's time I started to use these watches.

What advice?

[steveromagnino]

Hi Steve,

As you have experience on the B&M

Today in Australia, I went to a classy watch shop , find it bit strange :

Got a good price for a Rolex datajust , will be under $6000 after claiming at the airport the gst / vat !

Other wise, they have a nice Jaeger ( recto ) for 10000 dollars.

What was strange to me, I ask the price for B&M , two model I like :

Baume & Mercier Hampton milleis MOA08753

Baume & Mercier Hampton Milleis XL 8684 (BAM034)

The price was 3100$ and 3600$, i find it is in the high , do you think Bangkok will be cheaper .

The $AU are at 29 bath to one, mean nearly 100000 baht for a B&M

OK, i just asked for you regarding the B&M as I know the distributors/retailers for this brand since i have one. Currently, they can offer you 30% off until the end of this month, then next month 25% off (which is std for this brand) for cash; price of 8684 (with power reserve) is 116,000b incl. VAT so that is currently 81,200b until month end then 87,000baht. You will also get 7% VAT refund.

If you PM me, and are willing to go at a bit of an odd time when I can be bothered meeting you,I can probably get you the 30% off; PLUS you get another 7% back as well since you can claim VAT; tha means around about 76,000b all up.

I don't know about the 8753; that is a similar model but it isn't AFAIK available here in Thailand yet. It will, however, be cheaper as it has a more basic power management system, my guess is something like 80,000b flat then you can get VAT off that at the most; perhaps as cheap as 75,000b then you can claim VAT.

No bad huh?!

LOTUS EATER

JLC will service your watch here in Bangkok; you can contact HourGlass and explain your issue; however the parts will need to come across from Switzerland; if it is an older model, you may have a parts issue; 1950s is a very old watch! It will cost less than doing it there, and is cheaper. But parts will be your problem. PM me for details on how to get in touch with the Hourglass. I personally have bought a watch there, they are great.

B&M can change out the face here locally as well, but same deal; you need to show them the watch, and they will see if they can order the part. Different supplier though; PM me about that if you are serious.

I don't think u can do either without a trip down to Bangkok easily. Since they aren't brand new I think you should be able to wait until you have time to do so. If you are old/injured/immobile, let me know, PM me, and I will contribute some time of my extremely busy day to not post rubbish here but instead help you out. But I am not in the mood to help you out managing all this malarky if you are swanning around Chaing Mai instead of me!

PM me about that; once you learn a bit more about me, you'll understand why I can be entirely trusted with your heirlooms; you have never heard a crooked politician or whistle blower talking about the crimes of Kor Bor.

[simcity]

Steve, i try to reply two time last night ( OZ time ) message can not pass.

trying again this morning :

Thank you Steve for you search & message!

Busy in Oz and after going to France .

Your price looks better 76000 Baht against 94000 after GST/ VAT

Perhaps you will still have the same contact when I make my mind between the verso Jaeger or the B&M.

Thank to have ring your contact for me !