Alpina Seastrong Diver 300 - Too Good To Be True?

[remedy69]

Hello Everyone,

My soon-to-be 16 year old son has is looking to purchase an entry-level automatic watch for himself and asked me for advice on potential candidates. He has been saving for this and has a budget of about $400CDN. He doesn't know this yet but I will match his savings for this purchase so in actuality his budget is $800CDN. To narrow down the plethora of options available I went to Amazon.com and there I came across a third-party seller offering a NEW Alpine Seastrong Diver 300 (ref. AL-525LBBRG4V6) for $469.00US + $5.99 shipping. This watch retails for $1613CDN on Alpina's website. I am leery because of the unbelievable price and because the seller has no feedback as of yet as they have "just launched". I contacted the seller through Amazon and asked:

1. Can the verify the watches authenticity by sending me some pics? Yes
2. Is the watch NEW with all boxes/papers? Yes
3. Is there a warranty and if so through? Yes - Certified Watch Company

The seller did send pictures of the warranty paper and back of the watch displaying the serial number. As this is my first post I am unable to attach the images here. The seller also has a couple of other Alpina watches listed on Amazon. Specifically, a couple of different Alpina Alpiner models.

My concern is the watch's authenticity and condition. Has anyone purchased a watch(es) from Amazon? What is their policy/coverage if this watch turns out to be fake or used? Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Avee8tor]

I would be leery as well. eBay has the sea strong listed at $619us through certified watchstore. They are reputable and I have bought from them with no issues.

[ard1285]

I feel extremely comfortable with Amazon's customer service, but I agree it might take a little more convincing based on the price and the fact that the seller has no reviews yet.

[Zeroedout]

As with any grey-market seller, just be aware that the warranty isn’t through the manufacturer as it would be from an AD. For most of us, that renders it essentially worthless...but the offset in savings allow for service on our dime if it’s ever needed.

Personally, I’m a fan of the GM. I might take a chance on this one, but my concerns stem from 1) it looks like the seller took the pics in his kitchen or bathroom. While there’s never any guarantee a watch has been handled properly, I prefer to think the ones I order are being held in some sort of “shop”. Probably self-delusional on my part, but what can I say? My second concern is equally petty; the name of the company. Kinda feel like they’re hoping to capitalize on people getting them confused with another, more established grey-market seller.

At at the end of the day, like I said, I might give them a shot. Amazon has good protection, and that’s an attractive price...not too much to loose.

One final note: I love the seastrong diver. Just be aware that it’s a fairly large watch at 44mm.

[back2class]

Amazon? Go for it. Roll the dice and Amazon will back u up no worries if there is any issue. Seems a no brainer to me.

[Zeroedout]

I should add that what’s important for you right now is undertsanding the distinctions/nuances between buying from a grey-market seller vs an authorized dealer. If you’re not familiar with the term, do some research here on the forums. There’s plenty of good information that will help you and your son make an informed purchase you’ll both feel good about.

And by the way, welcome!

[rfortson]

I should add that what’s important for you right now is undertsanding the distinctions/nuances between buying from a grey-market seller vs an authorized dealer. If you’re not familiar with the term, do some research here on the forums. There’s plenty of good information that will help you and your son make an informed purchase you’ll both feel good about.

And by the way, welcome!

Great point. If I was buying the watch for me, I'd probably take a chance given that Amazon will back me up. I'm used to buying gray market and don't mind the slight increase in risk.

Since this is a big purchase for your son, and you're helping him, how about finding a local dealer that has some deals and make the purchase more of a "big deal". There's something about buying from an authorized dealer, (usually) getting nice treatment, and going home with the new watch. They can also size it for you, and sometimes you'll get more schwag.

My local Jared's has some good deals on occasion and I've bought several from them (Tissot, Longines, Omega, Raymond Weil). Once he knows you'll match his contribution, make it a shopping event.

Anyway, good luck on the purchase and well done!

[remedy69]

I checked Certified Watch Store on eBay and they have the one with the grey dial for $550US. Funny enough - when I searched eBay there's another seller (juliannadam6) who has a number of the grey dial Seastrong 300's for sale for $480US. When I asked about warranty the response I got is that its a 2-year warranty through Certified Watch Store.

[remedy69]

Since this is a big purchase for your son, and you're helping him, how about finding a local dealer that has some deals and make the purchase more of a "big deal". There's something about buying from an authorized dealer, (usually) getting nice treatment, and going home with the new watch. They can also size it for you, and sometimes you'll get more schwag.

My local Jared's has some good deals on occasion and I've bought several from them (Tissot, Longines, Omega, Raymond Weil). Once he knows you'll match his contribution, make it a shopping event.

Anyway, good luck on the purchase and well done!

Thanks! I will definitely take this approach into consideration! :)

[sticky]

Under normal circumstances the price is so low that I’d suggest you walk away but since Amazon is involved and they don’t like people using them to sell fakes and look after their customers well the risk is reduced slightly.