Purchasing watches on Princess ships

I purchased a Philip Stein watch on Coral Princess. I had been eyeing it for several months and knew what it cost from the manufacturer and other online sources. It was considerably cheaper onboard so I bought it the first evening. And incidentally, I own a ton of EFFY jewelry, most bought in EFFY stores, a few pieces from dept. stores, and a couple of rings purchased last cruise on Carnival. I have never had any problems with anything. First purchase was in Grand Turk in 2010. EM

Same here. We've made a number of purchases from Effy (onboard Princess) on several different cruises and have never had any issues.....:):):)

Bob

I love my Citizen watches purchased on board. I've had them for years and they both still work great!

Thank you everyone! This has been a treasure trove of purchasing experience. With so many positive comments about Citizen Eco-Drive watches, we will definitely look for those on the ship. :D

Are you still referring to Effy brand?

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On Ruby in February and bought ladies Guess watch for $99 and it was buy one, get one half off. So I bought a $99 Anne Klein watch for $50. I purchased inside the watch store so salesman had time to take links out for me.

so , use it or lose it - what do you rec the OP to do , just leave it unused?

I bought a Movado timepiece a few years back. I thought it was a good deal. Better than online prices. Used some OBC.

Good luck.

There is a fine line here. There are actual Princess stores and independent contractors. We've all seen the chains by the inch displays with guarantee claims. Wife made a couple of purchases, a clasp broke about six months later. Guess what, that company has no U.S. store or office. They only sell outside the country and do not abide any U.S. laws. Yes it was fixed on the next cruise, but that was the only way was to FIND THEM on a cruise.

I purchased a Philip Stein watch on Coral Princess. I had been eyeing it for several months and knew what it cost from the manufacturer and other online sources. It was considerably cheaper onboard so I bought it the first evening. And incidentally, I own a ton of EFFY jewelry, most bought in EFFY stores, a few pieces from dept. stores, and a couple of rings purchased last cruise on Carnival. I have never had any problems with anything. First purchase was in Grand Turk in 2010. EM

Might be interesting what an independent jeweler might say about the quality of any stones.

The biggest issue with EFFY jewelry is the reports of poor quality of the stones used. For example they have been found to use ruby glass composites and sell them as Rubies. That was the core of the lawsuit concerning Effy products sold in Macy's. Macy's have put out this statement after the lawsuits.

"Ruby gemstones sold in settings in Macy's Fine Jewelry departments are genuine. In general, rubies are heat treated to enhance their quality and appearance. Rubies also may be fracture-filled with glass or a glass-like substance during the heating process to improve the overall quality of the stone. We have signs in our precious and semi-precious gemstone departments to inform customers that gemstones may have been treated and may require special care. We are always available to discuss the quality of a purchased item with our customers because we want our customers to be satisfied. Rubies sold at Macy's represent an outstanding value for our customers."

On the other hand an article on the subject included:

The inferior ruby product, which began flooding the market around 2004, generated an industrywide debate about how vendors should market it. By 2007, a consortium of international gemological laboratories concluded that the new stones should be called “ruby-glass composites.”

In fact, the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, a leading industry watchdog, concluded that the stones could not be sold as “rubies” or “precious gems” under Federal Trade Commission guidelines, since they lacked the durability and value of bona fide rubies.

I would not touch an Effy product without an appraisal from an independent Jeweler.

Just for info sake, my husband purchased a Citizen Eco-Drive watch a number of years ago in St. Martin. He wore it for several years and then it quit . . . he contacted Citizen and they replaced it no charge! So Citizen stands behind their product!

I also purchased a Citizen Eco drive, rose gold with Swarovski crystals, onboard Regal Princess a few years ago. It was a good price compared to online pricing, no taxes or shipping, will never need a battery and works perfectly. I say go for it, it’s also a great souvenir of your cruise!

We have also occasionally purchased a 10$ watch at their sales, great to use around the ship or on shore excursions if you are worried about losing or damaging your more expensive watch.

Just be careful, a Bella & Rose watch is not a Bell & Ross watch.

I'm currently wearing the Shinola watch I bought on board the Royal in December. It was on sale in the shop 30% off, plus I used my elite discount. Saw the same watch on my recent Grand cruise for full price! I had had my eye on a Shinola for quite a while so was very pleased. Came with the full warranty etc so no concerns there.

Thank you everyone! This has been a treasure trove of purchasing experience. With so many positive comments about Citizen Eco-Drive watches, we will definitely look for those on the ship. :D

I have bought numerous Citizen EcoDrive watches on board Cunard when I could not cash out my OBC, pricing is much the same as Princess,

Only had one problem and that was because Mom left hers in a dark drawer for a long time and the power cell died.. It was replaced free under warranty even though it was not Citizens fault it failed.

Mom really needed an Ecodrive as she had a problem with watches just stopping on her, and batteries running down, and winders breaking....................... once we got her to wear it everyday it never went wrong, just did what it was meant to do.

Last year aboard the crown my wife and I both bought citizen Ecco watches. This you I bought her another. They are great watch’s for the price. The sales people both years were great, very patient and no sales pressure. It was a fun experience and much better than a mall.

I have read horror stories about Effy jewelry purchased on Princess ships. Now I’m wondering about the quality of watches sold on the ships. Does anyone have experience with purchasing a watch while on a Princess ship? On my upcoming cruise I have a large amount of OBC and I thought that my wife may be interested in getting a new watch.

You will over pay.

You will over pay.

So, do you know how much is the mark up on Citizen Eco watch.?

Say, from online or retail?

PAX will overpay? Even with best price given on Princess?

PAX on this thread said they paid less than online. Eco Drive watch with

( manufactures (?) warranty.

Can you give a specific example of PAX over paid for a Citizen Eco Drive watch?

Thanks.

You will over pay.

When I looked at the models of Citizen Ecodrive watches I was interested in the price on board with Elite discount and first 2 day discount was less than I could buy online in US even without sales tax, and much better than ashore in Aruba for example.

And they are an excellent product, unlikely to give any trouble. If they do go wrong all you have to do is contact Citizen in NY and produce the date stamped warranty and they fix it just like if you had bought it in US.

I only know this because I had to send my Mom's back as she killed it by leaving it in the dark for a year or more.

I have owned my divers one for 8 years now and the only problem was a broken silicon rubber strap which I had mistreated.

Be prepared for a big bill for a new strap though, mine was $50 and no other strap except a genuine replacement would fit.

This is about the only product I would buy on board, Mrs Griller likes Effy jewelry, she has a bucketful of it, but we can always get a better price from Effy in NY than we can on the ship.

I have not heard good things about Effy. But the cruise line sells other name brand watches. If you have the credit to burn why not a watch. One that comes to mind is Citizen. A very good brand. There are many other name brands on board.

I bought a man’s Citizen watch some ten years ago and it is excellent. Wear it everyday. One thing that I really like is that it is a unique style and not available in retail shops in California. Overpay? Not sure but I was/am happy with my purchase.

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