Watches in Caribbean? Anyone have any experience?

[sharkwl]

Yes, there are some amazing deals in the Caribbean! Happy purchases!! :)

[BroncosFan2010]

St. Maarten has good shopping. I bought a decent Fossil watch on St. Thomas in August. I love the watch and got it for less than half what my local mall sells the same model for.

[notl342]

I usually buy a couple of $10 watches on the ship and toss them when the battery craps out!

[deise17311]

Be careful about coming back through customs...I was stopped wearing my OWN Rolex and was accused of buying it Grand Cayman..It was a Christmas gift so only a month old and they demanded a receipt to prove I bought in US...very insulting and wasted tons of time arguing...finally found pics of me wearing it on my phone before cruise and was "released"!

 

Never again!!

[YOW]

Be careful about coming back through customs...I was stopped wearing my OWN Rolex and was accused of buying it Grand Cayman..It was a Christmas gift so only a month old and they demanded a receipt to prove I bought in US...very insulting and wasted tons of time arguing...finally found pics of me wearing it on my phone before cruise and was "released"!

 

Which brings up the subject of customs and duty. When doing the math, especially on a $5K watch let's say, wouldn't it be wise to figure for duty and taxes? In Canada, for example, on a $5000 watch purchased for $3500, duty + HST could be another $500 or more. Assuming one is being honest. ;)

[CptSticky]

Last year, the DW bought an inexpensive, but still name brand watch in St Thomas. It stopped working in less than six months. As for the brands on board, they are not nearly as cheap as they try to tell you. Their best price after 40% discount on a Citizen Eco Drive is like $450. I bought the same watch at Kohl's department store here in the states during a Father's Day sale with a Kohl's 30% off coupon for like $260. Still, this summer, I bought the DW a watch while on board, sometimes you just need to buy her something;)

[ORV]

Which brings up the subject of customs and duty. When doing the math, especially on a $5K watch let's say, wouldn't it be wise to figure for duty and taxes? In Canada, for example, on a $5000 watch purchased for $3500, duty + HST could be another $500 or more. Assuming one is being honest. ;)

f

 

All I know is that I have repeatedly tried to tell customs what I have purchased and they just tell you to go on. I really don't think they're too crazy about paperwork.

[iancal]

I think that there are savings on some of the high end products. But, it is essential that you compare model to model, finish to finish, strap to strap. Then, check on the warranty-worldwide or not-and ensure that the seller is an authorized seller (in case warranty is dependent on purchase from an authorized dealer). What I have found is that the price of the high end watches on board ship is not attractive...notwithstanding their claims. The prices are better on some of the islands. The high end watches that I priced onboard HAL could be purchased for less from an on line store at home.

 

I do not think that there is any saving on the low end. We have bought two Citizen ecos-one on Holland, one last week on Celebrity. Both were touted as 40 percent off list (I am not a believer in list prices, only in net price). The watch that we purchased on Holland...with all the 40 percent off and tax free fanware, was selling at a retail location if FLL for about $18. more that we paid on the ship. The watch that we bought on board Celebrity a two weeks ago was selling for $1. more at one of our stops-I think Aruba. I am certain that I could buy it retail at home for about the same price.

 

People really seem to get excited when they see signs claiming 40 off list or duty free. Many of these claims are just nonsense and retail hype aimed at the impulse buyer. If you are buying high end you need the know the market.

[Arubamoose]

Do your homework ahead of time. Know what you might want to buy. Get prices. Go to a reputable dealer.

 

Years and years ago - I was shopping for a Rolex for my DH. St. Martin had the best prices in Little Switerland. DH decided he didn't want the watch and I didn't have enough $$$'s to buy the one I wanted. I got it quite a few years later in Little Switerland in Aruba. Paid $2600. In the States the same watch at the time was $3200. Forget about the price now!!! And I did declare it and with the four people in my family I was traveling with my duty was a pittance.

 

And I know it wasn't a fake - I sent it to Rolex recently to have it cleaned and serviced after many years of lots of use.

[spencerdrivecruiser]

I also got stopped at customs due to a nice Rolex I was wearing and had to scramble to prove it was bought in the usa.

 

Now here is what I do.

 

I place the watches on my car with my CT tags and take pics in the camera with my watches and wifes jewelry on the car with the tags showing.

 

This proves I owned the Jewelry before I left for the cruise. It would be tough to find a CT car in St Martin for example and take pics,, plus they can check the tag number out to ensure its my car.

 

I keep these pics in my camera.

 

May save some time at the pier when customs starts asking questions.

 

Spence

[YOW]

And I did declare it and with the four people in my family I was traveling with my duty was a pittance.

 

Ah, I forgot, US residents can combine their duty-free allowances as a family. Canadians cannot do this (wow, shocker eh -- Canadians taxed more again ;)).

 

Good idea, Spence.

[chaka7969]

Less chance of getting ripped off. When you are talking high end I will only buy from a vendor approved by the cruise line. Maybe I'm paranoid. I have even considered buying onboard-it is definitely more expensive but you get piece-of-mind. Also do your homework, know what you are buying. I purchased a Breitling for $3000 (tax and duty free) at Diamonds International in Cozumel. The best I could do in the US at the time was $3800 (then add the tax). Besides being an approved vendor DI is very reputable. However since your are going to St. Maartin, that is the place to shop. Good luck.

[goofysmom99]

DH (retired from the jewelry business) & I almost bought an Omega at Little Switzerland in St Maarten. Then had lots of regrets on the continuation of the cruise. When we got to St Thomas, we checked the Little Switzerland in downtown Charlotte Amalie and got it $2K cheaper! Dealt with the store managers at both locations. Doublechecked when we got home and price we paid was exactly the same as the cheapest he could have gotten through his contacts. Buying it in the Caribbean saved us a chunk of change on the tax. I've sent it to Omega for a cleaning, and it's definitely the real deal.

[iancal]

I am not a big believer in ship approved stores. This is actually a revenue program operated by a third party company for the cruise lines. Essentially the stores pay a monthly fee for priviledge of being recommended plus a commission on the sale (why do you think that you fill out that little form to list your purchases and their price).

 

So, any dogs body of a store can be a recommended merchant provided they ante up with the dosh so to speak. And in the end, who really pays for this?? I think is a very deceptive practice. Never once have I read or heard someone from the cruise line letting cruisers know that the retailers 'pay' for this recommendation. They always seem to make it sound like a good deed.

[lvcruiser]

I, too, am not a fan of ship recommended stores in port. I don't know if this is still true, but several years ago, Jamaica had a reputation for having the best watch deals in the Caribbean. But since this is not on the OP's itinerary, it probably has no bearing.

 

On a Western cruise in 2003, I decided that I wanted to buy a good Movado. Prior to the cruise, I shopped online for models and prices and made a list of about eight watches I wanted to view. Onboard the ship, the shopping director told me where I should buy my watch if I wanted the best deal on authorized merchandise. While on a private shore excursion, I asked the tour guide to take me to the shopping district in Ocho Rios and mentioned the names of the stores I had heard onboard the ship. He said they were not going to give me the best deals and suggested that I try another local jeweler with which he was familiar, dropping me off at that store. When I told the store manager that I had shopped online and wanted to see specific watch models, he showed all of them to me, giving me the selection that I wanted and immediately discounted every watch 50% from the suggested retail price. I purchased one and when I got back to the ship, was told by the shopping director that there was no way I could have purchased a genuine article for that price and I should have listened to him and bought from one of his recommended stores instead. When I got home, I took the watch to a local Movado dealer to ensure its authenticity and see how good of a deal I had received. The watch was the real thing and the price this store was asking was the retail price. So I saved 50% on the watch and another 7.5% on the sales tax. It has been sent back to Movado twice for battery changes and cleanings without a problem, but I had been told similar stories to what have appeared here about price fixing with authorized dealers and the manufacturers not honoring warranties. You simply have to do some research and know where you are shopping. There are deals to be had by authorized dealers - you just have to find them. And I will not shop at ship suggested stores for anything, having heard too many horror stories of the ship or cruise line not honoring its guarantee. If you shop away from home, you have to be prepared to not be able to return the item unless you have plans to visit the port of call again in the very near future.

[michaelbyrns]

We'll see you on board. We are going on the same cruise as you.

Michael

 

 

Have decided to go on a 14-night southern Caribbean cruise on the Constellation in January.

 

Was thinking of looking for a half-decent watch while on the trip. It stops in St. Maarten and also in Curacao, which I think are probably the two places to look. (No St. Thomas on this itinerary).

 

Does anyone have any experience shopping for watches in either of these two places? How are the prices? Can the jewelers be trusted?

 

I am not looking for anything super high end, like a Patek Phillipe or anything. Maybe just a Tag or Breitling or something like that. How much cheaper would they be than in the US or Canada.

 

Any tips or suggestions?

 

Thanks.

[getagrip]

We saved about 20% over US stores from an authorised dealer, plus saved the tax. A suggestion though; when negotiating and you mention you are talking to another store about the same watch, dont tell them which store. I have a strong suspicion they phone each other and fix the bottom price.