The concept of time has always intrigued me. It’s the very reason every single moment of our life has meaning. If we all lived for eternity, how we spend our time just wouldn’t matter, the scarcity of it makes life worth living. Fine watchmaking is the art of dealing with time measurement, and that has always been the allure to me, a constant reminder when I look at my wrist, that time must not go unappreciated… alongside the gorgeous aesthetic of so many luxury timepieces, of course.
In today’s post, I’m happy to be partnering with eBay for their recently launched Authenticity Guarantee service. You may not have thought of eBay when you thought about getting a luxury watch, but that’s about to change: eBay happens to be one of the largest luxury watch marketplaces in the world, with a watch being sold every 5 seconds. This entails great deals on new watches, as well as one of a kind and rare vintage timepieces; from Rolex to Patek and everything in between. Now, with the Authenticity Guarantee, the e-tailer has stepped its game up even further, by working with third party authentication by vetted industry professionals, entirely covered by eBay. On top of that, they offer secure delivery with signature confirmation and even verified return processing which protects buyers and sellers. I am more than excited to let you know, the process lived up to the expectations.
I headed over to eBay and started browsing luxury watches, filtering for any results that offer the Authenticity Guarantee (anything over $2,000.) I’ve been in the market for a classic moonphase piece to add to my collection for a while, and with an open mind, after about 5 minutes of scrolling, I stumbled over the 42mm Longines Master Collection L2.673.4.78.3 for just under $2,500 — it retails for more than $3,300 on teh brand’s website. Silver case, chronograph, an off-white face with a moonphase and a dark brown leather strap. Bingo. I fell in love with the piece the second I laid my eyes on it, and decided to pull the trigger. Shortly after the sale was complete, I got a shipment notification, and few days after a delivery confirmation. I nearly had a heart-attack, because I didn’t get a package and it said it was delivered somewhere, where I most definitely didn’t live. Classic Marcel moment though, had I paid attention, I would’ve realized that this first shipment was to the third party authentication. Crisis averted, patience reinstalled, and in little ofer a week I had my hands on my new watch. It signed for the delivery, unpacked the well secured watch in its original packaging, removed the tags that allow you to return the watch after closer inspection, and welcomed it to its new home in LA.
What do you do with a new watch? You obviously pop it on immediately, throw on a dope outfit that perfectly compliments the aesthetic (if I do say so myself,) and go out to take some photos. Ok, this might not be generally applicable, but it sure is what I did. A combination of two Eton shirts, a dress shirt in white and beige, and overshirt in dark olive, a pair of dark tan chinos from H&M and lastly, a pair of espresso suede split-toe boots from my own collection, for a dapper earth-toned outfit perfect for the transition into fall.
I’m still looking to add a Vacheron Constantin to my collection, possibly a vintage one, and am currently checking eBay on a weekly basis to see if I can find the perfect one. It’s been a super-easy and well-managed experience, and I can only recommend you guys try it for yourself the next time you’re on the hunt for a luxury watch. I included a few other timepieces of the 16,000+ I was eyeing in the sldier below. Happy watch shopping 🙂
This post is in Partnership with eBay
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IN FOCUS:
Longines Master Collection | Shop here
Luxury Watches | Discover here
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