Pre-owned watch dealers in Melbourne
If you live in Melbourne or prefer the pre-owned watch dealers in Melbourne, here is a compiled list of my recommended pre-owned dealers. Compared to my Sydney post, I have more direct dealings with the dealers mentioned.
Watch Vault – One of the new dealers in the block. Dane is a pleasure to deal with. He responds very promptly, offers a top notch customer service and also very fair with the pricing. His website is easy to navigate with plenty of high quality photos. If you have any specific question about a watch, he’ll be more than happy to answer them. Domestic shipping is very fast as well with mine arriving on my doorstep in less than 24 hours from pick-up.
Other than selling watches, he also sells Everest and Colareb straps. So if you prefer to buy these locally, WV is another place to consider.
Watchtime – One of my favourite pre-owned dealer. Lewis and his team are great and can’t ask for a better customer service. The store has quite a selection of vintage watches and there’s a good amount of choices as well for modern watches. Selling to them won’t net you a lot, but buying from them is a good experience. Recently bought from them and sold a few as well and never had any problems. They have some nice pieces like a Bvlgari Octo and of course, my Moser.
European Watch Gallery – One of my favourite pre-owned dealers next to watchtime. Shonie and his team are are quite good. That’s one of the shops in Australia that has plenty of interesting pieces and refreshes their stock quite frequently. I find that they don’t really run out brands like Rolex and AP. I bought and sold a few pieces and not a lot of problem. They cater for VIPs first of course so if a watch pops up and in-demand, VIP is a priority. This is the place where I got my Speedmaster First Omega in Space.
One of the benefits of selling here is that they arrange for the watches to be picked up. If you’re selling a high-end timepiece, this is the perfect option as they also put insurance on it. Saves a lot of troubles!
The Watch Gallery – This one I have a bad history, but not for any major reasons. If you’re looking at buying a watch, they’re ok and definitely have some good selection of pieces especially Rolex. They also update their site quite regularly and definitely something to check out weekly.
My experience happened when I sold a watch there once and the agreed price over email was lowered because it’s not to their standard from the images. That’s understandable and they could have been more open to me on that, but the way they tested it and the reasoning of “having their watchmaker needing to regulate and polish” in my opinion are not all entirely true. In addition, the staff mentioned a defect on the product which I told Chris, but he wasn’t aware. Again, very dodgy. Given that I travelled all the way interstate to sell it as I was in town and have already purchased another watch, I had to agree on a slightly lower amount.
I also had another issue with a watch purchased and serviced by them, but that will be for another post.
Overall, they’re fine and a legit pre-owned dealer, but if you’re selling, just bring it to other dealers or if they really offer you a good amount.
Watchtrader – Small store. only dealt via email and Darryl was prompt in responding to me. Very open with how they buy and sell the pieces so definitely you got plenty of time to think. However, not a lot of selection. If you’re a frequenty purchaser, you can give this a pass or just subcribe to his newsletter as sometimes, he may have bargains.
