Caveman's Watch Forum

I believe I'll do a spot of window shopping today

Ricky Lee
December 06, 2011 07:47AM

Registered: April 2005
Posts: 17,866 (2012-03)

Seems a shame to pass it up, seeing as how I'm in the neighborhood and all.

I wonder if you can guess which stores interest me?

Stock photo

Orlando Premium Outlets - Vineland Ave

8200 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL 32821, (407) 238-7787
The mall is 12 minutes from the house we're renting, according to google maps. Smile

-Ricky

Messages In This Thread

I believe I'll do a spot of window shopping today	Ricky Lee	243	December 06, 2011 07:47AM
I've been there too! I bought my son a repaired Fossil chrono. It was the only good deal I found. Regularly $120 got it for $35. Looks great & runs great!	Timemiser	35	December 07, 2011 01:31PM
Re: It was the only good deal I found. Regularly $120 got it for $35. Looks great & runs great! I was a bit surprised by the number of refurbished / factory seconds / blemished units that I ran across. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting that.	Ricky Lee	31	December 07, 2011 10:58PM
Re: I believe I'll do a spot of window shopping today We've been there, i made a beeline for the Fossil outlet to see some modern Zodiacs specifically the Oceanaire. They didn't have it but the few Zodiacs they did have were seriously overpriced. We also were looking at some suits at a store (think it was Kenneth Cole??). Suits were crazy priced at an outlet? The sales guy asked us where we were from, we said New York. His come back was hey its cheaper than Madison Avenue.	davec	39	December 06, 2011 05:27PM
Re: ..the few Zodiacs they did have were seriously overpriced. The pricing at Vineland was very spotty. Some stores (TAG, Movado) were quite a bit higher than what can easily be had online. Others (Time Factory) were much less than the best online pricing I could find. In the end, that's a big reason why it 'twas a I took home with me.	Ricky Lee	44	December 07, 2011 10:55PM
Claire's Accessories ? (n/t)	ARupard	30	December 06, 2011 11:53AM
Have a great time, Ricky! (n/t)	IF	30	December 06, 2011 11:32AM
That's the Seiko store I stopped in when I was down there this summer... When I tried on a Spring Drive. [www.pmwf.com]	JFK3531	54	December 06, 2011 08:52AM
Re: When I tried on a Spring Drive. CooL! I did the Spring Drive Ogling thing in the Caymans, so it's not a top priority today...	Ricky Lee	43	December 06, 2011 09:17AM
There is a Tourneau outlet in Orlando too>>> 4951 International Dr Orlando, FL	JP	124	December 06, 2011 08:50AM
I did not know that! There are also two Swatch outlets. It's not clear to me whether they carry the entire Swatch group of brands, or only the actual brand. Anyone know? I suppose I should give them a call. If it's the former it'd definitely be worth a look. If the latter, I reckon I'll pass... Quote JP 4951 International Dr Orlando, FL Hmmmm. It's not that far out of the way. Less than 10 miles... This is getting more and more dangerous.	Ricky Lee	43	December 06, 2011 09:15AM
I believe Swatch stores are Swatches only. There is one in the Mall of America, nothing but Swatch watches and Swatch accessories.	Chris L	55	December 06, 2011 02:12PM
You are correct. I think. I called.. ..ahead and posed the question, but the lady I spoke with was, frankly, a bit of a Dim Bulb and had some trouble understanding the question. After rephrasing it twice, the answer definitely appeared to be "We sell Swatch only".	Ricky Lee	29	December 07, 2011 10:51PM
Well I know Ricky that > you have interest in agricultural and CNC equipment a lot,but it doesn't seem there is much offered there,yes? I insert "watch stores" for your question then Seiko, TAG, Fossil.... Sounds as a great thing to do! Wish you people a good time!	Bock	40	December 06, 2011 08:10AM
Re: Sounds as a great thing to do! A dangerous thing to do. My Inner Scotsman is telling me that I should leave the credit cards behind... Quote Bock Wish you people a good time!	Ricky Lee	44	December 06, 2011 09:07AM
Re: "My Inner Scotsman is telling me that I should leave the credit cards behind..." I recognize a serious resemblance between an inner Scotsman and an inner Dutchman...and it serves to protect	Bock	43	December 06, 2011 09:28AM
Re: "My Inner Scotsman is telling me that I should leave the credit cards behind..." Or a Lancashire man.. As me auld gaffer used to say - " Ay Lad..deep pockets, short arms" Cheers Harold	Flasharry	39	December 06, 2011 12:58PM
That protects too (n/t)	Bock	51	December 06, 2011 02:31PM
Perhaps.. .."Inner Cheapskate" would be best, since tying it to a specific nationality is, apparently, not entirely accurate.	Ricky Lee	25	December 07, 2011 10:47PM

My Orlando Mall Crawl

December 07, 2011 11:35AM

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I hit the road around noon, with the GPS set for 8200 Vineland Avenue. But, wouldn't you know it, I wasn't halfway to my destination when I happened across this joint:

Orlando, FL

Not an actual franchised Swatch outlet, but more a full-line discount store. They had a most impressive selection of Tissot, very nearly the full line I suspect. And the prices were quite attractive, too. They had the 2011 model Nicky Hayden marked at $495, and PRC200 quartz chronos at $259. To my delight they also had several of the ETA C01.211 powered auto chronos in stock, the first time I've had the chance to inspect one wearing the Tissot colors. I was very much impressed, and could see meself owning one at some point but, alas, not at the $545 they were asking.

Onwards! When I made it to the Vineland Outlet Mall, this was my first stop:

Orlando, FL

The Head Salesman here was a treat - friendly, very knowledgeable, and not prone to hard-sell tactics. Indeed, he seemed perfectly happy to Just Talk Watches, and we spent nearly an hour doing so while his assistants handled the other customers. I was wearing my 6309-7040, and he seemed genuinely blown away by it. That being said, in some ways the store was a major disappointment. They had no divers whatsoever, save for a couple of Sportura models. And one single solitary (!) Five. Crazy! Loco!

OTOH, they had the entire US line of Spring Drive models, and despite my declaration yesterday that "Spring Drive Ogling isn't a top priority" I tried on practically every one. Smile

But, of course, the prices were way beyond PMW Limits, even with the 35% off MSRP I was offered. In the end, I asked him point-blank to show me the most inexpensive Spring Drive in the shop. To my amazement, he pulls out an SNR019 Anata GMT, tells me that as a blemished model he can do 80% off MSRP, and challenges me to find the blemishes. One was easy - it had a hefty scratch on the left side of the case, so deep that it could be felt with a fingernail. Eek!

Also some desk-diver marks on the bracelet. But he insisted that I was missing another, and when I finally gave up he pointed out a tiny chip on the edge of crystal. And I'm talking nearly microscopic though, once it had been pointed out to me, I couldn't make it disappear. The price would have been a bit more that I paid for the Mido Multifort chrono, but only pocket change, really. Still, I just couldn't get my head around paying well over $1K for a flawed watch, so I passed.

Actually, the two Seikos which caught my attention most were..

Stock photo

..the SNA061 and SNA063. A little "out there" stylistically compared to my usual fare, but I loved them. Indeed, they were the only two watches in the whole store that seriously tempted me, and the prices were well within my range at $179. But I couldn't see pulling the trigger on my first stop, so I bid the man adieu, and told him there was a pretty good chance I'd return.

The next stop..

Orlando, FL

..was a total bust. The main brands here were Michael Kors, Armani, and DKNY. A few of the Michael Kors were mildly interesting to me..

Orlando, FL

..but nothing really grabbed me. Onwards! Alas, the next stop..

Orlando, FL

..was also a waste of time. This was not a watches-only store, but rather carried the whole Guess apparel/accessories line. The selection of watches was not extensive, and were overwhelmingly ladies' models. The next stop was interesting and entertaining..

Orlando, FL

..though the discounts here were not what you'd call "deep". 20% off MSRP, mostly, with a few select models being 25% off. The main attraction, for me, was the Calibre S, and I spent most of my time ogling it and running it through the paces. The salesman was quite surprised that I knew exactly how it worked, thanks to Bro. Dre's complete and succinct explanation. Apparently he's used to providing a lengthy explanation. Laughing

Way cool watches, but more than I'm prepared to spend at this point in time.

Next..

Orlando, FL

..another prestigious marque. I must admit that I almost passed it by. At that point I was ~ 3 hours into The Crawl, and I generally don't think of Movado as offering much that I'm interested in. However, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised! For one, they carry the entire Movado Group of brands: Coach, Concord, Ebel, ESQ, Hugo Boss, Juicy Couture, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger and, of course,

. It was a real treat to see the

line up close and personal. Gorgeous watches! Though, again, well beyond my comfort zone price-wise. I was a bit disappointed in the

offerings. Very dressy, with some being outright blingy. Fine timepieces, I'm sure. But not for me. And, yup, there were a couple of Serious Contenders:

Stock photo

Somewhat to my surprise, I loved these Series 800 divers. While the discounts in general were in the ballpark with what TAG Heuer was offering, there was a special deal going on with these models. The chrono was $479 and the 3-hand $295. I was also offered a "blemished" example of the 3-hand at $179, and this was seriously tempting as the blemishes were minute - really no more than the desk diver wabi you'd pick up by wearing the watch for a week or so. But me Inner Scotsman wasn't ready to pull out the wallet just yet, so I moved on to..

Orlando, FL

..and..

Again, neither were dedicated to watches exclusively, but carried the entire range of apparel and accessories. And, yup, they were pretty much a waste of time.

One last stop on my list...

Orlando, FL

The Time Factory is dedicated to

Group products - Timex, Expedition, Ironman, Opex, TX, Nautica, Marc Eckō, Guess, and Gc. This is not the entire range, of course. Conspicuous by their absence were Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Versus, Vincent Bérard and Giorgio Galli. Still, the shop was packed to the gunwales, with an impressive selection of all the featured brands. The Head Man, while perhaps not quite as engaging as the Seiko proprietor, was still Friendly And Helpful and supremely savvy. When I mentioned that I love vintage Timex watches, his eyes lit up and he says "Hold on a minute", disappears into the back, and returns with an absolutely mint Ingersoll Mickey Mouse. Cool

Thing was no doubt worth a fortune Eek!

considering the condition.

Now, going in, I expected that I'd focus on the

and

offerings. And some of the Nautica pieces were tempting...

Orlando, FL

..and very good prices, too. The resin bands on that first group were a bit short for me, alas. The second group did fit, though it was a close thing. Also, the watches in that second group are monsters, right around 50mm I estimate.

But, in the end, it was the

line that did me in. The prices were outstanding - they were pretty much priced at $150 across the board. But, as I discovered, there was a little wiggle room even so. Yeah, I bought one. Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off

Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off

Love it to death, too! WIS Honeymoon

I paid $150.17 including tax so, basically, I got it tax-free.

Look for an Official Is Happy Day!

Post soon. In the meantime, please feel free to speculate which

model I found irresistable. Whistle

Thanks for readin', y'all!

Cheers!

-Ricky

"A man, like a watch, is to be valued for his manner of going." - William Penn

Messages In This Thread

My Orlando Mall Crawl	Ricky Lee	246	December 07, 2011 11:35AM
Come on Ricky! You could have posted a glimpse after all. (n/t)	Timemiser	26	December 07, 2011 10:40PM
NIce tour, Ricky. Congrats. (n/t)	Mark C.	35	December 07, 2011 04:55PM
Great tour, bro! Can't wait to see the TX! (n/t)	itschris	28	December 07, 2011 03:07PM
Nice post Mr Bro Ricky (n/t)	wodo	26	December 07, 2011 02:48PM
Sounds like a great marathon of watch oggling! Glad you came out of it with something to show for your time invested in all the shops. Glad also that my writeup of the Calibre S helped, it is a very cool watch. FWIW, if you're interested in one, it's well worth waiting for the Friends & Family sale. Not sure what kind of prices they were quoting you at the outlet, through F&F that watch came in under the PM limit (though just barely).	Dre	35	December 07, 2011 02:27PM
Re: Glad also that my writeup of the Calibre S helped.. Oh, it definitely did! Quote Dre Not sure what kind of prices they were quoting you at the outlet, through F&F that watch came in under the PM limit (though just barely). Nowhere near as good a price as you got. Not even in the ballpark! For the model that most tickled me fancy.... I was quoted US $2,195. Factor in tax, and you could actually do slightly better at amazon. Having said that, I think it's likely that some spirited haggling could have knocked a further 10 or maybe even 20% off their asking price. But under the PMW Limit? No, I don't think that would be even remotely possible. Quote Dre FWIW, if you're interested in one, it's well worth waiting for the Friends & Family sale. Which begs the question, how do you get on the TAG Heuer Christmas Card List?	Ricky Lee	33	December 07, 2011 07:57PM
Congrats! Did you get the Linear? (n/t)	Archibald Goodwin	29	December 07, 2011 01:48PM
Nope. Good guess though! If not for the flyback chrono, I might well have gone with the Linear.	Ricky Lee	25	December 07, 2011 07:21PM
Thanks for the join in on your "watch window shopping" experience,it was cool! And while not everything was interesting to you, you managed at least to knit a good end to it,looking forward!	Bock	30	December 07, 2011 01:36PM
Wow .. what a great post! I felt like I was along for the ride. I've said it before .. Timex is doing a lot of nice things with their modern offerings (and I like many of their vintages too)	bjohnson	36	December 07, 2011 12:55PM
Re: ..Timex is doing a lot of nice things with their modern offerings Couldn't agree more. I find many of the Expedition watches to be extremely tempting...	Ricky Lee	37	December 07, 2011 07:18PM
Thanks for the travelog Wondered where you had gone.	gfbiii51	28	December 07, 2011 12:23PM
Ricky, that is an interesting topic, I must say I also like these very last Nauticas!!! (n/t)	IF	36	December 07, 2011 11:43AM

I believe I'll do a spot of window shopping today

I believe I'll do a spot of window shopping today

I've been there too! I bought my son a repaired Fossil chrono.

Re: It was the only good deal I found. Regularly $120 got it for $35. Looks great & runs great!

Re: I believe I'll do a spot of window shopping today

Re: ..the few Zodiacs they did have were seriously overpriced.

Claire's Accessories ? (n/t)

Have a great time, Ricky! (n/t)

That's the Seiko store I stopped in when I was down there this summer...

Re: When I tried on a Spring Drive.

There is a Tourneau outlet in Orlando too>>>

I did not know that!

I believe Swatch stores are Swatches only.

You are correct. I think. I called..

Well I know Ricky that >

Re: Sounds as a great thing to do!

Re: "My Inner Scotsman is telling me that I should leave the credit cards behind..."

Re: "My Inner Scotsman is telling me that I should leave the credit cards behind..."

That protects too (n/t)

Perhaps..

My Orlando Mall Crawl

My Orlando Mall Crawl

Come on Ricky! You could have posted a glimpse after all. (n/t)

NIce tour, Ricky. Congrats. (n/t)

Great tour, bro! Can't wait to see the TX! (n/t)

Nice post Mr Bro Ricky (n/t)

Sounds like a great marathon of watch oggling!

Re: Glad also that my writeup of the Calibre S helped..

Congrats! Did you get the Linear? (n/t)

Nope. Good guess though!

Thanks for the join in on your "watch window shopping" experience,it was cool!

Wow .. what a great post!

Re: ..Timex is doing a lot of nice things with their modern offerings

Thanks for the travelog

Ricky, that is an interesting topic, I must say I also like these very last Nauticas!!! (n/t)