Nov. 13, 2025

Ep. 90 - How to Buy Your First Luxury Watch Without Getting Scammed

Ep. 90 - How to Buy Your First Luxury Watch Without Getting Scammed
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Season 4
Thinking about buying your first real watch? Here's what the dealers won't tell you about ghost listings, fake prices, and why that "deal" you found online doesn't actually exist.

Part II of Andy's conversation with Christian Bruhn from The Art of Time dives into the messy reality of buying luxury watches in 2025 — where online listings lie, auction prices mislead, and first-time buyers get burned by doing their own "research."
 

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

  • Ghost listings exposed: Why that Rolex Daytona you found online for $8K cheaper probably doesn't exist (and what luxury drop-shipping really means)
  • The trust problem: How to find an honest watch dealer when everyone online claims to be an expert
  • Watches as art, not commodities: Why buying for resale value is the wrong approach for your first luxury timepiece
  • The secondary market advantage: How to get a better watch for 25-40% less than authorized dealer pricing (with full warranty transfer)
  • First-time buyer mistakes: What guys get wrong when shopping for Rolex, Omega, Breitling, and other high-end watches
  • Where to actually start: The 3 questions you need to answer before you spend $5K-$50K on a watch


Key Quotes from Christian Bruhn:

"You'll have individuals interested in a watch doing their own research, and their research leads them to ghost listings that aren't in stock and bottom auction pricing that isn't realistic. Then they come to me saying they want it for X, Y, and Z."
"For first-time buyers, I would say trust the dealer. Trust the person doing this every day, because it's getting harder and harder to tell what's real online."
"When you go into a boutique and walk outside, that watch settles into the secondary market and is now competing against every single boutique in the mall versus just the one you walked in."


Why This Matters for First-Time Watch Buyers:

If you're the guy who's always said "someday I'm gonna get a nice watch," this episode will save you thousands of dollars and massive headaches. Christian breaks down:
  • How online watch pricing is flooded with fake listings for SEO purposes
  • Why authorized dealer pricing doesn't reflect real market value
  • The smart way to buy gold watches as an investment (hint: melt value matters)
  • How to avoid the hype and buy what actually fits your style and lifestyle
Christian Bruhn is a former 75th Ranger Regiment member who founded The Art of Time, a luxury watch dealership focused on authenticity, education, and helping collectors buy smart. He sources rare timepieces, navigates the secondary market daily, and calls out the BS that confuses first-time buyers.


Resources Mentioned:


Connect with Buy Like A Guy:

Need help finding a trusted jeweler? Email Andy at andy@buylikeaguy.com and I'll do my best to put you in touch with some of the best jewelers on earth.
 
Read the book: The Inappropriate Guide to Buying an Engagement Ring (available on Amazon)
 
Subscribe to Buy Like A Guy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Music credits: Preacher Man by Miles Neilson and The Rusted Hearts, used with permission. A killer band with original songs that get stuck in your head.  They're awesome.

Listen To Preacher Man on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7ImcaJKIk0ZVtPzuUVV4vc?si=80581c74a9be4987