Everything you need to know:
In particular "MONTRES ALLISON apparent overcharge" and "Is Montres
Allison a $60 Chinese watch?"
It's quite entertaining reading. :-)
--
Michael Turner
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"HIRAM 695" <hira...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040425202356...@mb-m03.aol.com...
I wouldn't give you $10 for one.
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=1016&rid=0
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If you were to order 1000 $10 Chinese watches and have the dials
made with your name on them you'd be a serious competitor.
> In article <20040425190444...@mb-m22.aol.com>,
> HIRAM 695 <hira...@aol.com> wrote:
> >Can someone give me a straightforward, unslanted, unbiased opinion of
> >these
> >watches ? There seems to be a lot of confusing information out there.
> >Thanks.
>
>
> I wouldn't give you $10 for one.
hmmm, just looking at the profile of millionsmart, they produce 600k to 699k
pieces per month,
so thats on the low side of 7.2million watches per year, sales are US$2 -3
million per year, so
that makes about 0.28 to 0.42cents per watch,
of course from that they have to pay their staff (150 to190 of them), pay
for the raw materials,
the power and water, rent?, did I miss anything?
I absolutely agree, and I wouldn't waste my money on one,
either, knowing what it really is. I've read the history
behind Terry and Linda Allison.
But what I want to understand, from an uncharacteristically
forgiving perspective, is why they should be castigated as
they have been.
(Remember, I'm a comparative neophyte, here, so go easy on me.)
I look at Rolex. Nice watch. Lotsa slick marketing. It reminds
me of Microsoft....
Then, I look at MarcelloC. Great case, great movement, and
arguably as good (or nearly) a watch at a fraction the price.
People crave distinction; they like to stand out from the
crowd. Rolex has spent countless dollars marketing their
product and arguably misleading buyers that their watches are
vastly superior to every other watch. When you wear a Rolex,
the drooling masses swoon. When you wear a MarcelloC, nothing
happens....
Yet this forum, for the most part, accepts Rolex.
Why, then, does it slam MA?
Okay, MA charges Rolex prices, yet Rolex uses relatively
decent movements and MA uses utter crap. Given. But so what? If
Rolex isn't worth the money and MA isn't worth the money, why not
slam Rolex as hard?
For that matter, what defines worth? Does name recognition count
for nothing? (I know a purist would rightly say "no".) Is it
the movement? The accuracy? I have an el-cheapo Hamilton with a
2824-2 that is within chronometer specs. It's still worth far
less than a Rolex.
A moron at work has an MA, and this guy is very, very concerned
with form over function. I'm not sure whether to point out the
true nature of his pride and joy.
Regards,
Brian
The other thing that's really annoying about MA is all the shills
he pays to talk tup the $12 watches to make people believe they
actually might be worth $50 or more. They aren't of course.
Notice the lack of magazine reviews of this piece of crap?
No argument.
I guess what I'm was asking is what level of quality must a watch
movement have before a vendor can charge significantly inflated
prices? MA fails and Rolex passes. Can it be narrowed down further?
For right or wrong, Rolex is regarded by many as a good watch, and
by the masses as an outstanding watch. MA is regarded as tripe here
and by others in the know, and is unknown by the masses. I wonder
if MA were to engage in an advertizing/propaganda campaign as Rolex
has over the years, if it couldn't elevate itself as a "player" in
the watch industry without needing to improve the quality of its
watches.
Regards,
Brian
It's not an exact science and there is no right answer; it
depends on your own feelings.
I think they're both crap and you couldn't pay me to own either.
But, what is certain is a Rolex is worth real money and MA
can be duplicated at any Chinee factory for a few bucks. Uh,
I guess a Rolex can too but you can tell the differnce
as they can't fake the movement (yet), whereas the MA
is just one of a dozen or swo brands coming off the
Chinese assembly line.
Besides, MA already has an effective campaign; people actually
buy the stupid things.
>So where can someone buy a watch made by the same Chinese company, without the
>big price tag ?
This link may prove instructive about the watch and a source for a similar one:
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=1016&rid=220
Mike
"Williams, Steve" <steve.w...@swissonline.ch> wrote in message
news:vd5v80hfmahiv71ne...@4ax.com...
Look for counterfit Frank Muller watches. Could cost you all of $60
if you pay full (street) retail. Try Canal St. in NYC.
Precisely: emotions drive purchases.
If today's buyers of MA watches find that the things croak after
a few months or years, there may be a wee bit of angst generated
and repeat customers might be few and far between; MA will be its
own undoing. Let us hope this happens.
But I'm concerned that the buyer will take his broken MA to a
jeweler who will swap out the movement with a better ETA, charge
$200, and the buyer will be happy again, proud to show off his
baby and be none the wiser.
This is where utter crap can overtake quality in market share,
and it can be very hard to alter a market's perceptions.
> I think they're both crap and you couldn't pay me to own either.
Everyone's entitled to their views. I won't go anywhere near an
MA, and Rolex seems to provide too little bang for the buck for
my liking.
> But, what is certain is a Rolex is worth real money and MA
> can be duplicated at any Chinee factory for a few bucks.
Need I remind you Rolex are stamped out by robots on an assembly
line, too? Granted, QC is likely far, far higher there than at
the cheesy factory where movements used in MA watches are made.
And finishing is likely far better too. And there's that COSC
certification (which arguably counts for little, but which serves
to boost the cost of a watch by at least $600).
> Uh,
> I guess a Rolex can too but you can tell the differnce
> as they can't fake the movement (yet),
What layperson will be able to discern the difference between a
$60 ETA movement shoved in a case that looks like it's a Rolex,
versus a genuine Rolex movement in a genuine Rolex case? Few.
> whereas the MA
> is just one of a dozen or swo brands coming off the
> Chinese assembly line.
As you say, it depends on one's feelings. Rolex and MA (and ETA
and others) make movements on assembly lines. A lot determines
worth, however. I'm seeing that marketing counts for a great
deal in this regard. Tell the world you're something special
often enough, and before you know it they believe you!
But if MA built their own cases (and didn't pilfer from Frank
Muller, for example) and kept prices to around $100, would you
feel differently? Many consider Poljot and Vostok to be great
deals. Might MA be in that category if they didn't try to be
something they're not?
I think that nailed it. Most people are happy with their Guess,
Fossil, Kenneth Cole and similar-ilk watches found in jewelry
displays at the mall. Those who want something "really nice" buy
a Seiko. Then, there are the rest of us who try to learn a thing
or two, and we see what's really out there. When Allison comes
along with his MA offering, people in the know flip out. How
many other companies offering a comparably shoddy product have
tried to break into the high-end watch market using marketing
ploys alone, with a quality-be-damned attitude? Any? If so, have
any succeeded?
All this said, the Patek Philippe name came up in a previous
post, and you had less-than-complimentary things to say about
their movements. Can you elucidate? At the very least, can you
say which movements (or level of finishing (with an example))
you consider decent?
> Besides, MA already has an effective campaign; people actually
> buy the stupid things.
Yes, well, many people will buy anything because they're dumb
as a bag of hammers, and there's not much we can do about that.
But the average guy on the street is far more likely to recognize
the name Rolex than Montres Allison.
What will be the case in a generation or two? Might MA be seen
as a reputable, high-end watch when, under the hood, it's still
just a p.o.s.?
Regards,
Brian
I understand that, I'm just waying a Rolex is expensive
and liquid. "you can sell any watch as long as it says
Rolex on the dial". In that sense they're worth something;
I still won't have anything to do with one though, I think
they're junk.
>What layperson will be able to discern the difference between a
>$60 ETA movement shoved in a case that looks like it's a Rolex,
>versus a genuine Rolex movement in a genuine Rolex case? Few.
Damn few.
>But if MA built their own cases (and didn't pilfer from Frank
>Muller, for example) and kept prices to around $100, would you
>feel differently? Many consider Poljot and Vostok to be great
>deals. Might MA be in that category if they didn't try to be
>something they're not?
Hey, an MA is probbaly a good $60 watch. With an ETA it might be
a good $120 watch.
>I think that nailed it. Most people are happy with their Guess,
>Fossil, Kenneth Cole and similar-ilk watches found in jewelry
>displays at the mall. Those who want something "really nice" buy
>a Seiko. Then, there are the rest of us who try to learn a thing
>or two, and we see what's really out there. When Allison comes
>along with his MA offering, people in the know flip out. How
>many other companies offering a comparably shoddy product have
>tried to break into the high-end watch market using marketing
>ploys alone, with a quality-be-damned attitude? Any? If so, have
>any succeeded?
Rolex comes to mind. A solid $800 watch with a somewhat fragile
movement but the casework is superb.
>All this said, the Patek Philippe name came up in a previous
>post, and you had less-than-complimentary things to say about
>their movements. Can you elucidate? At the very least, can you
>say which movements (or level of finishing (with an example))
>you consider decent?
I did in an earlier post.
>> Besides, MA already has an effective campaign; people actually
>> buy the stupid things.
>
>Yes, well, many people will buy anything because they're dumb
>as a bag of hammers, and there's not much we can do about that.
>But the average guy on the street is far more likely to recognize
>the name Rolex than Montres Allison.
>
>What will be the case in a generation or two? Might MA be seen
>as a reputable, high-end watch when, under the hood, it's still
>just a p.o.s.?
I suspect in a generation people might collect them like some
people collect old Timex's today. Interesting cheap nasty watches.
You need to go to a better mall.
Given the duplicitous nature of the whole operation, I'd have
to assume it was really mineral glass, unless someone here were
to say differently. Even if the crystals were sapphire, that
hardly makes the watches worth what Allison is charging.
> and they offer a lifetime
> (theirs or yours ?) warranty.
That's very generous: they'll replace a $60 watch whenever it
croaks, after you pay two (or more) orders of magnitude for it?
> Sapphire crystals are not too common at the mall.
Neither are MAs.
Regards,
Brian
Interesting. I suppose my plebian ways didn't permit me to
consider an item's worth to be based on what I could get for it
if I tried to sell it, but rather the materials, craftsmanship
and quality that went into making it. (Clearly, I buy too many
things that depreciate over time and too few that appreciate in
value. I'll try to change my ways as soon as my bank account
permits.(Don't hold yer breath.))
That said, should MA's marketing campaign be effective enough,
might you consider an MA's "worth" significant because its
resale value might, in due time, be high?
I guess what I'm wondering is this: are those dim bulbs who
are buying MAs today engaging in fiscal Darwinism or are they
lucky and/or far-sighted, and understand that one day, like
Rolex, these things are likely to have a high resale value?
>>I think that nailed it. Most people are happy with their Guess,
>>Fossil, Kenneth Cole and similar-ilk watches found in jewelry
>>displays at the mall. Those who want something "really nice" buy
>>a Seiko. Then, there are the rest of us who try to learn a thing
>>or two, and we see what's really out there. When Allison comes
>>along with his MA offering, people in the know flip out. How
>>many other companies offering a comparably shoddy product have
>>tried to break into the high-end watch market using marketing
>>ploys alone, with a quality-be-damned attitude? Any? If so, have
>>any succeeded?
>
> Rolex comes to mind. A solid $800 watch with a somewhat fragile
> movement but the casework is superb.
Rolex is comparably shoddy to MA? That's quite a statement. If all
goes well for MA, then, they too could one day be another Rolex?
>>All this said, the Patek Philippe name came up in a previous
>>post, and you had less-than-complimentary things to say about
>>their movements. Can you elucidate? At the very least, can you
>>say which movements (or level of finishing (with an example))
>>you consider decent?
>
> I did in an earlier post.
I'll dig on groups.google.com; I wouldn't want you waste your time
repeating yourself on my account. ;-)
>>What will be the case in a generation or two? Might MA be seen
>>as a reputable, high-end watch when, under the hood, it's still
>>just a p.o.s.?
>
> I suspect in a generation people might collect them like some
> people collect old Timex's today. Interesting cheap nasty watches.
But not like Rolex are today? Hmmm. I thought maybe a similarity
could be drawn between Rolex and MA in that quality was circumspect
and marketing was the high point in their respective business plans.
Regards,
Brian
Neither are MAs.
>
That's why people buy them on the 'net, which is better than the malls for
many reasons.
I don't think that MA is alone in being dishonest, at most it is
unusual in being unusually dishonest. That said, the existence of this
bunch makes me, uhm, nostalgic about what happened in my youth (though
I am still in it, mind).
Myself, the watch I am wearing is a $60 NOS Seiko S-Wave which was
advertised as having a list price of $225. I bought it not because it
was so much cheaper than the list price, but because it was cheap and
because some people I know have good experiences with the (gray market
US-based net) vendor. In other words, I trust rumors, and not anything
else. I happened to have spent much of my life so far in some third
world countries (which I prefer not to name) where (for all the good
things I found there) the adage "buyer beware" was a cardinal rule. In
other words, we could count on the vendors being basically dishonest
in general, and we had to find some people in the know (almost always
by word of mouth) to find the exceptions - then stick to that vendor
(and this applied not only to watches). The existence of MA and Stauer
make me think that in a way, things are the same here in the States.
Or, are things any different in that there is some legal recourse?
I still find it a bit hard to believe that the buyers of that watch
are that stupid. Is the watch probably better than we assume? Or, is
it prohibitively difficult/expensive to, say, sue them? Or, do people
simply blame themselves for buying inferior products, hence letting
the crooks off the hook so easily? Are they that easily placated by
that "lifetime warranty"? Or, since (or so I assume) MA's dishonesty
is just a matter of degree, does it mean it is technically legal?
Regards, oi
"Norman Schwartz" <nm...@att.net> wrote in message news:<oQfkc.4019$Xj6....@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>...
Actually, I was surprised to see a MA section in one of those yearly watch
catalogue books. Dunno which one it was, but one of the more crappy ones
for sure :) With a picture of Terry III even.
Cheers,
Rob
> Myself, the watch I am wearing is a $60 NOS Seiko S-Wave which was
> advertised as having a list price of $225. I bought it not because it
> was so much cheaper than the list price, but because it was cheap and
> because some people I know have good experiences with the (gray market
> US-based net) vendor. In other words, I trust rumors, and not anything
> else. I happened to have spent much of my life so far in some third
> world countries (which I prefer not to name) where (for all the good
> things I found there) the adage "buyer beware" was a cardinal rule. In
> other words, we could count on the vendors being basically dishonest
> in general, and we had to find some people in the know (almost always
> by word of mouth) to find the exceptions - then stick to that vendor
> (and this applied not only to watches). The existence of MA and Stauer
> make me think that in a way, things are the same here in the States.
> Or, are things any different in that there is some legal recourse?
>
> I still find it a bit hard to believe that the buyers of that watch
> are that stupid. Is the watch probably better than we assume? Or, is
> it prohibitively difficult/expensive to, say, sue them? Or, do people
> simply blame themselves for buying inferior products, hence letting
> the crooks off the hook so easily? Are they that easily placated by
> that "lifetime warranty"? Or, since (or so I assume) MA's dishonesty
> is just a matter of degree, does it mean it is technically legal?
IMO MA is telling you that *if* their product bore a label such as Franck
Muller and had been made in the Swiss Alps (I know people climb there, but
do they make any watches there?) it would cost $3,000-$6,000 but here is
something similar, yet unique in its own way for a couple of hundred bucks,
so why not take advantage of it schmuck? We offer a lifetime guarantee and
our watches do look very nice (the dials *are* unique, nicely done, colorful
with great fine detail and the crystals are all sapphire). I like to wear
nice looking watches, take pics with fine cameras, and listen to great audio
equipment but know nothing about their inner mechanisms, ditto for autos. MA
does not conceal their movements even though they are made in a non-existent
fictitious place, AND they are telling you this *out loud*. Moreover they
proudly display many of their movements in see through backs. (Lighten up
it's all just a pastime.)
No affiliation whatsoever with MA,
Norman
I visited the Hong Kong company who made these watches in China
mainland. Rene Barton uses the same source, and seems at least
honest. I have one and it actually works well.
Wing
Sure there are. But who wants to endure the expense and
commit the time to go after these clowns?
> I don't think that MA is alone in being dishonest, at most it is
> unusual in being unusually dishonest.
Right. This is where I was going with my posts: what line
must a company not cross before it alienates a large percentage
of its potential market? Rolex apparently have not crossed it
for most people. MA have.
> I still find it a bit hard to believe that the buyers of that watch
> are that stupid.
You're kidding, right? People make monumentally stupid decisions
every minute of every day, some of which result in death. Buying
a luxury item without having done any research on it is hardly
unusual.
Regards,
Brian
> Right. This is where I was going with my posts: what line
> must a company not cross before it alienates a large percentage
> of its potential market? Rolex apparently have not crossed it
> for most people. MA have.
By happily letting them go every day for $200-$300 they are telling you that
they are not "Rolexes" and are not even aiming in the direction of a Rolex
market. They are simply fancy good looking toys, claiming to have been made
in an obviously fictitious location, and apparently having good looking
movements since they have the testicles to display them for all to see
beneath sapphire crystals. In addition they offer and honor a lifetime
warranty (so long as no one else opens them up), which Rolex itself doesn't
do.
> > I still find it a bit hard to believe that the buyers of that watch
> > are that stupid.
>
> You're kidding, right? People make monumentally stupid decisions
> every minute of every day, some of which result in death. Buying
> a luxury item without having done any research on it is hardly
> unusual.
IT IS NOT A LUXURY ITEM and I'm not sure of just who it is that has made a
"monumentally stupid decision".
True, but:
1. In the following:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31387&item=4106054541&rd=1
(posted by an earlier poster in this thread)
someone claimed a retail price of $1,895. I think this is nothing more
nor less than fraudulent marketing (though many will claim Rolex - and
many others - are guilty of the same thing). I don't know if the ebay
seller is actually one of the MA folks, but even if not, I suspect the
number $1,895 may have come from them.
2. After all are said, I actually wonder how I should feel about MA.
Should MA be admired, for being so blatant (or, in a more polite way,
"open") about being less than honest? Or, should they be criticized
(even vilified, condemned, prosecuted or whatever) for being less than
honest?
So they claim that (even ignoring the ebay link) simply making the
thingy come from Switzerland and labeling it "Franck Muller" will make
it much more "precious" (or, rather, "worthy of big mark up"). OK, we
all know that such a statement is not 100% incorrect, but in effect
they say that with those big names being nothing more than
profiteering crooks, then why not try MA.
I guess it could even be said that we should even admire and praise MA
and put them in the highest pedestal, for they are at least "open
about exposing other people's bad side".
Speaking of people from outside horology, MA reminds me of two sport
coaches: Luiz Scolari (formerly Brazil's World Cup winning soccer
coach) and Jerry Tarkanian. Scolari once got caught instructing his
players making more violent fouls toward the opponents, and far from
apologizing to the public (the "politically correct" manner), he
claimed instead that other coaches did the same thing, he was just
stupid enough to admit it openly. Tarkanian was once reportedly
apologizing to a reporter for failing to provide him with a hooker. I
once had a debate with my roommate whether such people should be
criticized for being so unabashed about that (a bit like MA IMHO), or
whether they should be admired for being - in a sense - so brutally
honest about they way things are done. I realize this comparison is
less than perfect, but if MA is no worse, quality wise, than others, I
guess we may even put them in the same ballpark as those. Regards, oi
Pretending to be something you aren't.
After having looked at Terry's pictures and bio, you might be
on to something there.
-------------------------------------------------
"Bush's message is clear. His message is a steady
leader and Kerry's a flip-flopper."
- Carter Eskew, senior adviser to Al Gore