Originally Posted by
guadzilla
That's actually hilarious! Did you reply back in kind? I would have absolutely done so and depending on the salesperson's reaction, we would either get along really well or the manager would get involved..
It must be a car dealership thing - the only time i had a bad experience based on being sized up was at a car dealer too. I had just quit my job and wanted to buy a SUV to replace my sports convertible. So i roll into a dealership in my late 20s, wearing cargo shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt. Hardly got the time of the day and barely got some literature and a business card. Went to another dealer, bought the car and then wrote to the other dealer with a photo of the car and the name of the salesperson who was not helpful. That got a very apologetic phone call from the manager. Petty and vindictive, yeah - but very satisfying.
Nah. But I didn't buy a car from him, either.
OTOH, with watches, I have never had a negative experience. I have walked into a Patek boutique while wearing shorts/t-shirts/sneakers and not even a fancy watch (was on a stopover in Singapore on the way back from a diving holiday - those were the only clothes I had), and they were happy to pull out whatever i wanted to see, including opening up a sealed box of a new model they had just received. Go figure.
Were you already wearing a watch? If so, I suspect they did a quick assessment of it and put you in the 'Insouciant Affluence' category.
EDIT: Oops! You said you werent. But I suspect you walked in with the confidence of someone who could buy a Patek, rather than the hesitance of someone who couldn't but wanted to see them anyway.
Myself, as a collector of American vintage watches, I'm more of a bottomfeeder, so I don't deal with dealers. I prefer to pick up watches sold by people who don't know what they've got, or how to photograph it properly to maximize bidding on Ebay.