Hello all, I'm new to the forum and relatively new to Christopher Ward. I currently have 3 watches in my 'shopping basket' but I can only afford one at the moment. I noticed that the 2024 January sale started on the 3rd and wondered if this is the norm for most years. If so then I might just wait a couple of weeks in the hope that one of them comes up.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

You have chosen 3 nice CW watches as potential purchases.

Usually there is a CW January Sale and usually it starts in the first week so I would wait as it's only a few weeks away and you might get lucky.

However there is no guarantee that your chosen watches will appear with the exact specifications you want (e.g. strap, bracelet or dial size for the Trident) and if these models do appear they are likely to be in "Nearly New" condition. Normally NN is not a problem, indeed I bought my blue Sealander as a NN item in a previous sale and it was in perfect condition.

When the sale opens you will need to be quick and decisive to choose and complete your purchase as the better items sell very quickly.

Best of luck.

Hello, @Ralphhardwick , and welcome to the Forum. A watch is a considered purchase and your choices are all solid. The January sale has been custom over the last few years. Note that stock in the sale is typically of the “Nearly New” watches, those having been customer returns - as under the 60/60 policy - which means they may be less than perfect in some way. There may also be the remaining stock of retired models. Thing is, the quantity of watches will not be known so the gamble becomes guessing what will be listed. And because they are returns there likely won’t be vast numbers of any given watch. Consequently stock moves quickly. The sale is a bit of buying mayhem. Prices are good, Nearly New buys might save you 20-30% off regular retail. The retired stock may save you more. CW may have a dozen or more of a particular watch or the sale listing for that watch may only be for one in stock. It’s a risk you take to wait for a sale but also know the watches you’re considering are all popular sellers so you’re not likely at risk of CW dropping them from the lineup.

If you’ve the time, reading about the previous sales posts will give you a sense of what people have experienced with the process. Enjoy!

thomcat00 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2024 6:52 pm If you’ve the time, reading about the previous sales posts will give you a sense of what people have experienced with the process. Enjoy!

I’ve already read far too many posts on here , but I’m sure a few more won’t hurt

Now I know it’s only a couple of weeks away then I will hold off. Worst case is that the watch I want isn’t in the sale and I have to pay full price, which is only the same as if I buy it now.

The only down side is waiting longer

@Ralphhardwick

What I will say in respect of the sake id.

Be logged in to the CW before browsing the sale.
I would recommend paying by PayPal to save time entering a payment method
CW might limit the number of watches you buy
Buy one at a time
Don't wait. If you see a watch you like, add it to your basket and check out as quickly as possible, since many people can be checking out the same watch.
So be prepared to compromise, and have a few options in mind.

Good hunting and good luck.

JAFO wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2024 8:49 am @Ralphhardwick

What I will say in respect of the sake id.

Be logged in to the CW before browsing the sale.
I would recommend paying by PayPal to save time entering a payment method
CW might limit the number of watches you buy
Buy one at a time
Don't wait. If you see a watch you like, add it to your basket and check out as quickly as possible, since many people can be checking out the same watch.
So be prepared to compromise, and have a few options in mind.

Good hunting and good luck.

Thanks for the advice.

I assume that if you're thinking of buying a watch and a strap, it's worth doing it in two transactions rather than searching whilst you have one thing in your basket? I hope that makes sense.

Ralphhardwick wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2024 2:44 pm

JAFO wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2024 8:49 am @Ralphhardwick

What I will say in respect of the sake id.

Be logged in to the CW before browsing the sale.
I would recommend paying by PayPal to save time entering a payment method
CW might limit the number of watches you buy
Buy one at a time
Don't wait. If you see a watch you like, add it to your basket and check out as quickly as possible, since many people can be checking out the same watch.
So be prepared to compromise, and have a few options in mind.

Good hunting and good luck.

Thanks for the advice.

I assume that if you're thinking of buying a watch and a strap, it's worth doing it in two transactions rather than searching whilst you have one thing in your basket? I hope that makes sense.

In the sale I would check out items as fast as possible. Some watches may be available in limited quantities, and often you find the add to basket is greyed out and you can't order, or worse, you get to the checkout and can't complete the purchase, because the item is now out of stock. You snooze, you lose.

Another pointer is the quantity of any particular watch available. If there are several of the same model and they are not marked as Nearly New it’s often a clue that that model may be retired and they are selling off surplus stock.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I shall prop my eyelids open and strengthen my browser refresh skills

Damn, I really don’t need another CW but now I’ve been reminded of the upcoming sale…

Nice choices-I’ve owned variations of all three and all great pieces.

Couple of additions to what has been said. Keep a beady eye on your inbox as well - I was very fortunate to be in my emails when a previous sale email came in so I was straight in there and picked up a watch that I’d wanted but had been discontinued a few months previously. But as I then aimlessly browsed I could see watches disappearing in front of me! Agree with all the other advice on being quick and decisive! And straps also come up in the sale-agree prioritising getting the watch in the basket and paying for it first is the thing to do but you may find the right strap option in the sale as well.

I’ve also noticed the clearance stock isn’t always released in one go so if you go back later or the following days new items can appear (don’t know if this is CW trying to manage the mayhem or people cancelling orders!). So worth checking in on it regularly as even if what you want isn’t there from the start you may find it appears later.

Think in the past the limit in the sale is three watches on one purchase…

Is it possible to get the straps we buy in the sale resized before they ship them? My wrist size is only 15.2cm