You may not be aware but the Ernest Jones Outlet store at Lakeside Village stocks some seriously impressive high-end watches from the very top brands. The ex-display items, which are all in great condition, can range from approximately £500 and go up to the heady heights of £15,000 but are extremely sought-after and a real talking point for our customers. Here, our inhouse watch specialist Aimee Cousins tells us all we need to know about these standout items.
Tell us about the kind of watches you get here at Lakeside Village’s Ernest Jones store.
We get a really impressive selection of exclusive watches that range in price from around £500 right up to thousands. Generally, the customers who buy our high-end watches are not looking for collectables they want to purchase a beautiful watch that they can wear and enjoy for what it is.
What condition are your ex-display watches in?
The items that come to us as an outlet store are ex-display. There are various possibilities regarding their condition, which include very minor external markings, the packaging may not be complete, or they are an older style that is discontinued.
A lot of the time they are in such great condition it is almost impossible to tell why the watch is in this range, but the reasons will be reflected in the price point.
What kind of discounts are we talking about?
We are able to provide significant discounts on our ex-display watches of at least 20% off RRP, going up to 40% depending on the reasons for a watch’s inclusion within in this range – we have some watches that are 25% off just because they don’t have a box!
Do you know what watches you will get it and when?
We never know when we are going to get new watches in or what brand or style they will be. That’s why, if you’re on the lookout for a top brand watch, it’s really important to keep in touch with us as it’s a really fast moving process and they come in and go out again quickly!
Watches can cost quite a lot of money – what should a buyer be looking for?
It’s always difficult to be specific as every buyer has different priorities. In my opinion the best quality mechanical watches are produced in Switzerland and many of our prestige brands have hundreds of years of Swiss prominence in their history. The quartz movement used in many brands mostly come from Japan, which tend to be the leaders in most technological fields, including watch movements. The one good thing is that buying from Ernest Jones, the customer can be confident they are getting a genuine item even if it is at a bargain price.
What makes a watch great?
As they say ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, a common phrase but one that is so true in the jewellery trade. Each customer has his or her own idea of what they care looking for, what features it has, metal or leather strap, dial shape etc. It is our job to help each customer search for the watch that satisfies their specific needs, whether it is for an in-expensive every day watch, or a high value prestige brand costing thousands. We are here to help find the perfect watch for them, from the hundreds of different models carried in stock and hundreds more available on our website.
I would love to find out more about your watches, what is the best thing to do next?
We have a database of customers which includes what they are looking for so if a watch comes in that we think will be of interest we will contact them directly as soon as it arrives to let them know. We can also phone round other Ernest Jones outlet stores to keep on top of their stock. If you are interested in finding out more about the kind of high end watches we get in or want to be added to our database please do come and visit us in store.
Exclusive watches worth a look at Ernest Jones
