Watchman
Thousand Oaks,#2Consumer Comment
Fri, July 20, 2018
I found a watch on Chrono24 that would have been a pewrfect match to another in my collection, it was a rare version of a Patek 96 in steel. Seeing the watch was originally sold by Robert Maron to the person I was thinking of buying from, I asked to have the wacth evaluated by a third party before buying.
The third party was a well known watchmaker who'd worked a a number of the large Swiss makers over the years. What happened next is amazing.
The moment the wacthmaker saw the piece, he said "Don't buy this." He didn't know the origin of the piece, he looked at the case and said "Something's wrong, the back doesn't sit right. After opening the back, he said the movement and dial were off. The movement looked dirty and poorly put together. It ran,m but only kept time by pushing the regulator to the slowest possile position. The dial appeared to be refinished dispite being represented as original.
The price asked was top of market, they watch appreared to be in outstanding condition, until you looked closely. Then it looked like a "Frankenwatch" with a refinishied dial.
I feel bad for the fellow who bougt from Maron. I told him to go back to Maron or to send the piece to Patek and ask them to repair it. Neither option appealing, but neccessary.
JH8
Beverly Hills,#3Consumer Comment
Sat, October 27, 2012
I completely agree with the above post re Bob Maron the self proclaimed watch dealer to Hollyweird. Just like his pal, (another crook) Trent Crowley from Memphis, Maron will say anything to sell you a collectible watch for a price that typically exceeds market value. The problem with the collectible watch industry is that other than auction houses, the secondary market consists of shallow, uneducated people, who generally ended up "peddling" watches by accident.
The dealers like Bob Maron, Trent Crowley, and many others are not collectors, horologists, or jewelers. Although, they will beat their chest in indignation touting their fake Harvard credentials or their watch maker certificates, they know less about watches than a minimum wage retail store sales person or an underling at a pawnshop. Bob Maron who kills every business or deal around him and literally shits where he eats is a classic example of a desparate con artist. The above posting captures the essence of what Maron is all about.
Bob Maron tends to sell rare watches at very high prices, getting them from Italian dealers, and Patek flippers, who have pretty much dried up in the recent few years due to the utter collapse in the inflated Patek grand complication resale market. Once he hooks you, Maron waits for the right moment to slip in a fake watch or one that is utterly compromised. His student from Memphis, Crowley, copies his master in every way. Once you spend a year or two on the Maron kneedle, you are sure to get fisted by this dungbeatle of a person.
Sadly, authorized dealers are generally arogant and stupid - too stupid to compete with the secondary market crooks. Your best bet are the auctions or if you are a major collector go directly to the manufacturers. Many of them have their own boutiques.