Big Ben Watches Weblog

Lowered Shipping Rates

Aileen — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:34:50 +0000

We have been shipping watches out to collectors all over the world for 5 years. I am sure that this news is good news to many!

I am thrilled to announce that EMS (Express Mail Service) shipping rates to all worldwide destinations have decreased by $2! Now, shipping has been made affordable!

As a result, you can now spend $2 more on the watch you’ve been eyeing (& $2 less on express shipping)!!!

Quarterly Calendar Adjustment

Aileen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:13:41 +0000

We have just set-up a youtube channel & we plan to add to it regularly. Our first instructional video demonstrates how to set the day or date of a watch with a “quarterly calendar adjustment” feature.

My Watch Collection

Marco — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:34:49 +0000

I have just updated my watch collection! Sold & traded a few pieces to acquire better models. Here are some watches from my current collection, all are hard to find:

Zodiac Astrographic SST - the giant among all Astrographics. Very rare!
Zodiac Sea Wolf SST 3600 Bullhead - one of my favorite watches in my entire collection
Rado NCC 303 - one of my 1st watches. It has a stylish, well-preserved dial & it’s huge. Fits me right because I’m a big guy!
Vostok British Petroleum Edition - my best Russian watch. This watch was issued to BP during the rally games in 1960. On the dial is a logo of BP & a checkered red flag! This is one of the rarest of Vostok watches ever made!

eBay Feedback Changes

Aileen — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:56:53 +0000

eBay says,

"… here’s what we announced in January that is scheduled to launch the week of May 19th in North America (which includes eBay.com in the US, as well as eBay.ca and eBay.cafr in Canada): * Sellers may only leave positive feedback for buyers …"

Whaaa-aaat?! So long Seller protection, hello Buyer abuse. I still don’t get it.

Rado Diastar, What Gives?

Aileen — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:25:49 +0000

The absence of Rado Diastars in our inventory may be surprising to our customers. A year back, we had at least one Diastar in our inventory weekly but since Rado recently released new "Diastars" (christened Rado Original) into the market, sale price & rarity index of the vintage Rado Diastar has gone down by 50%.

Collectors’ reaction was understandably predictable - why buy vintage when there’s a brand new piece conveniently available (complete w/ box, papers of authenticity & warranty) at a nearby mall?

For collectors who are keen on upgrading their Diastar, buy the Rado Original today but sell your Rado Diastar when Rado launches another model.

Same goes for vintage watch dealers, now is not the time to sell your Diastars! Keep them in stock now but deal them out when Rado stops reproduction to release another variety.

Here’s a photo of the vintage Rado Diastar (from our website) & of the new Rado "Diastar" Original (from Google search) for comparison.

Which one’s your preference? It may be named Rado Original but it’s still looks pretty much like Rado Diastar to me, just under a new name - definitely not an all new guise. The collectors’ reaction, mentioned just paragraphs ago can pretty much attest to that.

Big Ben is No. 1

Aileen — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:08:19 +0000

I searched for the keyphrase "big ben watches" on Google & our website ranks 1^ST out of 2,280,000 results. Try it yourself. Yes!!! Big Ben Watches is number one!

Lady Zodiac Sea Wolf

Aileen — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:21:20 +0000

Marco’s been talking about his collection in the past few entries so let me talk about my collection this time!

I’ve been pining for a lady Zodiac Sea Wolf for almost a year already. I was only too happy when Marco got me one & it’s a Sea Wolf "Special" to boot! It’s 100% all original Zodiac (complete marked parts) from its 17 jewel automatic movement, to its resin-top bezel, to its stylish hands. Lo & Behold!

Yes, it’s a beauty & I’m sure that even the male collectors can appreciate that!!! It’s an exact miniature copy of the mens’ Sea Wolf. It’s amazing how all of the Sea Wolf’s features have been fitted into this tiny package!

Tenor-Dorly Jump Hour

Marco — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:01:54 +0000

Here is a watch from my collection - Tenor-Dorly Jump Hour Watch. I see this watch as a 3-in-1 because first of all, I have never had a gold-plated watch, never had a leather watch & thirdly, never had a jump hour watch in my collection. When I got this watch I was thinking of selling it but when I realized that it could be a good addition to my collection, I decided not to. It keeps good time & has a well-preserved 17 jewels movement. The case is also well-preserved & is 40 microns gold plated. I’M VERY HAPPY WITH THIS WATCH! GREAT BUY!

Marathon Gunmetal Military

Marco — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:31:56 +0000

I’ve been looking for a military watch that has the same shape with that of the Benrus Military Type II and FINALLY, I FOUND ONE JUST YESTERDAY!!! Check out the case back - no dents or scratches. The watch overall in good shape & mint condition, I got it for a high price bit it’s well worth it. YEAH!!!

Paypal in the Philippines

Aileen — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:06:40 +0000

When Paypal first introduced the use of a debit card (Unionbank EON Cyber Account) to transfer Paypal funds into, eBay sellers were ecstatic! At long last, we could then receive Paypal funds! Before, our Paypal accounts can only be used to send money. As a result, our collective sales volume went up because Paypal is a widely recognized online payment system & it has opened our doors to more customers worldwide.

Everything went well during the first few weeks until Paypal announced that we can withdraw funds not only into our debit card but also into our bank account. Transferring funds into a bank account is free so long as the withdrawal is more than P7,000 - a margin that is quite agreeable considering that we transfer triple that amount every other day. This was good news!

But then, the good news precipitated into nothing less than a disaster. Withdrawals to our debit card have been pending for more than 2 weeks. Withdrawals to our bank account have bounced back into our Paypal account minus P250 per withdrawal.

Now, business is at a looong recess due to Paypal’s delay. Our Return on Investment has been delayed for almost a month already. It is very disappointing that you have made good sales & yet you are unable to enjoy your profits.

Time is of the essence. Think how many ROI’s we could have enjoyed, how many watches we could have sold if not for this delay. Paypal is heartless.

Paypal support was less than satisfactory & if I’m not normally kind, I would have said “poor”. I’ve sent 3 emails & I did not receive a single reply. I called twice & matters were only made clear to me after an hour of waiting.

A word of advice: Until further notice, withdraw Paypal funds into your debit card since this method has been tried and tested. But never withdraw Paypal funds into your bank account - I have followed their requirements to the letter and yet my funds have bounced back for no reason at all!