Watch shopping in Aruba

Here is a brief overview for watch shopping on the Caribbean island of Aruba. If you are going to the islands for the first time here are some helpful tips:

• Have a list of things you are looking for with the prices and model numbers of the watches
• Never admit to being on a cruise ship (even if you are), more on this later
• Duty free does not mean duty FREE, more on this later
• Walking away often gets you a lower price quote, though not always
• Shop around, walk around.  Stores are everywhere and most jewelry stores sell watches even if they do not say they do.
• Stock varies by travel season.

The Goods!

There are major stores on the island that carry a wide variety of watch brand names.  Jewelry stores carry some watches and sometimes these are designer names.  Depending on season and stock you may find:

Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Audemars Piguet, Chronoswiss, Hublot, IWC, Blancpain, Breuget, Rado, Cartier, JLC, Patek, Girard-Perregaux, Raymond Weil, Oris, Hamilton, Tissot, Citizen, Seiko, Sector, Zodiac, Fossil, Tiffany, Tag, Zenith, Swiss Army, Wenger, Baume & Mercier, Movado, NOA, Corum, Ulysse-Nardin, Glashutte, Dubey & Schaldenbrand, Swatch, ESQ, Concord and other designer and jewelry brands.

Brands you may not see:

Vacheron, Panerai, A. Lange, FP Journe, Doxa, Ball

The Prices!

Discounts range widely depending on the store and the season.  Omega and Breitling dealers quote the standard US discount of 20% and likely will not budge.  The Rolex dealer has no discount on stainless steel models; JLC has a 15% discount.  Citizen on the other hand can be had for 50% off US retail, Oris is also nicely discounted.  This is why it is important to know what you can pay back home or on the net.   

The Dealers!

You will find the most knowledgeable people at Little Europe, Little Switzerland, Gandelmann’s and Diamonds International.  That is not to say that these are the only stores selling watches, rather these stores seemed to really know ABOUT watches they sell.  Some stores that are also selling a lot of jewelry may not be as focused on watches.  There are great differences in the major brand names of watches and if you do not already know what you are looking for it helps to go to stores that will take the time to educate you.  

Cruise ships!

Cruise ships represent a huge percentage of business to the islands and when these ships are not in port, the stores try really, really hard to make a sale.  Often a cruise ship will steer people to a certain store for a small discount or gift item.  Experienced shoppers say you are better off telling them you are staying on the island.  Why?  Cruise ship passengers are captive customers, and impulse buyers.  They must leave at a certain time, therefore they lose all their negotiating leverage.   Try not to shop when a ship is in port, or go before a ship comes in, because the shops cater to the cruise ship passengers, trying to grab their dollars before they leave port.  Some stores will single out cruise ship passengers and help them first.

Duty Free!

The standard per person exemption in Aruba for US Citizens is $800.00.  This amount is per person and can be combined per family.  Anything over this is subject to duty, which may be as low as a flat 3% on the next 1000.00.  Failure to declare items to US Customs can result in fine or seizure of the items.  If a store says it is duty free, don’t be afraid to ask questions and please do not falsify documents.

Bottom line!

This is a great place to see amazing watches and actually get to try them on and touch them.  Where else can you try on Patek, JLC, Glashutte or Rolex while the salespeople are actually friendly!  Many stores offer soft drinks or beer while you shop.  The salespeople will gladly show you anything (you might buy!) and are happy to write down prices for you.  Discounts can be had and are better on some brands than others, negotiating can be done in some stores, usually the smaller ones.  The chain stores tend to stick to the standard discounts but you may still find something here that is not available back home.  Don’t be afraid to walk away and think about what you have seen, there are more stores and it can take a full day away from the beach, the drinks and the sun to see them all.

Enjoy vacationing and watch shopping!