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History
The owner and founder of Swiss Elite Watches is Barry Sherman. From 1981 to the present, Barry has been involved in the sale and marketing of luxury watches. To date he has personally sold more than $30 million worth of elite brand Swiss and German timepieces.
A manufacturer’s representative for half of his career, Barry traveled from Louisiana to Alaska and Hawaii as a supplier to the premier retailers in the United States. At one time or another, he represented the following brands: Baume & Mercier, Corum, Bertolucci and Audemars Piguet. His clients included Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Company, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tourneau, as well as leading jewelers and watch stores throughout the U.S.
The second half of his career has been spent working for notable retailers in Southern California. Tourneau, Tiffany and several high-end family operations served as proving grounds for his education and experience in seeking to provide exemplary customer service and to share his considerable knowledge and expertise.
Barry’s expertise is in complicated watches, and he holds a special affection for Patek Philippe and the group of brands that lead the Haute Horology category, such as F.P. Journe, A. Lange & Sohne, Richard Mille, Panerai, Greubel-Forsey, Vacheron Constantin and of course Audemars Piguet; these are among his favorites.
Having experienced a unique perspective of the evolution and expansion of the category of luxury watches, he provides entertaining anecdotes of the history and humorous events he has experienced in his years devoted to the selling of fine timepieces. Many of these anecdotes and stories can be seen in his newsletter and blog.
As a dealer and internet retailer, Swiss Elite Watches strives to provide the knowledge and experience of many years to the client’s advantage. Unlike traditional authorized dealers, internet retailers do not work on significant profit margins. We have competitive advantages, which include price and very often the ability to deliver the rare and highly sought after watches that cannot be acquired from traditional stores, because these rare and sought after watches are held as gratuities for favored customers. But Swiss Elite Watches can deliver the hard to find, rare and sought after watches to the discerning buyer. Often the prices for such rare timepieces are significantly above the original suggested prices, but the secondary market is entirely based on supply and demand, and just as you cannot expect to buy a home by Frank Lloyd Wright for the original asking price, many watches sell at a premium, as any rare collectible would. And they appreciate in value in a way many comparable art objects do not.
Barry strives to set a fine example of ethical practices and believes in giving more than the average return to his customer. The intention is to deliver exactly what is sought after by the client with the best service and the best price possible. Demand no less from him.
FAQ's
The owner of Swiss Elite Watches has a reputation built over thirty years in the watch business. Every watch is warranted to be 100% original and unaltered. Our five day return policy ensures you can get third party authentication to ensure confidence and the validity of the products we sell. We are members of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors and the Better Business Bureau of Los Angeles and the Square Trade Association. We want you to be happy and recommend us to your friends and to be repeat customers so we do what will make this happen.
Call us. It is rare that a website has every watch available on their site, and we can confirm availability and price on any watch you seek.
Wire transfer is the preferred form of payment and is the fastest. If payment is received before the end of the day we typically ship that afternoon for next day morning delivery. International deliveries take slightly longer but we ship as soon as payment is received via FedEx or UPS. Credit cards and checks demand additional scrutiny to prevent fraud.
New watches come with box and papers. For used watches, it varies. We always note whether the watch has box and or papers or both.
We encourage trades. We seek to provide the best values on trade-ins in the marketplace. Photos that show condition are helpful in determining fair value.
We ship by either UPS or FedEx overnight delivery. We use a third-party insurance company that insures each shipment we make up to $50,000. Over $50,000 we ship via Brinks Armored Service.
We ship to most international destinations via UPS or FedEx and use a third-party insurer. Watches are insured for their full value. Customs forms are always filled out as instructed by clients. For the most accurate schedule of duty rates, check with your country’s local tax center.
Yes. Every watch we sell, New or Used, comes with our in-house warranty. This means that for most new watches, you will get a 1 year warranty and for used watches, you will get a 6-month warranty. Each item is specified on our website.
We can not legally sell these watches on the internet and imply the manufacture’s warranty is valid. In the event of a warranty issue the watch is serviced by the factory service center on your behalf at no charge. The watch must be returned to us for service.
When possible we include shipping. We use the standard UPS or FedEx rate sheet plus we add 40cents per $100 for insurance.
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