The Cheapest Way to Buy a Watch

There’s nothing cheap about a luxury watch. Not only do these intricate mechanisms stand as marvels of art and design, but they’re also status symbols. If you spot a person wearing what appears to be an elegant and expensive watch, your opinion of them is likely to shift, even subconsciously. You'll now think of that person as someone with wealth, status and influence. We all desire watches like these for ourselves as well, so other people will make those same associations about us.

And yet because these watches have so much value, they don’t come cheaply. Indeed, if you’re only looking for a way to tell the time, anyone can pick up an inexpensive model at a department or clothing store. But a true luxury and designer watch is something else altogether, and they come with a hefty price tag attached.

So what’s the secret? If affordability is such a barrier, how do people manage to buy them? What’s the cheapest way to buy a luxury watch? It’s an excellent question, and one we want to answer today. Together, let’s come up with a plan for purchasing luxury watches at the best prices possible.

Buy Your Watches From Little Switzerland

Plenty of jewelry retailers sell luxury watches. If your only concern is acquiring such a watch as quickly as possible at any price, you could visit any number of these stores and come away satisfied. But if your goal is to save money and make the smartest purchase possible on an affordable designer watch, Little Switzerland is the place to go.

Here at Little Switzerland, we’re proud to be the No. 1 jewelry retailer in the Caribbean, offering a broad selection of designer jewelry and watches for both men and women. And with over 15 locations spread across the Caribbean islands, we’re easily accessible no matter which islands you’re traveling to. Visit us on such islands as Aruba, St. Thomas, Barbados or even the Bahamas, to name just a few of our locations. Those who can't make it to our stores in person can shop from home and get watches delivered to you in the U.S. or Canada.

Why Shop at Little Switzerland?

It’s one thing for us to tell you to shop at Little Switzerland, with no evidence to back up why this is your best option. It’s another thing altogether for us to prove to you why shopping for luxury watches at Little Switzerland is one of the smartest decisions you’ll make this year.

Here are just a few of the top reasons Little Switzerland should be the first and only name you consider when it comes to buying high-end watches at an affordable price.

1. Duty-Free Pricing

If you’ve never heard of duty-free pricing before, you’re in for a treat. Did you know when you purchase an object manufactured somewhere outside the United States, you’re usually paying far more than the item costs? Most countries impose additional fees, known as duties, to goods they import or export. In other words, when you purchase imported items, you’re not just paying for the product itself. You’re also paying these duties on top of the item’s base value.

Fortunately, there is a way to get around paying these duties while still staying within the bounds of the law, and it’s simpler than you might guess. By traveling outside the U.S., purchasing these items while away from home and then bringing them back with you, you will often be able to skip paying these extra duties. This practice is called duty-free pricing, and it’s a fantastic way to get foreign-made objects at a far more affordable rate than you can find them for back home.

The smart shopper will want to keep in mind that just because they’re shopping abroad, not every single product they encounter will be duty-free. It depends on many different factors, such as what the item is, what country they’re in and the nation of origin. If you can’t tell if something is duty-free, it’s always better to ask and be sure than to assume.

While duty-free pricing is a fantastic principle to take advantage of when it comes to any product, it can be especially beneficial when it comes to the world of luxury watches. Because these watches tend to be expensive, many people will have a difficult time affording them even before the additional duties get added. Therefore, if you’re someone who doesn’t have the largest bank account in the world, one of the best tips we can offer is to seek out watches you can buy with duty-free pricing.

Because Little Switzerland is in the Caribbean, we can offer many of our watches and jewelry items at duty-free prices you can afford, allowing everyone to be able to buy that something special they’ve been looking for. While the exact dollar amount you’ll be saving on every purchase will vary, expect it to be somewhere from 5 to 20 percent off the typical United States retail price. We think that’s a discount worth taking notice of.

2. Tax-Free Savings

It’s easy to confuse tax-free pricing with duty-free pricing. Not only do the names sound similar, but they can also both apply to the same purchase, further muddying the waters. But while duty-free pricing refers to the absence of import and export fees that would otherwise get added to the price of an item, tax-free pricing refers to the lack of any added sales tax or other applicable local taxes.

Sales tax is something that will be familiar to most of us in the United States. It applies to almost every purchase we make, from something as small as a toothbrush to something as large as a new car. When you pay for these products, you aren’t paying for the value of the item. You’re also paying an additional sales tax, which you usually won't find on the price tag. In most cases, you won’t even find out the exact dollar amount of this sales tax until the moment of the transaction itself.

In many of our small daily purchases, sales tax is such a small amount that it hardly factors in. To re-use our example of the toothbrush, the sales tax for this transaction would likely be little more than a few cents. That is because sales tax isn’t a set dollar amount applied to every product, but is instead a percentage of the product’s face value. Based on this principle, the sales tax you’ll pay for a new car will be far higher than the tax you’ll pay on a new toothbrush.

Here at Little Switzerland, we can offer you tax-free pricing because of our Caribbean location. If you visit us in Florida, this won’t apply because you will still be in the United States, but the rest of our stores offer you the benefit of tax-free pricing, in addition to the duty-free costs you’ll also be enjoying. And while these taxes might be barely worth noticing on a smaller item, they can be significant when it comes to something as expensive as a watch. Having to pay these taxes versus having them removed can truly make the difference between a watch you can afford and a watch that’s out of your reach.

3. Financing Plans

Financing plans are a common way to buy expensive items that might be too expensive if you had to pay the entire price all at once. Whether the thing you’re buying is a house, a new car — or, in our case, a designer watch — more and more people are choosing a financing plan that allows them alternate payment options rather than paying the lump sum on the day of the purchase.

Here at Little Switzerland, we understand everyone’s financial situation is unique and requires a different plan of action. Some people may be able to pay the entire cost upfront without batting an eye, but this is far from the norm. Most of us have additional bills, payments and responsibilities that take priority. We believe you should be able to continue living your life comfortably, and yet still buy that luxury watch without putting a hole in your bank account. Here’s how we accommodate you to let you do just that.

We offer several different financing plans and give you the option to choose the one that best matches your needs and fits into your life. If you’re looking to purchase a luxury watch inexpensively, take a look at these different financing plans and see which one sounds right for you.

• Six months interest-free*: This plan allows you to make small payments for six months with no interest, at which point you can either continue making these periodic payments, or you can choose to pay off the rest of the purchase on the final payment. To qualify for this plan, you’ll need to make a minimum purchase of $295.
• 12 months interest-free*: Those who choose this plan get 12 months to make monthly payments on the final price of their purchase, after which they can continue their payments with interest or pay off the balance in the last payment. Eligibility for this plan requires a minimum purchase of $995.
• 18 months interest-free*: This plan operates on the same principle as the others, with the interest-free period lasting for a year and a half. If buyers wish to select this plan, they’ll need to make a purchase of at least $2,995.
• 24 months interest-free*: The 24-month option allows buyers to enjoy two years of making payments without having to worry about interest. After this time, buyers can choose to pay the remaining sum or continue with the regular payments. A minimum purchase of $995 is necessary if a buyer wishes to select this option. 24 month plan is valid for Avance, Little Switzerland Jewelry and Engrace only, and is not valid for select brands or Clearance merchandise.
• Affirm financing: When you shop online, you can take advantage of our quick and easy financing through Affirm, which has no hidden fees, flexible payment plans and automatic payments.

While the length of time you can spend making interest-free monthly payments changes with each plan, the basic structure of the plans remains the same. Whether you choose the six-month plan or the 18-month plan, the goal is still to allow you to spread your payments out over time, thus easing the financial strain on yourself. While many of us might struggle to come up with several thousand dollars on the spot, it’s less difficult for us to find this same amount of money over a year or two. For this reason, countless people enroll in plans like these and can afford the luxury jewelry and watches they’ve been dreaming of.

*We will charge interest to your account from the purchase date if you do not pay the balance in full within the deferred interest period, or if you make a late payment. Payment plans are subject to change. Six-, 12-, 18- and 24-month plans are valid for duty-free prices. Our 24 month plan is valid for Avance, Little Switzerland Jewelry and Engrace only, and is not valid for select brands or Clearance merchandise. Click the “Details” button below for complete information on financing plans.

4. Trading In and Trading Up

Little Switzerland also wants to help you save money by offering you the opportunity to sell or trade in your watch for the most competitive pricing available. If we accept your watch, we will offer you two options: cash or a Little Switzerland gift card with a value higher than the cash price. When you choose the Little Switzerland Gift Card option you'll be able to use the additional value towards your next watch purchase. Customers that sell their watches to us can also take advantage of our financing options.

To get started on your watch sale or trade-in today, follow our simple, four-step trade-in offer.

We accept many different well-known brand names in this program, so to see if your watch qualifies, visit our FAQ or contact us. You can expect a typical response time of three days, as we want to ensure we provide you with the best quote possible for your watch. There isn't a limit on the number of watches you can sell.

Utilizing a trade-in credit with us is an excellent opportunity to add some savings to your newest watch purchase.

5. Convenience and Accessibility

Convenience and accessibility? Really? If you’re scratching your head and wondering how in the world a jewelry retailer in the Caribbean can call itself either convenient or accessible, we completely understand. If you’re the type of person who takes a vacation to the Caribbean every year, you might not be concerned, but if you’ve never left the country in your life, a store in the Caribbean might as well be on the moon for how inaccessible it seems to you.

Here’s the good news: While our physical locations are across the Caribbean, you don’t have to be with us in person to shop our fabulous selection of affordable watches. You can browse our products online from the comfort of your home. Whether you’re in the mountains of Colorado, the concrete jungle of New York City or the frosty streets of Minnesota, you can still shop with us just as easily as if you were physically in the Caribbean.

A selection of our products is available online for you to browse at your convenience, no matter where you are. For an even broader view of our offerings, we invite you to shop with us by email when you use our shop@littleswitzerland.com address, or by giving us a call at 877-800-9998.

While we believe a visit to the glorious and sunny Caribbean is worthwhile whether you plan to do any watch shopping or not, we also understand it isn’t always possible. Some people have tight work schedules that don’t allow for travel, while others might have large families that make travel impractical. Still others may not have the budget for an international vacation. That’s why we make it a priority to provide online options for shoppers throughout the U.S. and Canada who can’t visit us in person. No matter where you are, we've made it our priority to help you take advantage of the incredible prices here at Little Switzerland.

Shop Luxury Watches at Little Switzerland Today

Have you decided to make the leap and commit to buying yourself that designer watch you’ve been pining after? Here at Little Switzerland, we want to do our part to make the experience as rewarding and enjoyable as possible. That’s why we offer a range of strategies to help you reduce what you pay, so you can buy the piece you want at a price that’s right for you.

Whether your travels are taking you to the Caribbean or you’re looking to shop from afar, we’re here to help. Start by browsing our full selection of watches and finding that perfect watch for you.