Thursday 9 August 2012

"Watch" your Jewellery Purchase in the Canaries

A Watch in Lanzarote? If you are buying a watch, or jewellery here you may end up in the Trading Standards office. Watch this space, and .. coming soon in several languages - See below my latest purchase
This is a Sector Branded Solar Adventure Watch from their Mountain range.  Designed for adventurous sports use like climbing or other extreme sports.  Most of their range are waterproof to between 100 and 1000m and originally the company sponsored athletes and so made diving and sports watches that combined the functionality of sports applications with the high quality of a dress watch.


The attraction of investing in a expensive watch or other types of jewellery in Lanzarote or any of the other Spanish Canary Islands is of course an expected lower price. With lower local taxes and the choice of hundreds of retailers - ranging from the low cost 'bazar' type outlets run by Indian and Chinese businesses - to the up market boutiques and shops - a bargain, with care, should be found.


However, an Englishman, despite the advantage of years of experience on the island, local residence, and a fluency with the Spanish language, found himself taking up his latest purchase with the local trading standards department in the Lanzarote capital of Arrecife.

What happened? Well the matter is being handled by the officials and still ongoing - so WATCH this space, before buying a watch in Lanzarote.
The watch? A SECTOR ('no limits') Adventure Solar Powered Sports Watch
The cost? Approaching 300 euros
The retailer? Melvie Joyerias, Tias, Lanzarote. (Grupo Viera Espino)
Melvie Joyerias, Tias, Lanzarote

The problem? You will find it incredible that for the sake of changing a 24-euro strap which became faulty within a few weeks of purchase - with minimal use- the business selling it claimed that straps on their watches carry no guarantee. A high performance watch designed for mountain environments - mine has had nothing more strenuous than a little biking and hiking.  See the strap below after a few weeks use.

I know that some high-end designer watch brands get copied in the Far East with lesser materials, which I am not suggesting happened here, but every watch I have purchased previously has a minimum 1 year guarantee on it - some have lifetime guarantee as long as it is periodically serviced by a specialist retailer.

The story that unfolds is quite remarkable.... Keep in touch with this space, and meanwhile any comments from other folk with experiences in dealing with shops in the Canaries are welcomed.