Translation from English

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Audemars Piguet-- Midtown East

Fine watches, I gather, but I have never heard of this store before

Off to Yelpland--Uh oh, latest review from 2013 is good...reviews go way back and very mixed, lots of complaints about customer service

Read for yourself

Audemars Piguet

3.5 star rating
8 reviews Rating Details
Categories: Jewelry, Watches  [Edit]
65 E 57th St
(between Madison Ave & Park Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 688-6644
Nearest Transit Station:
59 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)
5 Ave./59 St. (N, Q, R)
Lexington Ave./59 St. (N, Q, R)
Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Price Range:
$$$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
2.2 Miles from Audemars Piguet
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8 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 4 reviews
    New York, NY
    5/22/2013
    Wonderful staff with adequate knowledge of the pieces they sell. Jonny was extremely helpful and fun to talk with, and Goly was also very nice. They were excellent hosts while I spent hours looking at watches before deciding to buy one!
  • Review from

    • 4971 friends
    • 173 reviews
    New York, NY
    6/19/2007 First to Review
    I got ninety-nine problems & the watch IS one.

    Seriously, worst year of my life [thus far] = Last half of 2006 + First half of 2007

    I was hoping for a reversal of fortune.  But nooooo.  Making matters worse, one of my favorite watches died last week.  No, it wasn't an Audemars Piguet, but now I wonder if that's what I should have chosen 3 years ago instead.

    Two words: Royal Oak

    Thanks to N.A.T. (Non-Yelper, Non-Celebrity), I wanted one before Jay-Z paired up with AP to pimp my wrist.  Note: If you want the10th Anniversary, Limited Edition Jay-Z series, only 100 are available:

    50 stainless steel @ $23,500
    30 rose gold @ $43,900
    20 platinum @ $69,500

    Details from the AP Newsflash:

    "Each timepiece will be engraved on the back with "Royal Oak Offshore Jay-Z 10th Anniversary" around the top and "Limited Edition" around the bottom finished off with Jay-Z's signature on the case back's center. Further distinguishing the Jay-Z 10th Anniversary Limited Edition from other models in the iconic Offshore series will be that the number 10 on the watch dial will be set in diamonds. Completing the overall look, platinum models will have royal blue crocodile straps while both the stainless steel and rose gold models will have elegant black crocodile straps."

    In addition to the Royal Oaks, AP offers a variety of exquisite tourbillons in their Edward Piguet collection.  Gorgeous pieces in a gorgeous, modern & sleek boutique on 57th Street.  Roxanne Barokas has always been pleasant, informative & helpful during my visits.

    Fabulous jewelry has been added to the product lines.
    Don't leave home without your Centurian Amex.
    Or in my case, a future winning lottery ticket...
    But that would mean that I actually have to -buy- lottery tickets.

    Until my watch is fixed, I am currently rockin' the Casio Baby-G.
    Oh!  The memories.  My grandfather gave me my first watch when I was 11 -
    Casio LA11WB-1 with time, alarm & stopwatch.  :)
  • Review from

    Chicago, IL
    7/2/2007
    We passed by AP during a stroll, and had to take a peek.  As a watch fanatic, I've admired Audemars for years and was excited to see the full line.

    We stayed for a bit and chatted with the store director, Margot Prieur.  She was delightul and very well versed on the company's history and craftmanship philosophy.  I was disappointed that they don't make the Royal Oak in the miniature size anymore - The woman's size is a bit too bulky for me.  However, the Royal Oak is perfect for a man's wrist.  I loved it!

    The boutique is a good size and the watches are beautifully merchandised.  I look forward to coming back :)
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 15 reviews
    Boston, MA
    5/19/2010
    As an AP owner for over ten years now, I have been to several AP boutiques and A LOT of ADs in Europe and the US. Sadly, I experienced the worst customer service in the NY boutique. When it first opened (across the street) a few years ago, the salespeople were very courteous and enthusiastic- telling me extensively about various upcoming LEs, events, etc.

    Recently, however, I experienced possibly the most pushy, low class saleswoman I have ever experienced in watch sales. Her voice and demeanor reminded me very much of sarah silverman of all people (but without the sense of humor, I would imagine). Although I am not a Russian billionaire or rap star, I do buy my fair share of $15k+ watches (perhaps not enough to be treated like a human by ironically  uncultivated salespeople). This woman, who perhaps would do better selling preowned on 47th st, was incredibly insulting (and for literally no reason- we had no disagreement of any kind- just the way she spoke to me showed a mind boggling lack of self awareness). Maybe I caught her on a bad day... Needless to say, each employee is a representative of the brand and I expect to find their best people at the NY boutique. I think I'll stick with my family run authorized dealer.
  • Review from

    • 4 friends
    • 23 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    12/2/2010
    I have to say this is the WORST outpost of what once was a fine brand of watches. The customer service is the most inefficient and hapless around.
    The people who staff the store are ill spoken bumblers, without any profesionalism or knowledge. I have owned an Audemar Pigeut watch for a long time and have been to many incarnations of thier United States store, this expeience was a string of ineffiency and rudeness..
    If you are thinking of buying one of these time peices DON'T DO IT !
    Part of the value of a "real" watch is the people who will service it.
    Skip this place and go directly to Patek.
    P.S. The styling on the ladies watches s*ck!
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    8/9/2007
    I have nurtured a fascination for watches since I was 10, when my dad presented me with a simple manual-wind Favre Leuba with a plain white dial.  Watches are a marvel of workmanship that I came to witness at close quarters, living in Switzerland.  There is no substitute for the hand-made wonders from the Swiss Jura region, such as the watches from Audemars Piguet (AP).

    AP's Royal Oak line is classic.  And I love their minute repeater.  But when it came time to buy, I fell for their contemporary collection--a Millenary.  And wear it with pride once every few days.  The quality of the movement is top-notch, and the precision is mind-boggling.  The showroom in New York has a great selection.  Go check out the pricey watches with grand complications, before P.Diddy arrives at the store and takes them all in one swoop.  Here is my assessment of where AP stacks up against an array of a dozen high-end and lower-end watches.

              High-end watches                                  Low to middle-end
              -------------------------                                  -------------------------

                       Classy!                                                       Classy!
                             /\                                                                   /\
                             ||                                                                   ||
                 Patek Phillippe                                                Omega
                       Breguet                                                       Breitling
               Audemars Piguet                                           Tag Heuer
               A. Lange & Sohne                                    Baume & Mercier
            Vacheron-Constantin                                          Movado
               Jaeger-LeCoultre                                               Seiko
                    Blancpain                                                   Swiss Army
               Officine Panerai                                                  Invicta
              Girard-Perregaux                                                 Fossil
                         IWC                                                              Timex
                       Cartier                                                           Swatch
                        Rolex                                                             Casio
                            ||                                                                      ||
                            \/                                                                      \/
                        Blah!                                                               Blah!
           
    Careful what you pick.  There is a lot a watch tells about you.  Stay with the list on the right hand side if you cannot play on the left--you will eventually thank me for that piece of advice.  I spend far beyond my means on watches, but maybe you shouldn't?!
  • Review from

    • 42 friends
    • 92 reviews
    San Francisco, CA
    1/2/2008
    Royal Oak is the new car.  So trade in that hackneyed H2 for a truly significant timepiece.  The climate (and the Swiss) will thank you.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 16 reviews
    New York, NY
    9/12/2010
    AP is a great brand but this boutique doesn't represent it that way. The salespeople lack knowledge of watches. I would stick to Tourneau or other AD with real salespeople that have done this for awhile and that have actual interest in horology: it's history, craftmanship, etc. And they have gone too much in to this Royal Oak series, really need more fresh ideas.





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