Now that I've eaten I'm feeling much better, so I retrace my steps to Kenjo where I'm greeted by a very gruff man named Lee. He notices my Reverso immediately and comments on it, telling me that they don't sell JLC, but they have
lots more. He asks to see the Reverso reverse, and I oblige. I tell him I just want to look around the store. He lets me, sort of. He makes no attempt to actually interfere, but he keeps running to the back to bring out special items that "no one else has," a phrase he repeats at least 5 times in the space of 15
minutes One of the items is a Breitling Emergency in a travel case complete with test unit and instructional video. Not the Birthday present I have in mind, I tell him.
Kenjo is amazing. They really do have lots of brands that no one else in New York has. Brands like Chronoswiss, Xemex, Van Der Bauwede, Tutima, Maurice Lacroix, Dubey & Schaldenbrand, Alain Silberstein, and lots more. I'll buy myself one of these!
But, even after spending lots of time with Lee, who turns out to be really a fine guy, nothing quite jumps out at me. Really, a Xemex for my 50th Birthday? No, I think not.
I do see an Eterna Kon-Tiki with an orange (salmon, really) dial that I like a lot, and list is only a little over $2000. I ask Lee for his best price. He asks me what I usually get when I deal over the Internet. What did I get off for the JLC, he wants to know. I tell him 25%, which is the truth. OK, says Lee, I'll give you 25%.
I am very close to just buying the Eterna right then and there. The only reason I don't is that I'm not done yet. I haven't been to Wempe, and I haven't decided against the Patek 5080. I decide to buy two watches today, the Birthday present and the Eterna, and that makes me somehow feel more at ease. Deciding not to decide. But, no need to buy it right now, so I leave Kenjo.
Now I'm starting to get tired. I'll go to Wempe, but I won't try to buy a watch today. Too tired, too many choices, too many decisions to make, and not sure if actually buying today, here in New York, will get me the best price. Well, I tell myself, at least you tried.
The large windows at Wempe, a few blocks south on 5th Ave. are filled with watches, but they're hard to see because of a scaffold covering the front of the building. I do see one interesting item, though: An aluminum case filled with 23 Omega moon watches, each celebrating a different NASA mission. Also, an extra movement in a plastic case, and even an eye loupe to look at it. It's one of the few items in the window with a price tag: $65,000. Gosh, we don't have things like that in Boulder, I think.
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