Eames lounge question/decision  

Congratulations, Andrew, on this purchase!! I'm a proud owner of a few Eames Loungers from different eras. If one of the options you gave us was a vintage rosewood one in good condition, I certainly would recommend that. However, that's out of the question unless you want to wait for that to come up. I personally have never seen the oiled palisander, so can't comment on that, but I've owned the lacqured version and it's beautiful and maintenance is minimal. Having said that, the leather will make a huge difference though. I personally MUCH PREFER the edelman all grain; the vicenza is soft but it lacks a certain character. 
As far as warranty, the main thing you need to consider is the shock mounts. You can spend several days reading through the numerous threads on that topic. Just bear in mind that if you're mindful about not flopping into the chair or purposely rocking in the chair, the shock mounts should serve you well. Regular inspection would be good as well. 
After all, depending on how much money you're spending on it, you may or may not want to wait for a vintage chair to come up. Either way, keep us posted on your decision. 

Make sure you really want this chair as everyone and their mother has one.  If you think you are going to flip out every time you or a guest sits in your "new" chair then go vintage so you don't have to worry about "scratches" on the leather etc. 

Thanks for the feedback. Believe it or not I don't know a sole who owns this chair and I live in NYC. Many of my friends know the chair and most think it's a great piece.
i do know I want this chair and I'm leaning towards a new or newer chair versus a vintage one as I'd rather just enjoy it versus tracking one down and servicing it. I don't think I'll freak out about people sitting in it either. 
Price is of course a consideration but I really want to take my time and think through what's most important. 
I like the idea and look of the oiled palisander but having the upgraded leather (by getting a new chair)  may be a bigger attraction. The warraty sounds like it's not a big deal as the pre-owned chair I'm considering is like new and unused. 
No one has weighed in on the labor involved in oiling the wood but hoping it wouldn't be too big of a deal. 
Thanks again. 
Andrew 

http://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/hermanmiller/documents/materials/reference_info/Care_Veneer.pdf

No one in my little circle of friends and family owns one of these either, but i've seen it in so many photos of rooms that it feels a little overly familiar.  I think that's maybe what jdip was referring to.  
That said, I'd probably go with the lacquered finish myself.  I have spent a bazillion hours oiling wood and I'm over it.  Rosewood/palisander is a wood that looks nice lacquered, so why not?  Sounds like the leather issue is more critical for you anyway.

I'd have to agree with Spanky. Unless you plan to put your set in the middle of the room, you don't really see much of the wood anyway. And you can't see any when you're sitting in it!
The advantage to an oil finish is that scuffs and minor scratches can be much more easily repaired and oil tends to hasten the darkening process which is a good thing with the newer "palisander" veneers that, to my eye, often appear too red fresh out of the box.

Oiling the wood is really easy, though. To me, it sounds like the pros of a new chair are the leather only... the minute you accidentally scratch or mar that finish, you will probably wish you could just put some oil on it. You can repair lacquer, but the oil is going to be a lot easier. Like it's been said, the leather is the part that you sit in so you probably will want to give that more credence.

I have one. I love it and hate it at the same time. I dont treat it like a museum piece, but I have to be rude to 200+ lbs people that flop into it and push back into the seat. My advice would be to buy through a dealer on the authorized wholesale side (on HM website). I did not pay retail prices and am not apart of the trade. However, dont buy if you plan to move or move often. Mine has several dings from moving. I can't say that I would buy it again when you can generally find a plycraft version for less than the tax on a HM one.

Thanks all for the helpful comments. This piece will be going into a large living room where the back will be very visible and it will be a room defining piece.
I appreciate the comments on the ability to more easily deal with scuffs and scratches with the oiled finish. The Vincenza leather this chair has seems certainly decent and less shiny than the Edelman all grain but the all grain feels and looks special for sure. 
We don't have any kids, pets or obnoxious friends so I expect there won't be much abuse on the chair. 
The 15% sale on new ones that is currently going on is good but the pre-owned like new one comes out to about a 36% discount from list. This is certainly compelling price wise. With the $800 I'd save over the lacquered all grain version I could buy an Eames stool to put next to the pre owned chair!
Well again thanks for the input. Need to make a decision in the next day or so. 
andrew 
p.s here's a picture of the pre-owned oiled version I'm considering. 

I've said it elsewhere before but just keep in mind that if you buy new, you never quite know what kind of grain pattern you'll get on your chair. And I've seen some pretty boring ones. On the other hand, this oiled version looks very attractive. Tough tough call. I feel your ambivalence. 

TexasJoy83, you mention "buying through an AD on the wholesale side via the HM website". I'd be interested in understanding how to investigate that further. Don't want to break any forum rules so please let me know what's ok and not ok to discuss here. 
Thank you - Andrew 

Negotiate the price down on the used one. 

Hi Acohen, just recently restored one of my two eames lounges from 1969 including stripping shells and restoring gun stock oil finish. Getting water marks, scratches, nicks etc can de done easier when oil finish used in terms of doing touch ups yourself.

Hoopsie:
Wow! Your chair looks amazing.  Hard to believe it's the age it is.  The finish looks perfect and the leather like a familiar friend.  Assuming a lacquered version would be a little more challenging to restore.
I'm sure the restoration took some serious time and effort however do you suggest that the cushions should come off for regular maintanance oiling or is it ok to leave them on and take care (not to touch the leather) when re-applying oil?
Again, very nice.
-Andrew