Watches - another OCD problem
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@footandmaff Tender sell a couple of straps at the Trestle Shop, but they're less dressy than what I suspect you're looking for. Equus Leather make some fantastic looking ones, but they're very expensive. However if you check out their Facebook page then there are normally discount codes.
SIHH news: IWC have released a new Portuguese Eight Day with a handwound movement, which I rather like. More at aBlogToWatch.
There's a monster Panerai Mare Nostrum, with a 52 mm case! :o
But the coolest thing so far has to be the A. Lange und Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater. Only €440K, so it would put a bit of a dent in the denim shopping…
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that IWC would have been so great at 40mm or 41mm tops…
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Thought that some of you would enjoy a shot from my weekend watch browsing in Mong Kok, Hong Kong:
It's amazing seeing pieces like a 5513 and red line 1680 just in the heap like this. In my opinion, it's how those rugged watches were supposed to be treated!
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that IWC would have been so great at 40mm or 41mm tops…
I've come to the conclusion that people fixate on watch size far too much. Until recently I was wearing a 44 or 45 mm Breitling, which is at the bigger end of the scale. I'm now wearing a 35 mm Tender, which is about as small as men's watches get. Both look OK on my wrist, and, as a former member of the Big Boned Brotherhood, I'm pretty large.
If the lugs of the IWC aren't wider than the top of your wrist then you'll be fine. It'll just seem odd for the first few days until your perceptions adjust.
OK, I've probably got to hand in my WIS card at this point, but stepping outside of your comfort zone by a few millimetres isn't going to hurt.
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@Sugar Mountain that is an amazing shot. Thanks for posting!
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@babyknight frantically looking at flights to Hong Kong…...
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@Giles LOL. if only I had
paid more attentionbeen sober when I was there for a bachelor party a couple of years ago. -
@babyknight were they real?? Mong Kok used to be the home of fake items 'back in the day' when I was there in early '00. I bought a few high quality fake rolexes there for a mate (they're still going now, nearly 12 years later).
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Hi @Snowy , I think this is a question for @Sugar Mountain more than me. I only wish I had taken the time to go watch shopping when I was there!
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Hong Kong is the world’s largest importer of Swiss-made timepieces, accounting for 30% of watches produced.
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@Snowy Yeah these are real. I think the bulk of the fakes are over the border these days. People go on knock-off handbag trips to Shenzhen and I'm sure it's the same with watches.
The market for the real thing is massive here. I think there's always been the attraction for a local customer but now that tourists pour over the border each day, I doubt Patek Philippe can make their watches fast enough.
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WOW! Let me pick my mouth up off the ground. I assumed they'd have to be fake to have so many there. WOW!
I think @Graeme was mentioning picking watches up for a mate in Asia recently as he couldn't source locally, sounds spot on with what you say. The Asian Tiger rises again, or mega loans?
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It's very interesting @Sugar Mountain . Obviously the vintage Rolex market has taken off in recent years, particularly in the US I think… one often hears questions as to where the top dealers get their pieces. I think HK accounts for a significant portion of their finds.
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@Snowy watches are priced very high in China, due to taxes. I think that there's a 30% luxury tax on them, on top of their GST equivalent. If you bought a watch in the UK, and reclaimed the VAT, then it's 40% or 50% less.
I believe that sales taxes are lower in Hong Kong, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the Chinese pop over there for shopping. You certainly see a large number in British boutiques, and the London dealers all employ a number of Mandarin speakers!
I was looking into sourcing an IWC Portuguese for a friend-of-a-friend over there (currently suggesting that the black dial model I posted above would be a good choice).
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Dear Lord, that Minute Repeater is astonishing. Too bad the cost is astonishing as well.
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Rest assured, the client base at the luxury watch boutiques in Hong Kong is entirely mainland Chinese. I've mentioned in this thread before that these shops (and the gold/jewellery retailers) have taken a big hit in the wake of Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign because the bulk of sales were for ''gifts'', rather than personal use!
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