Watches - another OCD problem
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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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Big ass chunk of Germany steel!
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Not a watch, but this seemed like the closest place to post it. It's a Nixie tube clock being sold by MB & F.
More details at the MAD Gallery. Want!
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damn. now i really need a trip to hk. but for the many times i've been there, i've known places in mongkok that sells the high quality fakes that snowy mentioned. but i've never really come across any shop like what babyknight has posted..
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@louisbosco If you get yourself up here, I'm happy to help with pointing you towards the best watch shops.
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Sounds like a plan @rocket. We'll have to get @Megatron1505 to add it to the DWC.
And don't pick a ceramic, non-scratch watch for it.
