More Hong Kong Window Shopping

[Old Expat Beast]

As promised last week, here's another selection of window shopping pics from today's foray into the dazzling world of Hong Kong's used Rolex dealers. Sorry for the poor quality iPhone pics again. Please enjoy.

[travisb]

Nice!!
Thanks for the pics.

[Gaijin]

Thank you!

[brettpaul]

Amazing pics - especially loving the Comex subs!

[mjclark32]

Great window shopping!

[408cissss]

Nice! So many at one place!
Thanks for sharing

[up2nogood]

Great work, Adam! Nothing like that here.

[Urosfan]

Great shots

[Bangel]

Thanks for the pics. They really pack 'em in!

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by Bangel

Thanks for the pics. They really pack 'em in!

Space is a premium these days in Asia.

[Floorguy]

How were the prices?

[underdog33]

Wow! Thanks for sharing these pics.

[polarinda]

Don't think it's cheap. Checked out some online hk 2nd hand dealers...not the best of pricing.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by polarinda

Don't think it's cheap. Checked out some online hk 2nd hand dealers...not the best of pricing.

Prices here are as good as anywhere. I wouldn't shop online, it's better to go face to face to bargain, with cash in pocket, or the ability to go immediately to the bank or ATM to do a money transfer. And of course, real-life browsing is half the pleasure.

[roadking40]

Adam, great shots. HK blows me away with the number of both new and used Rolex's. How are prices holding up?

[VADanno]

Is it just me? I wouldn't buy a watch from the dealer that has them stacked like cordwood. These are nice watches, and there's no respect in that watch case!

[Lgear080]

You've never seen a real dealer then danno... Some of these guys
Are literally crammed with their own inventory. The gold speedmaster
Is a rare bird.

[dysondiver]

some stunning watches ,,, how come so many , is it just the high population , or a spin off from the business community

[93 Turbo]

Originally Posted by dysondiver

some stunning watches ,,, how come so many , is it just the high population , or a spin off from the business community

What's shown barely scratches the surface of whats available in HK both new & used. J

[Cc1966]

Wow Adam, its "standing room only" in their display windows!

[jvo300]

Great photos. I aspire to one day recreate those shots in my home !

[FTX I]

[kcmo]

Wow, amazing inventory!

[Reu]

Great pics!

[viper9669]

Thanks for sharing, city of Hong Kong is crowded, showcase is crowded, nice pics!

[bayerische]

2 comex divers, and a bakelite GMT in the first pic!

[bayerische]

All I can say is... If I had the money... Bakelite GMT it is....


Ceramic... Bah Humbug!

[nauticajoe]

Nice!

[Old Expat Beast]

Most of these window displays, and the shops behind them, are very small, so everything is crowded together. But why are there so many Rolexes in Hong Kong? I’ll try and explain.

Rolex watches have been a status symbol in Hong Kong since before the Second World War. After the Communist Revolution in the late 1940s, millions of people came to seek refuge in Hong Kong (up to the 1980s and even a few in the early ‘90s). The first wave of refugees were relatively wealthy but often had to leave much of their cash and belongings behind. An easy way to show their (former) status was to display a gold watch. Those first arrivals, just like Hong Kong’s native Chinese, went for the Datejust, as it was relatively new and had a date function which was quite the thing back then.

From the late 1950s refugees were poorer, more desperate folk, often fleeing starvation or the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 76 approx). Many were single men, and for them the first item on the shopping list was a transistor radio, but the grail was a Rolex watch, or at least a Tudor, a brand for which many settled (as in those days they looked exactly like Rolex, thereby giving some ‘face’ at least from a distance), and which is still very popular today.

This as I see it (and I am happy to be corrected by our Hong Kong Chinese members) is more or less how Rolex came to be an integral part of Hong Kong life. Go into the Rolex Service Centre any day of the week and you will see the place packed with people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and wealth brackets. Men and women, office girls, rich housewives, old men with their retirement gold Datejusts, and young entrepreneurs with their vintage Daytonas and subs.

The fact that the windows here are piled high with Rolex watches doesn’t show any disrespect to Rolex, but rather, on the contrary, it reflects a huge respect, and huge inventory, that has built up over the last 80 years or so.

Hans Wilsdorf’s death in 1960 made Front Page news in the local papers here. I doubt that was the case in many cities worldwide.

[pensbay]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Most of these window displays, and the shops behind them, are very small, so everything is crowded together. But why are there so many Rolexes in Hong Kong? I’ll try and explain.

Rolex watches have been a status symbol in Hong Kong since before the Second World War. After the Communist Revolution in the late 1940s, millions of people came to seek refuge in Hong Kong (up to the 1980s and even a few in the early ‘90s). The first wave of refugees were relatively wealthy but often had to leave much of their cash and belongings behind. An easy way to show their (former) status was to display a gold watch. Those first arrivals, just like Hong Kong’s native Chinese, went for the Datejust, as it was relatively new and had a date function which was quite the thing back then.

From the late 1950s refugees were poorer, more desperate folk, often fleeing starvation or the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 76 approx). Many were single men, and for them the first item on the shopping list was a transistor radio, but the grail was a Rolex watch, or at least a Tudor, a brand for which many settled (as in those days they looked exactly like Rolex, thereby giving some ‘face’ at least from a distance), and which is still very popular today.

This as I see it (and I am happy to be corrected by our Hong Kong Chinese members) is more or less how Rolex came to be an integral part of Hong Kong life. Go into the Rolex Service Centre any day of the week and you will see the place packed with people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and wealth brackets. Men and women, office girls, rich housewives, old men with their retirement gold Datejusts, and young entrepreneurs with their vintage Daytonas and subs.

The fact that the windows here are piled high with Rolex watches doesn’t show any disrespect to Rolex, but rather, on the contrary, it reflects a huge respect, and huge inventory, that has built up over the last 80 years or so.

Hans Wilsdorf’s death in 1960 made Front Page news in the local papers here. I doubt that was the case in many cities worldwide.

Very interesting explanation and history. As a Rolex enthusiast, I think you are living in the right place !