For buying, Singapore or London?

[Kingfish01]

Will have a chance to purchase from either of the two. Family trip to London and my wife will be going to Singapore in July. Are there any places in these there that offer better prices than a US AD? any recommendations would be appreciated

[tyler1980]

if its a hard to get watch, London is a non starter.

[ap1]

They only carry TT datejusts 34s

[subzilla]

Having just returned from Singapore, I’d say prices are higher than UK with a 6% rebate if you complete the paperwork and show the Watch to customs on leaving Singapore. If you are leaving London via Heathrow they have reasonable stock (excluding the usual suspects). London stores will have relative low stock.
If ou went to PM me I can try nd source through a couple of contacts in London.
The U.K. price will be lower and VAT Refund available.

[wrxsti]

both are tough markets to get stainless popular models

[Kingfish01]

Thanks. I’m looking for a gmt or submariner. I suppose heathrow would be good since I wouldn’t have to mess with the vat (I assume the duty free section doesn’t add the vat) and the dollar looks to be gaining. I once bought an omega in Greece and got the vat back at the airport. It wasn’t a big deal, but was a little hassle

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by Kingfish01

Thanks. I’m looking for a gmt or submariner. I suppose heathrow would be good since I wouldn’t have to mess with the vat (I assume the duty free section doesn’t add the vat) and the dollar looks to be gaining. I once bought an omega in Greece and got the vat back at the airport. It wasn’t a big deal, but was a little hassle

Unfortunately the chances of scoring those watches randomly at Heathrow are minuscule.

Let’s assume a Heathrow AD gets 12 SS subs and GMT’s annually (which might be an overestimate in the current climate). When I was last there the saleswoman I spoke to said those watches don’t last 5 minutes in the window. So the cumulative total time those watches spend on display before being bought we can guess is 1 hour in the whole year. So very roughly, and butchering the maths slightly, you have a 1 in 9000 chance of stumbling upon the watch you’re after. And even then there’s a good chance somebody would be inside having beaten you to it.

[Kingfish01]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

Unfortunately the chances of scoring those watches randomly at Heathrow are minuscule.

Let’s assume a Heathrow AD gets 12 SS subs and GMT’s annually (which might be an overestimate in the current climate). When I was last there the saleswoman I spoke to said those watches don’t last 5 minutes in the window. So the cumulative total time those watches spend on display before being bought we can guess is 1 hour in the whole year. So very roughly, and butchering the maths slightly, you have a 1 in 9000 chance of stumbling upon the watch you’re after. And even then there’s a good chance somebody would be inside having beaten you to it.

Haha, good point. My wife seems to think Greece (another future trip) would be a good place to buy one, bad economy and all, but I gave her your reasoning. I agree that I probably won’t find anything. It seems the pursuit is part of the game. Who would have thought a $10k wristwatch would be hard to find?

[Rolexavidfan]

US is still the best place to buy SS Subs and GMT. Forget about other countries where you are a tourist.

Based on my experience.


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[Soultime]

London may be the worst place on earth to try and buy a SS Sports Rolex
..........along with the other main competitors of Antarctica, Amazon Rain Forrest and Sahara Desert.

[benlee]

Actually both cities have lack of availability if you are looking for popular SS Rolex Sports watches. Depending on tax refund works out there might be some saying buying in London since tax tax refund is higher in UK than Singapore.

[faimag]

My thoughts exactly. If you are claiming back tax, it’s better to buy from a place with high tax, aka London. In Singapore it’s just 7%. In fact I know a bunch of Singaporeans who travel and buy watches from the UK and resell in Singapore at a reasonable profit and still less than local retail. Plus, in Singapore popular watches don’t even make it to the ADs’ windows!

[Scapegoat]

Bone dry here in SIN unless you know where to look for.

[zackontherun]

Originally Posted by Kingfish01

Will have a chance to purchase from either of the two. Family trip to London and my wife will be going to Singapore in July. Are there any places in these there that offer better prices than a US AD? any recommendations would be appreciated

Impossible to get a sub or gmt in singapore ad, I heard London is hard too


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[jackcarls0n]

I would save the trouble to go to an AD. Enjoy the trip and pop in at the Airport store. That is all. If you are buying DJ London is certainly cheaper, especially at the airport.

[RolexComplex]

Originally Posted by faimag

My thoughts exactly. If you are claiming back tax, it’s better to buy from a place with high tax, aka London. In Singapore it’s just 7%. In fact I know a bunch of Singaporeans who travel and buy watches from the UK and resell in Singapore at a reasonable profit and still less than local retail. Plus, in Singapore popular watches don’t even make it to the ADs’ windows!

And this is one of the reasons why London seems to have no inventory. People from all over the world buy in London and resell in their local markets. I was at an AD in London in Dec. and a couple from China were buying 7 ss sport watches. The sales rep told me they were “great, repeat customers.”

[jackcarls0n]

Originally Posted by RolexComplex

And this is one of the reasons why London seems to have no inventory. People from all over the world buy in London and resell in their local markets. I was at an AD in London in Dec. and a couple from China were buying 7 ss sport watches. The sales rep told me they were “great, repeat customers.”

Majority of the people are scouring ADs everywhere to get a watch that can be flipped for a profit. The ones who want it don't get it and the ones who can get it don't need it. It is an easy way to make a quick buck!

[ChappieP]

As most have pointed out, London has literally no SS sports watches available to purchase as a walk in, unless you’re extremely lucky. For GMT’s and Subs, there is a waiting list at almost every AD (I’ve visited many). As for Heathrow airport, you have to be there at the right time and get lucky.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by RolexComplex

And this is one of the reasons why London seems to have no inventory. People from all over the world buy in London and resell in their local markets. I was at an AD in London in Dec. and a couple from China were buying 7 ss sport watches. The sales rep told me they were “great, repeat customers.”

yep. AD's have them and they dont display them because of this. This is the genesis of the local's only policies.

Tourists leave and are one and done buyers for the most part, so the AD would rather deal with people they know and who will come back and buy again. Sometimes it is tourists with long histories but most of the time its locals.

[AK797]

These are just about the worst 2 Cities to buy a popular Rolex with no AD history, so much money in both.

[Nikrnic]

O boy that doesn't sound good for you. Hopefully in a month your timing may be lucky for you in an airport and here in the states.

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