Japan/China info, rolex AD + my new watches

[Gagaliya]

Hi guys, came back from tokyo and shanghai, thought i share the info and experience, and to showoff my hauls :) It will be a bit long post but hopefully you find it useful

Target: 1) new/mint watches with full set as I dont have the expertise on used watches 2) Rolex only from AD, no grey market

I speak fluent mandarin and conversational+ japanese, so was able to talk to the dealers in their native languages.

JAPAN - TOKYO

- SHOPS: overall the watch shops in japan look trustworthy and professional, and there is little to no price negotiation over listed. Compared to nyc 47th street i would definitely prefer to buy in tokyo.

The main hub is in Nakano (bascially a stripmall) where jackroad and at least half dozen other watch shops are located. The shops themselves are not bad with very decent selection + good service. However the overall experience is NOT pleasant due to the extreme crowding and little AC in the mall, with tokyo's extremely humid hot weather, it's like a sauna. See photo of the mall.

My recommendation is browse the watches from the dealer's online websites, inventory is updated near real time. And know what you want - get in get out, instead of wandering around there. Definitely not a "luxury" shopping experience :D For me my target was the breguet tradition.

I also visited housekihiroba in shibuya, it's a standalone shop and much better shopping experience. Again you can browse the inventory online beforehand, much easier that way. There are also bunch shops there that deal with only rolex that i didnt bother to visit.

TAXES: Almost all shops there will refund the tax back to you at the point of sales making a good deal even better. If the shop does not offer that, do not buy the watch as it's one of the advantages buying in Japan, always ask if they will deduct the tax/duties, most will know exactly what to do.

IMPORTANT: when you get to the airport (narita) after security check, there is a desk that says something like duties declaration etc..make sure you voluntarily go there if you purchased anything expensive ($1000+) tax free, it will show up on their computer. You basically just have to show them the item you purchased - they want to make sure you took it with you. It's a very quick 5 min process. If you dont, you roll the dice, some time they will call you on speaker before boarding and ask to check potentially delaying your boarding. For me, with the breguet being 5 figures usd, it was flashing red on their computer literally, so no skip this step. I peered at the computer he was using, they basically have ALL items purchased tax free, i think it's linked directly to each shop's computer.

Rolex AD: Even worse than state side. To give you some idea, most high end stores in Japan include cartier etc have services second to none, my family member bought a cartier from the AD and she was gifted with their special porcelain plate thing and treated like king. I bought some $80 pants and the girl literally kneeled to measure my pants length then RAN off so she can adjust the length real time with their store seamstress, it was nuts.

However I walk into rolex AD, not even a greeting or acknowledgement. When I asked if there is any inventory, the lady handed me a piece of god damn paper without saying a word...basically written in english/japanese/chinese that they cannot disclose inventory information to walkins you have to call to make reservation to get inventory info! And those are the rolex ADs that let you walk in the door, others dont even let you walk in. What in the seven hell...i am not trying to get the watch for god damn free. Dont bother with rolex ADs in Tokyo.

Watch - I have a 6.3" wrist so on the smaller side, and was dead set on getting a breguet tradition 7027/7037 as i tried it before and it was ok. But this is where buying in person matters. Dealer happen to have a new larger 7057 also for only slightly more $. Everyone was saying due to the straight lug the newer tradition isnt good for smaller wrist, but when I tried on it looked/felt so much better - not too big at all. The larger dial compared to the 7027 smaller dial was night and day also, much clearer. So ended up with a 7057 instead, so glad i tried both first and didnt buy it online. I got the silver dial version, they also had the black dial 7057 that looked very nice too. My wife liked the silver/gold combo more, so that was that lol. I personally love them both, but the silver/gold does make the dial pop more.


CHINA

- SHOPS: i do not recommend buying watches from the second hand shops in popular areas like nanjin road etc.. they are either way overpriced or potentially frankenstein, lots traps just like nyc. What you need to do is find a few online dealers on taobao with lots of high end pieces that operates out of Shanghai, then make appointment and visit them. I went to one which is in an office building (no store front), and boy the watch collection they had were insane.

I saw a JLC master tourbillon for 25k!! tons of blancpain for crazy prices too. I am 99.99% sure they are all authentic but almost all of them dont have box/paper. Was very tempted but too much $ for a newbie to risk, if you know your stuff, i think you will find some crazy deals. The way it was explained (and make sense) is those watches were all bought by chinese overseas, many not watch collectors, and they all threw away the box before coming back as if you are caught at the shanghai airport, you get charged 20%+ duties no question asked. This way they can just wear the watch, custom cant do much about that with no box/paper.

TAXES You can get sales tax refunded in china also! it's a relatively new little known program. But they are only selectively available in big malls unlike Japan, so only ADs etc..will qualify. Basically the mall itself not the shops has a counter where you have to get paperwork and everything stamped, then AT THE AIRPORT before security check in, there is a duty refund counter you show the paper from the mall + your watch/items (must be UNUSED in original packaging) and they will stamp it again. Then after security check in, there is another counter where you show them the stamped paper work again! If the refund is below 10k yuan (~1.3k usd) you get cash back right away, if it's above 10k yuan they will need a visa/master and issue a credit directly to the card in 2-3 months. I always give them the same card i used to make the purchase, not sure if it matters. Quite hassle compared to Japan, but when 2-3k usd is on the line, worth it.

Rolex AD - The difference of Rolex ADs in China is night and day vs US/Japan, it's much more casual there is no snobbiness at all and everyone welcome. You walk in, ask for inventory, and they will tell you with a straight answer and everyone there is easy to talk to (spoke to them in mandarin), most ADs have some gold pieces available to buy, steel is out of stock but I do see some 36mm steel available once a while. They will also tell you straight up if you want the hard to get pieces like gmt pepsi, celebration dial etc..how much $ you need to spend from their other stores next door like cartier/gold shops etc..i guess it's all owned by the same boss. No BS, just matter of fact - give me your contact, you will be in line, if the watch comes in and it's your turn, you need to buy xxx worth of stuff from those stores, then you can buy the watch. Note this is only for the very hard to get watches, stuff like steel submariner / steel OP does not require purchase, just contact and wait. I actually appreciate it, saves time with all the bs.

I ended up getting a 1908 white gold white dial, never planned to buy any rolex, but just by luck saw this in person in one of the AD and tried it on, it was just such a perfect fit, even though same size as patek 6119, it just fits so much better on my wrist and very understated with a see through back. After bunch phone calls, i am told i can buy it, just couldnt pass up especially tax free! Still hate myself for giving in to rolex after i said i wont, but love the watch.


Watch - See above for the 1908 (forgot photo still with my wife in china). I also wanted to buy a seagull and when I saw the tourbillon with that dial and only 12mm thick for $3k USD that was it, crazy value. It will be my daily beater.

Seagull was the top watch brand in china when I was little growing up, i remember my grand father gifted my dad a beatup seagull in the 80s and everyone went nuts, it was like gifting someone a 200k patek considering back then owning a seagull watch was the definition of success as it cost more than a year's salary for most, noone had cars or owned real estate or swiss watches. There are other good real watch makers like "Shanghai or Sakura" from china that still exist today.. but seagull was always the top. I know most will laugh and say china made no thanks, but to me it's a real watchmaker and a great watch. Also the fact all those fake brands like sugess trying to call themselves seagull doesnt help the brand image, if seagull had a proper marketing dept outside of china like rolex their prices will be at least 3-4x.

I also saw their official 1963 chrono reissue the brand is known for, for 600 bucks. The dial was amazing, regret not getting it, definitely next time. They also had a triple axis flying tourbillon(?) gold watch on display where the entire tourbillon rotates for around 50k usd, all inhouse movements. Pretty crazy

Anyway that's my trip, all in all fun times. Got my seagull for daily enjoyment, 1908 for occasions where it's a bit formal, and breguet 7057 for special occasions where I need a bit bling bling? :D Can look at the dials of those 3 watches for hours without getting bored.

EDIT: On the way back, i also went to the rolex AD at singapore airport, nothing is available at all.