More Hong Kong Window Shopping

[Hairdude1]

Great pics!

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by hchj

Amazing quantity and bling:p

Which asian country gets the most Rolex supply annually? Hong Kong or Japan?

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Hong Kong population is about 7 million, Japan about 127 million, so likely Japan gets more. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was about the same.

[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 !

[PanosI]

Heaven

[DCgator]

Good gawd all those Rolex!!

[theseira]

[RolexJNJ]

Unbelievable, what an exercise in self-control this must be for you!

Is it true that Omega has surpassed Rolex in China as a status symbol?

[crowncollection]

Excellent pics I am their in 5 weeks can't wait.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by RolexJNJ

Unbelievable, what an exercise in self-control this must be for you!

Is it true that Omega has surpassed Rolex in China as a status symbol?

No. Well, not in HK, and I very much doubt on the mainland either.

[michel33]

Thanks a lot for the pics and your historical explanation of this Rolex fever in HK.

[unclesallie]

Adam: Thanks! I travel to SE Asia from time to time(and China once a while back), and next time, I might just make HK a stop-off. Are the prices competitive with the grey market in the U.S.? I always buy grey market......meantime, I would never buy in let's say, Beijing, because there you have $100.00 fakes, but the counterfeiters have gotten much more clever, especially in the vintage area, where they "age" the case, and are expert at faking dials......so, not being a watchmaker, and not being able to pull a movement and determine it's character, I am wondering if some non-AD shops are reliable/trustworthy?

[Old Expat Beast]

Sallie, there are some grey sellers here with low prices. You can find some on Chrono24 and get in touch that way. Phoenix Watch Company is trustworthy. I got my Milgauss GV from him.

[Rolex57]

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.

I agree on the status symbol thing especially in Hong Kong. I work and associate with a lot of people from Hong Kong and they recognize Rolex. Most of the younger guys tell me that their father's gave them a Rolex, however, they never wear it. It just sits in a safety deposit box collecting dust. Most don't even like watches because they say they are redundant on the account that they have their cellphones to tell time.

[MortgageGuy]

Awesome shots thanks for posting

[samsam]

Nice shots. I just don't understand why it's displayed in this "not so nice" manner.

Edit: never mind, I should've read the entire thread first.
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[dysondiver]

interesting read adam ,,, thanks for showing the pics and the explanation.

[bondtoys]

Double post

[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by hchj

Amazing quantity and bling:p

Which asian country gets the most Rolex supply annually? Hong Kong or Japan?

Hong Kong - followed by China and the US

[sgmgolf]

Very nice pics Adam. Thanks for sharing.
Love that Atmos clock.........I just obtained and older version. Kind of a barn find and got it for a song......thing works great. Just needs a little polish!

[axjimenez]

Wow....amazing! Thank you for sharing!

[tfduff723]

Crazy!! Great pics & thanks for sharing.

Always amazing to me the selection & sheer number of awesome watches those shops in HK and Japan seem to have.

Like a Rolex aficionado'sversion of Pinochio's Pleasure Island!

[Jeronimo]

Thanks, Adam. Great thread, don't know how I missed it back in December.

Just out of curiosity, and I know that watch shops are everywhere in HK, but are those very nice photos of yours from shops in Central or Kowloon?

Cheers!

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by Jeronimo

Thanks, Adam. Great thread, don't know how I missed it back in December.

Just out of curiosity, and I know that watch shops are everywhere in HK, but are those very nice photos of yours from shops in Central or Kowloon?

Cheers!

This thread is all Kowloon. I did a similar thread a week before this one that was also Kowloon.

Here... https://www.rolexforums.com/showthre...indow+shopping

[E70x5]

Great pics ! With an inventory that large, do these retailers in HK include B&P ? Space being such a pemuim there, where would they store all the boxes ? Looks like a great place to do some window shopping. . .

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by E70x5

Great pics ! With an inventory that large, do these retailers in HK include B&P ? Space being such a pemuim there, where would they store all the boxes ? Looks like a great place to do some window shopping. . .

It depends on the shop, but Rolex boxes of varying vintage and style are quite easy to find here. A total guess but maybe 25% of what you see in these pics would have B&P.

[blcblc]

Wow nice

[Jeronimo]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

This thread is all Kowloon. I did a similar thread a week before this one that was also Kowloon.

Here... https://www.rolexforums.com/showthre...indow+shopping

Thanks, Adam. Just went to check that one too... And it was very good of you to add those links, pretty handy...!

[lhanddds]

Boy, that's dangerous

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[Invictus Maneo]

Wow! Those are amazing photo's! I would probably spend a whole day just browsing there and dreaming of what it would be like to own so many of those beautiful watches! I absolutely HATE shopping but it could be perfect for my wife as she could just drop me off there while on her way to do her shopping and be assured that I would still be there whenever she decided to return for me, unlike now at the mall where she usually finds me back in the car!