Tokyo and Hong Kong

[Kowlick]

Everyone really came through for me with watch stores on my trip to Copenhagen and Stockholm in late October! Spending the holidays in Tokyo and Hong Kong and wondering if there are any suggestions for vintage stores in those cities. Like the last thread, I’ll follow up with updates and photos if I run across anything interesting.


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[rambo99]

there is a lots of vintage stores along Kwong Wah Street and G/F of sino centre. both are located in the mong kok area, the crowdiest place in HK. you are going to love it.

[ILuvSubs]

Thanks OP for the thread on Copenhagen and Stockholm

Check out these posts on vintage Rolex shops in Hong Kong.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showpost...2&postcount=24

https://www.rolexforums.com/showpost...6&postcount=31

I've visited The Vintage Concept on Hong Kong Island and House Watch Co. in TST on Kowloon side. Both have amazing vintage pieces, but both are pricey. John House is an amazing guy to chat with.

I'd also recommend checking out Michael Young's shop, Classic Watch Repair, which is also in TST. Not only is he the bracelet magician, he also has an amazing collection of vintage sports Rolex for sale too. When I was there in January, he had a Comex 5514, MilSub and 6538

http://www.classicwatchrepair.com/

[AdamG]

Google

[Kowlick]

Originally Posted by rambo99

there is a lots of vintage stores along Kwong Wah Street and G/F of sino centre. both are located in the mong kok area, the crowdiest place in HK. you are going to love it.

Thanks for the tip. Will definitely make a trip to Mong Kok to check out these stores.

Originally Posted by ILuvSubs

I've visited The Vintage Concept on Hong Kong Island and House Watch Co. in TST on Kowloon side. Both have amazing vintage pieces, but both are pricey. John House is an amazing guy to chat with.



I'd also recommend checking out Michael Young's shop, Classic Watch Repair, which is also in TST. Not only is he the bracelet magician, he also has an amazing collection of vintage sports Rolex for sale too. When I was there in January, he had a Comex 5514, MilSub and 6538

Thanks for the info and the links to previous threads. These three sound like must visits for me! I can’t believe you saw all those references in one place in January.

Wondering if anyone has any information on stores in Tokyo? Headed there tomorrow.


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[exador]

Originally Posted by Kowlick

Wondering if anyone has any information on stores in Tokyo? Headed there tomorrow.

Search is your friend.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthre...ighlight=Tokyo

[ILuvSubs]

Originally Posted by Kowlick

.lWondering if anyone has any information on stores in Tokyo? Headed there tomorrow.

There is a guy on YouTube, “Austin Daniels”, who has done a few videos of Rolex shopping in Tokyo. Try checking that out. Also, Jack Road is a store I see mentioned a lot on TRF.

[tng11]

Nakano Broadway, where Jack Road and Kame Kichi are located is a dream place. Virtually anything you want or could want is available there. Prices can be a bit high though.

[Kowlick]

Made it to Tokyo yesterday afternoon and met a friend who took us on a walking tour of Roppongi. Didn’t plan it but ran across a Rolex Boutique and took a look inside. There were three sports models, all PM. I only remember the rose gold Yachtmaster.

We have plans today but will see if we can stop in to some stores along the way.

A holiday light show last night:




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[Kowlick]

Just landed in Hong Kong and wanted to provide an update on Tokyo.

I forgot to mention that first night we stopped in a bookstore and I found some Rolex magazines.



Nice pictures, some local prices and information on references, all in Japanese. I wish there were magazines like this in English.

I heard that Nakano is more of a spot for locals to eat and drink, just slightly off the more beaten path of the more touristy neighborhoods (Roppongi, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, etc). I was able to make it to Nakano Broadway where I stopped in at several stores. As reference, prices for 116500ln can reach $24000+. In general, asking prices are higher than trusted sellers here on TRF.

This is from a store on the first floor:


The third floor is where I saw most of the big stores. Ippuukishi is there, which I recognized from Chrono24. I tried on a red 1680:



Jack Road is a big store and was very busy.



It was a bit overwhelming, seeing walls of Rolexes like this:





One reference that I had never seen before was this:



I tried on a few watches. Jack Road provided a translator for the salesman. Maybe it was lost in translation but he was unable to answer my questions.



We flew out via Haneda airport and I stopped in to the Rolex boutique just across from gate 111. It was the same story there as everywhere else. Only PM sports models...


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[peterpl]

This is why Rolex can never appreciate forever and can never be specified as a rare item. This is vintage only as well. I've seen walls upon walls upon walls of modern SS Rolex's. LOL

Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Kowlick]

Just returned from Hong Kong. I was able to check out The Vintage Concept, visit Michael Young’s shop on Carnarvon Road and stop in at London Watch Co. I wish I had more time and planned a bit better. My last day in HK was a Sunday and PnF was closed when I visited Kwong Wa Street.

The Vintage Concept had a lot of great examples on display. I tried on a couple red 1680s. This Mk5 stood out to me because it had faded to a nice shade of blue:



I also tried on a nice Daytona



I wish I took some pictures at Michael Young’s shop. There were some amazing examples there. It was like being in a Rolex museum. I didn’t take any pictures because I got to speak with Michael for an hour and half before their shop closed for the day. I had such a great time talking watches; it was certainly the highlight of my holiday watch tour. Michael was very knowledgeable and generous with his time. Definitely worth a visit for the watches alone though.

Walking down Kwong Wa Street, there are tons of shops with window displays like this:



If you zoom in, it looks like the going price on the gemstone rainbow Daytona is less than a 116500ln!

The London Watch Co was open on a Sunday. Unfortunately the red 1680 on display was not for sale. I did take a look at a 5508 with red text, which I had never seen an example of before, and a 1675.





Overall, I had a great time in Tokyo and Hong Kong. I go back every year to Hong Kong so next time I’ll plan better and visit some other shops. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

[Andad]

All visitors will enjoy the selection of Rolex watches in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Just take a bucket of $$$$’s.

Everyone is on the bandwagon.

[Amex4711]

Very interessting, thanks for sharing
I was in Tokyo and Hongkong often, but I don't see so much Rolex watches

[WatchLurv]

The gemstone 116520 daytona is aftermarket. Same with the diamond dial 116509 Daytona (Real ref is 116576) next to it.

Also the prices in Japan may be a bit higher, but did you compare for the price AFTER tax is deducted?
For Hong Kong... If you are known buyer or a reseller you'd be looking at lower prices. I know the shop displays in HKG are always marked up 5-10% from what you can normally get them for if they text you on Wechat or Whatsapp.

[Fleetlord]

Seems like a silly question, but I wonder if these watches actually SELL at these prices.

I have seen a lot of these pictorials and videos of shopping in Japan, stores full of people, but are they BUYING or just tire kicking?

[WatchLurv]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

Seems like a silly question, but I wonder if these watches actually SELL at these prices.

I have seen a lot of these pictorials and videos of shopping in Japan, stores full of people, but are they BUYING or just tire kicking?

Buying. I bought from Jack Road before.

[Striker696]

Hi all,

Has anyone heard of - J Watch Hong Kong?

Watch dealer in Kowloon - Hollywood Plaza, Room 1619, 16/F, 610 Nathan Road, Mongkok, that looks to have opened up in 2018.

Legit?

Thanks.

[Gaijin]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

Seems like a silly question, but I wonder if these watches actually SELL at these prices.

I have seen a lot of these pictorials and videos of shopping in Japan, stores full of people, but are they BUYING or just tire kicking?

Yes, they are selling. The last time that I was up there in Nakano there was not a sales associate available that was not selling to a customer.

[rambo99]

Originally Posted by Striker696

Hi all,

Has anyone heard of - J Watch Hong Kong?

Watch dealer in Kowloon - Hollywood Plaza, Room 1619, 16/F, 610 Nathan Road, Mongkok, that looks to have opened up in 2018.

Legit?

Thanks.

I would avoid those shops which are located at the upper floors of a building.

[Tokyo Mike]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

Seems like a silly question, but I wonder if these watches actually SELL at these prices.

I have seen a lot of these pictorials and videos of shopping in Japan, stores full of people, but are they BUYING or just tire kicking?

Buying. Many are chinese with bundles of cash.

[petehk]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Mike

Buying. Many are chinese with bundles of cash.

I live in HK and just returned from a short break to Tokyo where I made a visit to the Nakano Broadway centre inside of which is Jack Road and numerable watch shops. Both HK and Tokyo, Rolex business is booming. The Japanese love vintage Rolex, can't get enough of them and happy to pay top dollar/yen for good condition. The Chinese love new Rolex and as a relatively young consumer nation it is only getting started. My guess is out of the 1.3 billion people, maybe only 2-3% are into the Rolex market now - just wait till it grows to 10-20%.



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[Kenrocks]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

Seems like a silly question, but I wonder if these watches actually SELL at these prices.

I have seen a lot of these pictorials and videos of shopping in Japan, stores full of people, but are they BUYING or just tire kicking?

I live in Hong Kong and when I have time I like to stop by at these places.

I have also actually bought from some of these places.

A fun thing about shopping in hk is to bargain. If their offer is 100,000 you could try negotiate the price down to say 95,000 then transact at the price somewhere in the middle.




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[ILuvSubs]

Belated thanks to the OP for reporting back and posting photos of your trip to HK and Japan. It is quite a treat for a WIS.

Originally Posted by Kowlick

Just returned from Hong Kong. I was able to check out The Vintage Concept, visit Michael Young’s shop on Carnarvon Road and stop in at London Watch Co. I wish I had more time and planned a bit better. My last day in HK was a Sunday and PnF was closed when I visited Kwong Wa Street.

The Vintage Concept had a lot of great examples on display. I tried on a couple red 1680s. This Mk5 stood out to me because it had faded to a nice shade of blue:



I also tried on a nice Daytona



I wish I took some pictures at Michael Young’s shop. There were some amazing examples there. It was like being in a Rolex museum. I didn’t take any pictures because I got to speak with Michael for an hour and half before their shop closed for the day. I had such a great time talking watches; it was certainly the highlight of my holiday watch tour. Michael was very knowledgeable and generous with his time. Definitely worth a visit for the watches alone though.

Walking down Kwong Wa Street, there are tons of shops with window displays like this:



If you zoom in, it looks like the going price on the gemstone rainbow Daytona is less than a 116500ln!

The London Watch Co was open on a Sunday. Unfortunately the red 1680 on display was not for sale. I did take a look at a 5508 with red text, which I had never seen an example of before, and a 1675.





Overall, I had a great time in Tokyo and Hong Kong. I go back every year to Hong Kong so next time I’ll plan better and visit some other shops. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

[AdamG]

Originally Posted by petehk

I live in HK and just returned from a short break to Tokyo where I made a visit to the Nakano Broadway centre inside of which is Jack Road and numerable watch shops. Both HK and Tokyo, Rolex business is booming. The Japanese love vintage Rolex, can't get enough of them and happy to pay top dollar/yen for good condition. The Chinese love new Rolex and as a relatively young consumer nation it is only getting started. My guess is out of the 1.3 billion people, maybe only 2-3% are into the Rolex market now - just wait till it grows to 10-20%.



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3% of Mainland Chinese wear new Rolex??

Not even in Shanghai financial district

[SkyJuice]

Watch aside, the food cuisine (i.e. dim sum) there is fantastic!