Reply With QuoteSwitzerland is no cheaper than the UK.
Not sure about Japan
And I'm guessing that Hong Kong / Singapore will have the best deals.
Even for the Swiss stuff.
You can purchase on the Net.
One of the perks of my job is that I benefit from heavily reduced airline travel and sometimes even free travel. I was wondering if it is benefical to use this perk for a trip to either Switzerland or Japan in order to buy a watch at a cheaper price (I'm interested in a top Grand Seiko diver or a limited edition Oris diver). Not sure if you can actually pick these watches up cheaper in their country of manufacture.
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Switzerland is no cheaper than the UK.
Not sure about Japan
And I'm guessing that Hong Kong / Singapore will have the best deals.
Even for the Swiss stuff.
You can purchase on the Net.
I could be wrong, but I get the impression that buying Swiss watches in Switzerland is more expensive than buying in the UK, and buying Japanese watches in Japan is more expensive than in the UK.
Same applies to Waterford crystal from Waterford, and Talisker Scotch from Skye. Probably more expensive to get a Shetland jumper from Shetland too (although not sure about that).
Back to the watches, an exception re Japan is if you want a Japanese market only watch, where you would avoid postage/customs, but note that the watches are disproportiontely more expensive than ones in the European markets (e.g. Casio GW5000 vs GW5600).
I'd go to Hong Kong, its a great place and you can get top end Rolex and Patek Philipe for like £30 or £40. Its amazing!!
I was quite amazed just how expensive Geneva was when I was there in winter. A lot of watches I saw in windows worked out more expensive than a UK AD!!
I had a feeling Switzerland would be no cheaper. I see what your saying about buying online but I really, really intensly resent having to pay UK customs/VAT charges.Originally Posted by Reeny
You can save on the air travel by visiting any of Britains superlative market traders. The Rolex & Patek Phillippe watches are usually next to the DVDs & computer games.
Just remember that while the steel models are available for immediate delivery, there is sometimes a 15 minute wait for the paint to dry on the gold ones... But if you don't like the inconvenience then go ahead and pay AD prices!
Mike.
Incidentally, the only real advantage of buying abroad is if the local sales taxes are significantly lower than the UK. Thus, US States which allow & tax gambling are generally the best places to go.
So... Maybe Nevada or Montana would be among the best places to buy if you're there.
Mike.
The other major problem with Japan domestic watches is that you do not have the luxury of viewing in person before you buy. I've always been fascinated with Japan and particularly Tokyo so maybe a free courier trip might be on the cards when finances permit.......
Switzerland is more expensive than England. But you will find brands out there that are not available here. For Grand Seiko, discount is not easy, regular Seiko maybe. Find out the AD out there, communicate before doing anything.
But for a holiday I would try Japan.
ish
I would say go to Japan for two reasons:
a) If you've not already been it is worth going for the contrast, while Switzerland is on the doorstep, so to speak
b) It might be that Bic Camera and others (http://www.biccamera.com) can offer better prices on models such as GS' than we see over here - worth checking the price of the diver you're after at least
Cheers,
Andrew
Just tried that website, er, it's all in Japanese...........
I found Switzerland to be quite pricey.
Cant comment on Japan as never been, but both Hong Kong and Singapore are meant to be very good.
As another alternative, if the watches you're after arent Japanese domestic only, try the States. I've always found their watch prices to be very good. I got to know a watch shop in Vegas very well and they still mail me when anything that they think might take my fancy comes in.
If you do buy anything out there, one good trick I've been told is to Fed Ex the box back to the UK, and wear whatever you buy, not that I've ever considered that. :) Certainly could save a few quid.
Malc
Switzerland - expensive.
You can claim the V.A.T back at the airport on departure but even so, their prices are higher due to the strong Franc.
Japanese Yen is much stronger than a few years ago so most things are comparable in price to the U.K (meals out, travel etc. although hotels are v expensive for a shoebox room!).
Great selection of Seikos, Citizens etc. though. I couldn't stop drooling over the Seiko 5s for example. Check out 'Electronic City/Electric Town (Akhibara) for the vast array of 'duty free' shops and the selections I mentioned above.
In summary, Japan is one awesome place to visit and travel around.
You'll probably find that a lot of Japan can be like that. :laughing3:
Mike.
What a bloody country we live in that I have to send the box back seperately
Florence had some good watch shops on the Ponte Vecchio bridge.
But the best shops (new & second hand) were in Lugano Switzerland.
The pedestrian street starts with Bucherer's, and has 15-20 decent watch shops.
http://www.bucherer.com/en/information/ ... ugano.html
Including a vintage shop with a very nice 1971 Heuer Monaco manual wind.
It's well worth a look if you are passing by that way.
Try this:Just tried that website, er, it's all in Japanese...........
http://www.biccamera.com/bicbic/jsp/w/b ... /index.jsp
I can't install the proper character set at work so it's all squares for me and I might not have the best page. Run the prices through ww.xe.com/ucc
Also, a google search such as "bic camera sbgx065" should turn up something if you know the model number
Well if you are going in for tax evasion that's what you will have to do. :wink:What a bloody country we live in that I have to send the box back seperately
Cheers,
Neil.
Touche!Well if you are going in for tax evasion that's what you will have to do. :wink:What a bloody country we live in that I have to send the box back seperately
Switzerland is more expensive than the UK at the moment, while Hong Kong will yield the best savings because of no sales tax.
Switserland or Thailand.
No triple melt-down there.
Yes, yes, Tokyo is safe. They say.
Like there was no melt down. They said.
If you have the open choice, why trust proven untrustworthy info. For a few bob?
What about Gibraltar? Long weekend in Málaga, shop in Marbella, drive on to Gibraltar.
Huertecilla, are you originally from Spain? Just curious.
I think Europe has closed the pricing gap down with their fair trade regulations.
Apparently you could buy in Denmark, claim the 40% something VAT back,
Then pay the UK 15% VAT to make a saving.
Wth worldwide globalisation, those days are gone.
Shop in Switzerland and your credit card will get crucified. No point in resenting domestic duty/tax; would you rather pay Swiss duty/tax?
The US is still the cheapest place in the world for watches. Not because the RRP is particularly low - it isn't - but because you can bargain hard, and avoid sales tax if you pick your location. But, like all overseas shopping, you will have to find some way to avoid the tax bringing the goods back in if you want to make a significant saving.
More and more, the avenues for deals and retaining significant surplus are being shut down by global trade.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
+1 for JDM watches, they tend to keep the best for home, some of the Grand Seiko's are stunning.
I would say go for Japan.
Try these shop called "Ishida Best Shinjuku" They're one of the biggest watch shop in Tokyo.
http://www.ishida-watch.com/
And also their sister shop with less expensive models.
http://www.ishida-watch.com/shop_guide/bts/index.html
http://www.ishida-watch.com/shop_guide/bts/brand.html
You can always negotiate price in Japan provided that you're for cash deal.
You can also claim back 5% VAT if you show non-Japanese passport.
You are just kidding, right? :mrgreen: If you are looking for a pimp Rolex, which isn't exactly a Rolex either, you can go to Hong Kong. :lol: :lol: Keep in mind that a fake Rolex is embarrassing. :DI'd go to Hong Kong, its a great place and you can get top end Rolex and Patek Philipe for like £30 or £40. Its amazing!!
Go to Japan
Watch shopping aside if you have the chance just go and sample the difference in culture, food etc
You can hop to switzerland anytime for a weekend
Switzerland is a great place for sightseeing and holidays in the mountains; food, efficient and great service, quality in their hotels and restaurants. Its not a place for buying watches or shopping full stop. (Unless you are going to one of the high end auctions in Geneva or purchasing a very high end piece directly from one of the small artisan producers.)
On the other hand Japan is a fantastic place for watch shopping. You will find all the usual domestic market only pieces. Depending on where you buy you can negotiate up to 25% off list price and you will also get your sales tax back when you leave.
As an alternative I can very much recommend Singapore for watch shopping, in my opinion probably better than Honk Kong overall. On an Oris you can expect to get 25% off list price and a further 7% from VAT back at the airport.
The United Kingdom still has some of the cheapest list prices in Europe and you will find that retailers are willing negotiate so the saving from flying abroad even with a free ticket will be minimal.
In my experience, Singapore and HK are pretty good, Switzerland is completely pointless. Their prices are ridiculously high due to the franc's strength. Even if you could get a Swiss dealer to discount 25%, that'd probably be no better than duty free at Heathrow.
Singapore has become more expensive, their economy boomed 2010.
I picked up two watches there in 2009 when times were not so good there, and whilst you can still do a good deal it seems much harder now.
I'd guess that US should be a good place to go bargain hunting now?
True, Singapore's currency has boomed, making it pretty uncompetitive.
If you're down that way, try KL. They are much, much more willing to negotiate and their currency hasn't seen a ridiculous rally lately.
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