Happy New Year 2016

How Safe it would be buying watch in HK.

I can say most of the shop sells good authentic stuff for new watch with warranty.

Only certain vintage watches… as there are some unreliable watch shops that sell Frankenwatch, this thing still happen though it is not common in Hong Kong , but it would be pathetic if your watch is rejected for service at Rolex Service Centre Hong Kong. Worst is when you friend or relative received it as a gift from you. So always not suggest to buy used watch as gift.

Watch as an investment
Timepieces are like cars, and in most instances they depreciate after you buy them. We should not treat Watch as financial investments. While it is possible to purchase watches that will retain or even possibly increase in value… those instances are the exception and not the general rule.

The amount of depreciation depends on a huge number of factors, and the one easy way to know how much a specific watch may depreciate is to look for pre-owned ones online and see what they are selling for versus the new ones. If a watch is priced at within 25% of its retail price when lightly used, we’d say that it holds value pretty well… Get a steel Rolex Submariner and you’ll know the meaning of how a watch can retain value.”

Price
Rolex AD sells at certain price which is fixed with certain discount on the List price (MSRP, manufacture suggested retail price). In HK that is 5%.

Parallel Import has a better purchase value as it is general much cheaper than you buy at AD.

 

Vintage Rolex
While we generally tend to advice against the purchase of most vintage watches for most people, they can be an enjoyable and emotionally pleasing investment for many people. Our reasons against getting old watches are because they are more fragile, less mechanically sound, and often too small for our taste nowadays. Many vintage watches are like vintage cars – and with that come all the servicing and maintenance headaches… Of course there are exception The Rolex Day Date Ref 1803, 19038, 18039 are tough guys it never fail. Whilst more of the precious limited luxury watch with complicated build is hard to tell, they cannot be used sometime as water proof is a concern and is very expensive to repair. The repair and regular maintenance fee should be taken into account. 

Trustful seller
You have to do study on the person and shop you are buying your watch from. That is crucial. No matter if it is from a large department store, small dealer, or individual person selling a pre-owned watch, you need to trust them. Trust means that the seller will do the right thing if there is a problem, and that you are getting a real watch.  

Finding a Discount
Steep discounting can mean that a watch isn’t in demand, slow-moving item with high availability of inventory. That doesn’t mean it is a bad watch, but it is good information to know. Buying from brand boutiques or authorized third-party retailers is probably the safest way to get a watch, but it certainly isn’t the only way.

You should also check eBay. There is a huge inventory there and people sell both new and used watches on eBay everyday.  eBay most certainly doesn’t have everything, and sometimes not even the best price, but it would be a great reference.

Opportunity strikes like a flash… However, if you know the watch and if you trust your instinct on certain watch and if the price is Right, buy it…

Sometimes the opportunity comes in sudden and go in seconds…of course if you are not fully understand the watch and the source of the watch. Better stay away from it!

I am trying to say if you don't have gut to buy those vintage watch, don't touch it… but all high return comes from this kind of watches… the best if direct purchase from the Watch Owner, not through the shop or auction as they have already have their profit been marked up. 

Happy new year 2016,  and I hope new year will bring us some of the rarest watch treasure, all you need is guts to open the gold mine!

HK Snob

HK Watch Fever