no reason why the touts outside the Holiday Inn should charge more, cost is same. The tout gets commission just like the guy in the market who takes you up gets commission. Only variable is profit margin. Sometimes in TST they carry small photo album, just ask what sort of price before you go with them. If they say they dont know, ask them to call and find out. If they cant do that call BS and walk away... they'll follow you. Give them a chance to tell you prices, if they still refuse forget it.

I have always wondered why they dont get pretty girls to do the touting, maybe a day job for Wan Chai WG's. I'm sure they'd be more successful than the men they use.

there is no import tax in HK for watches. and Singapore even has a 7% GST, so technically, SG should be more expensive, as even tourists cannot claim the entire 7% GST back when they leave. maybe the demand for fine watches in HK is higher than SG, and which is why retailers see no need to give big discounts


all luxury watches have international warranty, so even if you buy it in Singapore, you can get it serviced in HK.

[ Last edited by  DaBestHK at 16-9-2010 09:19 ]

I love my Tag to which I had for 17+ yrs which has been a collect item.  If you just need it to tell time, then any watch wil do.

Buying an automatic time piece is like buying a masterpiece imo.  Of course, most people purchase it for prestige.  Others do really purchase it bc its quality craftsmanship & fine precision instrument

In Hk there is many second hand luxury watch shop, even in TST and CWB, you can find these watch in good maintain and have warranty

A number of studies of markets in Asia consistently put HK at the top for branded goods, including watches.  As tony and dabest say, there's no tax.  

If you sit in a high-end shop for a while (e.g. the ones in Harbour City do brisk business and have lower rent than their branches in Central) you can witness PRC buyers shopping for a dozen or so watches at the same time, paying cash ... clearly the volumes are there, so the fixed rental costs are spread.  

Best thing is to visit 4 or 5 shops before targetting the one where you expect to buy, to get indicative "best prices".That way you will know when you're getting close to the right price.  BTW Rolex prices are fairly strong as the retailers are allowed a 25% discount from list price, and no more.  Very hard to get a Rolex for less than that.  But the other brands are more flexible, and you can get JC, Patek, and other brands at 30% or 40% off list, especially if you're buying more than one.  

Key thing is to do your homework, and you can save a lot.

no one ever pays full retail for a watch ever, the standard is 30-35 off retail for high end watches...

any suggestion which shop to go for rolex? i want to get a daytonna (black colur back with red colour circle)...

you can't get the daytona ss for retail, let alone a discount.  Its one of those holy grail timepieces.  Unless you are talking about the white gold one.

30-35 is def. not standard for rolex. I am pretty sure almost no one can get 35 off rolex

the daytona SS is not that high a demand anymore. i can get brand new SS white face for HKD 78k and black face for HKD 81.5K, lots of stock now.

can you give more details on the shops? where they are in TST and CWB? what building etc?

agree. and definitely not standard for AP either, the Royal Oak Offshore was only 10% off from Prince, although a shop on Percival Street gave a 15% discount.

this is the standard for HK or the standard for most countries?
If for most countries, what is the standard for HK?

it depends on the watch bro. IWC can get up to 30% off tag price most of the time, but on the stainless steel models, not on the gold or platinum models. AP is mostly hopeless to get a discount on the Royal Oak Offshore, except for the Themes line (list price HKD 168,000). Rolex I canget 30% off, but not in HK. TAG in Singapore can go for 30-35% off. Patek Philippe depends on the model you choose. any of the complications will be close to or higher than list price. the Calatrava or the 24k for women would have discounts

you can go pretty much anywhere for Rolex and expect the same price.

Try Harbour City, several shops there that do good turnover, so they're likely to have a good range of stock.  You might even get a sweetener thrown in (e.g. spare strap or some other item that costs them as little as possible).

that is def. true but getting for retail is still not easy for the regular person.  If you know people, you maybe able to get it for retail.  Its always interesting that worldwide, the white face commands a premium over the black face except asia.

Prices is different all over the world.  Some places really do sell for retail & zero discount.  In my experience after HK, I think next best places for tourist to buy high end timepieces are in the carribean island like st. thomas.  Of course there are small cities/countries that may sell it  for less but I would never take a risk of counterfeit for that sum of money

oh... can you tell me which shop i should go in this case? could you please refer me? i want to get some discount. thanks.

oh thanks your advice. but do shops in harbour city are usually more expensive than outside? and do they give discount for rolex daytona?

i get it from Singapore. the HKD price is a conversion. if really interested, PM me and I will set you up