Patek Phillipe AD in Dubai and Middle East in General

[noar85]

Hello everybody,

I will be based in Dubai and travel around middle east (all GCC countries) for 5 weeks end october/November.

I am currently hunting for my first Patek Phillipe, I did try a World Timer 5230R in Amsterdam but I am still doubting about which model I should go.
Price of the 5230R in Amsterdam was 44k EUROS from Patek AD (which is too high for my budget, and I have the feeling I can get a lot cheaper on 24chrono)

I also consider buying a second hand Patek and I am wondering if Dubai and Middle East in General is a great place to do so.
If Yes do you have any advices regarding shops, VAT off that I can get, if it is a really good idea to go for second model or not.

Thanks a lot.

[noar85]

Dubai Authorised Retailer:
Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons
Mall of the Emirates
Dubai
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Tel.: +971 4 39 58080

Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons
Dubai Mall
Dubai
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Tel.: +971 4 33 98999

[SW1]

I would avoid ME generally as prices are a rip off for wstches. I live in Dubai and wouldnt think of buying a watch here

[noar85]

Originally Posted by SW1

I would avoid ME generally as prices are a rip off for wstches. I live in Dubai and wouldnt think of buying a watch here

Thanks a lot for your feedback

Noted !

[noar85]

Originally Posted by SW1

I would avoid ME generally as prices are a rip off for wstches. I live in Dubai and wouldnt think of buying a watch here

thanks a lot for your advice

[S.C]

Originally Posted by SW1

I would avoid ME generally as prices are a rip off for wstches. I live in Dubai and wouldnt think of buying a watch here

I second this

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by S.C

I second this

I would avoid wrestling with tigers lol seems dangerous

[Sam777]

It annoys me to no end how ADs in the ME have such ridiculous markups on their watches. I spend a lot of time in the region and from my personal experiences, I recommend none! Someone needs to do something about this. Both Rolex and Patek need to control their ME ADs!!!

[R!$]

you should buy your first Patek from an AD
Im just curious, do you have luxury watches from other brands?

[WatchLurv]

ADs in ME sit on a monopoly. They command a price that's ~10% above others around the world. How they get away with this with the manufacturers (e.g. Rolex & PP) is beyond me.

I'd stay away from buying a watch from an AD in ME unless it's a Nautilus or Aqua

Originally Posted by Sam777

It annoys me to no end how ADs in the ME have such ridiculous markups on their watches. I spend a lot of time in the region and from my personal experiences, I recommend none! Someone needs to do something about this. Both Rolex and Patek need to control their ME ADs!!!

I wrote my reply without reading your reply. I second this.

[Sam777]

Originally Posted by WatchLurv

ADs in ME sit on a monopoly. They command a price that's ~10% above others around the world. How they get away with this with the manufacturers (e.g. Rolex & PP) is beyond me.

I'd stay away from buying a watch from an AD in ME unless it's a Nautilus or Aqua



I wrote my reply without reading your reply. I second this.

One can only wonder why such a blind eye has been turned to the Asia region in general. I've been a long time lurker on this forum and have heard some very disappointing stories from across the continent. it's just hurting the brands!

[ragsk]

Isn’t it the manufacturers who set the official retail prices in Dubai? Not the ADs. Just like any other place.

[tom2517]

Originally Posted by Sam777

One can only wonder why such a blind eye has been turned to the Asia region in general. I've been a long time lurker on this forum and have heard some very disappointing stories from across the continent. it's just hurting the brands!

Yeah as I have said in another post, don’t know about Middle East but in Taiwan local ADs has strong presence in brand name and location that I think Rolex and Patek are more afraid of losing them then the other way around.

[WatchLurv]

Originally Posted by tom2517

Yeah as I have said in another post, don’t know about Middle East but in Taiwan local ADs has strong presence in brand name and location that I think Rolex and Patek are more afraid of losing them then the other way around.

Rolex has the most shops worldwide, in Hong Kong - 30 from the top of my head. From the days I've been around Hong Kong (& the citizens) has always been related to "Rolex" - A must have item in every household.

[noar85]

Originally Posted by R!$

you should buy your first Patek from an AD
Im just curious, do you have luxury watches from other brands?

Not at the moment, actually I didn't have any watches for the last 15 years.
I finally start to "succeed" a bit in my career in term of earning decent salary (I am 32 years old) and I saved enough to allow me my first Patek (under USD $ 40k).
I am not in the rush to purchase a model but the more I spend time here the more I want to be part of the family and start my own collection.

It is kind of miles stone in my career (got promoted regional Sales Director), got a kids 2 years ago, etc...and I want to celebrate it with a lifetime product.

I can travel in a lot of different continent, so I am checking pricing a bit everywhere.

[SW1]

Originally Posted by tom2517

Yeah as I have said in another post, don’t know about Middle East but in Taiwan local ADs has strong presence in brand name and location that I think Rolex and Patek are more afraid of losing them then the other way around.

Can really see why....PP is the drawcard and sells itself....it just needs a distributed...wouldn't hurt to actually close a few Ad's down

[tom2517]

Originally Posted by SW1

Can really see why....PP is the drawcard and sells itself....it just needs a distributed...wouldn't hurt to actually close a few Ad's down

Yeah that’s the logical thinking but with all the bundle purchases or markup practices, don’t see Rolex or Patek is doing anything about it.

Those ADs in Taiwan basically all started many decades ago and have deep rooted relationships with local Patek distributors, frankly they are pretty much family friends, so unless it’s something coming directly from Switzerland, nothing will change.

[mazizata]

Probably your best bet for reasonable prices is Kuwait within GCC.

[pam66]

buy in germany and get VAT back, if you live in dubai. a WT is easy to get, even at a discount.