Anyone saved by buying in Switzerland?

[gwebstech]

Hi guys

Just trying to work out a few things, if i fly to Switz and buy a watch,an OP, i can claim back most of their VAT right? BUT if i get caught bringing it back to the UK ive got UK VAT to pay.

Im not sure what % difference the Swiss prices are so if they are slightly higher than here, i could possible end up paying 20% VAT on a watch making it more expensive than buying here, plus the cost of the trip and the Covid tests

Has anyone brought a watch back from there before? im not sure its going to save a lot on a OP that only £4600 here in the UK

Thanks

[defmix]

A couple of things to remember, they like the UK now will sell only to 'local' customers. In addition they have the same level of unavailability as the rest of the world. Also with exchange rate being what it is there is little if any saving. And no you won't be able to haggle a discount.Enjoy the beautiful country though ; )

(you can always change the country on the Rolex website and see prices in other countries)

[CastorKrieg]

You will pay VAT AND customs duties (one is calculated on top of the other). In order to claim back the VAT you need to have the whole set ready at the airport after the passport control, and then you are out of luck and need to pray for your chances.

HOWEVER...

Swiss VAT is 7.7% on watches, couple that with currency fluctuations and you can still come ahead:
1. Buy a watch, put it on your wrist
2. Mail the box and/or the documents to the UK
3. Fly back to the UK
4. ?????
5. Profit!

[gwebstech]

Thanks but i understood that its only the sought after models where theyll only sell to locals? i can totally understand that to be fair but surely like any business, theyll sell to tourists too?

[gwebstech]

Originally Posted by CastorKrieg

You will pay VAT AND customs duties (one is calculated on top of the other). In order to claim back the VAT you need to have the whole set ready at the airport after the passport control, and then you are out of luck and need to pray for your chances.

HOWEVER...

Swiss VAT is 7.7% on watches, couple that with currency fluctuations and you can still come ahead:
1. Buy a watch, put it on your wrist
2. Mail the box and/or the documents to the UK
3. Fly back to the UK
4. ?????
5. Profit!

ok, but if youve gone past passport control, then you didnt get chance to post the box at the airport? (there is a post office in the airport, i checked)

[crazymcmichael]

Originally Posted by gwebstech

ok, but if youve gone past passport control, then you didnt get chance to post the box at the airport? (there is a post office in the airport, i checked)

Any watch of rolex that isn't widely available and thus fetch a discount on the GM won't be for sale in switz

[ninjin]

Originally Posted by gwebstech

Thanks but i understood that its only the sought after models where theyll only sell to locals? i can totally understand that to be fair but surely like any business, theyll sell to tourists too?

And you think an OP is not highly sort after???

Anything you can't walk in and find from a UK AD, you won't find either in a Swiss AD.

[gwebstech]

(you can always change the country on the Rolex website and see prices in other countries)[/QUOTE]

i cant see an option for that?

[CastorKrieg]

Originally Posted by gwebstech

ok, but if youve gone past passport control, then you didnt get chance to post the box at the airport? (there is a post office in the airport, i checked)

That's the trick they use to get you - you make a calculation, and if you are ahead you buy a watch, post the box/papers making it through passport control and do not claim back the tax.

[gwebstech]

[QUOTE=ninjin;11390904]And you think an OP is not highly sort after???

no, i thought it was just sports models that were most sought after

[gwebstech]

Originally Posted by CastorKrieg

That's the trick they use to get you - you make a calculation, and if you are ahead you buy a watch, post the box/papers making it through passport control and do not claim back the tax.

ahh, i see

thanks

[ninjin]

[QUOTE=gwebstech;11390907]

Originally Posted by ninjin

And you think an OP is not highly sort after???

no, i thought it was just sports models that were most sought after

out of curiosity, which exact OP are you looking for?

[fsprow]

Originally Posted by gwebstech

ok, but if youve gone past passport control, then you didnt get chance to post the box at the airport? (there is a post office in the airport, i checked)

Possibly not a great idea to recommend breaking the law.

[Master_Grogu]

You will get nothing in Switzerland. Locals only, people with vastly more spending history than you, and low availability.

[CastorKrieg]

Originally Posted by Master_Grogu

You will get nothing in Switzerland. Locals only, people with vastly more spending history than you, and low availability.

That is simply not true. Even before Covid (and the pandemic will only make it more pronounced) you had thousands of Chinese tourists on a 10/14-day Europe trip being ferried around, including obligatory stop in Switzerland to buy watches. These were not people looking for a grand complication, they simply wanted a Swiss luxury watch.

There is a sizeable part of the watch economy there catering to tourists, especially with common models.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by gwebstech

Hi guys

Just trying to work out a few things, if i fly to Switz and buy a watch,an OP, i can claim back most of their VAT right? BUT if i get caught bringing it back to the UK ive got UK VAT to pay.

Im not sure what % difference the Swiss prices are so if they are slightly higher than here, i could possible end up paying 20% VAT on a watch making it more expensive than buying here, plus the cost of the trip and the Covid tests

Has anyone brought a watch back from there before? im not sure its going to save a lot on a OP that only £4600 here in the UK

Thanks

Would doubt if you would save on anything bought in Switzerland it's one of the most expensive buying retail commodities in the world.

[Master_Grogu]

Originally Posted by CastorKrieg

That is simply not true. Even before Covid (and the pandemic will only make it more pronounced) you had thousands of Chinese tourists on a 10/14-day Europe trip being ferried around, including obligatory stop in Switzerland to buy watches. These were not people looking for a grand complication, they simply wanted a Swiss luxury watch.

There is a sizeable part of the watch economy there catering to tourists, especially with common models.

Curious where you get you info, since it seems very stereotypical? Are you living in Geneva?

[CastorKrieg]

Originally Posted by Master_Grogu

Curious where you get you info, since it seems very stereotypical? Are you living in Geneva?

Chinese tourists in Europe will not visit Geneva for shopping, they are mostly ferried to a Tier-2 or Tier-3 city with watch dealers that have connections with tour operators, mostly close to the border with Italy.

I do not live in Geneve (the city center opposite the main train station is ugly AF), but I have connections to Chinese travel industry there.

In the end it all depends what the OP is looking for - I would recommend simply finding a list of dealers and calling / writing them asking about the watch you want.

[1William]

Seems like a lot of effort and risk.

[bp1000]

When the pound was much stronger than the Euro, i.e. < 2015 it was quite a bit cheaper to fly to Rome, cheaply, and purchase a watch.

Switzerland is very expensive and I doubt with all costs associated it would be any cheaper at all.

[Francist]

Swiss is 1 of the highest price to buy Rolex.
If you pay import tax, it'll hurt much more.

[gwebstech]

[QUOTE=ninjin;11390913]

Originally Posted by gwebstech

out of curiosity, which exact OP are you looking for?

a 36mm or 41mm silver or rhodium dial

[GoingPlaces]

Hardly worth the effort or risk.

[Master_Grogu]

Originally Posted by CastorKrieg

Chinese tourists in Europe will not visit Geneva for shopping, they are mostly ferried to a Tier-2 or Tier-3 city with watch dealers that have connections with tour operators, mostly close to the border with Italy.

I do not live in Geneve (the city center opposite the main train station is ugly AF), but I have connections to Chinese travel industry there.

In the end it all depends what the OP is looking for - I would recommend simply finding a list of dealers and calling / writing them asking about the watch you want.

This is then a different situation than OP, these dealers have privileged access for their clientele because they definitely purchase large quantities of highly profitable items (diamond, gold, whatever the Asian market enjoys).

If you come as a private individual from overseas to Bucherer, you will get the answer I provided to OP before. There is no way a random person will get a SS model IMO.

[Timo_]

To simply answer your question: I wouldn‘t recommend flying to Switzerland for several reasons. One being that there is just as much demand for steel/sports models here as anywhere else (including OPs). In addition to that without any purchase history at one of the ADs you will rather likely be out luck buying any so called sought after watch.
They without a doubt prefer locals on their wishlists, mainly because they don‘t want to sell to a one time customer who is probably flipping the acquired piece in the near future...

As a Swiss citizen and watch enthusiast myself I am facing this rather harsh reality as everyone else. It all comes down to purchasing power, how well you connect to your local AD and of course a bit of luck! In the big cities like Zurich and Geneva the ADs mostly sell the highly sought after pieces to their best clients which not uncommonly spend in the hundreds of thousands. And to make things worse: The number of the clientele described is rather high!

Info coming directly from my AD:There are dealers in Switzerland that work directly with travel agencies bringing people in from the far east! On their roadtrip through the picturesque villages and cities a large number of asian groups touring Switzerland in buses get taken to these specific shops in order to acquire watches. They buy what is available though - no hard to get pieces.

I myself once saw an asian couple buying a Rolex accompanied by their tour guide and when the sales assistant asked whether she should nicely wrap the acquired piece the tour guide interrupted them and told them they had to rush out of the store asap in order to get back to the bus and on the road again!

[Timo_]

a 36mm or 41mm silver or rhodium dial[/QUOTE]

You may get lucky with one of them but I would highly suggest to call a few dealers and inquire about them before boarding a plane.
And all things considered you will unfortunatley not save money by taking this approach.

[garyk]

Funny little story. In 2000 my wife and I visited Switzerland. Fantastic country, we took trains from one end to the other and spent a week there. We stopped by a Jewelry store named Bucherer in Bern. My wife bought a white dial Seamaster, steel bezel on bracelet and paid the equivalent of $700. She had it sized and wore it for the rest of the trip. When declaring items for customs in NY, we answered the questions omitting the new watch on her wrist. When customs officers pulled us out of the line and took us into a private room, my wife was crapping bricks. Turns out, this was during the Mad Cow scare and we had declared our sandwiches when asked about food. They never even asked about the watch...but boy was she mad at me for telling her to wear the watch, we wouldn’t be noticed...

[gwebstech]

thanks for the help guys, it was only thinking out loud really

ive rung many dealers and im either not given any kind of date, but one told me 6 months or so

[Orangeface]

Not exactly relevant since Covid, but we visited Zurich in '19 and visited all the Rolex shops there. All I got was a smirk when I asked about a s/s Rolex sports watch of any kind, which of course I was not surprised about the lack of stock. The attitude, well, guess it's to be expected since we were obviously travelers. We looked at other Rolex watches for my wife, but I noticed a lot of attention was given to Asian shoppers.

Next on the way back to the USA we toured London. We picked up a nice PM Rolex for my wife at Harrod's, and got the VAT back at the airport, so it worked out well. But of course no s/s sport Rolexes to even examine. Again, however, lots of Asians in the showroom, with lots of attention by sales staff. Clearly they were legit buyers.

Of course, I wore my A-series Sub, but not one of those reps had anything to say about it, except the bored young chap at the Heathrow Rolex shop. And he knew nothing about older Rolex watches, only what he had (and didn't have) in the shop there.

So, even if you go to Switzerland, it's doubtful you'll find what you want, even and especially now. And then there's that VAT...

[ninjin]

[QUOTE=gwebstech;11391163]

Originally Posted by ninjin

a 36mm or 41mm silver or rhodium dial

Well, the rhodium is out of the question as it is now no longer offered. Greys may have one and I shouldn't think too far off retail price.

Silver is the only colour that you'll get new from an AD now.

For a watch of that price, by the time you pay for flights and maybe a hotel and food, transport etc etc, buying overseas isn't going to work out any cheaper.

I can't see an UK AD taking more than 3months to supply you with that watch. I would expect it to take weeks in reality if they don't have it. WoS group would be the best bet as they have central stock.