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Old 29 January 2013, 06:22 AM   #1
TombeiTheMist
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Housekihiroba - Any Good or Bad Stories

Has anyone purchased over the counter or online from Housekihiroba?
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Old 29 January 2013, 07:01 AM   #2
mjclark32
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Check the "who's who" section
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Old 29 January 2013, 09:03 AM   #3
drainaps
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I'll be there soon, most likely tonight. I'll try to report by the end of the week.

I'm starting to dive in the Japanese watch scene, for my second (first?) love, Seiko Divers, and in general it is highly unlikely that you get anything dishonest in Japan. Major issue is mastery of English (or rather, lack of), but in my experiences face to face, or via mail order with help from my Japanese colleagues, never ever one miss.

Otto (username in this forum) is a fantastic guy and a Tokyo old hand. While he is not a vintage fan, he has always been most helpful when I have asked him questions. Kudos to him, by the way.

I have started to explore http://www.sweetroad.com/. Not a downtown Tokyo store, hence lesser overhead and more competitive prices. One of my colleagues lives close by and is a watch fan, which facilitates things.....

Another reputable one according to my colleagues is CTI, http://cticorp.jp/ .

And Watchonline, which is a site of sites, http://www.watchonline.jp/

As you will see, all webs are in Japanese, no English. Safest bet is to search by model number, but once you find your fancy, you need local support. Good luck.
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Old 29 January 2013, 09:12 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TombeiTheMist View Post
Has anyone purchased over the counter or online from Housekihiroba?
I've purchased four watches from Housekihiroba over the years and would purchase there again without hesitation. Some of my friends have also had good experiences buying there. All of my purchases were over the counter.
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Old 29 January 2013, 10:30 AM   #5
Gaijin
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Two major thumbs up for Houseki Hiroba. Cheapest I have found in Japan. Great not pushy knowledgable staff and an amazing collection.
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Old 29 January 2013, 11:29 PM   #6
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Have bought three Rolexes there - one of the biggest choices of new and used models in Tokyo, and some of the lowest prices too. A few nice vintages to boot.

I've found them slightly cheaper on a like-for-like basis than Jack Road in Nakano, but not quite as cheap as Kame Kichi in Nakano.

No complaints at all. I'm not sure if they have any English-speaking staff though...
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Old 30 January 2013, 08:01 AM   #7
drainaps
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Was there last night as planned. To start with, a huge THANK YOU to Otto for sending me there and sending very detailed instructions on how to get there.

The place is impressive. Huge selection, watches in pristine condition, all major "haute horlogerie" Brands represented. Huge Rolex selection, and probably one of the biggest Breitling selections I remember.

Sales staff have very limited command of English but are helpful. I was looking for nothing specific but left with a 1967 Tudor Sub 7928 after some hesitation with a pristine Tudor Big Block chrono with panda dial.

Will definitely come back. And I will take a pic of the entrance to the building the shop is housed in, as the last few meters of the instructions were a bit tricky for a non Japanese speaker. :-)

A big THANK YOU to Otto. Your reputation preceded you and I can only add my compliments to many others written before by other Forum members.
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Old 30 January 2013, 09:28 AM   #8
Lgear080
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Can I ask what those two set you back?

Good job... I bought a vintage watch in Paris last year
On vacation and fondly look back on the experience.
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Old 30 January 2013, 05:49 PM   #9
drainaps
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7928 was JPY 180,000 no negotiation poissible (I tried). Comes with a 7836 bracelet. Price was very good for a 1967 watch.

Big Block was JPY 410,000. it was impeccable, never polished, B&P included.

They discounted 5% from the price upon presentation of a foreign passport. Some kind of on-the-spot rebate for goods exported, but could not understand why they did not ask me to present the goods on leaving the country or give me any sort of form to show at the airport. Just signed some VAT form with my passport number on it.

Hope this helps.
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Old 31 January 2013, 10:00 PM   #10
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Thanks all, I'm there in October and will report back.
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Old 12 May 2017, 12:49 PM   #11
Royalex
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I bought datejust41 there last April. Nice services, they provided a sale person who ccould speak English.
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Old 15 July 2019, 10:27 AM   #12
rkk208
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Very unkind and unprofessional group of folks. Will discriminate against non Japanese.
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Old 16 July 2019, 02:39 AM   #13
Gaijin
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Very unkind and unprofessional group of folks. Will discriminate against non Japanese.
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Old 16 July 2019, 05:52 AM   #14
sensui
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Very unkind and unprofessional group of folks. Will discriminate against non Japanese.
Was certainly not my experience. And I am not Japanese.
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Old 18 July 2019, 12:05 PM   #15
peslison
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Househikiroba legit

Househikiroba legit I bought from them alot.
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