Buying cheap pre owned Rolex in Japan?

[WYVRN]

Hi there guys I went to the second hand stores in Japan and there are a lot of nice condition (from the glass display) pre owned Rolex

Do you guys have any tips on making sure I don’t get scammed?

Questions

1) can you ALWAYS repair an old Rolex? Eyeing some vintage integrated bracelet date just but worried if I ever need them repaired Rolex may say “oh I don’t have anymore parts therefore ur watch is gone”

2) do you need the papers to bring them to the RSC?

Anyone with a success story of buying older Rolex in Japan may share your experience?

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Hot tip for not getting scammed: Either become an expert at authenticating Rolex or buy from a trusted source like an AD who can provide authentication and provenance. Buy the seller, not the watch.

[Cloudchaser]

Whenever you're in the market for "cheap Rolex," you may want to re-evaluate.

As to your questions...

1) you can probably have anything fixed but at what cost, and will the watch be something that Rolex will service?

2) As long as it is genuine, Rolex will service it, but they often will require certain work be done in order for them to service it all. And those important decisions can significantly affect the value of the watch.

My suggestion is to spend time learning more about Rolex so that you can find and trust the right seller. Know enough to make a smart decision...just like anything else.

There's no shortcut; a quality, authentic Rolex is not something you buy based on "cheap."

[Gab27]

My advice is, if you have even the slightest bit of doubt in the seller's integrity or their ability to authenticate the watch and ensure that they are selling a genuine Rolex, I would recommend not purchasing, especially if you are considering purchasing from a seller in another country.

If the difference between 85% confidence vs 100% confidence in the seller is a few thousand dollars, spend the extra few thousand dollars.

Also, if the Rolex has been serviced by someone not authorized to work on the watch/who used non-OEM parts, RSC may outright refuse to work on the watch. So, especially for vintage, it's not just about being an authentic Rolex, but also having all authentic Rolex parts, IMO.

[huba01]

Buy the seller

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by huba01

Buy the seller

+1


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[MangoTree1]

You get what you pay for! Buy cheap - buy twice!

[Harry-57]

If a Rolex is being sold at a price which is sufficiently below the market value that it looks attractively cheaper, it's either stolen or not a Rolex. It's that simple. For sellers selling what appear to be genuine items that are priced to sell quickly, buy the seller first. The risk of being scammed is ever present.

Sometimes the seller has been scammed and is unknowingly passing the scam on. Risk versus benefit. If it looks too good, it is. If you have a doubt there is no doubt. There are hours of videos on the web about fake watches including Rolex. If you watch them you will get a feel for the type of things to look for.

[carwashchris]

I would say if their real and that cheap, they would already be gone. Chris

[garyk]

Nope

[Blacklist]

There is no such thing. If you don't have expertise, you'll end up being a sitting duck. There are language issues, post purchase issues when you leave the country get messy. Really no such thing as a cheap Rolex in Asia.

[deuxani]

For all the doubters, just check Chrono24. I’ve been following it for months and Japan is the cheapest country in the world for many models. Their economy took a big hit and their exchange rate is very favourable right now. Next to that, it has a huge second hand market, so the supply is pretty big there. If you for instance compare Royal Oaks they are very often 10k cheaper than in Europe. So yeah, cheap is a relative term, but doesn’t mean “too good to be true”. Obviously also there the saying “buy the seller” still counts, but Japan is a great country to shop second hand watches.

[Tensai]

In Nakano (and on Chrono), we save the extra “special” models for our gaijin friends. Good luck!

[dannyp]

FYI, there have only been two integrated bracelet DJs: the Oysterquartz and the super-rare Oyster Perpetual DJ in an Oysterquartz case. So if it's a good price it's either quartz or fake.

[francoamerican]

Is this due the currency arbitrage for USD vs Yen? There are huge second hand sellers in Japan that are well regulated and well know. I looked into ordering from Japan but i believe customs back into the US would negate the benefit. I don't have any Japanese language skills either, so i worry about what i might miss.

[TheVTCGuy]

Somehow, the words “cheap” and “Rolex” just don’t seem to belong in the same sentence.

[Tim Plains]

Out of curiosity, does anybody know what the pre-owned watch market is like in Japan, actual used watches, not new/unworn on the grey market? Not watches but I've heard from a few people in other hobbies, like guitar, that the Japanese prefer to buy new and selling used things there can be difficult.

[francoamerican]

Originally Posted by Tim Plains

Out of curiosity, does anybody know what the pre-owned watch market is like in Japan, actual used watches, not new/unworn on the grey market? Not watches but I've heard from a few people in other hobbies, like guitar, that the Japanese prefer to buy new and selling used things there can be difficult.

check out austin daniels. it's such a massive country that there is clearly interest in used.

[Kevzep]

I wouldn't, too many unknowns for such an investment.
It could well be legit but language barrier and so forth can be a problem.

There is no cheap way to get into a Rolex, you might get lucky like I did and have a seller who was negotiable, knowledgable and genuine. But even then it wasn't cheap.

Buy from AD, Grey, or other reputable source.

[HogwldFLTR]

Great idea, gaijin is an easy target to sell a watch with less than outstanding pedigree to. They'll never figure it out until it's too late. Sounds like a plan to me.

[Rebel]

Be careful.

[MILGAUSS88]

Originally Posted by Tim Plains

Out of curiosity, does anybody know what the pre-owned watch market is like in Japan, actual used watches, not new/unworn on the grey market? Not watches but I've heard from a few people in other hobbies, like guitar, that the Japanese prefer to buy new and selling used things there can be difficult.

They started the vintage Rolex, vintage blue jeans, used sneaker, and Zippo market. So, I would disagree.

[BumbleB]

Originally Posted by WYVRN

Hi there guys I went to the second hand stores in Japan and there are a lot of nice condition (from the glass display) pre owned Rolex

Do you guys have any tips on making sure I don’t get scammed?

Questions

1) can you ALWAYS repair an old Rolex? Eyeing some vintage integrated bracelet date just but worried if I ever need them repaired Rolex may say “oh I don’t have anymore parts therefore ur watch is gone”

2) do you need the papers to bring them to the RSC?

Anyone with a success story of buying older Rolex in Japan may share your experience?

I would say the stores in Japan are very good at ensuring the second hand watches are authentic.

There’s 2 reasons why second hand watches in Japan look great:

1. If they belonged to a Japanese consumer they generally take real good care of their things

2. They always ‘service’ the watches and polish them, so make sure you don’t buy an over-polished watch

The prices seem good because of the advantageous exchange rates.


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[Capone]

Going into Japan thinking you'll be the guy who corners a bargain on a Rolex in an irrational market, in a foreign city, selling complex machines with only subtle differences, buying from somebody who probably doesn't speak your language is on overly optimistic view.

Have fun in the shops but be really careful.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by Tim Plains

Out of curiosity, does anybody know what the pre-owned watch market is like in Japan, actual used watches, not new/unworn on the grey market? Not watches but I've heard from a few people in other hobbies, like guitar, that the Japanese prefer to buy new and selling used things there can be difficult.

The used luxury brand-name market is huge in Japan, with stores (also selling used luxury watches as well as bags, etc) everywhere: https://zenplus.jp/blog/134/used-luxury-items-japan

[BumbleB]

Originally Posted by Tensai

In Nakano (and on Chrono), we save the extra “special” models for our gaijin friends. Good luck!

Do I interpret this as Nakano mainly targets foreigners? Then where do Japanese consumers buy their second hand watches?

Thanks


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[pentaquark]

Be really careful on cross-border purchases. Hard to undo a bad situation when you're home and you don't have the local language. Even if you use a card, buying a dodgy watch is not something that a card company can always help you with.

[Benzsiam]

Originally Posted by old expat beast

the used luxury brand-name market is huge in japan, with stores (also selling used luxury watches as well as bags, etc) everywhere: https://zenplus.jp/blog/134/used-luxury-items-japan

+1

[HAPConst]

We have bought a ton of Luis Vuitton from Japan thru our wholesaler. It’s not “cheap” it just priced significantly cheaper than everywhere else. The dollar is trading very well over there giving it good buying power.

[VogelPhoenix]

The used watch market in Japan always had fantastic supply and with the current exchange rate (20% below late 2020), prices are finally reasonable. The only worrisome part is OPs choice of a cheap "vintage integrated bracelet date just", which seems to leave a lot of room for mishaps vs picking a reasonably priced and well-defined/well-known recent model.