Hong Kong is "Rolex Paradise"

[Carlos98326194]

Well cost of living in HK is way too high and is some what comparable to a city like NY. I believe we should go back to the Rolex Paradise topic

Oh yeah and about the car part, HK has a very efficient and probably one of the cleanest transport system "MTR" in the world and parking your car would be challenging let alone the cost.

[JManuel]

So in other words ... if you want to show off in HK you basically buy a house and a car? Gee ... what a strange world we live in.

[Beowulf]

That's a lot of Rolexes. I guess now we know where all the stock is and why ADs don't have them. :P

[ckaynyc]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

housing is 10x more expensive than your neck of the woods. half the people are in public housing of some sort.

Parking is scarce, gas is $8/gallon, and the cars themselves are pricier than in the US. maybe 5% of people own a car... median salary here is less than $2000 per month, with Many earning less than $1500.

on the other hand, some people own many cars and residences. the wealth disparity is extreme.



Most human behavior in HK would be ridiculed in North America

So...like NYC.

[tamiya]

Originally Posted by ckaynyc

So...like NYC.

Except the cabs are red not yellow.

[Tangier11]

You guys will argue about anything. In this world (any place) people will live beyond their means, please will have different priorities. This is true EVERYWHERE. In my area of the country you will see a trailer (mobile home) with a $50,000 car parked in the driveway. Here is how I look at it, as long as its their money I dont care.

[MariettaMike]

My opinion: Seeing that many Rolex watch's on display kind of cheap-ins the brand. Rolex is looked as an exclusive -- and expensive -- brand by most people. But, this is what makes our world more interesting. I guess we can agree that living in HK is Rolex narvana.

[Tangier11]

I saw some dials that didnt look original.

[ckaynyc]

Originally Posted by MariettaMike

My opinion: Seeing that many Rolex watch's on display kind of cheap-ins the brand. Rolex is looked as an exclusive -- and expensive -- brand by most people. But, this is what makes our world more interesting. I guess we can agree that living in HK is Rolex narvana.

I don’t think it cheapens the brand. It is already seen as the entry brand into luxury watches. Everyone in my building and industry has at least a DJ or Sub.

[aquatimerfla]

Originally Posted by ckaynyc

I don’t think it cheapens the brand. It is already seen as the entry brand into luxury watches. Everyone in my building and industry has at least a DJ or Sub.

Im pretty sure Rolex is not seen as 'entry 'level' luxury

[RW16610]

Damn! A friend of mine locally had an AD there many years ago. I got a lot of very cool accessories from him and this doesn't surprise me. The pictures looks insane though, never seen anything like that in person!

[Beckster]

Impressive lineup indeed. To the OP can you tell us where exactly is the location of the dealer in the picture. I have a trip there around Christmas and might go have a look. Tks.

[05carbondrz]

Wait....Those prices have dollar signs in front of them! Those are the asking prices in USD?

[MILGAUSS88]

Originally Posted by 05carbondrz

Wait....Those prices have dollar signs in front of them! Those are the asking prices in USD?

Prices are in Hong Kong dollars, currently exchanged at 7.8 HKD to 1 US dollar.

[05carbondrz]

Originally Posted by MILGAUSS88

Prices are in Hong Kong dollars, currently exchanged at 7.8 HKD to 1 US dollar.

Phew!! I was going to say,30K for a Datejust....

[experimentjon]

I always did wonder what the insurance bill is on those shops in the tiny strip of TST with literally millions of dollars worth of watches almost haphazardly stacked in the windows.

That said, the HK grey market is impressive. When the ceramic Daytona came out, I couldn't see one at any AD, but was able to see one in person at a grey market dealers' window in TST. Same with the 43mm SD. The efficiency in price discovery mechanism in these markets is also nice compared to say the diamond district in NYC because all prices are marked prominently on the watches.

[MILGAUSS88]

Originally Posted by Tangier11

You guys will argue about anything. In my area of the country you will see a trailer (mobile home) with a $50,000 car parked in the driveway. .

You mean pickup truck.😀

[05carbondrz]

Originally Posted by experimentjon

I always did wonder what the insurance bill is on those shops in the tiny strip of TST with literally millions of dollars worth of watches almost haphazardly stacked in the windows.

That said, the HK grey market is impressive. When the ceramic Daytona came out, I couldn't see one at any AD, but was able to see one in person at a grey market dealers' window in TST. Same with the 43mm SD. The efficiency in price discovery mechanism in these markets is also nice compared to say the diamond district in NYC because all prices are marked prominently on the watches.

Versus the NYC way of "How much Ya Got?"

[oldfox]

Originally Posted by aquatimerfla

Why on earth would I want to be somewhere where everyone has the same watch??

If I go to HK I will wear an AP

The World without pants color differentiation is meaningless, huh?

[experimentjon]

Originally Posted by 05carbondrz

Versus the NYC way of "How much Ya Got?"

Haha, I tried a store in the diamond district once a few years back...and it actually wasn't too dissimilar.

Me: "Can I see the Sub LV in the window?"
Him: "Uhhh, which one is that?"
Me: "The one with the green insert please"
Him: "Sure, it's a great piece, mint condition"
Me: "Cool, how much is this?"
Him: <fumbles around a bit, realizes he has no idea what the price is, speaks in a different language to the other employee, looks in a ledger of some sort and finally says a price about 20% over forum prices at that time> "How is that price?"
Me: "Seems a little high--similar pieces tend to be ~x,xxx online."
Him: "But condition on this one is perfect"
Me: <point out easily visible scratch on the green insert>
Him: "We can fix that--polishes right out"

And with that, I decided to stick with trusted dealers and members...

[GradyPhilpott]

I live rather modestly, but I do have a roof over my head and an automobile.

[roamingcat]

Rolex is indeed very very common in HK. You can see a lot of blue collar construction workers, plumbers, waiters, cashiers, etc.. wearing subs, daytonas, etc.. Ironically, HK's richest man Mr Li wears his $500 Citizen and Seikos proudly. I also happen to know quite a few people who own many properties in HK who rock around with their casios and plastic smart watches.

[jagwap]

What these picture do not capture is that in Macau there are shop after shop, almost half the buidings in a street with displays like this. They are pawn shops, where often a mainland Chinese gambler has lost all his cash, and pawns hs watch in a futile attempt to win it back. There are thousands of Rolex and hundreds of Patex etc.

The attitude to a watch in these parts is different. A few years ago Hong Kong alone bought more Swiss watches a year than the US by nearly 40%. I never considered a Rolex as an option before I moved here as I didn't get them: I used to think they were for people who didn't care about watches. In Asia it is the opposite.

[ROLEX MAN]

Pix of S/H dealer in original post is on Nathan Rd. main street in Hong Kong

Yes in Macau there are insane amounts of "ROLEX" only S/H shops


AD's had no sports models at all, only higher end stock, like this beauty!

[Romulux]

It is indeed bizzare. I saw 2 Rolex GMT's in the airport alone: one on the wrist of a lady in the food court noodle stall and another one on the boarding pass scanner guy before I boarded.

But then I also saw a Sub on the immigration officer in Tokyo airport.

[HK Islandboy]

Originally Posted by JohnLT

Upscale playground for sure!

That would be a fair description of the city as a whole (at a certain income level at least)!

[razmy3]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

housing is 10x more expensive than your neck of the woods. half the people are in public housing of some sort.

Parking is scarce, gas is $8/gallon, and the cars themselves are pricier than in the US. maybe 5% of people own a car... median salary here is less than $2000 per month, with Many earning less than $1500.

on the other hand, some people own many cars and residences. the wealth disparity is extreme.



Most human behavior in HK would be ridiculed in North America

...talking about cars...HK is nothing compare to Sinapore...before u can purchase one, you need a piece of paper from authority call COE...cost appx.$50k now...plus the cost of car easily amount close to 100k...i can announce its the most expensive in the world...Damn it..im not proud of it.

[kelv_w]

Spotted plenty of Rolex on my frequent visits to HK.

Here's a sneaky one on a sales assistant

[Old Geezer]

The window shopping in HK is awesome. For me it’s fun seeing some of the older models that I thought were so great then and seem outdated now. Of course a few more years and outdated becomes highly collectible.

[Star Ferry]

Originally Posted by ckaynyc

So...like NYC.

I lived in NYC prior to HK. The difference is NYC has suburbs and outer bouroughs. All of HK is priced like Manhattan.