Where are the 10 best places to buy a cheap Rolex watch? You will find the cheapest Rolex watches online, at the airport, or in destinations where you can claim the tax back. Is it even worth flying to a destination with experts specializing in cheap Rolex watches if tax can be claimed back?
Watches are classic style pieces representing your success, elegance, and class. Rolex watches are something a father might pass to his son, and so on. They are one of the few assets that, even in these troubling times, seem to go up in value.
For those who are passionate collectors, a watch can hold historical significance, too, much like fine jewelry. Regardless of whether your watch has a history or is brand new, there is something very special about buying or being given an opulent, designer accessory like a Rolex.
The problem with buying a cheap Rolex is that there are so many fakes on the market. In this review, I investigate the best and safest way to buy a cheap Rolex watch.
1. Eastern Europe
If you want to buy a cheap and genuine Rolex, it may well be worth traveling abroad to buy your luxury timepiece, as the price can vary according to the country you are in and its exchange rate at the time. With this in mind, Switzerland tends to be a bad place to buy a cheap Rolex because the Swiss Frank tends to be a strong currency.
Buying from a Swiss dealer may guarantee your watch’s authenticity, but the price of the watch with a strong Swiss Franc will be high and will not represent value. The same goes for traveling to America, as the American Dollar is such a strong currency.
Instead, you need to pick one of the cheapest countries for Rolex watches to ensure that you secure an excellent price. Eastern Europe can offer Rolex watches at cheaper prices, but there’s often not much choice or range.
Countries that are best for buying a cheap Rolex in Eastern Europe include the Balkans, Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Greece. Target locally-owned watch retailers for the best price. The problem is that if you travel far from home, you may be sold a fake. You need to get any watch you buy authenticated and that isn’t easy. Once you’ve left that particular country, you have no recourse or comeback and very little chance of getting your money back if you have bought a fake.
2. Airport Duty-Free
Duty-Free shops at the airport used to be just one way to beat the system. By buying your Rolex Duty-Free, you would be paying less tax and your watch should be cheaper. To the same end, Duty-Free shops used to be a great place to buy designer handbags too.
I was a regular at Burberry by the British Airways airport lounges at Heathrow T5 (pictured above). I used to go there just after Christmas to pick up a nice Duty-Free handbag in the sale! Of course, Rolex doesn’t tend to offer sales, but you used to get a small percentage off the price in airport Duty-Free.
Mor recently, airports like Heathrow no longer offer duty or tax free watches so you would do better buying your watch in a destination where you can claim the tax back.
3. Milan/h3>
Now that the UK is not part of the EU, when we leave a country like Milan, we can claim some of the tax back from the watch or designer item we’ve bought at the airport. This involves filling out forms so is a labour-intensive method but savings on tax are well worthwhile. There is a great selection of Rolex watches in Milan.
France is another country you can easily fly to and then fill out the forms at the airport to claim the tax back. This has to be one of the cheapest ways to buy a Rolex watch. Why not fly into Nice in the South of france combine your shopping spree with a stay at one of the best Four Seasons in the World? Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat. This would be a nice venue to show off your new watch.
4. Japan
It’s sometimes worth traveling to less well-known “cheap Rolex destinations” to pick up exactly what you want. The Japanese are huge collectors of vintage timepieces so there are plenty of used watch shops in Japan. You will get an almost unlimited choice of Rolex watches in Japan, plus you can take advantage of a VAT refund that is offered on second-hand watches as well as new ones.
The only problem is that Japan isn’t a cheap country to get to or to stay in, even if you book a great deal via our luxury travel concierge, and the Yen is not cheap either so, once you’ve factored in the travel, this may not be the cheapest way to buy a Rolex.
5. Online
Have you considered a second-hand Rolex? One that is nearly new. For a genuine watch at an excellent price, try a luxury watch retailer. They offer a huge range of watches to purchase online but check TrustPilot before buying to be sure you have chosen a reliable supplier. You will also save airfares if you buy your watch online so you will find that you have more money to play with when finding the perfect Rolex.
6. Hong Kong
Hongkong and Singapore also come to mind for high-end watch purchases, but watches are not as cheap as they used to be. In Hong Kong, there are a lot of family-owned second-hand watch shops, so you have a great range of watches to choose from although the prices are more expensive than they used to be.
7. Singapore
In Singapore, there’s not much room for negotiation but the Singaporeans are a materialistic nation that puts value in the status and joy that a luxury watch will bring. A person of a limited salary may wear a Rolex purchased on an installment basis, which is a somewhat precarious way to live, but never fails to impress nonetheless.
This means that demand is high for luxury watches and again, once you factor in the travel, you might find the cost of the trip added to the cost of the watch will come out much more than buying closer to home.
8. Spain
Have you ever seen the watch sellers on the Spanish beaches selling Rolex watches straight out of briefcases? I have been accosted by these persistent salesmen at the beaches of the Costa Del Sol, just outside the Marbella Club, and in the backstreets of Tenerife.
Please don’t buy your watch from these guys. They aren’t real. Most are embarrassingly bad and most don’t work for long either. Admittedly some of these watches are more convincing than others, but they aren’t the real deal and there is a sense of shame if you get found out.
9. Online: eBay
Howl… Please be very careful if you are considering buying your Rolex from eBay. Unless you are an expert, you are unlikely to know whether the watch you buy is genuine. This is a gamble and you could be gambling with a large amount of cash.
11. Conclusion
With the worry of purchasing an unauthenticated watch when you travel and the fact that the travel itself costs a great deal (even if you are simply buying a low-cost flight), it makes the most sense to buy your Rolex from a reputable dealer online or in a European Country from a reputable dealer where you can claim the tax back.
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