Hi guys, pretty much posted this word for word next door but decided to post here also just to cast the net a bit further afield to see if this is normal.....
brief context, I'm working in the middle east and have been building up a collection of reps. I expect to be home within the current year so decided to bring 3 reps back home with me last week during a short visit home to reduce the amount I'll eventually be repatriating. Now here's the thing, going through security, my bag was checked. The guy asked if I had a watch in the case. I did so opened her up and instinctively showed them the tag aquaracer gen in its box which I was bringing back also and ignored the 3 breitling reps in the separate travel box. He looked at it and appeared to be "studying" it and asked me where I was going. Told him and he just waved me through. Was surprised he didn't look further at the 3 others I had (they would have been covered by other stuff in the carry on case). Breathed a sigh of relief but i'd be surprised if he'd have been able to tell the breitlings were reps as they're good ones. I brought back 3 reps last summer when I was home for longer to rotate and brought them back again and there was no interest in them at all.
I was a little confused as to why he was interested in the watches. By that I mean, is it not customs that would be sniffing around that stuff rather than security going through x-ray machines? I would have thought they were interested in other more obvious stuff like weapons, drugs, liquids, etc....not specifically harmless things that are more of a customs thing. Or were they checking that it was a functioning watch rather than something improvised and don't really care if real or fake as long as its just a watch?
Anyone come across this before by any chance? Are you better off taking a chance and just packing into the checked in luggage? Just want to know for future reference!
brief context, I'm working in the middle east and have been building up a collection of reps. I expect to be home within the current year so decided to bring 3 reps back home with me last week during a short visit home to reduce the amount I'll eventually be repatriating. Now here's the thing, going through security, my bag was checked. The guy asked if I had a watch in the case. I did so opened her up and instinctively showed them the tag aquaracer gen in its box which I was bringing back also and ignored the 3 breitling reps in the separate travel box. He looked at it and appeared to be "studying" it and asked me where I was going. Told him and he just waved me through. Was surprised he didn't look further at the 3 others I had (they would have been covered by other stuff in the carry on case). Breathed a sigh of relief but i'd be surprised if he'd have been able to tell the breitlings were reps as they're good ones. I brought back 3 reps last summer when I was home for longer to rotate and brought them back again and there was no interest in them at all.
I was a little confused as to why he was interested in the watches. By that I mean, is it not customs that would be sniffing around that stuff rather than security going through x-ray machines? I would have thought they were interested in other more obvious stuff like weapons, drugs, liquids, etc....not specifically harmless things that are more of a customs thing. Or were they checking that it was a functioning watch rather than something improvised and don't really care if real or fake as long as its just a watch?
Anyone come across this before by any chance? Are you better off taking a chance and just packing into the checked in luggage? Just want to know for future reference!
