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Guangzhou Watch Market

mgpro

Horology Curious
30/11/18
15
0
1
Hey guys,

Next week, I am going to the Guangzhou watch market and I would like to see the best Noob factory watches.
Any shop recommendation ?

Thanks in advance.
Cheers!
 

capice

I'm Pretty Popular
12/12/07
2,715
558
113
There are some topics about Guangzhou visiting,....
 

loewenzahn

Mythical Poster
16/12/14
7,863
2,118
113
Germany
From what I gathered tourists don't have access to the real stuff there. Only second choice and bad prices.
 

gabro

Renowned Member
DO NOT TRADE WITH ME
17/3/18
866
177
0
Very hard to find a half decent thing. Been there few times already

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
 

csthe

I'm Pretty Popular
16/3/13
1,056
377
0
Very hard to find a half decent thing. Been there few times already

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
Really? I thought this is the biggest rep market in this area... (never been there)
 

KraftMac

Bluebox Champ
5/4/14
133
59
0
Central TX
Really? I thought this is the biggest rep market in this area... (never been there)

It's not that they don't exist, but that they prefer to sell cheaper watches for more profit.

Think of it like any other tourist trap, they are wanting to make as much money as they can off of you before you leave the country to never return for any type of after sales service or questions.

So there is really no reason for them to actually show you the "high quality" reps when they can pass off garbage to most people at higher profit margins.

Unless you are really that good at spotting tells and knowing the watches off the top of your head and what factories have what flaws etc. you are most likely going to not get the best deals or highest quality.

Even then, they are most likely used to selling the higher quality ones for $1k+, just like there are online dealers who sell the same ARF etc that we get for a couple hundred for $1k profits.

They know what their normal profit margins off tourists are for quick sales of best A++++ quality. If you start rejecting and asking to see "best" etc,. they would get frustrated just like our TD do with QC rejections and eventually tire of you and either tell you no more, or just move on to the next mark who isn't as knowledgeable and worth more to them.

From what I've read it's not worth buying, but a neat place to go and see all of the reps in one place and haggle on something if you really do like the looks.

Why not go check it out, and if something jumps out at you and is a good price, grab it and call it a day. Don't go looking online later to see that you could have had it cheaper through a TD. Be happy with the perceived value you felt at time of sale.

Above notes are just my understandings from reading the other threads posted on this topic, no personal experience.
 

csthe

I'm Pretty Popular
16/3/13
1,056
377
0
Thanks for the detailed response!
So there is any benefit of going to China (rep wise)?
 

shyreplover

Renowned Member
12/6/06
916
657
93
There was an article posted here (before the great crash) that depicted the scenery of Guangzhou watch market.
A couple of tall buildings for assembled watches and accessories and then the surrounding area filled with everything watch related. Big stores, street stalls.

I guess if you have nothing better to do, you can spend a couple of days just strolling around the area.
 

efajri

Put Some Respect On My Name
17/10/16
3,679
940
113
Midwest CONUS
You can go there for the experience and if you want to buy some, negotiate. If you are a white dude, they will definitely tell you the high price for a low quality rep. Unless you have a local friend who will negotiate and find the best one for you.


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mgpro

Horology Curious
30/11/18
15
0
1
Hi Guys,

Last week, I went to the Guangzhou watch market and finally it was a really good experience. I had on my phone some pics of high-quality Rolex Sub included pictures of the movement. I told the first tout that I met that I only want the best quality and I showed him the pics. He directly brought me to a close showroom in the floors. The room was full of people and many different brands of watches were displayed but the quality was quite poor.

I asked him again the best quality and he opened a small drawer with some really nice Rolex watches. I tried a Rolex Batman with the correct hands stacking, functions were similar to the genuine model. I was not able to notice any defects with the naked eye but I was too afraid that the watch will break down after a few weeks.

Finally, I bought a nice Rolex Sub for 3000RMB, means around 430US$. The price seems ok to me regarding the quality of the watch. Now, I would like to request your help to identify the factory and also the movement. I opened the caseback with the seller but couldn't recognise the movement... It's not a A2824, A2836, SH3135 or SA3135 according to my pictures...

Following the link, here are some pics of the watch…
https://we.tl/t-L9r9H7DsYs

Can someone help?
​​​​​​​Thanks in advance!
 

mgpro

Horology Curious
30/11/18
15
0
1
Looks like a noob

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Hi Palaufreak,

Thank you but when I compare the pictures of the movement, it doesnt's look like A2824, A2836, SH3135 or SA3135...
Do you know which movement is it?

Thanks.
 

Less

Active Member
30/9/18
392
65
28
DE
I think the biggest market is in Shenzhen. They have all those knowledgeable factories. Good prices and service.