-
Tired of adverts on RWI? - Subscribe by clicking HERE and PMing Trailboss for instructions and they will magically go away!
MBK Bangkok Review
- Thread starter Retina
- Start date
Regarding Asiatique, as someone else said, it's a riverfront market. They have a big ferris wheel there. The easiest way to get there from the Skytrain is to take exit Taksin (Saphan Taksin) Then go down the stairs and towards the Chao Praya River.
There you will find a free shuttle boat that runs up and down the river. Hop off at the ferris wheel/Asiatique.
I just left MBK, and as many other have said, the watch cases are mostly empty. They still have a few people with catalogs, but not nearly as much as in the past. I'm sure, like everything else here, all you have to do is ask.....and they will bring whatever you want over.
It's really hard to resist all the watches, but I'm trying to hold out until I return to the US and purchase a better piece from one of the trusted dealers on here.
There you will find a free shuttle boat that runs up and down the river. Hop off at the ferris wheel/Asiatique.
I just left MBK, and as many other have said, the watch cases are mostly empty. They still have a few people with catalogs, but not nearly as much as in the past. I'm sure, like everything else here, all you have to do is ask.....and they will bring whatever you want over.
It's really hard to resist all the watches, but I'm trying to hold out until I return to the US and purchase a better piece from one of the trusted dealers on here.
^ Thanks!
It is great to have people share their discoveries of BKK reps on here and via PM requests. Also re phuket etc. Quality local intel, as good as living there.
Such behaviour is what makes this forum a valuable resource to the rep loving community.
Sent from my iPhone using RWI
It is great to have people share their discoveries of BKK reps on here and via PM requests. Also re phuket etc. Quality local intel, as good as living there.
Such behaviour is what makes this forum a valuable resource to the rep loving community.
Sent from my iPhone using RWI
(First post on this forum)
Hey guys , I'm in Bangkok at the moment I had a pretty shit expirance at MBK the last two days , I came here in 2015 and bought a Rolex day date black dial with diamonds on the dial with a presidential band and loved it even though I'm pretty sure it was not keeping time correctly compared to my iPhone , the watch stopped working a week later it was a loose screw stopping the movement I fixed it when I returned home in 2015 and wore it for around 6months before I snapped the crown (I wasn't man handling it either) so now the watch movement also spins freely inside the case , I had no idea about this website or the hobby just that if I had $57,000AUD I would buy a genuine daydate!
ANYWAY - what happened in MBK yesterday and the day before 2017
The watch shop landscape has changed since I was there the info on the earlier posts on this thread really helped
The first day I went to level 6 looking for project time
Searched for an hour no luck
Found some nice watches on level 6 usual pull out the book and pick what you want , im not yet able to iD well made reps but the panerai i seen looked and felt nice 7000baht
So as to not bother the missus I returned the next day alone.
Thanks to the forum I
Finally found project time to see what franken watches he had and if he could repair my watch he still has Panaeri bands for sale but was not happy to see me at ALL and could not fix my watch he did open it and say he didn't have the parts but something was off.
I returned to level 3 to MT watches were they only had watch boxes and the guy said to me he's not selling watches because of the police come back on the weekend.
Then I returned to level 6 to see the original guy I spoke to the day before about just getting a identical daydate and a panerai and he couldn't find the Rolex at other shops for me and the vibe was shady as compared to the day before , I felt as if though I was doing something seriously wrong the vibe was totally different to 2015 when people were throwing 10 watches out on a table at a time . Now it's all hush hush and I honestly felt like it was a back lane drug deal , hiding watches under tables and stuff.
Anyway the guy on level 6 said to me "brother the last 3 months has been terrible for us" he went on to explain its hard for them because they are cracking down on replicas in Thailand and to be honest a lot of other things to like smoking in certain areas .
I left with out anywayvhes today I'm heading to Singapore for 4daya then heading back for another shot at it .
I'll try asiatique and patpong night markets but yeah , at this point looking towards TD's on here . Cheers
-Triz0
Hey guys , I'm in Bangkok at the moment I had a pretty shit expirance at MBK the last two days , I came here in 2015 and bought a Rolex day date black dial with diamonds on the dial with a presidential band and loved it even though I'm pretty sure it was not keeping time correctly compared to my iPhone , the watch stopped working a week later it was a loose screw stopping the movement I fixed it when I returned home in 2015 and wore it for around 6months before I snapped the crown (I wasn't man handling it either) so now the watch movement also spins freely inside the case , I had no idea about this website or the hobby just that if I had $57,000AUD I would buy a genuine daydate!
ANYWAY - what happened in MBK yesterday and the day before 2017
The watch shop landscape has changed since I was there the info on the earlier posts on this thread really helped
The first day I went to level 6 looking for project time
Searched for an hour no luck
Found some nice watches on level 6 usual pull out the book and pick what you want , im not yet able to iD well made reps but the panerai i seen looked and felt nice 7000baht
So as to not bother the missus I returned the next day alone.
Thanks to the forum I
Finally found project time to see what franken watches he had and if he could repair my watch he still has Panaeri bands for sale but was not happy to see me at ALL and could not fix my watch he did open it and say he didn't have the parts but something was off.
I returned to level 3 to MT watches were they only had watch boxes and the guy said to me he's not selling watches because of the police come back on the weekend.
Then I returned to level 6 to see the original guy I spoke to the day before about just getting a identical daydate and a panerai and he couldn't find the Rolex at other shops for me and the vibe was shady as compared to the day before , I felt as if though I was doing something seriously wrong the vibe was totally different to 2015 when people were throwing 10 watches out on a table at a time . Now it's all hush hush and I honestly felt like it was a back lane drug deal , hiding watches under tables and stuff.
Anyway the guy on level 6 said to me "brother the last 3 months has been terrible for us" he went on to explain its hard for them because they are cracking down on replicas in Thailand and to be honest a lot of other things to like smoking in certain areas .
I left with out anywayvhes today I'm heading to Singapore for 4daya then heading back for another shot at it .
I'll try asiatique and patpong night markets but yeah , at this point looking towards TD's on here . Cheers
-Triz0
- 18/12/15
- 10,049
- 15,070
- 113
Thanks for this update.
Is your sense that, if they trust you are not a cop in disguise, they will show you the goodies?
Like it happens on Beach Rd in pattaya. The guy on the beachfront has next to nothing. But the room in the backalley has a ton of good stuff!
I like portholes, and i cannot lie
SuperLory
Well-Known Repist
- 22/10/15
- 8,486
- 5,094
- 113
sorry sir, gone are those days
i had 45mins to waste while wife and daughter get their nails done
Going to visit BKK on 3-6 July..looking for RM reps
So I guess the best places to go are Project Time at MBK and Asiatique, hope I can find some decent piece there..
So I guess the best places to go are Project Time at MBK and Asiatique, hope I can find some decent piece there..
Don't bother going to project time unless you want to buy a watch strap/band or get a repair , i really had my hopes high going to project time from the reviews on this site but like i said they guy wasn't happy to see me at all and he doesn't sell watches only repairs. i will be back at MBK and update this thread next week.
My sense was that something had happened the day before or just before i arrived there because most of the shops were acting strange. They would deal with you but trying to find what you wanted was hard (even if they had it in the folder/picture book) as i said the day before wasn't a problem but apparently the last 3 months has been tough for these guys. i will return to all of the shops soon and maybe grab some watches i will also check out Asiatiqe and patpong night market and report it back here for everyone .
In saying all this guys this might be my bad luck , please don't let this post stop you having a look yourself in the mean time
Cracking down on reps and dealers. But I'll bet my life business is good for all the pretty little girls running around selling poontang
Thailand would go broke if they did that. Not to mention their would be mass riots...
Thailand would go broke if they did that. Not to mention their would be mass riots...I am in and out of MBK fairly regularly as I live in central BKK . IMHO there is nothing watch wise worth buying. There are a few gen dealers, but the prices are crazy. Rep wise, nothing better than you will buy on the beach.
Just found this post and reading through it, was just like my experience my last trip to MBK, in 2015. I didn't know squat about rep watches, but I knew It had to be automatic, not quartz movement in my eyes. The prices they were giving me then for a AP ROO Bumblebee was only 3500 tbt or maybe a little more...after the haggle..I can speak good enough Thai, but I didn't know anything about APs or really anything at the time anyway. Too bad about the crackdowns...was fun to browse anyway.
When I was there in April things weren't anywhere near what they used to be a year or so earlier. I always loved MBK, and still do for the cell phone repair shops, etc; but you're much better off just sourcing a quality piece from any of our local TD's on here. A lot of people, on here, say there are great things at Asiatique, but I've never really been impressed by it. It's a great place to ride the overpriced Ferris wheel, eat dinner, and maybe take a boat trip along the Chao Praya, but that's about it. When the Ferris Wheel first opened they had a different price for Farangs and for Thai people (Very similar to most tourist attractions and parks, etc) I think they've since changed the price to be the same for all, but they simply raised it to the highest amount. The double pricing thing always kinda got me a bit.
As for eliminating the Poon....Then the BIB (Boys in Brown for those not familiar with the local lingo) would lose too much money. That's not going to happen.
Also, Thailand is still under the control of the Junta. There are perceptible changes now.
As for eliminating the Poon....Then the BIB (Boys in Brown for those not familiar with the local lingo) would lose too much money. That's not going to happen.
Also, Thailand is still under the control of the Junta. There are perceptible changes now.
I bought my first rep in BKK in 1997 and been back countless times since then. If things actually changed the way you guys are saying then it trully is a sad day! I will be in BKK next month and will check things out myself. Next thing you know they will be converting nana plaza into a hotel or condo...LOL
L
L
- 18/12/15
- 10,049
- 15,070
- 113