MBK Bangkok Review

[ChampZA]

I want to share some info.
About rep watches here in Thailand. You can buy it from actual stores such as MBK, Sirom road, Asiatique. I think MBK is a good way to go compared to others. I agree with most of things OP mentioned above.

In my opinion, I don't think Project time is that good. First of all you can't find high quality reps from their store. It is a watch repair shop, not seller shop. Secondly, Even though he knows a lot about how to mod rep especially Pam. I think his skill is not that good. Having said that, He is still a good kind of business man.

Other option is buying online. The biggest online dealer in Thailand is watch-thai.com They can source all watches as TD here can source but with slightly lower price. The problem is that the preorder time can be very long from 1 month to even 6 months.

About buying used gen or imported gen. There are a few good reputation stores in MBK. To make sure it is really a gen. You can bring the watch to AD to check authenticity of it before purchasing. For rolex, it probably costs around 3000 bath.

 

[dave2889]

I'm off to Bangkok in little under 2 weeks. I'll be visiting MBK to check out their wares, but does anybody know if there's many/any stalls selling rep pens?

 

[sub4me]

Confucius say man walking through turnstile going to bangcock.

 

[ripponlea]

I've bought from said store near escalator on 2nd level of MBK, and I can testify that the quality is decent, though if you were to buy anything of similar standard to any of the TDs, the TDs would probably be able to offer a better deal.

Mid quality reps usually range between 1000-2000 baht while the high end reps (ie. 1:1 reps) go for much much more. It's still a different experience altogether because you can actually physically handle the watch before deciding to purchase, which makes a huge difference because TBH the flaws are negligible most of the time, but still, it wouldn't hurt to practice some self control and save for a rep that will truly satisfy.

 

[alexjustdoit]

Sounds awesome for window shopping but as far as actually buying... seems to me it would be more prudent to just keep buying from TDs, or even better, m2m. Don't have to deal with vendors trying to screw you, haggling, more forgiving for newbies, etc. Though if you're really prepared and know what you want, and you happen to find the rep you're looking for with the same quality or better than from TDs, you might be able to get a slightly lower price if you're lucky. Also, no shipping fee.

 

[ViperGTS]

forgive me for my lack of information..........but you're telling me there's a whole mall full of rep watches in thailand???? Now, with that being said......how the hell does it exist? how is it not shut down by any of the watch companies?

 

[orm]

It's filled with rep everything. And its huge! In Thailand and for example Turkey you can buy rep stuff everywhere. Its kind of accepted.

In many parts of the world there are more pressing matters for the government to do then cracking down on fake goods i guess.

 

[ViperGTS]

ive seen in the middle east they sell rep stuff in a more low-key fashion........but a whole rep mall?

isnt it the gen companies that are trying to crack down on this? at least more than the government?

Here's a silly question, do the gen companies know about this place? im sure they probably do, im surprised they havent torched it down "accidentally"

 

[kentt]

If you're referring to MBK mall, it's not really a rep mall. It's a mall for tourists hence the appearance of several rep stalls, and they probably fill up less than 10% of the entire place.
It's a sprawling 6-7 floor mall for tourists and locals to buy just about anything

 

[-zk-]

If you're referring to MBK mall, it's not really a rep mall. It's a mall for tourists hence the appearance of several rep stalls, and they probably fill up less than 10% of the entire place.
It's a sprawling 6-7 floor mall for tourists and locals to buy just about anything

+1

It's a regular mall for tourists. They sell a little bit of everything. There's only a few dealers that sell rep products. The grade of reps is slightly better than the ones that sell openly on the night markets and street stalls. But I haven't seen anything that approaches the quality of the better reps the TDs sell.

 

[DEEDEEBERINGER]

great post

 

[DEEDEEBERINGER]

what about rolex's?

 

[DEEDEEBERINGER]

the government has no stu in this, is not their job to look for counterfeit items

 

[DEEDEEBERINGER]

I feel like buying reps in Bangkok is a waste of time?
Money is way way way better spent on bespoke suits and dress shirts!

i go to HK for tailored clothes.

 

[Mendota]

i go to HK for tailored clothes.

I've heard that the Hong Kong deals are long gone, though. Back in the '70s and '80s people were getting astonishing deals on fully bespoke suits and anything that required hand tailoring and stitching. Friends of my family came home with suits, shirts, pants, and even custom made sails for their boat! They went back again in the late 90s/early 2000s and said it was nothing like before.

Can you still get good deals on tailored items?

 

[50cal]

I was at MBK yesterday. Tried to find plushies Project time. No luck finding it nor MT with the white sign board. MBK is a massive place. if you can pinpoint it ill head back there.

I did look at some very good reps though. example. carbon APROO. quoted 23000 baht. That's a tad under $900 AUD. seriously and to say some of the other top repos weren't too far off that price either. 3rd floor next to perfume counter.

MT had a good range until i asked to view B&R reps with the proper screws on the back. Rather then tell me they didn't stock that version of rep girl working there decided it would be nothing short of funny to make a smart arsed comment to her workmate about me asking for this particular rep. Catch ya later loser!

Anyway im still on the look out for some good reps.... thanks in advance if there's any info to help me out..

 

[Uncle-V]

Great review!

Can you also buy watch boxes there?

 

[Bodri]

When do you live in bangkok please write for me a TD .Where can i buy good replica watches.
Thanks

Great review and info... sums up MBK very well...

There are also many street dealers in the Patpong soi 1 night market, mostly with low-grade crap visible, but some can get the high grade replicas we're used to by running around the corner.

Like you say, if they see you know what you're talking about, they'll come down to a somewhat reasonable price (~$US20-40 over our rep dealers)... I still although, only buy from the TDs even though I've been living here in Bangkok for years.

 

[Retina]

^TDs are still your best bet. I only head to MBK to see the reps in person and order it online thereafter. I'm fine to pay a premium of 20usd over the TD's listing price as I have to pay for shipping via ems anyway. Nothing more though.

I've found from my experience that they are very reasonable when you know your stuff, I've learned alot since making this review, I was able to get some good deals by being friendly with the retailers. I usually send them a message before heading down to ensure they have what I want.

Their primary target are still tourists, as such, do not expect them to give you TD prices if you appear as one. If you know your stuff and appear as a regular, they will give you a reasonable; but not a great deal.

 

[Uncle-V]

I was there last month and checked it out. Retina’s review was very helpful and I hit all of the shops he recommended. The people were all nice and friendly and not at all condescending.

Project Time, the strap store on level 6 is really great. I bought a cool NATO like strap (brownish red colored) I will put on my old 16610 rep (once I figure out how to get the SS band off – LOL). It only set me back 200-300 baht, I can't remember exactly. If you saw the new Bond movie and you want one of these straps this is the place as they have them in dozens of different colors. Very cool!

I was not in the market for anything for myself. I was just looking for a gift for one of my Thai Girlfriends. So not looking for a high end rep. I hti all the stores in the review but no one seemed to have the watch I was looking for: Datejust with 18k gold plate. I finally found the watch (with Miota movement) at the watch shop on level 6 by the escalators or (I was on my way to Project Time). They didn’t have it immediately but were able to find it (I think in the end these guys all use the same source anyway). I negotiated him down to 4K baht (or around $110). So I think it was a good deal. My girl just loved the watch which is the important thing.

The place is fun and there is great shopping to be had her for clothes and other stuff. However, I would not buy a high end rep here. I’m sticking to TDs for those. But I would return to the strap store and maybe to take a look at a watch model I was interested in before buying it.

I am in Bangkok a couple of times of year and I always make a trip to MBK. But that of course is not the main draw for coming to Thailand