Watch Shops in Switzerland

[EbolaVirus]

I'm off to France in 2 weeks. I'll be spending the month of May driving a clockwise loop starting in Paris.

 

Of course since I will be in the area I will go through Basel and Geneva. Unfortunately I'm missing Basel World. =(

 

Anyway...

Where can or should I buy a nice watch? Rolex, AP or one of the many other interesting brands.

Does anyone know of any nice watch shops other than one of the watch shops in the main road. Or should I be in fact buying there?

How do the prices compare to Australia?

Should I avoid buying in Switzerland and get something from the UK, France, or Italy during the trip instead. 

Edited April 22, 2013 by EbolaVirus

[ghost]

Yeah it's not exactly cheaper in switzerland...

[EbolaVirus]

Of the countries I mentioned, which would I be better looking in?

[SSTEEL]

I purchased my first expensive gen whilst working in Switzerland, but ventured out to Lichtenstein, which is a very small country near Flumserberg.  Many great shops there.

[ghost]

I don't know about the exact prices in the other countries, but i believe italy gives a bigger amount of tax back as compared to switzerland and france.

 

A friend once told me daytonas are cheapest in romania. Personally, i've found rollies in general to be cheaper in Hong Kong for some reason

[EbolaVirus]

Firstly. This is a drunk rant after a very nice dinner and a couple of bottles of very nice French wine in Toulouse with my fiancée.

But...

I'm very, very Disappointed with Switzerland...

It seems that both Basel and Geneva are very expensive for Swiss watches. I must have entered 20 or 30 shops and taken a peek at 30 or 40 more. Every single shop I found was around the 20-30% more mark compared with Australia.

A rough gauge:

Breitling navitimer world $10500 US

Breitling super ocean heritage $6500 US

Hublot big bangs $18000+

Rolex, nothing worthwhile under $9000+

The whole experience has left mildly bitter taste in my mouth. It all came across as a blatant intentional attempt at ripping the customer off.

I've never been more "Pro Fake". For me fakes have always been a stop gap until I can get the real one. Not anymore.

I'll never buy a gen Swiss watch. I'd rather buy a good fake and support a good dealer here at RWG instead of support the gen rip off industry. If the watch breaks, then I'll fix it.

The Swiss boarder police when entering from France were polite as they charged us €40 to use the motorway, but that was it. Everyone else in switzerland was rude. Even driving was bad. Nearly as rude as sydney! We suck! No really, sydney drivers are the worst. 2nd worst Switzerland. 3rd worst Malaysia.

The French in contrast have the reputation for being rude, but they have been nothing but polite, welcoming and helpful in every city and town we have been in. On the road they all stay in the slow lane unless overtaking. They indicate when they are changing lanes and they don't speed up to not let you in.

The same Swiss watches in France are:

Breitling navitimer world $7000 US

Breitling super ocean heritage $5000 US

Hublot big bangs $12000+

Rolex, nothing worthwhile under $6500+

The food in France has been MUCH better too! I think I've put on about 3kgs in the last week.

I'm off to scour the RWG Sales thread.

[prdubis]

Oh! Where have you been in Toulouse?

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[EbolaVirus]

We are staying near Jeanne d'Arc. I'm not sure if its a good area. It seems ok. I found a nice watch shop where prices were ok.

Took this pic through the window:

[prdubis]

Hope you will enjoy the city!

Go to the restaurant La Pref, place St Etienne, and before have a glass of wine at Chai Vincent, rue d'Astorg, it's 5 minutes walking from where you stay!