Any watch collector in here? What’s the best place in Taiwan to see and buy luxury watches?
Is there any watch fair happening in Taiwan?
1 Like
I see them occasionally at art auctions.
Loads of FB groups including under different brands.
And where do you find those?
1 Like
I have a similar question, but for the Taichung City area. I’m looking for a men’s mechanical dress watch in that 34-36mm size, understated, nicely finished, black leather strap, no extra complications except possibly sub-seconds. It also has to be easily repairable anywhere in the world. Is there a brand or store you’d recommend?
Sotheby’s and Ravenel have active sales offices and do pre-auction exhibitions here, but the actual auctions take place in Hongkong. There’s also a local auction house called Zhong Cheng or something like that, which holds auctions in Taiwan.
Others might know more about this topic, especially in relation to watch collecting. I am in entertainment, so what do I know.
5 Likes
It’s not the best to be honest. There are no fairs/dealer shows that I’m aware of. I’m in Taipei and less familiar with other cities but I think their are a couple of good dealers in Taichung.
Here are a couple of shops that are good to visit, but there are no bargains here. Everything is authentic and there are usually some interesting pieces (some very very rare) with quite a bit of turnover:
Good mix…
More vintage and neo-vintage…
More modern…
In addition to the houses mentioned above, Phillips has an office here and does previews for all their major auctions.
Sometimes pawn shops have interesting finds, but it’s hit and miss… mostly miss, so I’d just have a look while out and about.
2 Likes
Thanks for that advice. I don’t trust pawn shops for these type of purchase, as there are so many fake in circulation… Maybe is just me, but I find more trustable a specialized dealer or a auction house.
Do you know more about these actions? How to check and get in?
They post that information ahead of the auction on their websites, maybe about a month ahead of time. I think the next major season is May. Also, don’t trust them too much, it can be pretty shady, but generally ok. Generally just need to show up during the posted preview hours, no need to sign up in most cases, but you can call ahead to confirm. Registering for the auctions themselves is relatively straight forward and can be done online.
The remote previews usually have a subset of the lots, but a full preview of all the lots is available at the auction site during the week of the auction. You may need to be registered for the full preview, so check before making plans.
Since HK is so close, it’s a fun trip to make. See the preview, maybe attend a bit of the auction, and do regular HK stuff. A fun long weekend and you’ll get to see some amazing pieces even if you don’t intend to bid.
Agree about the pawn shops, you need to know what you are doing.
All the dealers I posted are reputable and usually have interesting pieces.
2 Likes