Buying a watch in the Middle East

francis1978

Hello everyone,

I have recently moved to Riyadh, and having visited a few malls there are loads of lovely watch shops here, is there value to be had buying a watch in KSA, Emirates etc?

IrishZeus

francis1978 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I have recently moved to Riyadh, and having visited a few malls there are loads of lovely watch shops here, is there value to be had buying a watch in KSA, Emirates etc?

I saved €1500 by buying in Dubai a few years ago. €3500 for a watch that was €4995 here.

2shea

IrishZeus wrote: »

I saved €1500 by buying in Dubai a few years ago. €3500 for a watch that was €4995 here.

What watch was that?

IrishZeus

Tag Heuer Carrera

Marcusm

IrishZeus wrote: »

Tag Heuer Carrera

A 30% discount would not be unheard of on that watch. (Baseline discount would be 22-25% minimum.) Taking account of the VAT as well, the Dubai dealer got a better price!

IrishZeus

Marcusm wrote: »

A 30% discount would not be unheard of on that watch. (Baseline discount would be 22-25% minimum.) Taking account of the VAT as well, the Dubai dealer got a better price!

A 30% discount on a brand new Tag...? I’d like some of what you’re smoking!

Oafley Jones

IrishZeus wrote: »

A 30% discount on a brand new Tag...? I’d like some of what you’re smoking!

That’s not really an usual discount for the brand. Depending on the model you can get much higher.

Marcusm

IrishZeus wrote: »

A 30% discount on a brand new Tag...? I’d like some of what you’re smoking!

See here for a retailer advertising a minimum of 20-24% off MRSP. Take the absence of VAT into account and i’d Expect to get to 30% off handily enough in some locations. Not everywhere and not all references, obviously. TAG Heuer are fairly notorious for large discount as standard. Omega used to be as bad but have tightened up pricing a bit.

Bluefoam

Not sure about Saudi, but Dubai are resistant to offering discounts. Best place to buy is in the airport where there is a 10% automatic discount.

Jude13

I would leave it until you're in Riyadh a 2hile then buy at home and claim the vat back.

I had my eye on three separate watches and each time getting them back in Ireland was massively cheaper. The shops I visited in Dubai never budge on price for certain brands.

What you can get is some unique watches, mainly rolex or breitling with either the UAE or Omani cret or military insignia on them. Generally no box or papers and unless you really knew the inner workings of the watch if bring an expert to check if its legit. The shops will chwvk them out, well IWC did when a pal was buying second hand.

Typed whislt sitting in Riyadh.

Bluefoam

You'll get some discount in Singapore if you're passing through...