Hi there,

So the folks decided to holiday in Switzerland and buy some watches there. The significance is in the location so they decided to buy to commemorate various milestones in life.

That's all very nice and all, but naturally Switzerland is an expensive place. Furthermore, it is no surprise that you can find better prices elsewhere. Having said that, they are not going to walk into the most expensive shop to pay the most expensive prices in the country; some common-sense money saving is still preferred.

Does anyone have experiences buying a Swiss at a brick and mortar watch in Switzerland, say, Omega store in Lucerne?

1. I am interested in the what sort of prices (how much do they mark up their prices than, say, UK) and taxes that a tourist can expect.
2. Is it true that the certificate of authenticity will be directly in your name (and not say, XXX retailer or Omega boutique in London)? Apologies for the awkward phrasing but i'm trying to convey what they meant.

Thanks in advance!

 

Not directly answering a question, but I'd suggest a lot of patience when going to the OB in Lucerne. When I went it was absolutely full (not joking, there was barely room to move) with Chinese tourists and there wasn't a salesperson spare, which is completely understandable when these folks were dropping serious cash (lots of his and hers double purchases, especially those ugly modern Constellations).

 

A Constellation UGH might as well go buy a Rolex too!

 

Try Basel instead, Zurich and Lucerne is full with Chinese Tourists (and they all buy LV bags too)
Basel has in addition a few second hand watch dealers as well. Try Marketplace, not far away from Bucherer, Metzger and so on (Freie Strasse)

Regards,
Alexander

 

Cheers Alexander, much appreciated.

 

I have actually had some great (empty) experiences in Zurich (Bahnhofstrasse). It all depends on day and time (each Swiss city mentioned thus far is a tourist trap). Have seen it as empty on a Saturday as on a Tuesday...ie me and one other person.

Edit : regarding Tax, Switzerlands vat is 9%. Very low. You should be able to claim it back at the airport. You could naturally buy tax free at the OB at Zurich Airport too...

 

The (small) Omega Boutique at Zurich Flughafen is no longer open.

 

Good to know.

 

Here are the Big Four, all located next to each other in Basel. And yes, they speak Swiss-English ;-)

www.spinnler-schweizer.ch
www.mezger.ch
http://www.bucherer.com/de/standorte/basel-freie-strasse
http://www.gubelin.com/de/unsere-standorte/boutiquen/basel

Regards,
Alexander

PS Bucherer gave me 10% off on a Brand New Rolex GMT II