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Nice looking 168.024 in Japan?

Porteroso
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iosist iosist
That's interesting. The hands probably wouldn't bother me much, but I'm trying to be thorough. How would one go about searching for a better handset anyway? Doner watch? Or do they have a parts number? I thought I'd read somewhere that finding and replacing the hands on thesewas exceedingly difficult and usually not worth the expense - to say nothing of the "originality" question (which would not particularly bother me).
Sometimes just the reference number and "hands" is enough, on ebay or something. I'd set up an ebay search email, it will email every time something new get listed that is close to "168.024 hands."

Hands on a common reference are a low priority for most. Dial and case are much more important.
 
Harbormaster
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OP, I think you should have a look at a recent listing by fellow OF member Hant26. It looks right up your alley and it was recently serviced.
 
HorsinTime
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iosist iosist
According to the seller the initial price also didn't include Japanese sales tax of 10%, which brings the total cost to $1,600 😵‍💫. If the Swiss country of origin tarrif of 39% is applied instead of the Japanese one, it would be about $1,900...
Because it would be shipped outside of Japan to a foreign buyer (ie, you), the Japanese sales tax should not apply. Every Japanese watch seller I've ever dealt with has been tax-free, and that applies if you're in Japan (usually need to show your passport) or if it's shipped out of Japan.
 
HorsinTime
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Porteroso Porteroso
I am not sure it is true that Japan Post stopped shipping to the United States, unless that happened in the past week. I received a package a few days ago, no tariff or duty charged. But you might be charged, all the same.
It should eventually sort itself out, but right now shipping anything to the US from pretty much anywhere is an absolute mess. Australia and New Zealand have also suspended shipments, along with the UK, Germany, France, etc.
 
iosist
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Harbormaster Harbormaster
OP, I think you should have a look at a recent listing by fellow OF member Hant26. It looks right up your alley and it was recently serviced.
The Constellation? I was actually just admiring the photos in the post. There are too many specific things I've grown attached to about this Seamaster reference though. I could see myself maybe picking up a pie pan Connie a few years down the road as a second Omega, but I think I'd probably go for a gold one with lyre lugs.

HorsinTime HorsinTime
Because it would be shipped outside of Japan to a foreign buyer (ie, you), the Japanese sales tax should not apply. Every Japanese watch seller I've ever dealt with has been tax-free, and that applies if you're in Japan (usually need to show your passport) or if it's shipped out of Japan.
That's an interesting data point. It does still seem like somewhat of a crapshoot of what duties one will be held responsible for, especially now. At least for the tariffs a lot depends it seems on how the paperwork is filled out by the seller, which shipping service they use, and probably a dozen other unknown variables. There's this post on Reddit for instance where a user claims to have been held responsible for 71% of the value of a vintage Seamaster in import duties.
 
masteroftime
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If the Swiss country of origin tarrif of 39% is applied instead of the Japanese one, it would be about $1,900...

Why would they apply the japanese one? It’s a swiss watch so the swiss tariff would apply. Tariffs are applied based on the item’s country of origin, regardless of where you bought them from.

At this point, you might want to narrow your field to watches in the US unless you see something for a crazy deal.
 
AG77
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I believe buying a Swiss watch from Japan right now means you'll be hit with 39% tariff on all Swill origin goods plus US customs duty.

You’d be hit with ~43–45% in federal tariffs/duties the moment the watch clears U.S. Customs, plus your state’s tax.

There’s no exemption for vintage, secondhand, or private sales. You'd get taxed even if a friend in Japan gifted it to you.

Someone has to pay for the new $200m White House ballroom I guess.
 
masteroftime
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AG77 AG77
I believe buying a Swiss watch from Japan right now means you'll be hit with 39% tariff on all Swill origin goods plus US customs duty.

You’d be hit with ~43–45% in federal tariffs/duties the moment the watch clears U.S. Customs, plus your state’s tax.

There’s no exemption for vintage, secondhand, or private sales. You'd get taxed even if a friend in Japan gifted it to you.

Someone has to pay for the new $200m White House ballroom I guess.

I can confirm. Recently received a $450 bill from fedex about a week after a watch was delivered from Canada. Previously, I got a DHL package from Japan and I had pay the tariff charges before they would release it. While it sat pending payment, I accrued daily storage fees.
 
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