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  1. Donn Chambers Apr 7, 2019

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    I shouldn’t go to duty free when the pound is weak. :) Couldn’t resist this one. Tried the bracelet and the strap — preferred the strap because the bracelet made it too heavy, IMO. Already have a NATO at home I can swap out when I want.

    Luckily, the wife was with me and gave permission. :) A33A02F8-4639-44CC-8701-67FC1C68CC46.jpeg
     
  2. jankymutt Apr 7, 2019

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    Beautiful watch!

    Sorry to change the subject, but are the duty free airport stores really a good deal? Are certain duty free Omega stores offering better prices than others? I suppose it depends on your home country and currency.

    I was just in Doha last week and the Omega store had watches only about $250 USD cheaper than in the US and considering that you can usually get a little bit of a discount from an AD it didn't make financial sense to me.

    Additionally, if you are playing by the rules I would have to declare the watch to customs on the way home and get hit with a duty tax.
     
    pascs likes this.
  3. Donn Chambers Apr 7, 2019

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    It all depends on how strong (or weak) the local currency is compared to the dollar. In this case, the British Pound has been plummeting because of brexit. It’s now about 25% lower than four years ago when the British prices were slightly higher even after taking off the VAT. Also, my card doesn’t charge foreign exchange fees, so I get the bank to bank exchange rate.

    My local AD would only give me a 10% discount on this watch, so it was a steal for me — only a couple hundred more than gray market pieces and I got to walk out the door with it.

    I plan to report it when I get to the states and pay duty, but that’s less than you’d expect. I bought my Speedmaster FOIS overseas 3 years ago for about the same price as this one. I paid $118 in duties. That’s less than 3% of the purchase price. Sales tax in Florida is 7.5%. Again, a win.

    It won’t be a good deal every time, but if you want a watch and are traveling through the UK, it can be at the moment.
     
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  4. 77deluxe Apr 7, 2019

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    Nice. Really like that.
     
  5. robinhook Apr 7, 2019

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    Nice move! Congrats! But if I were to do it this way, I need to count the plane ticket in... don’t have any other travel plans to the UK...
     
  6. Meme-Dweller Apr 7, 2019

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    Very nice pick-up. Congratulations! I agree on the weight of the bracelet, which is why I have the Titanium version.
     
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  7. solesman Apr 7, 2019

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    On my radar. Not enough photos of the titanium version I feel. Hint hint....:rolleyes:
     
  8. jankymutt Apr 7, 2019

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    That makes total sense! I am in healthcare so I don’t keep track of the markets day-to-day (mostly invested in etf’s). I have been going to Asia lately for work and connecting through the Middle East, but might have to rethink that and make a stop in the U.K.!
     
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  9. starcraft Apr 7, 2019

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    that is the best omega diver imo.
    thinking of selling my SMP 2531.80 and buying one of those...


    609653-cd137cb1c60dcd300f70371782fa20b3.jpg ive been
     
  10. yvrclimber Apr 7, 2019

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    Congratulations! I tried on a blue variant of this co-axial Friday. A beauty in the metal and in your pic.

    AND with the rare and coveted "spousal permission"! Bravo!
     
  11. starcraft Apr 8, 2019

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    was it titanium?

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. Larry S Color Commentator for the Hyperbole. Apr 8, 2019

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    I’ve gotten much better with the duty free dealers. (I head straight to the business lounge these days! ) I would say these places are a good place to buy if you’ve done your homework on alternative pricing and factor in exchange rates.
     
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  13. WatchShopping Apr 8, 2019

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    Congrats! It looks just as good on the strap.
     
  14. durri70 Apr 8, 2019

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    Hope soon I fly over again so I can do some nice shopping lol
     
  15. dinexus Apr 8, 2019

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    Almost did this with the two-tone Sedna when I was passing through London last year... Ended up not getting anything, but it haunted me enough to buy a bit earlier this year.

    Agree that this is Omega's best diver atm.
     
  16. yvrclimber Apr 8, 2019

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    Yup! So light, it was a little unnerving.
     
  17. Donn Chambers Apr 14, 2019

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    Wanted to close this thread with my experience in customs in Philadelphia. It was incredibly fast and efficient. The officer told me he was going to give me the lowest duty rate because I had declared it — he commented he rarely had anyone declare a watch purchase.

    Then he used the Euro/dollar exchange rate, not the pound/dollar rate, even though I explicitly said I’d bought it in London and the price on the receipt was in pounds. I didn’t correct him. :)

    Total bill: $98. A lot better than Florida sales tax.

    Also, while the officer booted the computer to take my payment (it was off because they rarely use it), another officer came up and we chatted watches. He was wearing a Breitling Navitimer. When he saw I’d bought a Seamaster, he told me he’d always wanted a Speedmaster. After seeing the price I paid, he said he might have to find a cheap flight to London just to buy one. :)
     
    flw likes this.
  18. jankymutt Apr 14, 2019

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    Thanks for the update! Sounds like a decent experience!
     
  19. rainking Apr 15, 2019

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    I don't have any plans to buy a new watch in this manner, but it does cross my mind when I am traveling and browsing watches in the Duty Frees: would I declare it if I bought one? Judged by your story, I see most people must think like I do and say, nope LOL. I'm not a shady person who tries to get away with stuff, but in this case it's just that I look at how customs works upon re-entry and can't see how they'd ever know if you didn't tell them. It's not like they go searching through everyone's bags looking for purchased items. On the off chance that I got randomly pulled for inspection the one time I actually had something to declare, I guess I'd just say, sorry, wow, totally forgot about it/didn't even think of it. It's not like they're going to arrest you, is it? LOL
    I guess, based on what you said, they could hit you with a steeper rate than they would have. That would suck, but I think the odds are extremely low any of this would happen in the first place.
     
  20. texasmade Apr 15, 2019

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    Aren't they usually more concerned with people bringing in illegal animals, produce, or meat over watches? The few times I've had stuff to declare, the customs officers didn't care at all until I had food one time (candy). They inspected that but everything else I had it was them basically shrugging their shoulders and telling me to move along.