I have an opportunity to buy a watch (or watches) or pens in California through close friends’ son who will be studying in the US? Where should he go for new and for used? Or through posts (how is Jomashop for instance) ? He is not a US resident. All recommendations for watch brands are welcome.

 

That question is so broad, I don't see how anyone could answer it. You have got to narrow down what you're looking for, including whether you want new, grey-market new, or pre-owned, and especially your price limit/range.

 

You don’t have to be a US resident to buy stuff in the US. He can buy anything and everything so long as he has a credit card or PayPal. The internet is your friend and if you find something in the US you can always buy and have your friend receive it. There won’t be any magical Rolex finds but plenty of grey market opportunities with Davidsw and the like

 

Agreed, need to be more specific with what you’re after so people can dial in their answers. Like, HQ Milton is not far from Berkeley, they’re a high end respected vintage dealer. Of course there’s a dealer premium to be paid, but their’s seems to be lower than most and their reputation is great.

 

Good point. About the only thing this information provides is that duty-free at SFO is an option when the son flies home.

 

Union Square in San Francisco you can find most watch manufacturer's shops as well as Turbillon Shop. Seregins on Mason is a great place for vintage

 

http://www.topperjewelers.com

Toppers in Burlingame.

 

The only shops I know around Union Square are the aforementioned Tourbillon and Shreve. What other watch shops are there besides Macy's?

Outside of Union Square there's just the Tourneau / Rolex Boutique in the mall on Market St, but both are closed for renovations until October.

Topper in Burlingame sounds like a nice place but good luck getting there - I love watches but it's not worth sitting in traffic for hours to check them out.

Closest Omega Boutique is in the Roseville mall north of Sacramento, a 2-hour drive. (And you literally have to walk past a Hot Topic to get to the OB)

There's some jeweller who puts up Rolex billboards that I see whenever I ride back across the Bay Bridge, they're probably somewhere in Berkeley or Walnut Creek. Coming from Berkeley I'd say that's the best bet if you absolutely must go in person.

Truthfully, why do this at all? Buy online and have it shipped. Import duty will probably not be much more than Bay Area / CA sales tax.

 

There really is nothing in Berkeley for luxury timepieces or writing instruments.... Berkeley is not the demographic for that....you would have to try San Francisco/ Union Square area

 

I meant to edit that sentence. It's Tourbillon and the Hublot shop. I think there's another there but can't think of it. There's the Tourneau, as you said.

 

ebay? lol

 

As in East Bay??

 

Thank you for all the responses - some good follow up for me - and views so far. I had time to think through the question and what I would want:
1. Overall Budget is $15k and below.
Hesitant about ordering big price items through post, even through I have done them numerous times before. Will do so only for items below $4k .
2. Vintage is out for me. I wouldn’t expect him and I to be able to discern.
3. Brands- looking at fortis (LE) - can be new/ preowned - with the ISS printed on it, Rolex (New SS), omega (new, chronograph type) and other typical Brands ( and including seiko , citizen, Casio - these with complicated functions ). I apologise if above still means quite a staggering range to some .

 

You will NOT find any Rolex SS sport watches in any dealer stock. You can find Datejusts, Air Kings and the like, but no Subs, Daytonas or GMTs. NONE. If you want Omega you can visit an AD or Boutique, or order through their website and have it delivered to you via FedEx. You shouldn't have any issues buying online and having it delivered......many good places to choose from and they all offer generous return provisions. No need to fear FedEx or UPS deliveries if done by an established dealer (new, grey, or used) as they use insurance to cover any loss.

Good luck.

 

Understandable, but thousands of people do it every day. According to my 10 minutes of internet research, California sales tax is not refundable to visitors who take goods out of the country the way VAT is refundable in other countries. The only ways to avoid it are to have the item shipped to you or to purchase it duty-free at the port of departure. You run a higher risk of paying import duty with the former, so I hope the exchange rate is in your favor to make this worth the effort.

 

I like HQMilton also.

Has newer watches along with the vintage. They will haggle, that is what I find most agreeable.

They ship super fast. Next day air.

 

You need to narrow down what you are looking for.

 

Unless it is a super hot watch (like a Rolex SS sport watch or Omega 50th Anniversary or PP Nautilus) most AD's will have some wiggle room, they will discount off the list price. At the least they will cut it 10% so after the sales tax is added you are close to the retail price. Often 15-20% is possible, it just depends. It's always best to ask if you are really interested in making a purchase. The worst they can say is 'no'.

 

I am definitely be asking him to be looking out for one of these in good condition

 

In that case, your best bet is to go to Fortis' website and look up ADs in the Bay Area...