One day · about 7 hours
Watch hunting in Tokyo with a specialist
from¥110,000
Request a quoteTokyo is one of the few cities on earth where the pre-owned watch trade is both deep enough and honest enough to be worth flying for. The reason is particular to Japan: buyers here prize a legible dial and a movement that keeps time over unusual complications, so watches get worn carefully, serviced on schedule and kept with their box and papers — buying a ten-year-old piece in Tokyo is not the same transaction as buying that same piece elsewhere. The city runs all three tiers at once: authorised boutiques, the grey market, and unmarked third-floor dealers you would never find alone. The person with you works in the trade rather than in tourism: they check the condition, sanity-check the asking price against the market, and know which shops deal straight. You do not have to be a collector to come — most people who book this are looking for their first serious watch.
What's included
- A private watch specialist with you
- A route built around what you are actually looking for
- Both flagship boutiques and second-hand dealers
- Appointments made in advance where a shop needs one
- A private car for the session
Not included
- The watch itself
- Tax and any transfer fees
🗓️ How the day runs
- 09:00
Pickup at the hotel. The person with you works in the trade, not in tourism — tell us beforehand which references you are after so the day goes to the right shops instead of all of them.
- 09:45
The flagship boutiques in Ginza and Nihonbashi, where the new stock and the waiting lists are. Your companion knows which of them will bring pieces out of the case for a foreign visitor and which will not.
- 11:30
The second-hand district. This is where Tokyo genuinely beats other cities: pre-owned watches here are kept and documented better than in almost any other market.
- 13:00
Lunch, if you want to stop. Plenty of visitors skip it to keep going, and that is fine — the day is not on rails.
- 14:00
Back to whichever shop you liked, to look properly and to negotiate — or on to another if nothing landed. Your companion interprets both the haggling and the tax-refund paperwork.
- 15:30
The car is waiting outside the last shop. If you bought something, this is when your companion runs a last check over the box, the warranty papers and the tax-refund receipt before you leave the district.
- 16:00
Back at the hotel. The tax refund and the packing were finished in the shop, so there is no second trip.
What moves the price
- How many hours
- How many shops need appointments
- Which districts
💴 This is an opening figure for a small group. The final price depends on the date, the party size and the supplier — we ask each of them and come back with a quote that itemises every line.
Conditions to know first
- Tell us what you are after in advance; the route is built afterwards, it is not a fixed loop
- Bring your passport if you intend to buy tax-free
- • How does booking work — is it instant?
- It is not an instant-confirm button. You send a request at the bottom of this page and we reply with a written quote: the final price, exactly what it covers, and the cancellation terms for that specific trip. The booking exists only once you accept that quote. Slower than a Book Now button, but nothing gets sold to you that is not actually available.
- • Will we be grouped with other travellers?
- No. Every tour in these two sections is private: your party only, your own vehicle, your own host. No sharing, no waiting on strangers.
- • Is this wasted on someone who is not a collector?
- No. Your companion asks where you are with all this and pitches the day there — from the beginning if you are new, straight into condition and pricing if you are not. Most people who book this are looking for their first serious watch, not adding to a collection.
- • Can we buy on the day, and is the watch itself part of the price?
- Yes you can, and the watch is NOT included in the tour price — the price covers the specialist and the car. They check the condition, sanity-check the asking price against the market, interpret the negotiation and handle the tax-free paperwork in the shop. We take no commission from any dealer, so the advice does not lean.
- • Are the shops fixed, or can the day follow one brand?
- There is no fixed loop. Tell us the brand, the reference or the budget you have in mind and we build the route afterwards, booking appointments where a shop needs one. One thing said plainly so you do not expect the wrong thing: Tokyo flagships do not hold pieces on request and will not reserve a rare reference, so getting you through the door is ours to arrange — whether that particular watch is in the case that day is nobody's to promise.
- • Where does pickup and drop-off happen?
- Pickup and drop-off at your hotel inside the central area of the city named on the tour, included in the price. Outside that area we can still collect you — the surcharge is written into the quote, never added when you get in the car.
- • Can the itinerary be changed?
- Yes. The hour-by-hour schedule above is the version that works best, not a fixed mould. More driving time, a different meal, an extra night, or dropping a leg — write it in your request; the price moves with it and the change is spelled out in the quote.
- • What languages does the team speak?
- Put the language you want in your request. The quote tells you whether someone who speaks it is free ON YOUR DATE — we do not promise a language and then tell you on the day that nobody is available.
- • When and how do we pay?
- You pay nothing before you have read and accepted the quote. Payment method, payment dates and which part needs a deposit to hold a third-party booking are all written into that quote. Nothing appears afterwards.
- • How far ahead should we book?
- The earlier the surer. Helicopters, ryokan rooms, supercars and tables at small restaurants all have very few slots a day — money does not conjure one up. Ask anyway if your dates are close: if it is open we will take it, and if it is not we will say so plainly.
Cancellation and date changes
The cancellation terms for your trip are written into your quote, and you read them BEFORE you pay anything.
We do not post one blanket rule like "cancel X days ahead for Y% back" across this section, because every trip holds different bookings: an aircraft charter, a ryokan room, a supercar, a table with a handful of seats. Each supplier has its own terms and most are paid up front. One shared number reads tidily and would be the wrong number on most trips.
The rule we hold to: anything not yet paid out to a supplier can be cancelled, and anything already paid that the supplier will not refund we call non-refundable out loud — at quote time, not at the moment you ask to cancel. If you want a different date, ask before cancelling: moving a booking usually costs far less than dropping it.
