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?

At least 7 days before your date — the request form opens from that day. You get a final itemised quote by email. Earlier is surer: small venues and cars have very few slots a day.

One day · about 7 hours

Watch hunting in Tokyo with a specialist

from¥110,000/ group

Book at least 7 days ahead.

On request · final itemised quote by email

Request a quote

Tokyo 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.

🗓️ 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.

• 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?: At least 7 days before your date — the request form opens from that day. You get a final itemised quote by email. Earlier is surer: small venues and cars have very few slots a day.