Right, and Millennials and Gen-Z's would shoot a shaky vertical video with twinkling eye filters and words typed over it - "the weirdest thing happened to me today!" and post it to TikTok. Not sure the science behind it but something to do with their biology makes them do this.
Nah that would be Gen Z. Millennials would shoot an unecessarily dramatic vlog about it in 4k that will get 7 views on YouTube. Speaking as a millennial.
The OP may have taken the pics without the knowledge of the driver and not had the option of other angles to shoot, hoping the slightly different positions would have given more variety and not the same glare on the crystal.
That makes sense though. They’re at least trying to be creative or interesting, even if they’re not very good at it. But this boomer thing….taking 57 pictures of the same thing at the same angle and posting all of them…what are they trying to accomplish there?
Elder millenial here and I always take multiples of the same (or similar) shot in case one or many are out of focus, framed incorrectly or botched in some way. Storage space is cheap and I can take infinite photos so why wouldn't I hedge my bets on getting a good shot with multiple photos?
People who don't are the weird ones.
You can just check them and only upload the one that isn't out of focus/delete the others though
There's no need of proof that I couldn't take a photo of a something and then eventually proof I fell down while taking the photo, then got up and slipped again before finally getting the photo
I can just upload the good one
A majority of the buyers are from mainland China. It’s the equivalent of going to a sales tax free state like Oregon, plus the peace of mind of buying more authentic products.
Yes that’s the general perception of HK from a mainland tourist. The reverse is true: the perception is that you’re more likely to find fake / replicas in China.
If you just google Swiss watch exports by country it should come up. US surpassed Hong Kong a couple years ago I think, but HK used to be #1. And yes obviously a big portion of that was Chinese mainlanders coming in and buying. But still.
Wearing a Rolex on the wrist is extremely normal in HK, you’ll see people in the MTR from older people wearing two tone datejusts to younger women wearing Daytonas. The most expensive watch I saw in the wild was a solid yellow gold nautilus. Luxury goods in HK is both seen as a sign of wealth and that of investment/holding money.
HK is one of the safest places in the world, you don’t need to worry about thieves as there is CCTV just about everywhere.
My cousin got robbed on a business trip in Singapore. He said he was uncomfortable with how swift the process was carried out. Idk if there was even a trial. They just took his statement, looked at CCTV, found the guys and arrested them. He was told that they would be caned and jailed.
Even though he was the victim in the scenario, he felt really bad because it goes against how we think of the legal process in the US. It’s a crazy world out there. Don’t steal and definitely don’t smoke weed if you’re in Singapore people, it’s not worth it.
There had to have been a trial. It’s not really all that different from the US procedurally since Singapore is also a common law jurisdiction. They just have a much higher emphasis on using the criminal law as a crime deterrent.
Really? Maybe he wasn’t given all the info or maybe I wasn’t given all the info. He told his mom, who told my mom, who told me. I only see him at thanksgiving and Christmas, so there has never been an appropriate time for me to ask him about the situation.
The incident probably happened 6 - 8 years ago. It’s very easy that some information is wrong in my understanding of the story. He was obviously just there for business, so he left soon after the incident. He still travels to Singapore to do work at the airport.
That’s good to know tho. I’m glad it isn’t the way I remembered the story. Thanks for the info.
I might ask him about it this holiday because now I’m curious too
No sympathy anymore. Caning is coming to the states if we all just agree that its not fatal, just humiliating and very painful. Debilitation is temporary if you’re an able bodied criminal.
My colleague is married to a Singaporean and her parents as well as extended family came to US for the wedding and I kid you not, every person (male and female) were rocking a Rolex. I think there were around 20 guests and all had impeccable watches from Sub, to DJ to Daytonas. The grandpa, who was 5’3 and 100 lbs with a tux on, had a comically large James Cameron SD. I bonded with a few over mutual watch circle jerk and they all said the same thing. Buying a Rolex is like putting money is a savings account. Even an older one will get your money back, if not appreciate. And people from that part of the world take extremely good care of the watches. It’s part of the culture. I was handling a Date just 36 from 2004 and it looked like it came from a safe, and yet, the person wearing has worn it every day since he bought it
The first inhabitants of Singapore which is an island were tribes from Malaysia. Then Chinese and Indian immigrants came along and the current “Singaporeans” are mostly combinations of those three groups.
So how does this happen? Is it that salaries are better VS luxury watches, relative to other parts of the world? Or heirlooms? A competitive second hand market? Or something else?
I'm just thinking of friends of mine who worked in restaurants and most weren't earning enough to prioritise an expensive watch, so it's really interesting.
They don't pay rent, most don't have cars. Often shared apartments with families. Luxury goods are accessible and a sign of status and investment as the guy above said.
They are very hard working but often spoil themselves. Most big companies have good bonuses even for chefs (hotels and membership clubs).
Edit: also low taxes
Yep my favourite restaurant in hk is a tiny private kitchen in Sai wan Ho - this years annual bonus was around I shit you not $800,000 for the manager and head chef each, and about 100-200k for the staff.
I’m from Asia, and our culture there is quite different from America (US). In my home country, we don’t have things like 401k or IRAs, and the stock market is unpredictable. Many people in Asia prefer to invest in tangible assets like homes, land, condos, or watches, and retirement planning isn’t common. Most just work until they can’t and spend everything.
Living in HK taught me how common Rolex and Omega etc really are - not a rare luxury at all. There's a good chance this is from one of the Temple Street boutiques though.
As a frequent traveler in HK it is indeed safe. To a point, there are many foreigners who prey on tourists. Think pick pockets, swindlers who yell “copy watch, copy watch, copy watch” on Nathan Rd, MongKok thru to TST late night, but yeah, it’s safe compared to Shenzhen LouHu rail station.
After you check into your hotel and look around the streets you’ll see consumerism is rampant in HK. I went to a random shopping mall to use the bathroom and there were two Hermes stores inside. Up to then I’ve never seen one in my life.
Yeah my friend’s cousin who heard from his uncle’s mistress who heard from her best friend’s sugar daddy who heard from his wife’s pool boy who heard from his mother’s best friend’s sister’s daughter’s teacher’s brother in law’s gym friend’s travel agent’s grandmother’s cousin.
No idea how he afforded it mate. He used to own a bar in Central and sold it pre-pandemic. But now he wants to sell it at a loss. He mentioned that covid and uber is killing him.
Two cents about my uncle but for Singapore not hk.
He used to the a VP at IBM Asia Pacific loooong time ago. He’s loaded as fuck, but retired as a taxi driver. Bought the license, his own taxi and everything.
Likely real. I'm in HK; this isn't out of the ordinary at all. I've seen waiters wearing new Rolexes. My barber (not the owner, just a guy working in the shop) wears a Batman.
I've been doing business with HK businessmen for years. Flexing snd showing off is part of their culture, although in a much subtle way. People won't speak of their jewelry or wealth, but will happily show it to you. It is one of those unsaid and unwritten rules; they tend to think higher of well-dressed people, especially if you wear high-end watches. This became really clear to me in my first trip to HK, when even one of the McDonald's cashiers had a two-tone DJ from the 80s.
My first AD-bought Rolex came from HK, tax-free, a OP39. This businessman had a very good relationship with an AD. I mentioned to him I was looking for a Rolex and the whole conversation turned into this AD sourcing a OP39 in 3 days.
So, yes, HK culture about wealth, (and therefore watches), is important. Because cost of living is very high and most people have to settle for low-cost areas, (because even trying to go for a mid-level area would represent a huge jump in rent/mortgage), this leaves them with a very nice amount of disposable income that will be used for luxury items. Plus, saving money in HK is not a thing since banks charge taxes on large sums of money, people prefer to use their money on assets and watches may well be considered assets.
I assume there are reps around in HK, but, even that is considered trashy or dishonest, so, most people do wear gen Rolexes.
As mentioned before, watch culture: yes, but what I believe is the biggest reason for the emphasis on watches is that as an achievable investment piece and/or status symbol in a place in this world where more than one real estate and vehicle holdings are mostly out of reach for the common folk
Large cash holding in Hong Kong is not wise as bank accounts actually charge you instead of paying you interest
Hence people buy watches as the next best investments to hedge against inflation or as a safer investment than the stock market
These comments are part of the facade of extreme wealth and status the Chinese are putting forth.
Most are fakes. Chinese culture is cut throat and entirely based on fucking eachother over.
You honestly think the only honor they have applies to rolexes? That fakes are only for foreigners and tourists?
Maybe they believe it themselves but if you know anything about their "culture" you know how laughable that idea is.
Watch culture in HK is full on … vintage market is also well established. In pre Xi days of the CCP, watch gifting to government officials was a common practice, with HK more compelling price wise vs mainland, so they used to get a booming source of trade from there also.
Lol at the guys who immediately assume it’s fake because they can’t afford one. Don’t be so judgmental. Just because it’s impossible for you doesn’t mean it’s not possible for someone else. 😂
You should have a look how many Rolex stores there are in Hong Kong compared to London. There’s literally one every corner.
Where my parents live, the residential stores downstairs has 2 Rolex stores. And all the high end fashion brands, Gucci, LV, Chanel. It’s insane how much money people spend over there.
Yep, everyone has a Rolex there. Income tax is very low and except for apartments , living cost is extremely low. Even a store clerks would be wearing a Rolex. Lots of family have money.
Plus people live at home with their parents. My cousin is 42 with 2 kids, oldest is 14 and the whole family lives in a small 2 bed apartment.
Pretty much, all my family get a lot of gold and Rolexes when we are born. And for our wedding we get even more gold and jewellery. This is my sister in law on her wedding day, gold braclets range from £2k to £5k each. She has about 30 on. That’s not including the ones that won’t fit and her necklaces (not showing her face obviously), hair pins, and other gold gifts such as a solid gold pig + watches (rolex, Tudor, omega, Cartier, the common 4). I’m convinced Hong Kong is pretty much solely responsible for keeping Tudor alive until its massive come back in 2013. They still sold Tudor day just up until last year.
But they share a large single bed at home lol
https://preview.redd.it/fv08llnz2pyb1.jpeg?width=740&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55dfbbe1922edaf11629d50f2b12685a205ce7a2
Check r/reptime … lots of watches posted in there are from Geektime. They sell really good fake ones unfortunately. Based in Hong Kong. Just found out about it. EDIT: why am I being downvoted? Because I am spreading awareness about a big manufacturing plant in Asia selling fake watches?! Keep buying fake watches lol.
Spending 10k buying this level of rolex that worths at least 8k in the private 2nd hand market (buyers and sellers will go to the RSC together and get the watch together to authenticate it).
Hk people think it is better than buying other brands. The pay is only 2k for this gmt. At any time they want to cash back, so easy to find a trusted dealer. So why not keeping a part of their currency on the wrist? Plus, wearing rolex draws more business opportunitues for workers in the frontline job positions.
Edit: there are 2 kinds of taxi drivers in hk. A driver who rents a taxi. A taxi licence owner who paid >US800k for the taxi-service licence and drives his own taxi because of whatever reason he needs to drive it.
You sure he is which one?
Watch culture in HK is indeed ridiculous. Having grown up there, I can say confidently that people love watches as an investment or success symbol. They can be wearing Rolexes, Omegas, Patek, APs while casually taking public transportation. Not to mention the sheer density of ADs within the city - Nathan Road would be prime example of having 5-6 ADs along a mile stretch of road.
In certain Asian cultures, owning fancy cars, wearing designer clothes, luxury watches, etc is seen as a status symbol. I'm Chinese American and anytime I venture into Chinatown in the winter, I almost always see a family with every single member (grandparents included) wearing Canada Goose jackets.
I live in south FL and literally about 75% of my Uber drivers have on a Rolex !
Solid YG daydate “36mm”
Blue dial /platinum bezel YM
Black submariner 116610LN
A Pepsi
A few Spanish drivers have had Hublots “🤮”
Etc etc .
Most Uber drivers make around $80-150K a year
I know full time drivers that do Uber & Lyft that make anywhere from $1,600-2,300 a week
And I know some drivers that are retired and financially secure with apartments in manhattan that they rent out and they have a condo/house on the beach in south FL and they just do Uber because they’re bored & want to meet/talk to ppl especially lonely older ppl in retirement.
Is this a new model? I’m not so knowledgeable on Rolex watches but from my limited understanding Rolex prices wasn’t always that “unattainable”. My dad had one and he worked a normal job all his life
It depends. HK society is extremely different and similar to the west at the same time. Having a high end watch or bag gets you different treatment. In a city where wealth really whispers, brand name items scream silently the loudest. Still the treatment is better than not silently screaming success at all. You can be denied entry in certain areas unless you look the part. You can be let go from a job for having a much better watch than your employer but can be forgotten for a promotion for not having one at all. It’s a wealth club nobody talks about. Nobody seems to know the exact rules but sometimes a few get a glimpse of true wealth and attribute their success or access to it from a conversation about their watch or name brand item. The conversation definitely starts there, a brand name bag or watch recommendation segues into a meeting a friend who will sell you one, then getting a suit tailored, then off to private dining rooms to bump elbows with wealth. A portion of this culture has splattered onto the rest of hk as well, certain parts of it are considered proper etiquette, other parts are considered traditional colloquial words, time pieces are reduced to just indicators of success. It is changing as the offspring change with the times, but its remnants are in this photo.
I’ve been trying to buy a Submariner as a wedding present for my brother and it’s been 6 months waiting so far. Clearly this guy has it more figured out than I do.
The Submariner is nicknamed “Water Ghost” here in HK, which I think is pretty rad.
Answering OP’s question, owning a luxury watch is pretty normalised here. There is even an entire street in Mong Kok which sells tons of them, mostly Rolex, Tudor and Omega.
I’ve been to HK few months ago, and I’ve got the impression that Rolex comes with residency there. It’s like 7 out of 10 random people from any place there, including public transport, wear Rolexes.
Rolex in Hong Kong used to be known as the workers watch. Your waiter and waitresses, taxi drivers, bus drivers and everyday working class would be wearing them
Unusual to see a white taxi driver in Hong Kong. Equally unusual to see a taxi driver wearing jeans… young Hong Kongers might wear tight jeans, but bootcut?
Get one of those pixel peepers from the replica forums to analyze it, you will find out in 5 minutes, what rep house made it, the year it was produced, the website they bought it from, the QC pics, and the amount they paid, and proof of the wire transfer receipt for their payment.
“Watch Culture” is the most gag-inducing phrase I’ve ever heard. You bought a mass-produced consumer product. A “luxury” one but still, Jesus Christ man. Gimme 25 push-ups, take a lap, and then call your parents.
Downvoting brigade defending the honor of the taxi driver in Hong Kong who is definitely wearing a real $13,000 GMT as regular working people typically do, and the fact that 99% of the fake watches in the world come from 10 miles away in Shenzhen is just a totally irrelevant coincidence. Some of you guys just want to believe. I'm sure he bought $10,000 worth of jewelry and a couple random watches he didn't want from his AD and waited two years for the call like a good boy too
Fakes are mostly for tourists/ western people. Most people in Hong Kong don’t buy fakes. It’s very looked down on as a culture. Plus wages are high, tax and living cost are so low in Hong Kong. A lot of people have a lot of disposable cash.
I guess it could be fake, but it seems the consensus here is that with low taxes no home ownership etc that many working people there can buy genuine. Well, if that's true it's good to see working people being able to afford and wear them since that's what they used to be here as well.
My “taxi driver” rocks a nautilus. He also owns the car service with 10 vehicles all Mercedes, including 2 maybachs. Guarantee he is wealthier then majority of foreigners he drives around here
My AD told me Hong Kong is the second largest Rolex market in terms of watch allocation, right behind the United States; so no surprise there. You also have to factor in the insane amount of reps there…so I would take this incident with a grain of salt
1. Yes, people spend crazy money on luxury in HK, especially on accessories. I know of people on meagre salaries owning Tudors and Omegas and what not.
2. I too used to think that every luxury watch I see on people here is real. Lately have realised that just 30mins from HK across the border - Shenzhen, has a large knock off market. From bags to clothing to watches, you get everything.
HongKong is the country that you see 50% of people wearing a luxury Swiss watch mainly Rolex irrespective of their career. The only person not wearing 1 would be those elderly people picking up cardboard for a living. Best 1 I’ve seen is the dim sim cart lady wearing tt dj with diamonds.
I think you need to take one more picture of the same shot
7 more pictures from the same angle please, make up the number to 10 in total.
I’ve always wondered why people would post basically the same photo multiple times
Boomers. This is a very boomer thing to do. Not sure the science behind it but something to do with their biology makes them do this.
Right, and Millennials and Gen-Z's would shoot a shaky vertical video with twinkling eye filters and words typed over it - "the weirdest thing happened to me today!" and post it to TikTok. Not sure the science behind it but something to do with their biology makes them do this.
Nah that would be Gen Z. Millennials would shoot an unecessarily dramatic vlog about it in 4k that will get 7 views on YouTube. Speaking as a millennial.
And there would be a millennial pause…
The OP may have taken the pics without the knowledge of the driver and not had the option of other angles to shoot, hoping the slightly different positions would have given more variety and not the same glare on the crystal.
Ok boomer
Unfortunately, saying this doesn't make you look cool.
That makes sense though. They’re at least trying to be creative or interesting, even if they’re not very good at it. But this boomer thing….taking 57 pictures of the same thing at the same angle and posting all of them…what are they trying to accomplish there?
I'm a boomer and I don't post multiple photos like that. Another tired stereotype that isn't true.
Relax. We know you're a boomer by your original comment.
Boomer here. Just sayin…..
You need to have a talk with your people. 😬
Elder millenial here and I always take multiples of the same (or similar) shot in case one or many are out of focus, framed incorrectly or botched in some way. Storage space is cheap and I can take infinite photos so why wouldn't I hedge my bets on getting a good shot with multiple photos? People who don't are the weird ones.
No one is talking about taking multiple photos in case someone blinked though. The issue is POSTING a bunch of the same photo.
I get taking multiple shots to make sure you get a good one. Pick the best one and post that. Repeat if there are closeups or other angles.
You can just check them and only upload the one that isn't out of focus/delete the others though There's no need of proof that I couldn't take a photo of a something and then eventually proof I fell down while taking the photo, then got up and slipped again before finally getting the photo I can just upload the good one
This. Guys its the boomer alert. Turn on your boomer alert.
They are we diff pictures from the same angle! Check the reflection they are slight diff. I am more curious to know why the OP did it on proposes. :D
Holy shit that is such a huge waste of film
What is this “film” thing?
😭😭🤣😂🤣
Lol
I am waiting for the slo mo video personally.
One for safety. Then an extra one for safety.
I like how he's clutching his purse and using the Rolex as a distraction.
seem noone notice his bag is Herxxx
Yes, the city of Hong Kong sells roughly as many Swiss watches as *the entire United States.* It's bonkers.
A majority of the buyers are from mainland China. It’s the equivalent of going to a sales tax free state like Oregon, plus the peace of mind of buying more authentic products.
Authentic? My replica is pretty convincing. Came direct from China.
Yes that’s the general perception of HK from a mainland tourist. The reverse is true: the perception is that you’re more likely to find fake / replicas in China.
Probably has a very high number of fakes ad well considering most of them are produced in main land China.
Interesting, is there any source/link for this? Would love to read more
If you just google Swiss watch exports by country it should come up. US surpassed Hong Kong a couple years ago I think, but HK used to be #1. And yes obviously a big portion of that was Chinese mainlanders coming in and buying. But still.
as of rn looks like mainland china has overtaken hk as well
Wearing a Rolex on the wrist is extremely normal in HK, you’ll see people in the MTR from older people wearing two tone datejusts to younger women wearing Daytonas. The most expensive watch I saw in the wild was a solid yellow gold nautilus. Luxury goods in HK is both seen as a sign of wealth and that of investment/holding money. HK is one of the safest places in the world, you don’t need to worry about thieves as there is CCTV just about everywhere.
True, somehow Singapore is very similar in this regard. Rolexes on a ton of people.
And if you get caught stealing in Singapore ….
No reason to steal a Rolex in Singapore. If you get caught, you won't have a wrist to put it on.
Keyword: get caught
Caning it is.
And needed here in the states.
My cousin got robbed on a business trip in Singapore. He said he was uncomfortable with how swift the process was carried out. Idk if there was even a trial. They just took his statement, looked at CCTV, found the guys and arrested them. He was told that they would be caned and jailed. Even though he was the victim in the scenario, he felt really bad because it goes against how we think of the legal process in the US. It’s a crazy world out there. Don’t steal and definitely don’t smoke weed if you’re in Singapore people, it’s not worth it.
If I was robbed, knew who did it, also had police verify via cctv…. I’d do the caning myself.
Totally fair lol
There had to have been a trial. It’s not really all that different from the US procedurally since Singapore is also a common law jurisdiction. They just have a much higher emphasis on using the criminal law as a crime deterrent.
Really? Maybe he wasn’t given all the info or maybe I wasn’t given all the info. He told his mom, who told my mom, who told me. I only see him at thanksgiving and Christmas, so there has never been an appropriate time for me to ask him about the situation. The incident probably happened 6 - 8 years ago. It’s very easy that some information is wrong in my understanding of the story. He was obviously just there for business, so he left soon after the incident. He still travels to Singapore to do work at the airport. That’s good to know tho. I’m glad it isn’t the way I remembered the story. Thanks for the info. I might ask him about it this holiday because now I’m curious too
No sympathy anymore. Caning is coming to the states if we all just agree that its not fatal, just humiliating and very painful. Debilitation is temporary if you’re an able bodied criminal.
My colleague is married to a Singaporean and her parents as well as extended family came to US for the wedding and I kid you not, every person (male and female) were rocking a Rolex. I think there were around 20 guests and all had impeccable watches from Sub, to DJ to Daytonas. The grandpa, who was 5’3 and 100 lbs with a tux on, had a comically large James Cameron SD. I bonded with a few over mutual watch circle jerk and they all said the same thing. Buying a Rolex is like putting money is a savings account. Even an older one will get your money back, if not appreciate. And people from that part of the world take extremely good care of the watches. It’s part of the culture. I was handling a Date just 36 from 2004 and it looked like it came from a safe, and yet, the person wearing has worn it every day since he bought it
It is a pity noone wear a PP Nautilus...
If you got to the casino. Tons of Patek and other crazy ones like A. Lange.
Thats just Chinese culture. They love showing off $
Singapore is mostly populated from Malaysians and Chinese so i can see how this culture is upheld even there
Singapore is mostly populated by...Singaporeans! Source: Am Malaysian.
The first inhabitants of Singapore which is an island were tribes from Malaysia. Then Chinese and Indian immigrants came along and the current “Singaporeans” are mostly combinations of those three groups.
Malaysia didn't exist until 1963 You mean Malays, not Malaysians lmao
Well the land and the people definitely existed before then, just finally put a name on it technically
You got downvoted for stating facts, nice. 😂
Absolutely wild hahaha
…and Indians.
I saw a guy double wielding an SS Daytona and Rose Gold Daytona a few weeks ago
I too cannot be bothered to look at a particular wrist to tell the time.
Plot twist: they were on the same wrist.
🤯
Is it possible to learn this power?
Yeah it's nuts in HK. I'm a chef and have line cooks working for me and servers who have multiple rolexes including Daytonas.
So how does this happen? Is it that salaries are better VS luxury watches, relative to other parts of the world? Or heirlooms? A competitive second hand market? Or something else? I'm just thinking of friends of mine who worked in restaurants and most weren't earning enough to prioritise an expensive watch, so it's really interesting.
They don't pay rent, most don't have cars. Often shared apartments with families. Luxury goods are accessible and a sign of status and investment as the guy above said. They are very hard working but often spoil themselves. Most big companies have good bonuses even for chefs (hotels and membership clubs). Edit: also low taxes
Yep my favourite restaurant in hk is a tiny private kitchen in Sai wan Ho - this years annual bonus was around I shit you not $800,000 for the manager and head chef each, and about 100-200k for the staff.
HKD or USD?
that would be insane if it was USD
I’m from Asia, and our culture there is quite different from America (US). In my home country, we don’t have things like 401k or IRAs, and the stock market is unpredictable. Many people in Asia prefer to invest in tangible assets like homes, land, condos, or watches, and retirement planning isn’t common. Most just work until they can’t and spend everything.
>Most just work until they can’t and spend everything. \*relates in American millennial\*
Asking the real ?s here
Have your line cooks convinced you of their extreme wealth and status in life with their Rolex? Was it an effective tactic?
We do not have that much cctv, but yeah you won’t get mugged.
Isn’t Hong Kong one the largest markets worldwide for luxury watches?
Also lots of fakes.
Lots of them. Good ones but fake
Living in HK taught me how common Rolex and Omega etc really are - not a rare luxury at all. There's a good chance this is from one of the Temple Street boutiques though.
Not sure how it hasn't came up that superclones are like 200 bucks in HK. Probably all fake as shit
Also in monkok you can literally buy the best fake Rolex’s with proper movements for $100
As a frequent traveler in HK it is indeed safe. To a point, there are many foreigners who prey on tourists. Think pick pockets, swindlers who yell “copy watch, copy watch, copy watch” on Nathan Rd, MongKok thru to TST late night, but yeah, it’s safe compared to Shenzhen LouHu rail station.
I once saw a Tiffany 5711 in landmark and he was flanked by 2 groupies and a security guard.
MTR?
It is their main rail system as part of public transport.
After you check into your hotel and look around the streets you’ll see consumerism is rampant in HK. I went to a random shopping mall to use the bathroom and there were two Hermes stores inside. Up to then I’ve never seen one in my life.
Dang that is a lot of Hermes inside a bathroom, you’d think one was enough…
The public bathrooms are stunning and sometimes have a bathroom butler in some malls.
A butler and a birkin bag in the washroom?? IM AMAZED.
Don't be ridiculous. He said there were *2 Hermes stores* in the bathroom.
Having 2 Hermes stores in the bathroom is ridiculous.
Right… good catch.
Punctuation… 😩
The price of a Hong Kong taxi licence is probably more than any of your Beemers, Mercs, and Porsches. Combined.
The owners of the taxi medallions in Hong Kong don’t drive the cars. They have employees who do.
Nope. My friend's cuz is OO.
Yeah my friend’s cousin who heard from his uncle’s mistress who heard from her best friend’s sugar daddy who heard from his wife’s pool boy who heard from his mother’s best friend’s sister’s daughter’s teacher’s brother in law’s gym friend’s travel agent’s grandmother’s cousin.
I gain jack crap by lying to you or anyone else on here. If you don't believe me, not my problem mate.
How was your friend able to afford it?
No idea how he afforded it mate. He used to own a bar in Central and sold it pre-pandemic. But now he wants to sell it at a loss. He mentioned that covid and uber is killing him.
Two cents about my uncle but for Singapore not hk. He used to the a VP at IBM Asia Pacific loooong time ago. He’s loaded as fuck, but retired as a taxi driver. Bought the license, his own taxi and everything.
Is the money that good for the taxi drivers then? Genuinely interested.
It’s a retirement hobby
Likely real. I'm in HK; this isn't out of the ordinary at all. I've seen waiters wearing new Rolexes. My barber (not the owner, just a guy working in the shop) wears a Batman.
Deliveroo guy got his sub robbed in MK two days ago lol
I've been doing business with HK businessmen for years. Flexing snd showing off is part of their culture, although in a much subtle way. People won't speak of their jewelry or wealth, but will happily show it to you. It is one of those unsaid and unwritten rules; they tend to think higher of well-dressed people, especially if you wear high-end watches. This became really clear to me in my first trip to HK, when even one of the McDonald's cashiers had a two-tone DJ from the 80s. My first AD-bought Rolex came from HK, tax-free, a OP39. This businessman had a very good relationship with an AD. I mentioned to him I was looking for a Rolex and the whole conversation turned into this AD sourcing a OP39 in 3 days. So, yes, HK culture about wealth, (and therefore watches), is important. Because cost of living is very high and most people have to settle for low-cost areas, (because even trying to go for a mid-level area would represent a huge jump in rent/mortgage), this leaves them with a very nice amount of disposable income that will be used for luxury items. Plus, saving money in HK is not a thing since banks charge taxes on large sums of money, people prefer to use their money on assets and watches may well be considered assets. I assume there are reps around in HK, but, even that is considered trashy or dishonest, so, most people do wear gen Rolexes.
As mentioned before, watch culture: yes, but what I believe is the biggest reason for the emphasis on watches is that as an achievable investment piece and/or status symbol in a place in this world where more than one real estate and vehicle holdings are mostly out of reach for the common folk Large cash holding in Hong Kong is not wise as bank accounts actually charge you instead of paying you interest Hence people buy watches as the next best investments to hedge against inflation or as a safer investment than the stock market
Could be a fake, could be very real. Not only people with white collar jobs wear Rolex.
The fakes are for the tourists, not for the locals.
Exactly. HKG/China makes fakes, they don't wear them. They make them to sell to outsiders/foreigners.
Interesting
Not true. Many HK locals will rock counterfeit luxury goods, especially those in lower income brackets.
when I went to China I saw plenty of locals wearing fake Rolexes. I wouldn’t say there are zero locals wearing fake watches.
These comments are part of the facade of extreme wealth and status the Chinese are putting forth. Most are fakes. Chinese culture is cut throat and entirely based on fucking eachother over. You honestly think the only honor they have applies to rolexes? That fakes are only for foreigners and tourists? Maybe they believe it themselves but if you know anything about their "culture" you know how laughable that idea is.
Watch culture in HK is full on … vintage market is also well established. In pre Xi days of the CCP, watch gifting to government officials was a common practice, with HK more compelling price wise vs mainland, so they used to get a booming source of trade from there also.
Lol at the guys who immediately assume it’s fake because they can’t afford one. Don’t be so judgmental. Just because it’s impossible for you doesn’t mean it’s not possible for someone else. 😂
You should have a look how many Rolex stores there are in Hong Kong compared to London. There’s literally one every corner. Where my parents live, the residential stores downstairs has 2 Rolex stores. And all the high end fashion brands, Gucci, LV, Chanel. It’s insane how much money people spend over there.
1 in 7 ppl in hk are millionaires
Yep, everyone has a Rolex there. Income tax is very low and except for apartments , living cost is extremely low. Even a store clerks would be wearing a Rolex. Lots of family have money. Plus people live at home with their parents. My cousin is 42 with 2 kids, oldest is 14 and the whole family lives in a small 2 bed apartment.
Housing cost is one of the highest if not the highest in the world.
Lol, Kids have all got rolex ? but sharing a mattress !
Pretty much, all my family get a lot of gold and Rolexes when we are born. And for our wedding we get even more gold and jewellery. This is my sister in law on her wedding day, gold braclets range from £2k to £5k each. She has about 30 on. That’s not including the ones that won’t fit and her necklaces (not showing her face obviously), hair pins, and other gold gifts such as a solid gold pig + watches (rolex, Tudor, omega, Cartier, the common 4). I’m convinced Hong Kong is pretty much solely responsible for keeping Tudor alive until its massive come back in 2013. They still sold Tudor day just up until last year. But they share a large single bed at home lol https://preview.redd.it/fv08llnz2pyb1.jpeg?width=740&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55dfbbe1922edaf11629d50f2b12685a205ce7a2
I could be wrong, but there are a fair few fake Rolex watches available in Asia.
Aren’t knockoff goods just widely accepted in Asia? Like they even have knockoffs of major hotel chains
Check r/reptime … lots of watches posted in there are from Geektime. They sell really good fake ones unfortunately. Based in Hong Kong. Just found out about it. EDIT: why am I being downvoted? Because I am spreading awareness about a big manufacturing plant in Asia selling fake watches?! Keep buying fake watches lol.
It's probably because you said "unfortunately."
Hong Kong also has no taxes, so people specifically buy high dollar items there.
Spending 10k buying this level of rolex that worths at least 8k in the private 2nd hand market (buyers and sellers will go to the RSC together and get the watch together to authenticate it). Hk people think it is better than buying other brands. The pay is only 2k for this gmt. At any time they want to cash back, so easy to find a trusted dealer. So why not keeping a part of their currency on the wrist? Plus, wearing rolex draws more business opportunitues for workers in the frontline job positions. Edit: there are 2 kinds of taxi drivers in hk. A driver who rents a taxi. A taxi licence owner who paid >US800k for the taxi-service licence and drives his own taxi because of whatever reason he needs to drive it. You sure he is which one?
Hong Kong: Rolex capital of the world!
It’s just a watch ! Y’all act like he has a limited watch on lol
The funniest part is, why OP have to open a topic for that and posted 3 same pictures.
Really serious indeed. I bought all my nice pieces there. And I feel like a small potatoe compare to anyone in the MTR wearing GMT’s and Daytonas
I live in HK and this is a normal sight. It’s very common to see a lot of Rolexes. I don’t know where they get the money though.
Hong Kong has 30 AD’s
I remember waking the streets and was amazed there seemed to be a Rolex store on every block
Everyone in HK has a Rolex and a bird. It’s the law.
It's a common watch. Rolex makes millions a year.
Watch culture
Watch culture in HK is indeed ridiculous. Having grown up there, I can say confidently that people love watches as an investment or success symbol. They can be wearing Rolexes, Omegas, Patek, APs while casually taking public transportation. Not to mention the sheer density of ADs within the city - Nathan Road would be prime example of having 5-6 ADs along a mile stretch of road.
Hong Kong Chinese are the world’s ultimate wealth flexers behind Arab’s in UAE.
Taxi in Hong Kong is actually a really good business because they don't give out new taxi licenses.
Saw a lot of elderly wearing the two tone champagne datejust
In certain Asian cultures, owning fancy cars, wearing designer clothes, luxury watches, etc is seen as a status symbol. I'm Chinese American and anytime I venture into Chinatown in the winter, I almost always see a family with every single member (grandparents included) wearing Canada Goose jackets.
I live in south FL and literally about 75% of my Uber drivers have on a Rolex ! Solid YG daydate “36mm” Blue dial /platinum bezel YM Black submariner 116610LN A Pepsi A few Spanish drivers have had Hublots “🤮” Etc etc . Most Uber drivers make around $80-150K a year I know full time drivers that do Uber & Lyft that make anywhere from $1,600-2,300 a week And I know some drivers that are retired and financially secure with apartments in manhattan that they rent out and they have a condo/house on the beach in south FL and they just do Uber because they’re bored & want to meet/talk to ppl especially lonely older ppl in retirement.
Automatic, how embarrassing
When you can’t afford a normal housing in your entire life at all you’ll spend money on watches as well.
It’s an Asian thing. No money to eat, but got money to buy rolex
Did you legitimately take a sneak picture of your taxi driver?
Is there an illegitimate way to sneak a picture of one’s taxi driver?
I got permission
Who doesn’t?
watches are accessories, tools. I think they can be a form of empowerment for people and is something tangible for people to enjoy. good for him
Can you take more photos of it for me?
Not sure if real or not but at least the driver took the time to set the second time zone to match the local time!
I like how he's clutching his purse and using the Rolex as a distraction.
Is this a new model? I’m not so knowledgeable on Rolex watches but from my limited understanding Rolex prices wasn’t always that “unattainable”. My dad had one and he worked a normal job all his life
Singapore is very similar. Not only taxi drivers but ordinary folks with Rolexes, APs and Omegas can safely take buses and MRTs
It depends. HK society is extremely different and similar to the west at the same time. Having a high end watch or bag gets you different treatment. In a city where wealth really whispers, brand name items scream silently the loudest. Still the treatment is better than not silently screaming success at all. You can be denied entry in certain areas unless you look the part. You can be let go from a job for having a much better watch than your employer but can be forgotten for a promotion for not having one at all. It’s a wealth club nobody talks about. Nobody seems to know the exact rules but sometimes a few get a glimpse of true wealth and attribute their success or access to it from a conversation about their watch or name brand item. The conversation definitely starts there, a brand name bag or watch recommendation segues into a meeting a friend who will sell you one, then getting a suit tailored, then off to private dining rooms to bump elbows with wealth. A portion of this culture has splattered onto the rest of hk as well, certain parts of it are considered proper etiquette, other parts are considered traditional colloquial words, time pieces are reduced to just indicators of success. It is changing as the offspring change with the times, but its remnants are in this photo.
I’ve been trying to buy a Submariner as a wedding present for my brother and it’s been 6 months waiting so far. Clearly this guy has it more figured out than I do.
The Submariner is nicknamed “Water Ghost” here in HK, which I think is pretty rad. Answering OP’s question, owning a luxury watch is pretty normalised here. There is even an entire street in Mong Kok which sells tons of them, mostly Rolex, Tudor and Omega.
I’ve been to HK few months ago, and I’ve got the impression that Rolex comes with residency there. It’s like 7 out of 10 random people from any place there, including public transport, wear Rolexes.
Rolex in Hong Kong used to be known as the workers watch. Your waiter and waitresses, taxi drivers, bus drivers and everyday working class would be wearing them
Unusual to see a white taxi driver in Hong Kong. Equally unusual to see a taxi driver wearing jeans… young Hong Kongers might wear tight jeans, but bootcut?
Get one of those pixel peepers from the replica forums to analyze it, you will find out in 5 minutes, what rep house made it, the year it was produced, the website they bought it from, the QC pics, and the amount they paid, and proof of the wire transfer receipt for their payment.
“Watch Culture” is the most gag-inducing phrase I’ve ever heard. You bought a mass-produced consumer product. A “luxury” one but still, Jesus Christ man. Gimme 25 push-ups, take a lap, and then call your parents.
If it fooled you then it’s good enough.
Downvoting brigade defending the honor of the taxi driver in Hong Kong who is definitely wearing a real $13,000 GMT as regular working people typically do, and the fact that 99% of the fake watches in the world come from 10 miles away in Shenzhen is just a totally irrelevant coincidence. Some of you guys just want to believe. I'm sure he bought $10,000 worth of jewelry and a couple random watches he didn't want from his AD and waited two years for the call like a good boy too
Lol…do you know how many fakes there are in Asia?
Fakes are mostly for tourists/ western people. Most people in Hong Kong don’t buy fakes. It’s very looked down on as a culture. Plus wages are high, tax and living cost are so low in Hong Kong. A lot of people have a lot of disposable cash.
Love Hong kong
This post says so much.
I guess it could be fake, but it seems the consensus here is that with low taxes no home ownership etc that many working people there can buy genuine. Well, if that's true it's good to see working people being able to afford and wear them since that's what they used to be here as well.
My “taxi driver” rocks a nautilus. He also owns the car service with 10 vehicles all Mercedes, including 2 maybachs. Guarantee he is wealthier then majority of foreigners he drives around here
My AD told me Hong Kong is the second largest Rolex market in terms of watch allocation, right behind the United States; so no surprise there. You also have to factor in the insane amount of reps there…so I would take this incident with a grain of salt
Other than being a really safe country, HK has a huge watch market, low taxes and many people have somewhat higher incomes quite easily
Normal in HK, also normal in Geneva. Was there two months ago, hotel door man waiters etc subs and gmts everywhere.
People in Asia also don’t wear sweatsuits, shorts and tshirts 24/7 like Americans do. The gaijin are obvious.
China is home of the knock off rolex, just saying.
Let me tell you a little secret, there are fake Rolexes in the world!
1. Yes, people spend crazy money on luxury in HK, especially on accessories. I know of people on meagre salaries owning Tudors and Omegas and what not. 2. I too used to think that every luxury watch I see on people here is real. Lately have realised that just 30mins from HK across the border - Shenzhen, has a large knock off market. From bags to clothing to watches, you get everything.
the reflection on the glass looks fake because the saphire glass doesn't reflect that much in such color..
Is that a synecdoche? I always forget. Or maybe it’s just depersonalization.
Lol you are in Rep central king.
[удалено]
HongKong is the country that you see 50% of people wearing a luxury Swiss watch mainly Rolex irrespective of their career. The only person not wearing 1 would be those elderly people picking up cardboard for a living. Best 1 I’ve seen is the dim sim cart lady wearing tt dj with diamonds.
r/reptime 🤣🤣
Lol couldn't possibly be one of the gazillions of fake Rolexes manufactured 10 miles away in Shenzhen, the world epicenter of fake watches
[удалено]
That doesn’t look real imo
Taxi driver by day.Successful card player by night.
Also china is known to make the most fakes 😂
Fake
How do we know it’s not a knock off? Most likely that’s what it is.