Good question! I've been thinking of doing that as well.

 

I haven’t bought a Grand Seiko from dealers in Japan, but I’ve bought several Seikos and Casios and never had a problem.

 

Any recommendations on dealers? Personal reference is best

 

I’ve used Seiya Japan, Sakura Watches, and an eBay seller called Nyankichi. Excellent service with all of them.

 

Awesome, thank you

 

Thanks for the info! It looks like the more I read, GS customer service leaves a lot to be desired, so now rethinking acquiring one.

 

That’s quite an understatement. GS service in the US is an embarrassment. The’ve probably lost me as a customer.

https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/time-for-a-service.5515728/

I bought both a GS and a Credor from Higuchi. Each time the transaction was flawless.

 

I bought a ca. 1993 Omega Seamaster from eLady in Japan a couple of years ago... excellent price and condition, and prompt delivery. I bought it via eBay but you can buy from them directly too.

 

I've purchase two watches from sellers in Japan through Chrono24. Both were good experiences. I've heard of some having to pay customs fees, but I had none.

 

Just purchased a SBGA443 from Chrono24. Nice service, the watch just arrived and I ordered it last week, so about a week from payment to delivery to the northeast US. There are several sellers—heard good things about Ippo annd Omicron. I purchased mine from Miyaran and things worked well.

 

I also used Chrono24 and highly recommend Omicron, quick and easy. No import duty or sales tax to Calif. was levied.

 

I believe that you owe import tariffs for anything above 5k. Anyone know if that's correct, and if so how much are import tariffs?

 

It's complicated. This seems to be a good summary. The Ultimate Guide: How to Import watches to the USA

 

I bought my first one from Takekawa

Takekawa | グランドセイコー公式サイト

日本の美意識をもって、腕時計の本質を果てしなく追求するGrand Seiko。最新コレクション、限定製品をはじめ、グランドセイコーのTAKUMIや歴史をご紹介します。

www.grand-seiko.com

トップページ - 時計◇宝石 タケカワ

栃木県宇都宮市のブランド時計正規販売店タケカワのホームページです。

www.takekawa-t.com

It was actually through their Rakuten store which goes by the name Tokeikan

https://item.rakuten.co.jp/tokeikan/c/0000000336/

They gave me the best discount, but it was a harder to find model. Also, this was 9 years ago so is this still good advice? Who knows, but it turned out very well and the service was great. I only communicated via email but there was a language barrier for sure

 

I bought an Omega Seamaster 300 Heritage from a dealer in Japan and it was far and away the best online purchase I've ever had, period--never mind a just watch purchase. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

 

I have purchased a number of JDM watches from across the pond, all with no issues.

Anything over $800 sale price will usually trigger some type of customs/shipping/whatever fees, otherwise everything for me has always been very smooth.

Just use a reputable/established vendor. Most require a signature acceptance upon delivery.

I was using Seiya and Rook, but it has been a while for me as well.



IMHO, I would take Domo's suggestions above if still viable? He knows his GS watches.

 

Good experience with Sakura here. Also, shipping via EMS/USPS is preferable to UPS, FedEx, or DHL.

 

positive experiences buying from a Japanese dealer and importing and if so, what dealer? Thanks!

I have purchased three pieces from "Closer" in Japan - all as advertised, prompt shipping, no issues.

 

I have been buying watches and clocks for years from japan. I have used Seiya, Higuchi, Nyankichi (on ebay) I have also bought used Grand Seiko watches from Mercari Japan and Yahoo Japan using Buyee. The GS were used quartz watches that were between $700 and $1200

 

Just purchased an SBGA445 from Ippo Watch through Chrono24. It should be on my wrist in a couple of days. The deal was way too good to pass up - nearly 35% off NIB with a valid warranty. That price is much better than anything I might find domestically, even if I’m hit with a couple hundred in import duties.

 

So it sounds like what we're describing is a sign of the times. These days it seems, in every field of endeavor, people just don't take pride in their work anymore. If you can actually find people who want to work, that is.

For a while now I've been going back and forth between pieces from GO, Blancpain and now GS for my next acquisition and this thread caused me to look into the service experiences of the other two brands and sure enough I found similar negative reviews.

So yeah, these days I guess you take your chances no matter what brand you're dealing with.

 

I think at the end of the day the best that you can do is buy watches that speak to you and that you enjoy wearing. And if you need service, and the experience sucks, then you just have to deal with it - just like the rest of life.

It would be nice if you got a premium service experience to go along with the premium price tag, but as you said, that might just not be the way things are these days.

 

Imported SBGE255 NP from Japan

 

Keigo Igarashi
japan-select . com
contemporary Japanese watches from Seiko, Casio and Citizen.

nonkun0508
ebay
vintage Seiko primarily from the late 60s.

 

I get that you’re angry. After reading your thread, you have every right to be and I would be, too. However, I’d argue the sample size of complaints is beyond small at this point.

Of course, make your own decisions based on past experiences and follow your gut but this reads like tarring with an extremely broad brush.

Mine would be, too and I’m glad you acknowledge the sample size is still very small, even with the addition of your negative experience.

I’m not making excuses for GS but my overall takeaway is that many brands need to do better. I’ve read similar service horror stories about JLC, Zenith, IWC and a handful of others that, given what they charge, should get it right the first time.

One thing is for sure, I will be extra careful if I have to send in a GS for service. I just purchased my second and will probably take detailed photos and maybe even video prior to shipping it to Mahwah if and when the time comes.

Absolutely, LosAngelesTimer, you are right that the sample size of complaints about Mahwah is small. Still, it's interesting to me that with all the people active on this subforum who have heard that GS Mahwah's work is dodgy, the only positive Mahwah service work I can recall was a quick mention by Nokie that he had one good and one bad experience with them.

I also agree with the good points raised by BrianBinFL, especially "I think at the end of the day the best that you can do is buy watches that speak to you and that you enjoy wearing. And if you need service, and the experience sucks, then you just have to deal with it - just like the rest of life. It would be nice if you got a premium service experience to go along with the premium price tag, but as you said, that might just not be the way things are these days." He said a lot of what I'm thinking better than I could have.

One would think that when a watch is returned to Mahwah for rework, Mahwah would know to be extra careful. I'd expect the boutique to mention it when they ship the watch. Maybe they did that here, but I don't think Mahwah got that message. The fact that my SBGJ001 went back for rework, returned with new damage, and had to go back again is mind-boggling.

As mentioned in my thread, my service experiences with WatchMann, SGUS, Stowa/Tempus Arte (and also Wilson Watch Works, forgot about that one) were fine - the watches went out, the watches came back serviced and undamaged. I think that, as BrianBinFL suggested, GS just doesn't care to improve their service (kind of like Seiko's diver bezel alignment issues?). What gets me is that GS promotes the luxury buying experience, nice boutiques, attentive representatives, but the level of service work I experienced was poor.

As for your second point, I took plenty of photos and it didn't make a difference as far as Mahwah damaging the watch, the photos will only help you after they get their hands on your watch and you are arguing with them about fixing screwups. BTW, the boutique rep mentioned that Mahwah photographs the watch upon receipt, I expect most high-end service operations do that. Since GS never disputed my contention that they caused the new scratches, I assume their photos backed me up.

Maybe the best GS mechanical ownership strategy is to buy a new or nearly-new GS, wear it happily for a few years, and then flip it at a reasonable price before the movement gets hinky, so you avoid the need for servicing. Or look to Spring Drives for their longer service intervals, or the 9Fs, which I understand require little attention beyond battery and seal changes.

Now - with apologies to OP - I am going to stop commenting in this thread - I've caused enough hijacking.

 

Absolutely, LosAngelesTimer, you are right that the sample size of complaints about Mahwah is small. Still, it's interesting to me that with all the people active on this subforum who have heard that GS Mahwah's work is dodgy, the only positive Mahwah service work I can recall was a quick mention by Nokie that he had one good and one bad experience with them.

I also agree with the good points raised by BrianBinFL, especially "I think at the end of the day the best that you can do is buy watches that speak to you and that you enjoy wearing. And if you need service, and the experience sucks, then you just have to deal with it - just like the rest of life. It would be nice if you got a premium service experience to go along with the premium price tag, but as you said, that might just not be the way things are these days." He said a lot of what I'm thinking better than I could have.

One would think that when a watch is returned to Mahwah for rework, Mahwah would know to be extra careful. I'd expect the boutique to mention it when they ship the watch. Maybe they did that here, but I don't think Mahwah got that message. The fact that my SBGJ001 went back for rework, returned with new damage, and had to go back again is mind-boggling.

As mentioned in my thread, my service experiences with WatchMann, SGUS, Stowa/Tempus Arte (and also Wilson Watch Works, forgot about that one) were fine - the watches went out, the watches came back serviced and undamaged. I think that, as BrianBinFL suggested, GS just doesn't care to improve their service (kind of like Seiko's diver bezel alignment issues?). What gets me is that GS promotes the luxury buying experience, nice boutiques, attentive representatives, but the level of service work I experienced was poor.

As for your second point, I took plenty of photos and it didn't make a difference as far as Mahwah damaging the watch, the photos will only help you after they get their hands on your watch and you are arguing with them about fixing screwups. BTW, the boutique rep mentioned that Mahwah photographs the watch upon receipt, I expect most high-end service operations do that. Since GS never disputed my contention that they caused the new scratches, I assume their photos backed me up.

Maybe the best GS mechanical ownership strategy is to buy a new or nearly-new GS, wear it happily for a few years, and then flip it at a reasonable price before the movement gets hinky, so you avoid the need for servicing. Or look to Spring Drives for their longer service intervals, or the 9Fs, which I understand require little attention beyond battery and seal changes.

Now - with apologies to OP - I am going to stop commenting in this thread - I've caused enough hijacking.

No apology necessary. Thanks for sharing your experiences - they were very valuable to me right now trying to make my decision.

 

Bought my first really nice watch, an Omega Speedmaster Reduced, from a well-known Japanese eBay seller around 2007-8ish. Great deal with no problems whatsoever. UPS collected the customs duty when I picked up the watch at the warehouse.

 

I have had excellent experiences with Seiko and Seiya. Shipping was as fast as getting a Watch sent from the East Coast USA, to the West Coast USA, even coming from Japan. No problem with customs. Vance.

 

I've bought a number of used GS 9F watches from Timepeaks a company that checks the advertised condition of watches in Japanese Pawn Shops before sending on after taking a small commission. I've been very happy - fast postage and great price. Not sure I would buy anything other than a bombproof 9F movement though.

 

UPDATE: And two more via Timepeaks and (via Chrono24) the Japanese Vendor 'BRAND SHOP LIPS' - all without incident and watches are in great condition. Yen is weak against the pound at the moment so worth it.

 

Just thought I would post here, as long as you buy from a reputable source who is able to take care of all the paperwork, it should be just fine.
I bought in October a watch from Japan, the shipment was fast, the watch was delivered with DHL who took a $68.60 import tax total (misc + tax on movement, case, etc.), which is roughly 1% of what I paid for the watch.
The store in question was Gallery Rare, they were professional and quick to answer questions.

 

Just an update- Miyaran shipped in two days, and this was an item that had to be procured! Today I got a call and email from Fedex saying that due to the value of the shipment, I had fill out some customs form (#5106 I believe.) Had to give my SSN, address, phone, signature. Hopefully this is all part of the process...

 

Yes, giving the SSN and other relevant personal info is needed. I did this a few years ago and I believe FedEx saved that info in my account, so I didn’t have to do it again this time around.

 

Watch arrived today. Looks great. Haven't seen a bill from FedEx yet for the import tariffs.

 

Very nice pickup, congrats! Wish I had the large wrists to wear GS Divers. You’ll probably see the import duty 1-2 weeks after delivery. It’s coming for sure 😂