The Best Part of Watch Hunting in Japan Is the Hunt
The country known for vintage resale has a robust watch market and really interesting finds if you’re willing to look around.
There’s probably no better place in the world right now for resale watch selection and value than Japan. A weak yen coupled with immense variety means any watch enthusiast can likely find whatever it is they’re looking for and, in the case of most foreign passport holders (including Canadians), the added value of tax-free shopping.
A recent trip revealed just how extensive the selection can be. Any store worth its salt had at least a handful of Rolex Daytonas and a couple of Patek Philippes available. No one needs to wait for a specific Omega Speedmaster when most stores have a wide selection of classic and specialty models. Watch enthusiasts will undoubtedly visit places like Quark, Ginza Raisin, and Watchnian as they’re typically the most advertised and reputable shops for the biggest name brands. However, there’s much more to Japan’s watch scene than these major outlets.
Osaka, Japan
In Japan, watch stores are often tucked into corners—an odd spot in a train station or a small footprint within a larger shopping complex. Other times, they’re sandwiched between different stops entirely.
Take Tokyo’s Motohashi Clock Shop, for example. This no-frills storefront has sat less than a block away from the Naka-Meguro train station since 1950. It’s a bit past the trendy Daikanyama neighbourhood and in more of a working-class area. What Motohashi lacks in size it makes up for in unusual selection. The store carries a range of interesting vintage pieces from the 1960s through the early 2000s, including period fashion watches that you’d actually want to wear. Since it’s less focused on the tourist buyer, the store can carry fewer commodity models (like Submariners and Cartier) and more vintage Seiko and IWC.
In Osaka, the hunt takes on a different look. Most of the vintage shopping is centred in a small radius near the busy Dotonburi area. However, most tourists don’t seem to get off the main shopping street and into the side roads and alleys where the more interesting watch shopping gets underway. Stores like Brand Jungle and Gallery Rare carry watches right alongside Hermès and Chanel bags, and you’ll likely need to seek out the timepiece showcases to find viable options.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the size and range of what’s available in Japan. A strong, continual emphasis on what’s new and current means there’s a lot of turnover in the luxury goods market, and that creates significant vintage availability. The vast majority of available watches are in great condition, and those that are in lesser shape have been restored to a better quality than what you’d probably find in most other markets.
Even as Japan continues to see record inbound tourism, the thrill of finding a great watch in the country hasn’t subsided. The pricing may not be what it once was, and there are likely more shopping tourists around every corner, but it’s still exciting to visit and discover a great find that you can enjoy long after you’ve returned home.
