Guides
These are the notes we work from: where the watches are, how Japanese sellers describe condition, what customs will do, and how to judge originality before money moves. If you would rather buy direct, they will still save you money.
Pillar guide · 12 min read
The complete route. Why Japanese supply is deep and cheap, the five channels watches actually come from, how to read a Japanese listing, what a fair price looks like, the seven ways a purchase goes wrong, and a pre-purchase checklist.
Updated 19 August 2026
Reference · 8 min read
How DAP works, what the carrier bills you and when, the antique-over-100-years rule and how to prove age, why under-declaring destroys your insurance, and what to do when a parcel is held.
Updated 19 August 2026
Reference
極美品, 訳あり, 未研磨, リダン, 現状渡し — around forty terms from Japanese listings with what each one actually implies for a buyer, plus the collector vocabulary of Zaratsu, Suwa, Daini and franken builds.
Method
The eight-point inspection: serial dating, redial detection, case polishing assessment, movement inspection, timing. What we check, and how you can check some of it yourself from good photographs.
Coming next. Guides in preparation: dating a Seiko from its serial number, King Seiko versus Grand Seiko for a first vintage purchase, and what a full overhaul in Japan actually costs. Ask for one and it moves up the queue.
Tell us the watch and we will tell you what it costs in Japan today.
