So, I got this idea stuck in my head a while back. Wanted one of those classic Cartier watches, you know, the Tank. Not the brand new shiny ones, but a slightly older model, thought it had more character.
Heard Japan was a good place to look. People there seem to take really good care of their stuff, and sometimes you find models you don’t see elsewhere. Seemed like a decent plan at the time.
First stop: the internet, obviously.
Spent hours scrolling. Checked the main Cartier site for Japan, just to see. Then dove into the second-hand jungle. Sites like Chrono24, some Japanese marketplaces I barely understood. Google Translate working overtime.
Found a few potentials. Looked promising. But man, the hassle started quick.
- Prices were all over the place. Some seemed okay, others just crazy high.
- Shipping was a big question mark. Lots of sellers just wouldn’t ship outside Japan. Period.
- Then the language thing. Even with translation tools, trying to ask specific questions about condition or service history? Tough going. Got some replies that made zero sense.
Getting Nowhere Fast
Felt like I was hitting a wall. Saw a watch I really liked on some store’s site based in Tokyo. Looked legit. Good pictures. Price wasn’t terrible.
Tried emailing them. Took days to get a reply. Short, kinda blunt. Basically said “come to the store” or “use a proxy”.
Looked into proxy services. Seemed like another layer of complexity and cost. Fees for this, fees for that, insurance, handling… it all added up. Plus, you’re trusting someone else to check the thing out for you. Felt a bit risky for something that expensive.
Was it worth all this trouble?
Started thinking, maybe this Japan idea wasn’t so great after all. The hassle factor was getting pretty high. Stressing me out more than getting me excited about the watch.
It kinda reminded me of trying to get that limited edition sneaker drop last year. Hours wasted, site crashed, ended up empty-handed and annoyed. Same feeling here.
In the end, I just kinda… stopped looking there. Put the Japan search on hold. Maybe forever.
Ended up finding a decent one closer to home, actually. From a local dealer I could actually talk to and see the watch in person. Much simpler. Probably paid a bit more, maybe? But way less headache.
So yeah, that was my adventure trying to source from over there. Didn’t quite work out as planned. Learned a lesson, I guess. Sometimes the straightforward path is just better, even if it seems less exotic.
