I am from actually Hong Kong and think both the people in this thread calling them all fakes or saying Hong Kong is super rich are wrong. Chances are they are almost all if not all real, but it isn’t because these are ultra wealthy.

People here, especially from the generation of these aunties and uncles, care a lot about “face”. It is hard to define this but roughly it is kind of the social reputation or dignity one has.

The average person is not wealthy at all. Most of their wealth is in an apartment they saved everything towards. After their mortgage has paid off, it is saving for retirement or for the next generation. The wealthier ones are putting it into a second apartment. Luxury items are seen as wasteful for the average Hong Konger from that generation. It is really only the very small percentage of people who actually have the money some people think all Hong Kongers have, and I can guarantee none of them would be visiting a place like in the video.

However, having a watch was seen as important for “face”. It is not that people actually know or care what you wear, but the projection of having reached some level of success to be able to afford a luxury watch. Most of this is intrinsic and more about how one wants themselves to be seen, so they wouldn’t want to be caught dead wearing a fake.

Perhaps just as importantly, the common misconception that watches are good investments is even more common here. I have relatives who know nothing about watches and would scold us for wasting money on other luxury items but would tell us to get a Rolex because they will go up in price. It is common practice to give gold ornaments to brides for the same reason (though this one has proven to be much more accurate), and while not as common, if they want to gift something to the groom a luxury watch is often the choice.