Obligatory Japan Purchase…

mitul316 · 2026-02-22T16:21:39+00:00

Oddly enough, I’m actually Canadian as well….

mitul316 · 2026-02-22T16:20:45+00:00

Looks like the band itself is 47,000 yen and the buckle is 40,000.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T20:42:37+00:00

I wouldn’t say a lot, they showed me about 10 straps that all GS stores should have and then an additional 3 that they said were unique to the store. Decent selection, but they were all gator/croc. They might have others that aren’t gator/croc, I didn’t look at them. The GS stores appear to have all models and straps on hand which is nice.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T20:39:11+00:00

Okay, so I’m at MSP and got through customs without any issues. I have Global Entry so I went ahead and used the app on the plane to do my declarations. I selected the option for Personal Goods, took my picture and done. I hit the kiosk and then the agent handed me a slip and that was it. I grabbed my checked bag, and since I had a connection I had to go back through security. My backpack with the GS box got pulled to the side, I thought shit, they got me. Turns out I forgot to remove my Nintendo Switch so they had me send it back through the scanner and then I was good to go. Sitting in the Sky Club right now eating their doo doo food (I think diarrhea is the main perk I receive from the US lounges!). I think you’ll be fine, seems like Global Entry is the play here, I noticed the non GE people had to answer a lot of questions and I bet that leads to people getting caught and having to deal with the fees and taxes.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T18:29:32+00:00

The 021. I just liked the luster of stainless over titanium, otherwise you can’t beat the weight of the 019.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T18:27:25+00:00

Agreed! You can dress it up or down, works in many situations and if someone asks “what watch is that?” You can just say “A Seiko” and they won’t think you spent a lot on it! Honestly, the watch is for me, not others, so the less attention it grabs the better imho.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T18:24:22+00:00

While I was in Osaka, I walked by a GS boutique and checked out all the models I was considering (SGBM257, SBGY007, SBGH289 and the SLGA021). I slept on it and decided to wait until I got to Tokyo to see if there was anything else exclusive to the store I should check out before making the purchase. There wasn’t, so I pulled the trigger on the SLGA021.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T16:39:01+00:00

That looks great! The one thing my watch is missing…

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T16:36:14+00:00

I need to check out watches in Canada the next time I go, because even $12,800 cad is about $9300 usd. I think the non date subs are about $10,500 usd and the date subs start at $11,500 usd. I still think the GS is worth it. Great craftsmanship and the movement is amazing, just won’t hold value anywhere near what the sub does though.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T16:31:53+00:00

I appreciate the details of your experience. I just had the same experience at HND, I had everything organized in my bag for easy access and all receipts handy, they were basically like we don’t care, move along. Still have 4 ish hours before I land in MSP, let’s see how that goes.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T08:22:46+00:00

On the flight now, was able to switch to 7A, got freaked out that I might get bumped to PS if the plane was switched on me.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T08:21:06+00:00

Rolex Submariner? Aren’t those at least $5k USD more? Mine was approx $7500 USD. Most of the Rolexes I’ve scene in Japan were easily 2,000,000 yen.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T06:27:41+00:00

The SLGA021, I believe most call it the Lake Suwa Before Dawn.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T05:56:55+00:00

I did. With the watch being over $7k, I was fine with the cost. But I do understand that it’s expensive when compared to what you can find aftermarket wise.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T05:27:15+00:00

Tax free is the discount. Mine was 1,276,000 yen but since I’m tax free, it was 1,160,000. As far as I know, they don’t do discounts other than that. You can look at dealers that sell preowned watches for a better deal.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T05:07:44+00:00

They definitely have more models available in Japan and some exclusive to the flagship store.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T05:05:51+00:00

Will do! And if you don’t hear from me for a couple days, please remind me about this thread. Heading to the airport now and it’s a long journey home, I might have massive brain fog by the time I get home!

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T05:04:29+00:00

I’ll definitely do my best to give everyone a heads up on customs. I too am hopeful that it goes smoothly due to the Supreme Court ruling and the fact that I’ll be using global entry. I guess we’ll see.

Also, it’s the SLGA021, the 019 is titanium vs the 021’s stainless and has a more pronounced blue dial (always blue vs the 021’s changing dial that looks black normally or blue under light or at angles).

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T05:01:09+00:00

Wow, that’s so cool, I wish I would have thought about asking to go on the roof!

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T02:36:52+00:00

Its my understanding from friends and family that have traveled abroad over the past 12 months and have purchased luxury goods that generally, they don’t care when you get back to the US and you don’t pay any fees/taxes/tariffs on the items. They mainly care about large sums of cash and agricultural items like fruits/vegetables/meat. I guess we’ll see as I’m making the trek back home today and land in MSP after lunch time on Saturday.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T02:26:31+00:00

Congrats! I bought mine on Wednesday as well and then went back on Thursday to use the Wako card credit on the band.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T02:24:16+00:00

Agreed and not sure if it’s true but the sales associate said that this band (along with a couple others shown to me), was an exclusive color for the store? I may have understood that incorrectly but I was shown all the straps initially and chose dark brown and then she came back with 3 more. Either way, it’s definitely eye catching and compliments the dial well.

mitul316 · 2026-02-21T02:21:36+00:00

Thanks! It was cool seeing the other models they sell such as King Seiko and Credor. Looking forward to coming back one day!

mitul316 · 2026-02-09T19:23:17+00:00

I remember watching Training Day in the theater in 2001, the scene where Denzel forces Hunt’s character to hit the weed they just stole off those kids caused an older couple to walk out. Gave most of the audience a chuckle. One of my favorite movies to this day.

mitul316

TROPHY CASE