Near Christmas, I believe that many watch friends work hard for a year to study, and have the thought of buying a watch for themselves. A friend of mine recently called me and wanted to buy a Rolex Submariner. ‘Black Water Ghost’ or ‘Golden Water Ghost’ is fine. As long as the product has a short service life, it doesn’t matter whether it is second-hand. Let me help me find a way.
A friend who called Hong Kong’s ‘Sambo’ was clearly informed that these two models will not be available recently. If you think about it, Hong Kong is already the first choice for Chinese people to buy watches. Rolex’s minimum 9.5% discount is already in short supply. After catching up with Christmas time, the clerk certainly does n’t want to do a low discount business like your acquaintance. However, Kameyoshi and Jack road in Japan are pure luck. The website update is not synchronized with the watch store, and it is likely to run for nothing. Apart from these two places, only South Korea is near China. I remembered that when I went to Seoul last time, I saw a lot of watch shops and second-hand shops near Gangnam Yagujeong and Rodeo. I’d better go to Seoul this time and believe There will be gains.
Since it is a travel journal, I will introduce my trip to Seoul in detail and also serve as a reference for netizens who plan to go to Seoul.
Korean visa
The first is the visa. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Beijing in Beijing holds an account in this city and can make an online appointment to apply in advance. Since only 200 people are processed each day, it takes a long time from appointment to application. I made an appointment in April this year. It was not processed until August. If you are in a hurry to go or do not have an account in this city, you can only apply through a travel agency or visa agency, and the price will be more expensive. There are three types of tourist visas for South Korea, single round trips and two round trips of 6 months duration. There is an unlimited number of round trips within the period, but the use period is subject to the decision of the visa officer. It is recommended to apply for an unlimited number of round trips within the time limit, first of all, the price is only a few hundred yuan, and secondly, because the purchasing power of Koreans in Korea is very considerable, the visa officer will generally give an unlimited number of round trip visas within 3 years, the comparison value.
It is of course cheaper to book air tickets and hotels in advance, because I originally planned to go to Seoul, so I booked a round-trip air ticket and hotel in Seoul in September, and my friends booked it late, only one week before the trip. Order, a lot more expensive than when I ordered. In terms of airport selection, Seoul’s two main airports, Incheon Airport and Gimpo Airport, it is best to go back to both Gimpo Airport. Although Incheon Airport is a large airport, it is far from the city and wastes travel time. Moreover, there are many people, and there is also a line for return tax refunds, and Gimpo Airport is much more convenient.
The time difference between South Korea and China is one hour faster than China
At 8:20 am Beijing time, the trip takes about two hours. Since it is a travel abroad, time difference conversion is a troublesome task, so wearing a dual time zone watch is more practical. The time difference between Seoul and China is an hour faster than China. There is a counter for renting portable wi-fi at the airport security checkpoint, which is what we usually call the portable router ‘Egg’, 50 yuan a day, unlimited traffic, very convenient, although it can be rented at Seoul Airport, it is recommended to rent it before departure It is more convenient to save time.
Currency exchange counter at the airport
After arriving at Gimpo Airport, you must first change the fare to the hotel after getting out of the baggage. 300 RMB is enough. The airport’s bank exchange window is very lossy. The exchange rate of 1: 180 is only 165. Banks, the price is fair, and you don’t have to worry about counterfeit money.
Subway top-up card ‘Pop card’
The subway in downtown Seoul is very convenient. Basically, there is a subway exit just a few steps away. The convenience store on the 3rd floor of Gimpo Airport can apply for a subway recharge card ‘Pop card’, a deposit of 2,000 won card, and the 300 yuan just changed The fare is charged to the card. You can use the ‘Pop card’ whether you are an airport bus, subway or taxi.
Taxi in South Korea
Taxi in South Korea is divided into ordinary taxis and model taxis. Model taxis are more expensive, but the service and safety are much better than ordinary taxis, and basic drivers can speak English. Chinese driver. If you are worried about language communication, please take the international taxi labeled ‘FREE INTERPRETATION’. Say ‘FREE INTERPRETATION’ to the driver after getting in the car, and the driver will call you for a free translation service.
Pedestrians on Myeongdong Street
The check-in time of Seoul Hotel is at 2pm. If you arrive early, the hotel provides free luggage storage service. Luggage storage is ready to go, gossip less, the first stop we are going to go to the main shop of Lotte Duty Free in Myeongdong to check the price.
Lotte Duty Free Main Store
Since the opening of Lotte Duty Free in 1980, the Seoul Main Store, World Tower Store, COEX Store, and Incheon Airport Store have successively opened, becoming the largest duty-free store in South Korea with chain stores all over Korea. Among them, the main store is located in the popular tourist spot of Myeongdong, adjacent to the main store of Lotte Department Store and Lotte Hotel Seoul Myeongdong. This is an excellent location for tourists. From Exit 7 of Euljiro Station on Subway Line 2, walk 3 minutes to Lotte Department Store. The main store of Lotte Duty Free is on the 9th to 11th floors of the department store.
Skin care products and cosmetics are on the 9th floor. There are watch counters starting on the 10th floor. They are more accessible brands such as Tissot and Hamilton. I rushed to the Rolex counter on the 11th floor and took a look. The ‘Water Ghost’ series was not available, so I consulted the counter shopping guide and was told that there is only one piece of ‘Water Ghost’ series counter each month, which has already been sold out. And there is no discount. 5% off with UnionPay card, it seems that the plan to purchase ‘Ghost’ in Lotte Duty Free failed this time.
In general, the discounts on the 11th floor of Lotte Duty Free are very low. When you buy a watch with 4 million won, you will get 200,000 won. Except for the 15% discount on Zenith, the remaining brands are basically 9 to 95% off. In the meantime, Longines only gave a discount of 92. If you really want to buy it, you should be able to get a 10% discount. The Zenith CHRONOMASTER POWER RESERVE series I tried on hand, after discount, is about RMB 48,000, and can get cash back, friends who are interested in Zenith can consider. I heard that Lotte Coex store watches are more discounted than the head office. I haven’t researched it and suggest that you can check it out.
Zenith CHRONOMASTER POWER RESERVE
The official Zenith watch is 03.2080.4021 / 21.C496. A 42 mm stainless steel case with a thickness of 14.05 mm and a curved sapphire crystal with anti-glare treatment on both sides. The black sun-printed dial, the hours and hands are covered with luminous materials. The hour and minute display is centered, and the small second hand is at 9 o’clock. The 30-minute lap is at 3 o’clock. The power reserve indicator is located at 6 o’clock and provides about 50 hours of power reserve. The El Primero 4021 automatic movement produced by Zenith is water-resistant to 100 meters.
Map of Lotte Duty Free COEX
I heard that Lotte Coex store watches are more discounted than the head office. I haven’t researched it and suggest that you can check it out.
Map of Spare Ribs Restaurant
After shopping at Lotte, it’s basically dinner time. This first meal must be eaten. Since you came to Korea to eat barbecue, it must be the most local barbecue. A local friend told me that many of the barbecue restaurants in Seoul are actually opened for tourists. For example, like the ‘eight-color barbecue’, locals basically don’t go. Thanks to her, she took us to a barbecue restaurant in Xincun, which has a history of decades.
Overcrowded barbecue restaurant
The storefront is a dilapidated small bungalow, which has the taste of a barbecue restaurant in Korean movies. It is ventilated on all sides, so you do n’t need to take off your clothes in winter. And there are no chairs. You have to stand and eat. It is because this kind of environment is very appetizing for the locals. It is very local. In places like barbecue restaurants all over Korea, this barbecue has to wait every day.
Steaks marinated in place
There are many kinds of barbecued meat in Korea. It is said that Koreans love roast pork, which is totally misleading. The local favorite, and the best and most delicious, is the grilled steak. The ribs of dairy cows are marinated in the seasoning and grilled on an iron plate. It’s delicious with Korean ingredients and sauce. This shop can be said to be the most authentic grilled steak, focusing on grilled steak as a kind of meat. There is no other meat at all. There is no menu. Ordered meat is grilled steak. Addicted to eating beef.
After you’re full, you can go to Ewha Womans University near Hongcheon or Hongdae. It’s very lively. The plan to buy a watch can only be arranged the next day. The watch shop near Jiangnan Apgu Pavilion is only open until 8 pm, and some even close at 6 or 7 pm. And the watch purchase experience near Jiangnan Apgu Pavilion will be discussed in the next part, travel notes, eat, drink, and buy a watch. It will take too long to finish, and everyone will look tired. Finally, I will introduce a late-night snack that has been popular in China due to Korean dramas, beer fried chicken.
Delicious fried chicken beer
Korean beer fried chicken is everywhere, and one serving is very large. If you buy bad fried chicken, it will be wasted. Here is a Seoul fried chicken chain ‘School Village Fried Chicken’. No matter what time you go, they are all lined up. There are three types of fried chicken. They are served with draft beer. You can make it without fear of fat. It is definitely delicious.
In the next part, I will focus on the watch shopping schedule in Gangnam, Seoul. Of course, gourmet food is also necessary, so stay tuned!