Patek Philippe Ring

[revs88]

Hi Chaps,

Some advice welcome please - G/F has set her heart on a Patek Philippe Calatrava Cross Ring.

Any recommendations on where I can get a good price...I assuming I can order from Watches of Switzerland at Heathrow and save myself 17.5%.

I have the opportunity to travel to Switzerland and the US quite regularly so not sure if I can find better over there.

Cheers, Richard

[tuffer]

You can definitely order through WoS/Mappin & Webb at Heathrow and save the VAT as I recently did this for an IWC. You don't even have to leave the UK, my wife did the same thing at Christmas to buy my pressie. She booked a flight to Manchester, went through security, collected watch and then told the gate staff she was no longer flying and they escorted her out. She had purchased a cheap flight so it was worth it, she also found out later that she could have claimed the flight tax/charges back as she had not flown.

Edited by tuffer on Wednesday 16th June 09:57

[Not Ideal]

haha Tuffer that's quite a plan! Probably ruined a few of the airlines plan's for that day. ;-)

[jshell]

...and if she'd booked 'Business Class', she would have got a complete flight cost refund!

[marcusjames]

tuffer said:

You can definitely order through WoS/Mappin & Webb at Heathrow and save the VAT as I recently did this for an IWC. You don't even have to leave the UK, my wife did the same thing at Christmas to buy my pressie. She booked a flight to Manchester, went through security, collected watch and then told the gate staff she was no longer flying and they escorted her out. She had purchased a cheap flight so it was worth it, she also found out later that she could have claimed the flight tax/charges back as she had not flown.

Edited by tuffer on Wednesday 16th June 09:57

Not sure I would mention such claims. VAT is refundable on export of unused goods. Not preaching, but this is tax evasion and illegal.

[tuffer]

marcusjames said:

tuffer said:

You can definitely order through WoS/Mappin & Webb at Heathrow and save the VAT as I recently did this for an IWC. You don't even have to leave the UK, my wife did the same thing at Christmas to buy my pressie. She booked a flight to Manchester, went through security, collected watch and then told the gate staff she was no longer flying and they escorted her out. She had purchased a cheap flight so it was worth it, she also found out later that she could have claimed the flight tax/charges back as she had not flown.

Edited by tuffer on Wednesday 16th June 09:57

Not sure I would mention such claims. VAT is refundable on export of unused goods. Not preaching, but this is tax evasion and illegal.

The flight was an internal UK one so why would she even have been entitled to Tax Free? The shops just give the discount anyway no matter where you are headed.

[andy_s]

^ That's about the gist of it.