Rolex is 31% cheaper in the U.K. than in the U.S.
Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, Audemars Piguet and other luxury replica watchmakers have raised prices twice this year, most recently on September 1, with most brands raising prices by 5-7%. 
This is to maintain price parity for customers in different countries to prevent a decline in sales in one market and a surge in another, as people plan their travel and shopping around the world with an eye to where they can find the best value.
The combination of British government policy (the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwawe Quatten, has said he will reinstate instant VAT rebates for tourists), a strong dollar and a weak pound make a mockery of brands’ efforts to maintain price parity.
Rolex, for example alone, raised its prices by 7% earlier this month in an attempt to level the playing field, which is already 17-19% cheaper for Americans shopping in the U.K. due to the devaluation of the pound. This was before the reintroduction of instant VAT refunds for goods purchased in the U.K. by overseas visitors.
If the rebate were reintroduced today, allowing overseas visitors to claim back 20% of the VAT when they leave a U.K. airport, American visitors would benefit by more than 30%.
For a 41mm fake Rolex Datejust Oyster steel watch, if the VAT refund were reintroduced and the exchange rate were to remain at the current rate of $1.05 to the pound, American visitors to the U.K. would save more than $2,800, which would be enough to cover airfare and hotel costs.
If Americans came to the U.K. and managed to buy a platinum Rolex Daytona, the savings would be over $10,000, so why not take the first class as well? Even today, with no VAT cash back, it’s worth a trip for a steel Air-King, which is almost $1,500 cheaper on the British side of the Atlantic.
The percentage savings are roughly the same across replica watch brands, so the more people spend in the U.K., the more they save compared to U.S. prices. It is not only Americans who can now benefit from the spending power of the U.S. dollar.
Most oil-rich Arab countries peg their currencies to the U.S. dollar and can save by shopping in the U.K. after only a seven-hour flight.