A few years back I talked to someone involved in the business of international sales and procurement of luxury watches. Although there are a few genuine collectors, most of the business seems to be in aiding money laundry and dubious financial transactions (a $50k watch is easier to smuggle than a bag of $50k in cash, especially when the price is sufficiently stable).
EDIT: To be clear, what he was doing was perfectly legal but he had no illusions about who his customers actually were.
EDIT: To be clear, what he was doing was perfectly legal but he had no illusions about who his customers actually were.