If the time has come to sell your luxury watch, it’s important to ensure you’re getting the best inspection and valuation possible. With over 15 years’ experience of making fair valuations and offers, it’s safe to say we’ve got the process nailed.
Here’s a quick rundown on how we inspect and value watches at The Watch Exchange London.
Who Checks Your Watches?
Our watches undergo a rigorous inspection process in our flagship Mayfair store. Our watch inspectors are experts in their field and check every watch for any possible contributors to the final valuation. This ensures that you can sell your watch with confidence.
How Do You Inspect Watches?
Our in-house experts can help you get the best value for your timepiece. They’ll carefully inspect your watch and make sure you receive the appropriate amount for it.
To get the back valuation possible, we’ll inspect the following areas:
Brand: As expected, the brand of your watch will play a huge role in the final valuation price. We focus on the leading names; Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Cartier and Richard Mille. Each of these brands have excellent resale value.
Style: As like most areas of fashion, the value of a watch can rise and depreciate depending on current trends. If retro watches are in higher demand, your retro watch will naturally have a higher asking price. However, classic styles like Rolex watches tend to stay desirable no matter what trends are around.
Markings: A lot of vintage watches contain special markings from when they left the factory. Watches with these markings are more valuable, so we look out for them with every inspection. It’s worth noting that inscriptions and initials might lower the value, however.
Metal: The watch case metal plays a huge part in the final price of the watch. High-grade gold watches tend to have the highest resale value, but platinum and silver can also get a great price.
Condition: If your watch has signs of visible damage, it might impact the valuation. We’ll get up close and personal with the watch, inspecting for any signs of damage that ruin the aesthetic or affect the watch’s functionality.
Rarity: It goes without saying that the rarer a watch is, the more valuable it will be. There are a handful of factors that determine the rarity of a watch, including:
- Age
- Condition
- Scarcity
- Special markings
Proof of Authenticity: We’d ideally like to see the original paperwork that came with your watch so that we can confirm it’s genuine. If you don’t have the papers, it will likely affect the value. We’ll also do our own investigative work, looking at all the intricate details on the watch to ensure it’s legit.
How Do You Value Watches?
With the above areas inspected, we will be able to give you a fair and accurate price for your watch. This value will be calculated through the performance of the above criteria and watch market financial trends. Getting it professionally valued by us will ensure you aren’t undervalued or misled.
Our Selling Process
Selling or part exchanging your watch with The Watch Exchange London is easy. Once you have submitted an initial enquiry telling us about your watch, we will send you an estimate within 48 hours.
You can then drop it off at our Mayfair office, and after an inspection by our expert watch inspectors, we will issue you a final offer. If you’re happy with this, we will transfer the money into your account the same day.
We don’t stop there – if your watch is sold in auction for more than the valued price, we will offer you an extra financial sum. This will be 5% of the difference between the valued price and sold price.
