What is a full set?
A full set is a watch with everything it came with at the original sale. First of all that is the box, often with an inner and an outer box, and the papers: the brand's guarantee card or certificate, completed or registered at the sale. Then come the booklets, any tags and labels, and for a bracelet the spare links removed when it was shortened. The original purchase invoice is not a fixed part of the set, but makes the provenance stronger still.
The abbreviation 'B&P' stands for box and papers. 'Watch only' means that only the watch is sold. Between the two lies everything else: a watch with papers but no box, or with a box that is not the original one. A good seller states exactly what is present.
What papers prove, and what they do not
Papers link a serial number to a sale: a date and usually a point of sale. They thereby make a watch's provenance demonstrable, and for a recent watch they show whether any manufacturer's warranty is still running. But papers can be forged, or belong to another watch. They therefore only prove something when the serial number and reference on the card match those on the watch, and when the watch itself is right. A genuine watch without papers is still genuine; a counterfeit with a genuine card remains a counterfeit.
Many sellers make their name on the guarantee card or invoice illegible. That is common and understandable. The date, point of sale and serial number must remain legible.
By brand
With Rolex and Tudor the paper is a guarantee card registered at the sale; older watches have a paper guarantee certificate. Audemars Piguet supplies a certificate and a guarantee card. Omega, IWC and Audemars Piguet can issue an extract from their archives on request for older watches, including the production date. With Breitling, the COSC chronometer certificate belongs with the papers. With Panerai the set often includes more than a box and card: extra straps, a buckle and sometimes a tool for changing the strap. More about what we check for each brand is on the brand pages, such as those for Rolex and Panerai.
Service records and invoices
A service record from the brand or an approved watchmaker is not part of the original set, but it is a valuable document: it shows when the movement was last overhauled and what was replaced. Keep such documents with the watch. Note that a brand service sometimes replaces parts such as hands or a dial; for a collector of older watches that can make a difference, and it too should be stated.
What an incomplete set means
A watch without a box or papers is not suspect, but the buyer must then rely more on the watch itself and on the seller. That counts in the assessment, and the difference is greater the more recent and sought-after the watch is. When selling, it therefore pays to gather everything that belongs to the watch; see also our guide to selling.
For every watch in our collection we state what is present. If the set is complete, it says 'Full set'; otherwise we list what comes with it, so you know in advance where you stand. More about our inspection can be found in how we work.