Four routes
When selling to a private buyer you arrange everything yourself: the advertisement, the questions, the viewing, the payment and the handover. You also bear the risk of a buyer who is not who they claim to be. With an outright sale to a dealer you sell in one go, with certain payment and no waiting. With consignment you remain the owner and the dealer sells the watch on your behalf, taking more time and aiming for the market price, in return for a commission. With a trade-in your watch counts as value towards the purchase of another.
Which route suits you depends on how much time you have, how much you want to do yourself and how certain you want the proceeds to be. A comparison of the three routes through a dealer is on sell your watch.
What the assessment depends on
The reference and the demand for it are the starting point; after that, the individual example makes the difference. Condition weighs heavily: scratches and dents, but also signs of earlier polishing, because an inexpertly polished case cannot be restored. Originality counts: a replaced dial, hands or bezel changes the watch. The set, with box, papers and the original invoice, makes provenance demonstrable; see our guide to box and papers. Finally, a recent service, with proof, gives a buyer confidence in the movement.
Preparation
Gather everything that belongs to the watch: box, guarantee card or certificate, booklets, spare links, the original invoice and any service records. Take clear photographs in daylight of the dial, both sides of the case, the caseback, the clasp and the papers. Note the full reference and, if you know it, the year of purchase. Do not have the watch polished to make it look better: what you gain in shine, you lose in originality. Having a service done just to sell is rarely necessary; state honestly when the last one was carried out instead.
Selling safely to a private buyer
Most problems in a private sale concern payment. Only hand over the watch once the amount is irrevocably in your account, and do not rely on a screenshot or an email as proof of payment. Meet in a safe, public place, preferably at a bank, and bring someone with you. Never ship a watch before it has been paid for, and be wary of buyers who rush, propose an unusual payment method or want to buy the watch unseen. Keep a written confirmation of the sale, with reference and serial number.
How selling through us works
You submit a request through the route that suits you, with the details and photographs of your watch. A specialist assesses every request by hand; there is no automatic valuation. If the watch suits our collection, a reasoned proposal follows, which is never guaranteed in advance and places you under no obligation. If you agree to an outright sale, we arrange the insured handover and pay by bank transfer, within the term we agree with you in advance. For consignment we agree the commission, asking price and term with you in advance for each watch. More about the process can be found in how we work.