A Guide to Buying a Pre-Owned Watch

Stories At Your Service BEYOND THE BEZEL First Look INSPIRATION

At Your Service

BEYOND THE BEZEL

First Look

INSPIRATION

Podcasts

Videos

OUR BRANDS A.LANGE & SÖHNE Audemars Piguet BAUME & MERCIER Breitling BLANCPAIN Bovet Bremont BULGARI Cartier Chopard Girard-Perregaux Grand Seiko Gucci Hublot IWC Schaffhausen JACOB & CO Jaeger-LeCoultre Longines Montblanc NOMOS Glashütte Panerai OMEGA ORIS Patek Philippe Piaget Roger Dubuis Rado Rolex TAG Heuer TUDOR Ulysse Nardin Vacheron Constantin Zenith

A.LANGE & SÖHNE

Audemars Piguet

BAUME & MERCIER

Breitling

BLANCPAIN

Bovet

Bremont

BULGARI

Cartier

Chopard

Girard-Perregaux

Grand Seiko

Gucci

Hublot

IWC Schaffhausen

JACOB & CO

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Longines

Montblanc

NOMOS Glashütte

Panerai

OMEGA

ORIS

Patek Philippe

Piaget

Roger Dubuis

Rado

Rolex

TAG Heuer

TUDOR

Ulysse Nardin

Vacheron Constantin

Zenith

A Guide To

Shop WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND MAPPIN & WEBB GOLDSMITHS WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND USA MAYORS

WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND

MAPPIN & WEBB

GOLDSMITHS

WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND USA

MAYORS

About Us

Calibre Stories

4 minute read

The Watches of Switzerland Group

Buying a watch is always a big decision. No matter your budget or desired style, there are things you have to consider to make sure you get the right one for you. But what if you are thinking of purchasing a pre-owned timepiece?

With the vintage and pre-owned market booming, you’ll want to ensure you get the best deal possible and, if you invest well, maybe even make some money from a resale in the future. Here’s a handy guide to what to look out for when buying a pre-owned watch.

A pre-owned watch is essentially one that has had either one or more owners. They are usually of a premium or designer brand, or a vintage timepiece. Some people may sell their watch to downsize their vast collection or use their old watch as a part exchange to purchase a new watch.

One of the biggest advantage is that buying a pre-owned watch is less costly. You can purchase quality, vintage pieces at a fraction of the price that it would have been brand new. There is also the opportunity to purchase a classic watch that may have been discontinued.

For every good second-hand watch retailer, there are hundreds of less reputable ones. Make sure you choose the most trustworthy source by going somewhere that has long-standing connections with the brands it sells. A good way to check this is to enquire whether its watches have been serviced by the brand before sale and come with a warranty.

The best place to find sterling-quality timepieces by everyone from A. Lange & Sӧhne to Zenith, of course, is our Pre-Owned service at Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths. As an official agent of our partner brands, we fully assess all our pre-owned watches to confirm their authenticity. We also give them a complimentary check-up. This includes an ultrasonic clean and polish of the case and bracelet; a water-resistance test of the glass, crown and back seals; a diagnostic test of all functions, including date, rapid date change, chronograph operation and self-winding; and a check of the time regulation and power reserve. For your peace of mind, our pre-owned watches come with a two-year warranty certificate.

While a watch may look in immaculate condition, it may not be running as smoothly inside. Just as you wouldn’t buy a second-hand car without a full service history, you shouldn’t buy a mechanical watch if there’s no proof of the last service and those before it. If it comes with its original papers and the warranty card from the first owner, that’s even better, as that’s the best way to ensure the serial numbers all match up and the provenance of your timepiece is secure.

In the vintage market, certain signs of ageing can actually increase the value. If the lume on the indexes and hands has patinated or the steel case shows sign of wear, it shows the watch has a history. There’s nothing more special than buying a timepiece with heritage and then adding to its story with your own experiences and adventures. That’s why the most expensive watch ever sold was not a new creation, but a pre-owned Rolex Daytona that used to belong to Paul Newman.

The collection is constantly changing in line with our ability to source the best timepieces in the pre-owned market. We have become renowned for the breadth and calibre of the watches available, from prestigious brands such as Patek Philippe , Rolex , JaegerLeCoultre , Cartier , Breitling , Omega and TAG Heuer , we will have the pre-owned watch you have been looking for.

In most cases our pre-owned watches are reconditioned and serviced by the brands themselves before they arrive in our showrooms. They are also brand-certified, fully warranted and guaranteed so you can have every confidence in your purchase.

Any pre-owned watch over 20 years old will hold its value much better than anything else in the marketplace today. The older the watch is, the more unique the piece is, limiting the chances of ever encountering another person with the same watch.

To view a selection of our pre-owned watches, click here . To find out more about the Watches of Switzerland Pre-Owned, Vintage or Bespoke Services, contact your nearest showroom .

Discover more watch stories on Calibre Online here .

Calibre Podcasts

Guides

Viewpoints

Sarah Jayne Potter

Features

An Expert’s Guide To Choosing A Luxury Watch

10 Tips For Taking Care Of Your Timepiece

NORQAIN: A New-Found Freedom With Exclusive Manufacture Calibre

Introducing New Oris Calibre 400

Patek Philippe Timepiece Gift Guide

OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M ‘007’ Edition The 25th instalment of the James Bond film series, No Time to Die will land in cinemas in April 2020. OMEGA reprises its role as the super-spy's watch of choice,…

First-Timer: Choosing Your First Watch Whether you’re looking for a simple watch to tell the time or a full-blown horological investment to pass on to your future generation, here are our top tips for first-time…

Introducing: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Red Bull Quartz The TAG Heuer F1 collection has been widely recognised for its affordable and colourful designs, and this variation follows suit. Based on the racing colours of the Red Bull F1…

New In: Rolex Submariner This month sees Rolex introduce several new models to their existing collections, including the reintroduction of familiar faces. By the 1940s, Rolex had claimed its place as one of the…

Rolex: Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 42 Rolex is billing 2019 as a year of consolidation, and launching a number of new and updated classics, each with a new-generation movement and a subtly redesigned case. Of these,…

Input your search keywords and press Enter.