Reply With QuoteNot every one retains the box etc so I wouldn’t be unduly worried - provided it’s priced correctly.
As an aside, I had one stolen so PM me the link and I’ll check it’s not mine!
I'm thinking on buying a pre-owned IWC on Chrono 24.
After doing my due diligence the seller seems legit, good communication, sent a lot of high res photos, everything looks OK with the watch.
The watch was serviced recently by their watchmaker, I'll just have to take his word for it.
The caveat is, the watch is described as having just one owner who lost box and papers when moving house, also no extra links, but I have small wrists so no issue there.
I contacted iwc and asked if it was possible to run the watch serial # through a stolen or blacklisted watches db but apparently that is only possible if the watch is sent for a service, good for them, not for me...
My question is, is there any other way to check if a watch is not reported as stolen that can actually be done BEFORE the actual purchase?
(I already did the trivial Google search for the serial #)
Not every one retains the box etc so I wouldn’t be unduly worried - provided it’s priced correctly.
As an aside, I had one stolen so PM me the link and I’ll check it’s not mine!
You can try the art loss watch register, used by insurance companies for a couple of quid. Never tried it myself so no experience. Just know it exists.
I used to wonder how 50k patek’s were on Watchfinder without box and papers. Non wis folk see boxes as clutter. To be binned. Imagine!
I wouldn't touch a watch without box and papers personally.
Especially an expensive one.
Its a bit like a " the dog ate my homework " excuse to say lost in a move. Yeah right
Aren't these easily faked as well though? Doesn't mean anything.Originally Posted by xellos99
Sounds like a dealer rather than private sale?
What is the watch in question? any link to the sale?
Papers done mean a hell of a lot, you could have real papers and a fake watch, a real watch and fake papers or both. The papers dont validate the watch. The chrono escrow service allows you to have the watch validated at your local jewlers for a small fee before you release the funds, there are a lot of high quality IWC reps out there.
People over egg the importance of box and papers. Dealers kill you for not having them when selling, and dont seem to really care when selling without them.
Buy the seller
Thanks for your inputs.
Yes, indeed, papers can be stolen too and don't add extra trust to a purchase of a watch that's way out of warranty.
If it’s a fairly recent model I would only buy with full set.
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My friend was the very proud owner of a Seamaster and kept it next to his bed in the original box. Also in the box under were the original papers and receipt. He wore it maybe once or twice per week as his 'good' watch and used a Swatch daily. He was broken into a few months ago and the watch was taken along with box, paper, and receipt. He has no idea of the serial number and neither do Ernest Jones so he can't even register it as stolen. That will have been sold to someone unsuspecting no doubt.
No box or papers isn’t a problem as long as the price reflects this.
I never understood why so many people lose/throw out or misplace the boxes either but hey ho.
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Some people just want a watch, not the package.
Box and papers are nice, part of the experience and personally I would rather buy with than without. That said most boxes and some papers are available from c24 or less scrupulously some Chinese sites so they don’t really add a hell of a lot.
A recent factory service that is verifiable is much more important.
I will say that there are a couple of manufacturers who are starting to address this. Breitling have an electronic warranty card and Ulysse Nardin has a blockchain authenticity checker. These may of course be open to abuse but make things more difficult for the fraudsters.
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Everyone describes watches on Chr24 as ‘serviced by our watchmaker’ but unless they can provide evidence tell them you’ll take off the price of a service. Otherwise it hasn’t been. I’ve had ‘just serviced’ watches arrive with huge hand misalignment. In fact use of the ‘just serviced’ line without proof instantly puts me off as I think it says a lot about the seller.
Box and papers are really just fluff around a watch, they don't prove anything (easier to fake a document than a watch).
I'd rather a good watch than mediocre one with papers and a box that just takes up space.
I have got boxes for all the watches I bought with one, but I can fully understand why normal people junk them.
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
How do people lose stuff in a house move? Seems the regular standard line but I don’t get it.
When I’ve moved house I hang on to my stuff and put it in the new house.
This
Without hijacking the thread. They are more than likely misplaced prior to the move and house move subsequently used as an excuse.
They throw them away to save packing them OR they pack them and they end up in a box in the loft that isn't opened.
I have a couple of unopened boxes marked 'Lounge Stuff' in my loft that I put there when we moved in, in 1991!
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I genuinely wished all watches were sold in a small generic box or service pouch. What a fuss, I never look at any. They’re obscenely big and take up half my wardrobe but I have to keep them incase I sell the watch.
As others have said, the price should reflect the lack of box and papers. If you're happy that the fact the watch is genuine, go for it.
Personally, I always buy with box and papers, only because I usually end up selling the watch a few years down the line and having those bits makes a sale a bit easier.
If you go ahead and buy the watch and want to add to it's provenance, just send it off for a service at IWC. The service guarantee will confirm to subsequent buyer's (if you do get rid) that it's genuine.
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