So you have been rumbling through the drawers in your house and you have come across a watch which was given to you by your parents or grandparents. You’re now thinking about selling it; so what are the next steps…
People frequently want to know how much their antique or vintage watch may be worth. Unfortunately, determining your watch’s value is a hard question to answer.
If a watch has been in your family and passed down from generation to generation, or somehow has a connection to you, you may not want to sell it! Selling your watch usually won’t get you more money than the price of a dinner and a movie (if you’re lucky) and you may never get another watch from your grandfather. Sentimental value is often worth more then the almighty dollar. Besides, watches don’t take up much room; just take care to store it in a dry place and wear it from time to time (no pun intended).
Obvious but True…
It may seem obvious, but still it should be pointed out that there is no single dollar value for a watch. However; a Limited Edition watch created by a popular watch maker or holds a logo you or anyone else is looking for, will often bring a higher price.
In today’s world people have a wide variety of tastes and will pay different amounts of money for the same watch, for many different reasons. People may pay much more because it:
- Will complete part of their collection (famous watch maker, celebrity, sports related, etc)
- Looks exactly like the watch that their parent or grandparent had
- Is somehow tied to their home town or team
As daft as it may sound, some people will spend a many hours going from store to store or searching on the internet in order to save $5 or more on a watch, the hunt for the bargain is sometimes the most fun. While others will pay much more then the going rate because it strikes their fancy and they don’t want to waste their time trying to save a few bucks.
A seller may need to sell a watch quickly or sell a large number of watches and may be willing to part with them for far less than today’s market value. A seller may also not be aware of what they have and will either try to get far too much or far too little for the watch.
To sell a very rare watch, you may need to find a very rare collector in order to get close to the market value; do your research. Knowing how to sell a watch or who to sell it to is not something that can be taught in just a few hours.
Today’s market will also rise and fall with the shifting economy and fads. In general, watches gain in price over time, but often they do not even keep up with inflation. A watch that sold in the early 1900’s for $500, about the price of a new car, might only sell for $2,000-$10,000 today, which is hardly the price of a new car. Watches are often good conversational pieces, fun, and hold their value better than say, used computers or used cars.
