How to sell a luxury watch in London without losing money

# How to sell a luxury watch in London

Most people selling a luxury watch for the first time lose money in one of three ways: they accept the first offer, they underestimate fees, or they sell privately and get burned. None of it is complicated to avoid.

## Your four options, honestly compared

**Auction.** Best for genuinely rare pieces — early references, unusual dials, complicated Patek. Seller's commission typically runs 10–15%, the sale may be months away, and there is no guarantee of hitting reserve. Wrong tool for a standard Submariner.

**Online marketplace.** Highest headline price, most work, most risk. You handle photography, questions, payment fraud and shipping. Fees vary; the real cost is time and exposure.

**Private sale.** No fees, maximum risk. Meeting a stranger with a five-figure watch is a bad plan, and payment reversal is a genuine problem.

**Dealer.** Immediate, certain, and lower headline price than a perfect private sale — but with no fees, no fraud risk, and payment on the day. For most Rolex, AP, Patek and Cartier pieces, the net figure is closer than people expect.

## What drives your valuation

- **Reference and configuration.** Discontinued and steel sports models carry the strongest premiums. - **Box and papers.** Typically worth 10–20% of the value. Find them before you get quoted. - **Condition.** Original, unpolished cases hold value. Heavy polishing rounds the lugs and is visible to any specialist. - **Service history.** Recent service records support a higher offer. - **Timing.** The market moves. A quote from eighteen months ago is not a quote.

## How our process works

1. **Free valuation.** Send reference, year, condition and photographs through the [valuation form](/sell-your-rolex) — we come back with a considered figure, not a lowball anchor. 2. **Insured collection or appointment.** We collect from any London address by insured courier, or you visit the [Windsor showroom](/luxury-watches-windsor) for a same-day offer. 3. **Inspection.** Our watchmakers confirm condition and authenticity. 4. **Payment.** Bank transfer on acceptance. No fees deducted.

## Part-exchange is usually the better trade

If you are selling in order to buy something else, part-exchange beats two separate transactions almost every time — you settle a difference, not a gross amount, and there is no gap where you have neither the money nor the watch. See [part exchange](/trade) or browse the [current collection](/pre-owned-watches-london) first.

## What to have ready

- Box, papers, spare links and any service documentation - Clear photographs: dial, caseback, clasp, between-lug serial - The reference number and, if you have it, purchase date

## One rule

Get more than one figure, and be suspicious of the highest one until it is in writing. Inflated verbal quotes that fall away "after inspection" are the oldest tactic in the trade.

[Get a free valuation →](/sell)