Valuing your watch
Valuing a fine watch isn’t a skill that you can learn in the space of a day. Instead, becoming a truly professional fine watch appraisal expert takes many years of experience and an in-depth knowledge of the vintage watch market.
Though, having said that, it is still possible to understand the basics to ascertain roughly how valuable your watch is, and ensure you are given a fair price when pawning your watch within the Beverly Hills area.
Age
As you might imagine, an old luxury watch has the potential to be worth an incredible sum of money. Old watches have a certain element of style and rarity that simply cannot be bought in the new watch market. However, it must be appreciated that, just because your watch is old, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is valuable, as many of our clients find out when looking to sell, pawn or get loans on watches at our award winning pawnshop in Beverly Hills. The condition of your watch and its ability to perform its tasks will greatly affect its worth. There is a certain amount of leeway given to the fact that an old watch is expected to deteriorate slightly over time. However, just to make it clear, a 50-year-old watch that is in fantastic condition and still works seamlessly is likely to be of some value. Age is indeed an important factor when valuing a watch, but you will need to consider it in line which each of the 3 following points as well.
Manufacturer
There are many different companies designing and making watches, but few hold the accolade of being a truly world-renowned fine watch manufacturer. Having a name like Rolex, Piaget , Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin or Patek Philippe on your watch will immediately add value to it. These manufacturers have been designing beautiful timepieces for decades, and their reputation can make anything they produce valuable.
Rarity
Having a top manufacturer’s name on your watch is one thing, but the model of the watch is also a factor in its value. Every year, watch manufacturers add to a variety of different lines, depending on their popularity. However, some models have been produced to the highest of qualities, but very few were ever sold. If you own such a model that is just 1 in 100 or 1 in 10, then you own a highly desirable timepiece which you could sell, pawn or loan against at our Beverly Hills pawn shop. The manufacturer is hardly going to make any more, so the rarity of your timepiece drastically increases its price. Just ensure that your watch is rare for a good reason. If it is rare because no one wanted to buy it and it was found to have many flaws after production, then its rarity is not necessarily desirable.
Condition
It has already been mentioned briefly, but the condition of your fine watch is not to be understated in its importance towards value. Let’s say your watch is incredibly rare and more than 40 or 50 years old. If it is in a state of disrepair and not able to function using existing vintage parts, then this will bring its potential value down. The same is true for newer watches which have been poorly looked after. The condition does not just refer to the aesthetics of the watch, but also the inner workings of it, and how capable it is of carrying out tasks, such as telling the time. If it is not holding its time properly or performing all the tasks it’s able to, then perhaps it may be worth employing a skilled craftsman to open the watch and replace or tweak existing components.
Provenance
Finally, when looking to sell, loan against or pawn your watch in our Beverly Hills pawn shop provenance is a key factor you need to consider when valuing your watch. Provenance refers to any original pieces of paperwork like the proof of purchase, servicing papers, original box, or certificates of authenticity. These additions to your fine watch are incredibly important in proving its authenticity. Without them, you’re highly unlikely to find a legitimate pawnbroker or dealer willing to loan against or pawn your watch in Beverly Hills, and if they do, they’ll do so at a cost far below its real value. Before attempting to sell or pawn your fine watch, track down all of these documents, and keep them safe. You will be needing them.
