Why so manywatches without boxes and papers?

[ronald1980]

Personally always always need box and papers. I turned down a good deal on a Patek because no papers but had from the archives. Now it’s personal presence but it doesn’t sit comfortable with me. I try to get it all plastic box, bezel protector. I pay the money I want
the lot. I’d like to be one of those that bins and doesn’t care because if you don’t care it doesn’t matter. I’m the only one driving myself mad :-P.
Another note is replica parts can find there way into genuine watches and without history of some sort you have no idea where what and who

[HogwldFLTR]

Originally Posted by ronald1980

Personally always always need box and papers. I turned down a good deal on a Patek because no papers but had from the archives. Now it’s personal presence but it doesn’t sit comfortable with me. I try to get it all plastic box, bezel protector. I pay the money I want
the lot. I’d like to be one of those that bins and doesn’t care because if you don’t care it doesn’t matter. I’m the only one driving myself mad :-P.
Another note is replica parts can find there way into genuine watches and without history of some sort you have no idea where what and who

Of course you know the Paul Newman had no box or papers, fwiw. Do you think it would have gotten $20 million had it had them? What do you think happened to them?

[SevenWays]

If I hadn't stumbled onto this forum, I wouldn't have kept my box and papers either. I bought my watch with no intention of selling it so I would not have thought twice about getting rid of at least the box, anyway. One more thing to clutter up the house. I suppose I would have kept the warranty card just in case but the plastic protectors, the hang tags, the box - trash.

Lots of watches on the market (especially vintage ones) come from people who never had any intention of selling and for whom this would be their one and only experience selling a watch. Coming to the market without box or papers would be normal in this case.

[NLYogi]

No matter what others do, I keep the box, papers, bracelet link, tag etc.

If I pass the watch on or sell it, it is so much nicer to have it complete.

[timtom33]

Originally Posted by ronald1980

Another note is replica parts can find there way into genuine watches and without history of some sort you have no idea where what and who

Agree, there are a LOT of franken-watches out there!

[TempoKing]

Box and papers have reached mythical status with certain nationalities
Some will even disqualify papers if they are not from their country of residence
I sold a Daytona to a German with "John Bull - Bahamas" papers and he was having
a heart attack because the papers were not German ???
Finally an Italian and another German were lining up in my booth, ready to "grab" it
and that was his signal to pay....trouble is...here in America we are slowly becoming
paper lovers -....hopefully not like the Germans...logic must prevail

[duc888]

here in America we are slowly becoming
paper lovers -....hopefully not like the Germans..

Just be patient...
Here in Germany the client code and the papers are something like a holy thing.
The wrong cc or not a full set.....unsaleable.....or much less ;)

[bio guyver]

Because I think they can sell the box alone and gain some more money

[Aventura]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Most Rolex are bought by people to wear and not collect. Wearers don't care about keeping unused junk in their homes. Mainly flippers keep the stuff. Do you keep all your shoe boxes?

With all due respect, I tell you that your answer is inadmissible. When you buy a car you also throw all the papers? Apart from having everything complete means a premium that values the watch up to $ 1000.

[Aventura]

Originally Posted by NLYogi

No matter what others do, I keep the box, papers, bracelet link, tag etc.

If I pass the watch on or sell it, it is so much nicer to have it complete.

Exactly

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Because some people are not detail oriented

They "lose" other things in their lives as well

I suspect it has more to do with this than anything else.

[EagleArmsHBAR]

When I moved out during a divorce, my box and papers got left behind. She ended up selling them.

[mtgjr]

Originally Posted by Dave-B

What I find even more unusual is that you can find a full set bar the papers/warranty card, I mean how do they manage to keep everything but lose the papers!!

They don't. In those instances, the seller has cobbled together everything but the warranty papers....boxes, manuals, hang tags....to make a nearly full set that's not really original to that watch. It's easy to do.

[49ers101hitters]

Originally Posted by ronald1980

Personally always always need box and papers. I turned down a good deal on a Patek because no papers but had from the archives. Now it’s personal presence but it doesn’t sit comfortable with me. I try to get it all plastic box, bezel protector. I pay the money I want
the lot. I’d like to be one of those that bins and doesn’t care because if you don’t care it doesn’t matter. I’m the only one driving myself mad :-P.
Another note is replica parts can find there way into genuine watches and without history of some sort you have no idea where what and who

You can’t wear B&P

[49ers101hitters]

Originally Posted by TempoKing

Box and papers have reached mythical status with certain nationalities

Some will even disqualify papers if they are not from their country of residence

I sold a Daytona to a German with "John Bull - Bahamas" papers and he was having

a heart attack because the papers were not German ???

Finally an Italian and another German were lining up in my booth, ready to "grab" it

and that was his signal to pay....trouble is...here in America we are slowly becoming

paper lovers -....hopefully not like the Germans...logic must prevail

Agreed, no reason to fuss over lack of box and papers if you know the watch is authentic.

[mtgjr]

Originally Posted by Aventura

With all due respect, I tell you that your answer is inadmissible. When you buy a car you also throw all the papers? Apart from having everything complete means a premium that values the watch up to $ 1000.

Hogwld's comment is spot on. Your analogy is no good (or inadmissible, if you prefer). No one buys a car expecting to keep it forever.

[EmilA]

Even though I wear my watches, it makes sense to keep boxes and papers for something worth so much

[Divingdeep87]

I talked to an AD at Amsterdam airport once. He Said alot of chinese and business men didn’t want anything, just the watch..

[SAAS]

Some gray watches may have been used as a form of currency I’m thinking of all the pawn shops around the casinos in Macau. It’s easier to travel with ten Rolex in your pockets than ten boxes in your luggage when passing through immigration.

[Rocketman39]

Purchased my Sub in Germany 1966. Not much room in an Army Foot Locker for "Extras".
I still have the "Coffin" Box and Anchor. Everything else lasted about 30 years then fell apart. Card board innards and Papers gone forever.

[WJGESQ]

Originally Posted by scubadiver6

Hello All -

Very new to the forum - and to Rolex....

Looking at purchasing my first Rolex (Sub Date). I'm leaning towards used at the moment.

My newbe question:

Is there a legit reason why 95% of the watches I find have no box or papers included? (I find this especially true with dealers... Not as much via private party)

I've read lots on the forum about the pros/cons to having the complete kit, and I understand it all... But I feel like I'm missing a piece of info as to why so many are box/paperless - even ceramic subs that are a year or two old.

Ex wives

[Calatrava r]

Flippers keep all the junk. Long term users have thrown away or lost the the packaging years ago.

[run23]

I’m weird about keeping boxes for a lot of my stuff, especially if I may want to sell later. I have a ton of boxes for various guitar effects pedals, studio monitors etc that take up way too much space in my NYC apartment. But I can certainly understand a normal person buying a watch they want to keep indefinitely and just getting rid of the box after a few years of sitting around taking up space.

I assume most people don’t think about having to flip a watch years later when they buy one new.

[oldman2005]

Except for my watches, I threw almost all the packaging boxes away. These watch inner/outer boxes worth money so some people may sell them separately. Do a search on Ebay for Rolex boxes.

If you don't want your Rolex boxes, post them up here on forum to give them away, I bet someone can use them.

[JacksonStone]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Do you keep all your shoe boxes?

I'm not concerned with the resale value of my shoes.

[Tony64]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Do you keep all your shoe boxes?

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

I'm not concerned with the resale value of my shoes.

Well played!

[vladamir15]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Most Rolex are bought by people to wear and not collect. Wearers don't care about keeping unused junk in their homes. Mainly flippers keep the stuff. Do you keep all your shoe boxes?

+1, only 1% of Rolex owners probably even care much about the brand

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Most Rolex are bought by people to wear and not collect. Wearers don't care about keeping unused junk in their homes. Mainly flippers keep the stuff. Do you keep all your shoe boxes?

+1


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[Flier]

My AD did not give me the barcode tag and bezel protector and still bothers me
I consider the box as importand as the warranty card
Most people dont care and throw it away failing to see that the box is a part of the watch

[SeaDweller50]

The warranty card is worth at least 1K in the U.K. Boxes not so much of an issue as they are freely available, as are hangtags.