Do B&P’s really matter when buying your pre owned watches?

[HK Islandboy]

Originally Posted by karmatp

Not many Rolex watches get stolen with box and papers. I am not going to be the guy who sends my watch into Rolex for a service and it comes back as a stolen watch. You can take that risk, not me.

The reality is, unless you are going vintage, like 40 years ago vintage, there are plenty of whatever you want with box and papers.

This.
More broadly, I don’t want to be the guy who makes it easier for a thief to turn a stolen watch into cash

[00Seven]

Certainly better to have them...

[The Libertine]

Not necessarily. When I bought my 16710 Coke, preowned was my only option. To me, condition was paramount, as well as buying from a trusted seller. I knew that for “papers”, I could send the watch to RSC for a service, and it would be returned with current documentation noting make, model and serial number. Which is exactly what I did.

[Ad11wrd]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Oh if the watch is nice and what I want B&P aren’t that important To me. Buy a box on eBay get a service and you get papers.


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That’s what I would do!!

[Bigblu10]

Also an FYI, with some of the trusted sellers here on the forum, if you have a watch that you would like to either sell to them or do a trade deal they want a complete set, box, papers, booklets etc. Maybe not all of them, but one that I completed a trade with did.

[stil]

Originally Posted by Tony64

Makes no difference when buying, makes all the difference when selling.

I don't understand this. If you buy with B&P...the price should be reflective of that...then when you sell it should be the same thing, no?

Isn't it proportionate...?

[hitman23]

Originally Posted by stil

I don't understand this. If you buy with B&P...the price should be reflective of that...then when you sell it should be the same thing, no?

Isn't it proportionate...?

But it takes much longer to sell a watch without the full set.

[NothingToSeeHere]

I’d never buy any modern luxury watch over $3k without box and papers

[Ad11wrd]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Oh if the watch is nice and what I want B&P aren’t that important To me. Buy a box on eBay get a service and you get papers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jedi5]

Being a beginner here searching for my first watch, I've come across both options:
Buy with B&P at a slightly higher price or without B&P and save some money.

For those of you that bought and later sold without B&P, was it really that much more difficult to sell your watch?
Did it take longer to move?
Did you have to continue to drop the price to move it?
Did you regret not having B&P?

Thanks.

[HK Islandboy]

Originally Posted by Jedi5

Being a beginner here searching for my first watch, I've come across both options:
Buy with B&P at a slightly higher price or without B&P and save some money.

For those of you that bought and later sold without B&P, was it really that much more difficult to sell your watch?
Did it take longer to move?
Did you have to continue to drop the price to move it?
Did you regret not having B&P?

Thanks.

As I’ve said before, I dont want to be the person who, through wilful naïveté , facilitates the stolen watch trade to save a couple of dollars. Original papers are no guarantee a watch is not stolen, but their presence makes it less likely (similarly, service papers in the name of the seller serve the same purpose).

By way of illustration, this guy fed stolen watches - to legitimate dealers for years (until he was caught!). He sold around 500 pieces to second hand watch dealers, of which a good number were found to be stolen.

http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/...after-13231658

[joli160]

Originally Posted by hitman23

But it takes much longer to sell a watch without the full set.

Very true, many buyers including myself insist on a full set.
Even a perfect watch for a decent price still would be a no go for me.
Not having the papers limits the amount of potential buyers enormously.