Advice to Pre-Owned Watch Collectors

Now is the time more than ever that the business of selling pre-loved, pre-owned, or second hand items (they come in different adjectives) is a big trade.

Thanks to the internet age, it is easier now to showcase and exhibit items online—and people across the globe can simply view them on their PCs without having to go to actual physical stores.

Robert-Jan Broer had the same observation on this as he wrote, “The market for pre-owned items is huge.

The success of websites like Craigslist, AutoTrader and so on are a testimonial, and the wristwatch market is no exception.

Although a wristwatch is often a very personal item, at some point people are willing to part with it and trade up for something more expensive, or more special to them”.

And true enough, collectors of used watches are feasting on the diverse selections they can find online.

Just some clarificationsAs a pre owned watch collector, it is relevant that you know the clear difference of a vintage watch from a more recent watch model.

For the purpose of clarity, all pre used watches before 1990 are vintage watches while those who were created from 1990 onwards belong to the second category.

We need to draw the line here as vintage watches are different in style and treatment.

Knowing When it’s time to Sell. There are watch collectors who deliberately hoard pre owned items for the purpose of selling them at a higher price later on. Elizabeth Co, a collector of pre owned watches from Singapore, has some great advice to sellers like herself, “Always be on the lookout and standby on the market price.

You can make your own website to parade your collection too; you may or may not put the price right away and just leave contact details for a more personal exchange on your possible clients. Compare the original price of the watch where they were bought and research how old the watch is.

Make sure the item you sell is in its best condition before deciding to sell it so you can price it reasonably.”

As pre owned items depreciate in value as time passes, it would be wise to be mindful of how to properly store and maintain them as well.

Proper Boxing and Regular Check ups

Proper storage for pre owned watches is very essential. While you may have purchased them without any box or decent vessel, make sure that you store them in one if you are really serious in keeping the watches in good condition.

A regular check up on watch professionals may also help in making sure that your collection is still worth your time.

By doing so you can easily do restorative or preventive measures with the items in case there is a dire need for it. An expert’s eye can always help you in this area.

Learning How to Do Repairs

As used watches may have been created decades back and may have been used by different people, it is likely that it has been damaged or broken at some point especially if the one who wore it is quite reckless.

If you happen to have purchased a pre owned watch that was broken and you want to do repair yourself, you would need specific sets of watchmakers’ screwdrivers, a workspace, and other repair tools.

You might need to dismantle and reassemble the watch at some point so make sure you have good tools to help you do the repair.

There are a lot of helpful do-it-yourself guides online that you can read or even videos to watch that are explain complex repair techniques in a very comprehensive and procedural manner.

But just to get to the rudimentary practices,

..the right way of holding the grip of the shaft of the screwdriver is between the middle finger and the thumb, as the index finger is placed in the cupped end of the tool.

However, if the damage is way to complicated, it would be best to leave the repair to real experts as you don’t want to further harm the pre owned

watch.