Antique Watch, Writswatch & Pocket Watch Valuations

Have you ever been curious about the value of your watch? Perhaps it’s a gold pocket watch that’s been passed down through your family for generations or a steel wristwatch that you bought from a second hand market. Whatever the item, we can provide you with an online valuation and, you never know, your watch might be worth more than you ever imagined. As well as finding out the value of a watch that you currently own, you can use our online watch valuation service to check the value of a watch before buying it from an auction or dealer, thus getting an independent opinion before deciding on whether to buy.

Our Watches Expert

Our watches specialist worked at Sotheby’s from 1996-2009, travelling and appraising watch collections across the world. A director of the company, he spent time based in Geneva at the heart of the international watch industry, conducting auctions and running the Sotheby’s watch department there, before returning to head Sotheby’s London watch department.

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The Market for Watches & Wristwatches

The last 30 years have witnessed an extraordinary transformation of the international watch market. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the auction of wristwatches at major salesrooms was still relatively unusual, today hundreds of millions of dollars worth of wristwatches and watches are sold each year in specialist auctions. Curiously it is not always precious metals that define the value of a watch. In 2008, a stainless steel perpetual calendar wristwatch, made by Patek Philippe, sold at Christie’s in Geneva for over $4 million (£2.6 million). In October 2008, Sotheby’s New York sold masterpieces from the Time Museum, including a rare limited edition wristwatch by Breguet which sold for $350,500 (£202,000).

Incredibly, the world record for a watch at auction is $11,002,500! Set at Sotheby’s, New York, in December 1999, the timepiece was an immensely complex Patek Philippe pocket watch known as “The Henry Graves Supercomplication.”

Determining the value of your Pocket Watch or Wristwatch

The international watch market is becoming increasingly specialised and the condition, maker, mechanical features, metal and style of a watch can all affect its value. A watch by a well-known maker that may appear relatively classic and simple can turn out to be a very rare example worth many times that of similar looking model.

Get your Pocket Watches and Wristwatches Valued Today

If you’d like to get a watch valued from our online specialist, it’s quick and easy. Please do take several photographs (the clearer the better!) and give as many details as you can. It is particularly helpful for our specialist if you can take photographs of the front and back of your watch. If you already know how to safely and easily access the watch’s movement, do send an image of this too as the type of movement can affect the value greatly – but don’t force your way into the movement as we don’t want you to damage your watch! Please do note down any markings on the valuation form, for example, some watches are engraved with details such as “Guaranteed to wear 20 years” or with stamps such as “14k” or “0.585” and it is very helpful to our specialist if you can note these down, if possible, do take a photograph of these sorts of markings as well. Should your watch have a bracelet, please take a photograph of the clasp (showing any markings if possible). Once you have completed the valuation form, you can sit back and relax; our appraiser will examine your photographs and the details you have provided and within 48 hours you will receive a description, any observations about your watch, together with a valuation and a printable certificate. We will also provide a unique web certificate that can be used in an eBay listing or on other internet selling platforms.