Would you buy an expensive watch with no papers?
May 12, 2009 | 09:13 AM
#11
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From: Houston
May 12, 2009 | 09:32 AM
#12
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Would you buy a car w/o the title ? 
In all seriousness with all Rolex's I have ever owned I used to rip off that stupid green sticker they used to come with and always thought the papers were silly but when I tried to sell one w/o the papers no one would touch it at the prices near the ones with papers so needless to say if the watch didn't have papers I would buy it, but at a big discount.
In all seriousness with all Rolex's I have ever owned I used to rip off that stupid green sticker they used to come with and always thought the papers were silly but when I tried to sell one w/o the papers no one would touch it at the prices near the ones with papers so needless to say if the watch didn't have papers I would buy it, but at a big discount.
May 12, 2009 | 09:54 AM
#13
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I have and I would. I think it's ridiculous how much people care about worthless papers and a useless box that simply takes up space. I would always rather save money on the watch as that is the only part I care about. In fact right now I am selling a Lange which I bought without box or papers.
My first watch was a SS Submariner that I still own today. It was bought for me by my grandather and one day it just stopped, no biggie just took it to the Rolex office in Dallas. Well, they informed me that while the watch could easily be fixed, the face and some of the bands were fakes. I was so pissed off and had to pay $850 for a new face. That was a used watch sold by a legit dealer, at least from what I was told.
My seadweller was built in the 1970s and its the classic 'bubble face' design. I've got all the papers on that one.
Last edited by "The JC"; May 12, 2009 at 09:56 AM.
May 12, 2009 | 10:01 AM
#14
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Rolex is a totally different story because there are so many fakes and less-than-authentic pieces. Even then, papers are easily forged.
I was specifically referring to non-Rolex pieces (since I have never considered buying a Rolex). If someone tells me I can save $1500 by not taking an instruction manual and a big bulky box, I'm all for it.
I was specifically referring to non-Rolex pieces (since I have never considered buying a Rolex). If someone tells me I can save $1500 by not taking an instruction manual and a big bulky box, I'm all for it.
May 12, 2009 | 10:17 AM
#16
Thor Liked My Watch
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,095
From: New Jersey
I'm no watch expert at all. However, I personally think the biggest factor would be the watch. If we're talking about your everyday Submariner, I don't think I'd care for papers. If we're talking about a Patek, then no papers no sale. The more expensive and/or exclusive the piece, the more important the papers - unless we're talking about an incredible discount.
May 12, 2009 | 10:20 AM
#17
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| MrTheBadGuy
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 10,121
Not that it matters..Like I said I might get one without papers but would really have to be a price to reflect it. That includes every expensive watch as well as any Rolex.
May 12, 2009 | 10:33 AM
#18
Seriously. Change it.
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From: Sonoma, CA
To me, the papers are all about the resale value and piece of mind. Kind of like buying a used car with no service records whatsoever vs. buying a "certified pre-owned" vehicle with a accurate records of a full service history. Even though there are Rolex boxes and papers that can be easily forged, there has to be ways to verify that the papers are legit like contacting the original selling dealer listed on the papers or something similar.
With that being said, I did buy a GMT II about 15 years ago with no papers. I took it to a jeweler to make sure it was real. Due to the lack of box and papers, I got a better deal on it when I bought the watch, and I got less when I sold it than if it did have the accompanying box and papers.
The nice thing about Rolex watches though is that they rarely depreciate much at all. While they are not an investment, they do tend to hold their value really well.
With that being said, I did buy a GMT II about 15 years ago with no papers. I took it to a jeweler to make sure it was real. Due to the lack of box and papers, I got a better deal on it when I bought the watch, and I got less when I sold it than if it did have the accompanying box and papers.
The nice thing about Rolex watches though is that they rarely depreciate much at all. While they are not an investment, they do tend to hold their value really well.
May 12, 2009 | 10:48 AM
#19
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From: City of Angels and Nice Cars
If I were to buy any expensive watch I'd need papers... just the type of person I am. In fact, I'll always struggle to buy used watches so I'll probably never have a great collection because unless I can buy it new I probably won't buy it.