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Valuation
Watch valuation
You can have your watch valued at Reuven Watches in Utrecht, with photos or at the counter. We assess what you have and say within 24 hours what we offer for it. We do not write valuation reports for insurance; we explain that below.
- A watch specialistwe read the reference number, not the weight
- Within 24 hoursSaturdays and Sundays included
- In UtrechtAmsterdamsestraatweg 251, or remotely with photos
You are not committed to anything. Your details stay confidential.
What does having a watch valued mean?
Valuation is not an unambiguous word, and that is why people arrive with the wrong expectation. Two very different products go by that name. A purchase offer says what you get for your watch today. A valuation report states on paper what replacement would cost, and that is for an insurer, an inheritance or a divorce. We do the first. For the second you need a sworn valuer.
Search for a watch valuation in the Netherlands and you mostly end up at two kinds of party: gold dealers with a counter in many towns, and auction houses. Both offer a valuation and both do something different from us.
Why it matters who looks
At a gold counter a watch goes on the scales. That makes sense for a gold chain, but on a luxury watch the precious metal is rarely the main point: the brand, the reference and the condition decide the outcome. A gold watch from a well-known brand is almost always worth more as a watch than as material. So never have it merely weighed.
What we do
We establish which watch you have exactly: the reference, the generation, whether the parts belong together and what state the case is in. From that follows an offer you can accept or turn down. That can be done at the counter in Utrecht or remotely with a few photos.
What we do not do
We do not write valuation reports for insurers and estates. If you need one, simply say so: we will point you elsewhere rather than leave you with half a solution.
How it works
At the counter or by photo
You can come by or do it remotely. The assessment is the same; only with a watch you put in our hands can we see more at once.
From a distance: send photos
The dial, the case from the side, the back and whatever comes with it. In daylight and without flash. If you know the reference, add it.
Or visit us in Utrecht
Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00 to 17:00 without an appointment, all other days by appointment. Amsterdamsestraatweg 251, weekends possible too.
We go through the watch
Reference, generation, state of the case, whether the dial is still the original and whether everything belongs together. On older watches that last point is the most work.
You hear what we offer
Within 24 hours for a remote request, or straight away if you are standing at the counter. No obligation: you decide, and otherwise you keep your watch.
Preparation
What do you need for a valuation?
The watch itself is enough to begin with. Everything below makes the picture more complete, but none of it is required.
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The brand and the model
Status: Helpful
Enough to begin with. If you are not sure, we take it from the photos.
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The reference number
Status: Helpful
That establishes which version it is. It is usually between the lugs or on the warranty card.
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Photo of the dial
Status: Helpful
Straight from above, in daylight and without flash, so the hour markers and the text are legible.
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A photo of the case and the bezel
Status: Helpful
From the side and from above. Those show whether the case has been polished through and how the bezel stands.
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Box and papers
Status: Optional
If you still have them. A complete set counts, but their absence is no obstacle.
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Service receipts
Status: Optional
A service at an approved workshop shows that the movement has been checked, and when.
There is no fixed list. Send what you can manage; we go through the rest once we are in touch. We value every brand, with or without box and papers, and there is no minimum value.
Request a valuationValuation
What does a valuer look at first?
This is the order in which a watch passes through our hands. Not the order in which the money sits, but the order in which the questions present themselves.
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1. Which watch is this exactly
The reference, and if it is not on the watch, the combination of dial, case and crystal that gives away the generation. Without this answer the rest of the assessment is pointless.
Impact on the value: Large
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2. Is it what it appears to be
Do the finishing, the engravings and the movement match the reference. We check that ourselves, and where there is doubt we say so rather than make an offer as though there were none.
Impact on the value: Large
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3. How much has been polished away
On almost every brand there are crisp lines across the case that disappear under polishing. That is irreversible, and it is the first thing a buyer looks at.
Impact on the value: Large
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4. Do the parts belong together
Dial, hands, bezel and bracelet. If the ageing of the luminous material has kept pace, they belong together. At service, parts used often to be replaced.
Impact on the value: Average
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5. Does everything work as it should
Does the watch run, does the date jump, does the chronograph switch, does the bracelet close. A fault is no rejection, but it belongs in the conversation and not in the small print.
Impact on the value: Average
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6. What has been kept
Box, papers, service receipts, loose links, a second strap. We ask about this last, because it changes the outcome but not the question of which watch it is.
Impact on the value: Average
These six points take ten minutes together with the watch in front of you. From photos it takes longer and sometimes a few extra questions are needed, and we would rather ask them than make an assumption.
Request a valuationSide by side
Where can you have a watch valued?
Three kinds of party offer a valuation. All three are legitimate and all three do something different. Which you need depends on what you intend to do with the watch.
| Watch specialist | Sworn valuer | Auction house | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | An offer to buy | A report with a figure | An estimate and an auction date |
| What is looked at | Reference, condition, originality | Replacement value | Whatever the room bids |
| How soon | Within 24 hours | Days to weeks | Weeks to months |
| When you have the money | As soon as you agree | You do not, this is not a sale | After the auction |
| Cost to you | None, the offer is without obligation | Usually a fee | A share of the proceeds |
| What you use it for | Selling or pawning | Insurance or division of assets | Selling over time |
If you want to sell, the first column is the shortest route. If you need a figure on paper for an insurer or an estate, the second. If you want the highest return and have patience and an unusual watch, the third is worth considering.
Having a gold watch weighed is selling the material and giving the movement away. We look at both.
Good to know
Four things that go wrong at a valuation
Not theory, but what we meet at the counter from people who have already been elsewhere or who have prepared with the best of intentions.
The watch was polished before the valuation
This is the costliest mistake and it comes from the best of intentions. People have their watch refreshed at a jeweller to make it look neater. That work takes the crisp edges off the case and they never come back. What a connoisseur wants to see is a watch that has been left alone, not a watch that shines.
Only the gold was weighed
At a gold buyer or a jeweller without watch knowledge, a gold watch goes on the scales and a figure for the metal follows. On a luxury brand that is almost always the wrong outcome, because the watch is worth more than the material it is made of. Always ask whether the reference was looked at.
The expectation comes from an advert
Taking an asking price from an advert as your benchmark compares apples with pears: that is what somebody hopes to get after weeks of advertising, not what is being paid today. The page on what your watch is worth sets that difference out in full.
There is no report where one was needed
Someone wants to insure the watch or divide an estate and takes a purchase offer to the insurer. That is the wrong document: an offer is not a valuation report, and an insurer works with replacement value. So say in advance what you need it for and you will know straight away whether we are the right people.
If you are unsure which route is right for your watch, simply call. That conversation costs you nothing, and sometimes the answer is that we are not the right people.
Every brand we buyClient experiences
What customers say about the assessment
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Arnoud Stigter -
P Prins 5 out of 5 starshey nog bedankt voor de goeie info en als ik weer iets nodig heb kom ik wel langs topie
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Henry de Vries 5 out of 5 starsHele prettige ervaring gehad met Benji. Het afhandelen ging zeer vlot en professioneel. Aanrader!
A selection of three of the 50 Google reviews, quoted word for word.
By brand
Having a watch valued, brand by brand
Each brand has its own page setting out what we look at and which references we see most. If your brand is not listed, we assess it just the same.
By situation
What would you like valued?
We assess every watch, from a modern steel chronograph to a gold watch from an estate. Below, each situation sets out how that works and what to watch for. An offer carries no obligation and there is no minimum value.
Have a Rolex valued
On a Rolex the assessment starts with the number between the lugs, under the bracelet. That establishes the generation, the material and the type of bezel. Then we look at how crisp the case is, because on this brand in particular polishing shows clearly. It is set out model by model on the Rolex page.
Watch valuation in Utrecht
We are at Amsterdamsestraatweg 251 in Utrecht. On Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00 to 17:00 you can walk in without an appointment; all other days are by appointment, weekends included. You put the watch on the counter and hear straight away what we make of it.
Watch valuation for insurance
For that you need a valuation report from a sworn valuer, with a figure representing the replacement value. That is a different product from a purchase offer and we do not write those reports. If you ask for one, we say so straight away and point you elsewhere.
Have a gold watch valued
Never have a gold watch merely weighed. On a luxury brand the watch is almost always worth more than the precious metal, and a gold buyer looks at the weight and not at the reference. We do take the gold into account, but only once we have established which watch it is.
Have a vintage watch valued
On watches from before about 1990 it mainly comes down to whether everything belongs together: the dial, the hands, the case and the movement. A replaced dial changes the outcome, even if it makes the watch look better. So leave a vintage watch as it is and have nothing done to it before it has been looked at.
Having a watch from an estate valued
If you want to know what was in the drawer, we are glad to look and will say what we offer. If the value has to be divided among heirs, you need a valuation report and not an offer. So say which of the two it is, because that decides who you should be talking to.
Watch valuation without papers
We assess your watch without box and without warranty card too. Papers make the year and the version traceable and that helps, but it is not a condition. We buy every brand, papers or no papers, and there is no minimum value.
Have a broken watch valued
A watch that has stopped, runs slow or has a function that no longer works, we assess just the same. Do not have it opened by somebody without experience of the brand, because that usually makes the outcome worse. Simply say what is not working and we know what to watch for.
Would you rather talk it over before sending anything? Call or message +31 6 48488925, or email info@reuvenwatches.com. You are welcome to come by too: Amsterdamsestraatweg 251 in Utrecht, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00 to 17:00.
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Frequently asked questions
Questions about having a watch valued
What does it cost to have my watch valued?
Making an offer is free and without obligation. You hear what we offer and then decide for yourself; there is no commitment and you are tied to nothing.
A valuation report for an insurer or an estate is a different product, with a fee, and we do not write those. Say in advance what you need it for and you will know straight away where you stand.
What is the difference between a valuation and an offer?
An offer is what we pay you today for your watch. A valuation report is a document in which a sworn valuer records what replacement would cost, usually for an insurer or for a division of assets.
Those two figures are not the same and are not meant to be. The replacement value is usually higher, because it includes the retail margin.
Can I come by without an appointment?
On Wednesday and Thursday between 12:00 and 17:00 you can simply walk in at Amsterdamsestraatweg 251 in Utrecht.
All other days we work by appointment, weekends included. Call or send a message and we will arrange a time that suits you.
Can I have my watch assessed remotely?
Yes. Send photos of the dial, the case from the side, the back and whatever comes with it, and the reference if you know it.
You will hear what we offer within 24 hours, every day of the week. If you accept, you can send the watch insured at our expense, from abroad as well.
Should I have my watch cleaned first?
No, and we advise against it. A polish takes the crisp edges off the case and they do not come back; that is exactly what a connoisseur looks at.
A duster over the crystal is enough. Everything else is better shown to us as it is.
Do you also value watches you do not buy?
We buy every brand and turn nothing down in advance, so that situation rarely arises.
If it turns out along the way that we are not the right people, for instance because you need a report for an insurer, we say so and point you elsewhere. We charge nothing for that.
How do I know the assessment is fair?
With every offer we say what it is based on: which reference it is, what we see on the case and what is and is not included. You can repeat that and set it beside another opinion.
Beyond that there are fifty Google reviews averaging 4.8, and the full profile is on Google. A selection is on the reviews page.
What happens to my photos and details?
We use them to assess your watch and to get in touch with you. We do not share them with anyone else.
If you sell to us, we handle the onward sale without involving your details.
Assessed by
Beni Reuben
Owner and valuer at Reuven Watches
Beni Reuben values the watches Reuven Watches buys and stands at the counter in Utrecht himself. He starts with the question of which watch it is exactly, because without that answer no figure means anything.
Ten years in the watch trade
More about Reuven WatchesPublished
Last updated
Further reading
Further reading
No obligation
Have your watch assessed?
Come by in Utrecht or send a few photos. You will hear what we offer within 24 hours, weekends included, and you are committed to nothing.
You are not committed to anything. Your details stay confidential.