This false information is widely spread and many of our customers have asked us this questions and we believe it is important to clarify this statement. First of all, let’s start with the term “certificate”. The term “certificate” is not a certificate of authenticity, instead is a proof for the warranty. There is no certificate that proves the authenticity of the watch. By purchasing a watch from an official trader, you’ll receive the box and certificate, on which you will find a reference and case number. The certificate is the bounding document that assures a warranty between 1 to 5 years, depending on the watch brand. Once the warranty period is over, the paper loses its value. The reason why is because the only purpose of the paper is to show that the warranty can take place if needed. Therefore, you will find many watches on the used-watch market without “papers”. Since the early 2000’s the sellers and buyers have started to give the warranty paper more value, since watches with warranty papers are being sold on a higher price. However, it’s important to understand that you cannot ascertain the authenticity of the watch by its document. The authenticity of any watch can only be assured by the watch itself.

We hear that a lot as well. The truth is, that the certificate has no influence on the value of the watch. Here is an example: 2016: Rolex ExplorerII without a Certificate costs 3500€ – Rolex ExplorerII with a Certificate costs 4300€ 2018: Rolex ExplorerII without a Certificate costs 4800€ – Rolex ExplorerII with a Certificate costs 5600€ As you can see in this example, the watch has made a significant increase in value, even without the certificate. You pay more for watches with papers and accordingly can demand a higher price when reselling it. But more important is that both watches no matter with or without a certificate will increase equally in value, premised that the watch is stable in value in general.

Many customers from online watch sellers believe in this statement. As this statement is completely false there is distrust that takes place once something unexpected happens to a watch. It is very common, that independent traders get contacted with issues, despite the fact that the warranty is still valid. A big mistake. If you buy a watch from a certain trader, you will get a warranty from that particular seller. So, always contact the seller first even if you purchased the watch from the internet. Please do not be intimidated by the far distance to the internet seller. It is your right, that the seller has to fix any problem in case of a valid warranty. Often official traders, are not expertise on older watches, since they are being trained on sell and consult on the newer collections. In addition, customers are often being charged with unnecessary repairs or additional services. For example: If your watch only needs a revision at the moment, its often the case that some traders want to sell you a new dial, replacing the bracelet etc. We strongly advise you to contact the seller of your watch directly, to keep yourself away from unnecessary costs and inconveniences.

For Rolex watches you will find the country code on the warranty certificates or cards. Three digits describe the certain country code. A widespread misinformation is that the code tells you, where the watch was built. Again, this is also completely false. You’ll often see sellers, who emphasize the country code of the certain country, where they are selling the watch in order to get a higher price. For example in Germany you will often see the code “100” (stands for Germany) on the heading of an offer. The seller wants to give the potential customer the feeling that the watch was produced in Germany and therefore tries to get the impression that the quality of the watch is higher than other watches, even if it’s the same model. As a matter of fact the country code only refers to the country to which the watch was sent first from the Rolex manufacture in Genève, Suisse, where every single Rolex watch is built. For example: A Rolex Submariner was built in Suisse, as every other watch. An official trader from Hong Kong receives the watch. Now you will find the code 888 on the warranty card, which stands for Hong Kong. Accordingly, when a trader from Germany orders the same watch model. You will find the code 100 on the warranty card. On the used watch market, you would find both watches for different prices now, despite the fact that they have the exact same features. The price differences were created by secondary traders and totally has no relation to the watch itself. In other words, the country code shouldn’t have any impact on the price. So please keep that in mind when purchasing a used Rolex watch.

In this case it completely depends on the professionality of the contractor. We have often seen some over-polished cases, bracelets etc. In those cases it is certainly harder to resell the watch since you can´t demand as much as you maybe could, if the watch wasn’t over-polished. Therefore, it is critical to make sure that the contractor provides you an excellent service on your watch. We highly recommend to take a look on previous watches of the contractor first, before handing in yours. You will be able to see the service and work quality of the contractor. Specialized refurbishment contractors should always be able to explain the methodical steps on how they will proceed with the watch.