Watch without ‘papers’ - avoid??

[Boxstercol]

A Tudor watch has caught my eye - being sold by a reputable UK jewellers as ‘pre-owned’, with box but no documents or warranty card etc. Basically watch & box.

Jewellers have advised that its ex display stock, but I’m not sure as the leather strap is marked (not a deal breaker) but far more worn than what I would expect for an ex display item.

The model is still being sold for circa £4k & I can get it for just over £2.4k, which seems like a good deal, although the lack of paperwork does give me doubts…

Any thoughts? One to go for, or one to avoid??

[paulguitar]

Boxstercol said:

A Tudor watch has caught my eye - being sold by a reputable UK jewellers as ‘pre-owned’, with box but no documents or warranty card etc. Basically watch & box.

Jewellers have advised that its ex display stock, but I’m not sure as the leather strap is marked (not a deal breaker) but far more worn than what I would expect for an ex display item.

The model is still being sold for circa £4k & I can get it for just over £2.4k, which seems like a good deal, although the lack of paperwork does give me doubts…

Any thoughts? One to go for, or one to avoid??

It can be checked on a register, I think, and may well be fine. The only thing I would advise is that it can be a real headache to sell a watch privately without papers. Years ago, I had a Rolex Submariner that had come from a dealer in the USA and was mint and totally legit, but it was a bit of a nightmare selling it.

[the-norseman]

If in doubt either walk away or.. you could buy it and walk it into Rolex service centre at St James Square in London. They will tell you straight away.

What watch is it?

[Boxstercol]

Thanks for your replies.

It’s a Tudor Black Bay Bronze.

I’ve got no concerns about the authenticity of the watch, just wondering if it’s a sensible buy without the papers & guarantee, in effect, it will only have a 12 month warranty with the jewellers who are selling, as I believe that the 5 year Tudor warranty is only activated by the AD with the docs.

[SWoll]

There are a couple of these for sale on chrono24 with papers for a similar price.

Here's a 2023 from a UK dealer with box and papers on a NATO strap for £2k. A brand new official leather strap will cost you £250-300 and then you'll have both types.

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/tudor/black-bay-79250b-...

As mentioned above If you do decide to sell at some point a watch with both straps and original papers will be a lot easier to shift and command a better price.

[Barchettaman]

That Tudor loses value quickly and £2.4k minus paperwork doesn’t strike me as too great a deal.

As others have mentioned, resale will be an absolute pig as buyers are rightly picky.

But heck, if you like it and don’t plan to ever sell it on, then it’s your choice! Best of luck whatever you decide.

[Vsix and Vtec]

Were I to be buying, my question about lack of papers wouldn't center around authenticity, but if its stolen. For that reason alone I'd either buy new or second with papers only.

[Bob_Defly]

SWoll said:

There are a couple of these for sale on chrono24 with papers for a similar price.

Here's a 2023 from a UK dealer with box and papers on a NATO strap for £2k. A brand new official leather strap will cost you £250-300 and then you'll have both types.

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/tudor/black-bay-79250b-...

As mentioned above If you do decide to sell at some point a watch with both straps and original papers will be a lot easier to shift and command a better price.

Man that looks beaten up. What's happened to the dial?

[GCH]

If you do part with it down the road, then remember that having genuine rolex/tudor service papers (card) can be viewed as being almost as good as the original ones. They are verifiable, it shows it's been through them, not on their stolen register, and not a franken/fake.

Something to bear in mind.

[SWoll]

Bob_Defly said:

SWoll said:

There are a couple of these for sale on chrono24 with papers for a similar price.

Here's a 2023 from a UK dealer with box and papers on a NATO strap for £2k. A brand new official leather strap will cost you £250-300 and then you'll have both types.

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/tudor/black-bay-79250b-...

As mentioned above If you do decide to sell at some point a watch with both straps and original papers will be a lot easier to shift and command a better price.

Man that looks beaten up. What's happened to the dial?

Badly taken photo full of reflections I'd suggest. In the more ang!ed shot where your expect to see scratches etc. it looks fine.

With regards to the case, that's what happens to bronze watches.

[Armitage.Shanks]

If you buy without papers and you intend to sell at some point you could have it serviced by a Tudor service centre to get the service guarantee paperwork to give reassurance to a future buyer.

Selling a watch that hasn't been recently serviced is another headache unless the price reflects the fact.

[Macneil]

The whole thing sounds a load of hassle, plenty of reputable dealers selling used Tudors.

Have you thought about how the bronze will look in a few years? Some people love the patina, others wonder where their shiny watch went....

[Boxstercol]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

All valid points & probably reinforcing what I already thought.

Thanks for the link to the one above too - must admit that I hadn’t realised that bronze watches deteriorate like that, certainly not for the better so this has helped me make my mind up…

Cheers.