How to sell your watch in Bahrain

What decides the price

Demand for the reference. Two watches from the same brand can be worlds apart: what matters is how many people want that exact reference today. Demand moves with the market, so last year's price may no longer hold.

Condition. Scratches, dents, a stretched bracelet or a tired movement all count. A watch that runs well and wears well is worth more than one that needs work, although a needed service is simply taken into account; it is not a reason to refuse.

Originality. An original dial, hands, bezel and bracelet matter more than most people expect. Replaced or refinished parts usually lower the price, and on vintage pieces sometimes a great deal.

Box and papers. For many sought-after watches, especially the most wanted modern references from the leading houses, the original warranty card or certificate and the box help prove a watch's identity and history, and buyers pay for that certainty. For many others they add little or nothing to the price. Either way, they make a sale smoother, and a genuine watch can be sold without them.

Service history. A recent service, ideally with its receipt, tells a buyer the watch will not need one soon.

Asking prices are not selling prices

Many sellers look up the highest listing online and expect the same for their own watch. But a listing shows what someone hopes to get, not what a buyer has paid. The highest listings are often the ones still for sale, and usually for a reason: they are priced above what buyers will pay.

A dealer's asking price also includes inspection, any service, a warranty and the time the piece may sit in stock, so it is naturally higher than what that dealer paid for it. And no two listings are quite the same watch: condition, originality and completeness all differ.

Prices also differ from one market to another. A listing in the United States, Europe, Hong Kong or Dubai reflects local demand, local taxes, import duties, shipping and the exchange rate on the day, as well as what buyers there prefer. A price abroad does not travel with the watch: what matters is what the piece sells for here, in Bahrain, today.

What a watch is truly worth is what similar pieces actually sell for. Completed sales and auction results say far more than asking prices.

So before you approach anyone, decide on your figure: the price you would accept, based on what similar pieces actually sell for here. A clear figure gets a clear answer. Asking a dealer simply to make an offer turns the sale into a guessing game.

Polishing: what helps, and what hurts

Careful, professional polishing protects a watch's value. The original case lines, sharp edges and bevels are kept, brushed surfaces stay brushed and polished surfaces stay polished, so the watch looks as it left the maker. For most modern watches, that makes them more appealing to buyers.

What lowers value is rough polishing: rounded edges, softened lines, metal taken away, finishes mixed up. That is what buyers mark down.

Rare vintage pieces are the exception. Collectors pay a premium for cases that have never been polished, so for those we advise a gentle clean only.

The ways to sell

To a dealer, outright. The quickest and most certain way: you are paid on the day. The price is below what the watch may later sell for, because the dealer takes on its inspection, any service it needs, and the time and risk of finding its next owner.

As a trade-in. The value of your watch goes towards another one. It suits those who want to change watches rather than cash out.

On consignment. A shop sells the watch on your behalf for an agreed commission. It can bring a higher price, but it takes longer and the sale is not guaranteed. Not every shop takes consignments, and the terms should always be in writing.

Privately. The highest price is possible, but so is the most risk: time-wasters, false buyers and payment fraud.

Choose, rather than shop it around. Bahrain's watch market is small, and dealers soon recognise a piece that has been offered to many shops or displayed in several windows. Such a watch usually loses value, and many dealers, ourselves included, prefer not to take it, so decide where you want to sell before you start.

Selling safely

Meet at a shop or another public, well-lit place, never in a car park or at home.

Never hand over the watch until the money is truly yours. A screenshot of a transfer is not money received, and a cheque from a private buyer should clear first.

Be wary of a buyer who sends more than the price and asks for the difference back, or who asks you to pay a fee to receive your money.

When sharing photographs online, hide the serial number and any names on the papers.

Ask for a written receipt that names the watch, its reference and serial number, the price and the date.

At Links Watch Centre

Send photographs on WhatsApp or through our website with the figure you have in mind, and we answer within 24 hours, every day, Friday included. Our answer is confirmed once we have examined the watch with you at our counter in Yateem Centre; it changes only if the watch turns out to differ from what the photographs showed.

Bring the watch with its box, papers, receipts and any service records you have, and a valid ID (CPR or passport): we record it with every purchase, and only buy watches whose ownership is clear.

We mostly buy outright and pay in cash or by cheque, with a written receipt. Trade-ins are welcome. Consignment is sometimes possible, depending on the piece and our current stock, and is always agreed in writing. We usually prefer pieces that have not already been offered around or displayed in other shops.

You are under no obligation to accept our offer, and we may decline a piece.

Questions

This guide is general information about selling watches in Bahrain, not financial advice. Prices move with the market, and any offer depends on examining the watch in person.

Also at the shop