How much does paperwork affect the value?

[DanielWatson]

Hello people it's Daniel Watson here! , i would like you're opinion and thoughts on the topic of how much in a percentage or monetary amount does not having paperwork affect the value of a watch?

I understand the question is quite vague and dependant on many factors but generalising the question here.

Essentially how much is paperwork worth?

Advice, thoughts, opinions and intelligent responses will be greatly appreciated

Thanks again

Daniel Watson!

[MonBK]

For me, nothing.

The value is in the watch.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by MonBK

For me, nothing.

The value is in the watch.

Same for me especially in any modern day Rolex from say 1988 on,a outdated warranty is just that.And for those who say it proves authenticity afraid not as today these items both paper and plastic warranty are far easier to fake than the watch.Myself buy condition first then price and whether any service history, and not a bit of paper or plastic, or any of rest of the packaging, buy the seller first then the watch myself would not pay extra for a outdated warranty.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by padi56

Same for me especially in any modern day Rolex from say 1988 on,a outdated warranty is just that.And for those who say it proves authenticity afraid not as today these items both paper and plastic warranty are far easier to fake than the watch.Myself buy condition first then price and whether any service history, and not a bit of paper or plastic, or any of rest of the packaging, buy the seller first then the watch myself would not pay extra for a outdated warranty.

Agree 100%

[Ally9]

Originally Posted by DanielWatson

Hello people it's Daniel Watson here! , i would like you're opinion and thoughts on the topic of how much in a percentage or monetary amount does not having paperwork affect the value of a watch?

I understand the question is quite vague and dependant on many factors but generalising the question here.

Essentially how much is paperwork worth?

Advice, thoughts, opinions and intelligent responses will be greatly appreciated

Thanks again

Daniel Watson!

Who's asking? Is this really Daniel Watson?

[ejvette]

If you were considering 2 identical watches and 1 is a complete set and 1 is not which would you take?

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by ejvette

If you were considering 2 identical watches and 1 is a complete set and 1 is not which would you take?

If price is right, both!

[David cote]

For me I love to collect everything I can when it come to a purchase, I mean these things are expensive. My Zenith Daytona I wanted yes the old warranty paperwork and service paperwork from Rolex.

I think the question is how much is paperwork worth to you?

[japenney]

For a vintage piece the paperwork could be worth 30% of the value.

[MrGMT]

Doesn't mean very much to me if I'm honest, yes I would prefer them obviously but certainly wouldn't put me off a watch

[Defiancekofb]

Originally Posted by DanielWatson

Hello people it's Daniel Watson here! , i would like you're opinion and thoughts on the topic of how much in a percentage or monetary amount does not having paperwork affect the value of a watch?

I understand the question is quite vague and dependant on many factors but generalising the question here.

Essentially how much is paperwork worth?

Advice, thoughts, opinions and intelligent responses will be greatly appreciated

Thanks again

Daniel Watson!

If it is a modern piece, I would say 5-10% of the value, depending on the model. If it's a vintage piece, it would be worth higher. All things said, if your buying a modern piece and it's missing the papers/warranty card, then you should be getting a discount over the price of a full set piece.

[DLRIDES]

As a newcomer, it seems to me that sellers claim it's worth nothing,
.
.
.
.
.
but when they put on their buyers hat, papers become worth everything !

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by DLRIDES

As a newcomer, it seems to me that sellers claim it's worth nothing,
.
.
.
.
.
but when they put on their buyers hat, papers become worth everything !

Easy fix, buy from a seller and don't sell to a buyer.

[xjeeunitx]

Originally Posted by DLRIDES

As a newcomer, it seems to me that sellers claim it's worth nothing,
.
.
.
.
.
but when they put on their buyers hat, papers become worth everything !

Right on!

[Mick P]

If you knew how cheap and easy it is to buy a fake set of convincing papers, you would place no value on them at all.

Regards

Mick

[joli160]

Try sell an incomplete set and you know.

[red1108nyc]

Track record matters. It gives you some comfort around the legitimacy of the watch. So, it comes down to how much "comfort" is valued to you.

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by joli160

Try sell an incomplete set and you know.

Exactly!! You will learn really fast how much those papers are worth, no matter what others say here.

[SeaDweller50]

All paperwork, warranty cards etc should be issued electronically nowadays. A simple PDF file would suffice.
As Peter states warranty cards are so easy to replicate nowadays that they confirm nothing.

[1William]

I prefer complete sets when it comes to modern watches. For vintage, I have owned watches without paperwork. I trade/flip watches frequently and without complete sets it can sometimes be more difficult to trade and the value will be less as a general rule.

[xjeeunitx]

To answer your question... yes, paperwork affects the value of the watch. Go to the for sale section of the forum and find out for yourself. There are plenty of people that will swear up and down stating that papers don't mean anything to them. That might be true for them but not for the other half. There are plenty of members here that will not buy watches without paperwork. That's it.

[THEPAM687]

A watch with papers is more desirable than one without without any authenticity to back up the watch it's a much harder sell

[mattty]

Originally Posted by THEPAM687

A watch with papers is more desirable than one without without any authenticity to back up the watch it's a much harder sell

Agree, without papers unless your an AD difficult to sell from my own experience

It's very similar to selling a car without service history.

[droptopman]

Not that important to me but certainly plays a role in value.
For the most part I know what I am looking for and only buy from people I know and trust so the value of papers that will be filed in the safe is less to me than maybe someone who is new to this hobby.
On the selling front it certainly is easier to move full sets and they do bring greater value and a larger buying pool.

[RolexNorth]

I was told by a 2nd hand dealer that if you have complete paperwork, box, and accessories with the watch, to him it's worth $500. If you don't have it, no problem as he's a watchmaker and can authenticate a Rolex he'll buy the watch all on it's own, but with paper's, that's an extra $500 to you.

As an addendum, he mentioned to me that people want to buy it as if it were brand new. The paperwork helps with that delusion.

[Left wrist]

I prefer to purchase with paperwork even through a trusted seller, not for legitimacy but incase I still need to service the watch or choose to under warranty. It also depends on the brand. I would never purchase a pre owned AP without paperwork as service is so expensive and its important to see it was cared for and went through their service dept.

That said, I have a couple of watches in my collection without paperwork as well.