Buying a modern Rolex w/o box and papers?

[Likestheshiny]

My argument was more towards not including the warranty card. I didn’t clarify in my first post, but did further down. My 99.9% figure is applicable to that, and I stand by it. What kind of person purchases something for $10k, the dealer says ‘you must have this card to keep the warranty’, and they throw it in the garbage can (as long as it’s still under warranty, and any timepiece purchased in the last 3 or so years is).

1) A "modern" Rolex can easily be out of warranty. You really think 99.9% of people keep expired warranty paperwork?
2) Dealers often do NOT say "You must have this card to keep the warranty." What they sometimes say is, "If you have a problem, bring it right back here and we'll take care of it."

I suspect if Rolexes didn't come in a nice box, even fewer people would keep the paperwork. To a collector or chronic flipper, it's part of the full kit. To everyone else, it's just a box and receipt.

[Alternative_Facts]

Originally Posted by dmash

My argument was more towards not including the warranty card. I didn’t clarify in my first post, but did further down. My 99.9% figure is applicable to that, and I stand by it. What kind of person purchases something for $10k, the dealer says ‘you must have this card to keep the warranty’, and they throw it in the garbage can (as long as it’s still under warranty, and any timepiece purchased in the last 3 or so years is). Furthermore, why would you ever want a timepiece from somebody so careless?

i'm with you. i won't ever buy a watch without the card.
as far as some scenarios where there is no box or card there are a few, a small few situation where the person is just super rich and not a watch person.
i'm not a car guy but when i bought my 150k mercedes i never even read the user manual - where as a car guy would have read it forward and backward. sort of like that.

[lcs77]

I think box you can buy on ebay, but the card is very important

[swils8610]

Originally Posted by rushca01

I’m not the OP my friend. I personally would only get a 6 digit full set..

Sorry about that!


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[mikkolopez]

I’ll pass. On a modern Rolex, to not have at least the warranty card which you could slip into your wallet. Am not one to get a stone to hit my head with once service time comes or my ownership gets questioned.


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[Stevec14]

If you are not worried about re selling then why not if the saving is big enough? Assuming the seller agrees, give it in to rsc for a service appraisal. They will check the watch against all registers to see if stolen and check all parts are legit. Assuming that comes back ok then bingo you have a checked out watch at a price you like (you can choose to have the service done if you wish and get the 2 yr warranty).

[RollieRoll]

I'd pass on this one

[Onikage]

No one, their wife, girlfriend etc has ever lost/thrown anything away they wanted to keep it seems. That thing that was near/under the pile of papers honey? Very common and whilst not a WIS ideal, doesn't always mean 'stolen'. How many times do we hear 'I would never sell it' then why would the warranty matter?

[Rocket_Man]

Any Rolex that is selling for $2K below market value has to be suspect. If it is a reputable retail shop they must know what the value is, or is it not even a watch shop? The OP didn't specify. Generally lack of box and papers seems to be about a $500 hit in value, not $2,000. Why are they walking away from $1,500? So what do they know about the watch that they are not telling you? How did they acquire it? From the original owner. If you could put some sort of contingency on the purchase while you get it checked out by an RSC perhaps you could do it.

[minute_man]

Originally Posted by Stevec14

Assuming the seller agrees, give it in to rsc for a service appraisal. They will check the watch against all registers to see if stolen and check all parts are legit. Assuming that comes back ok then bingo you have a checked out watch at a price you like (you can choose to have the service done if you wish and get the 2 yr warranty).

Exactly

This is pretty much the only way I'd buy anything without papers.

[Onikage]

Originally Posted by Rocket_Man

Any Rolex that is selling for $2K below market value has to be suspect. If it is a reputable retail shop they must know what the value is, or is it not even a watch shop? The OP didn't specify. Generally lack of box and papers seems to be about a $500 hit in value, not $2,000. Why are they walking away from $1,500? So what do they know about the watch that they are not telling you? How did they acquire it? From the original owner. If you could put some sort of contingency on the purchase while you get it checked out by an RSC perhaps you could do it.

It sounds like the original owner threw it on and left it on - No WIS cleaning rituals or gingerly walking through doorframes. Maybe it's 7/10 condition? We don't even know what model it is.

[joli160]

I'd rather pay normal price than going for a discounted incomplete set

[Rode]

Just pass on it, this would save you a lot of stress in the near future

[asiparks]

We have no idea what model it is, nor how "modern" it is. $2000 under normal used value or $2000 under MSRP ?
If it's a 2012 WG Daytona for $18K then maybe, if it's a 2017 LV for $7000, then some alarm bells....

As far as keeping the boxes and papers go, forum dwellers are in the minority. Real people are buying their Rolex for keeps, so they're not fretting over keeping the full the set to maintain resale value somewhere down the line.
Trusted sellers here will cherrypick the best used examples with B&P, because they can net an extra grand from forum buyers, but there's plenty of other legit samples for sale from reputable dealers without either for those that don't care...

I have complete sets for maybe half my watches, I didn't used to attribute any value to them. Those I do have are in storage, spread across three continents, so I might as well not have them for all practical intents

[Seibei]

The watch needs to go to Rolex for a service. It will come back with papers from Rolex, proving it is authentic and not stolen. Then you can buy it.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by dmash

Let me just get straight to the point.


In 99.9% of situations, there’s absolutely no legitimate reason why the box and papers are completely gone, on a modern (I’m assuming 6 digit) Rolex. Much less headache and worries, just to pay a bit more and get the complete package.

No, let me just get straight to the point.

As Larry has stated in his post, most buyers walk out of the store with the Rolex sized and on their wrist with the receipt and warranty card in their pocket.

Not 99.9% of legitimate reasons as you have so positively stated but probably more than most.

My guess is that true TRF members are just weird??

Because we want it ALL.

[RolexComplex]

There’s a reason your reputable seller is willing to sell for $2k under market price.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by directioneng

No, let me just get straight to the point.

As Larry has stated in his post, most buyers walk out of the store with the Rolex sized and on their wrist with the receipt and warranty card in their pocket.

Not 99.9% of legitimate reasons as you have so positively stated but probably more than most.

My guess is that true TRF members are just weird??

Because we want it ALL.

I clarified on the same page you just commented, that my 99.9% figure was meant to only include 'warranty card' or did you not read the entire thread

Originally Posted by Rocket_Man

Any Rolex that is selling for $2K below market value has to be suspect. If it is a reputable retail shop they must know what the value is, or is it not even a watch shop? The OP didn't specify. Generally lack of box and papers seems to be about a $500 hit in value, not $2,000. Why are they walking away from $1,500? So what do they know about the watch that they are not telling you? How did they acquire it? From the original owner. If you could put some sort of contingency on the purchase while you get it checked out by an RSC perhaps you could do it.

This. I already asked OP what the model is and what the price is, but he hasn't responded, don't understand. As I also mentioned, if this is a PM model, then completely understandable. But if we're talking a SS professional model? Exactly right, $500 is more in line with the usual discount, but $2k? Incredibly suspicious.

[SebaH]

Pass, move on

[Andad]

[QUOTE=dmash;8644031]I clarified on the same page you just commented, that my 99.9% figure was meant to only include 'warranty card' or did you not read the entire thread


I read all your posts but I responded to your first one.

Forget the spin.

I have also read many (all) of your previous posts.

Big tip.....Quit while you are behind.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by directioneng

I read all your posts but I responded to your first one.

Forget the spin.

I have also read many (all) of your previous posts.

Big tip.....Quit while you are behind.

So you believe there is a fair amount of people, who toss their warranty card, while the watch is still under warranty? That's the equivalent of tossing your receipt when you buy an extended 5 year warranty on a cell phone, television, etc (as Rolex explicitly states it's required for warranty purposes). That doesn't really make sense whatsoever to me.....

Also, I didn't realize you view this as a competition and we weren't freely discussing our opinions on an open forum. Not sure what you're even implying by stating you've read all of my posts and I should 'quit'. Ok? I still believe it would be incredibly slim chances that a person would throw away his or her warranty card prior to the warranty expiring. Could I be wrong, sure......it's simply my opinion. Is that not what we're here for, to state said opinions?

Big tip.....people can agree to disagree.

[Harry-57]

If it looks genuine and has paperwork, it's up to you to validate its authenticity if you feel you need to run more checks. I'm sure an AD or RSC will be able to help. I took my Hulk to my AD to have it looked over. I was satisfied that it was genuine when I bought it from a non AD seller, but it didn't hurt to be 101% certain.

If the watch has no paperwork and/or supporting evidence, it's up to the seller to prove the authenticity. Otherwise it's worthless.

Just my 0.02

[JerimiahLee]

Originally Posted by dmash

I keep my receipts on all that, definitely. Any electronic appliance comes with a 2 year warranty over here, lol.

That’s why it makes no sense to not have the warranty card. That’s literally the thing that gives you the warranty. Box and manuals, ok sure, I can understand some people tossing it. However, no warranty card on a 6 digit, would be a hard pass for me, 100% of the time.

Sure, I understand your logic completely. Just like you, I'd keep my box and warranty information handy. However many others receive these as gifts or these items are misplaced or simply thrown away. I've witnessed a guy who purchased a watch and could care less about the papers that came with it. He told me that he could never wear them and would likely lose them so they were tossed.

Also, if you send a modern watch to Rolex via the AD who you've purchased the watch through, you will get warranty service no problem. I've had the same experience with dropping it off in person at RSC NYC.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by JerimiahLee

Sure, I understand your logic completely. Just like you, I'd keep my box and warranty information handy. However many others receive these as gifts or these items are misplaced or simply thrown away. I've witnessed a guy who purchased a watch and could care less about the papers that came with it. He told me that he could never wear them and would likely lose them so they were tossed.

Also, if you send a modern watch to Rolex via the AD who you've purchased the watch through, you will get warranty service no problem. I've had the same experience with dropping it off in person at RSC NYC.

Perhaps I should have been more conservative in my estimate instead of '99.9%'

[turnleftgofast]

Originally Posted by Seibei

The watch needs to go to Rolex for a service. It will come back with papers from Rolex, proving it is authentic and not stolen. Then you can buy it.

Exactly this


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[soran]

Originally Posted by dmash

Let me just get straight to the point.


In 99.9% of situations, there’s absolutely no legitimate reason why the box and papers are completely gone, on a modern (I’m assuming 6 digit) Rolex. Much less headache and worries, just to pay a bit more and get the complete package.

Agreed... box + papers does reduce risk of problems

[drmizzou]

Pass on that. Too many variables. Will be a nice savings now, but if/when you decide to get it serviced and it turns out to be a stolen piece, you’re not getting that watch back and you’ll have lost more than the $2k you’re saving now. Too risky imo.

[turnleftgofast]

Originally Posted by drmizzou

Pass on that. Too many variables. Will be a nice savings now, but if/when you decide to get it serviced and it turns out to be a stolen piece, you’re not getting that watch back and you’ll have lost more than the $2k you’re saving now. Too risky imo.

+1


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[envuks]

As someone previously mentioned, $2k savings for missing box and papers seems “suspiciously cheap.” Sounds like too much of a discount for the missing items which would cause me to be skeptical about the origins of the watch. I’d pass

[Onikage]

Do us a favour OP - Show us what you got if you got it.