How to Make SERIOUS MONEY Buying & Selling Old Watches

#6.  When buying old watches from the public, if time and circumstance permits, ask if they have the original box or boxes.  Many older watch boxes have removable inserts or liners in the bottom half of the box.  Be sure to look under the insert.  It is common to find extra links for metal bracelets there.  I’ve also found original straps with a logo type buckle from the manufacturer.  These boxes also make a good hiding place for other items.  Down through the years I’ve found paper money, silver and gold coins, military scrip and medals, along with a variety of other interesting items, like campaign buttons.  Be sure to check!

Table of Contents:

Foreword

Chapter One: Why Watches?

Chapter Two: Know Before you Go!

Chapter Three: How to Evaluate Watches

Chapter Four: Where to Find Them

Chapter Five: How to Buy

Chapter Six: What to Do With Your Watches Once You’ve Found Them

Chapter Seven: How to Sell Your Watches

Chapter Eight: Choosing Your Place in the Watch World

Chapter Nine: That’s Not All, Folks!

Chapter Ten: Ethics

Chapter Eleven: “The Best for Last”

Things to Think About

Backword

   Since I was one of the main "watch guys" at a large San Diego swap meet, other swap meet sellers of general merchandise would often contact me concerning watches they had found.  Some called just for information.  Others called because it was often simpler to sell to me than go to the general public, especially if the watch was not running or was of limited interest to the public.  They knew they could get "quick cash" from me and not have to wait for their profit.

     A gentleman who sold small collectibles called on a Thursday afternoon and said that he had found a nice chronograph that he knew I would be interested in.  He described it as a manual wind, double register Gallet chronograph, with a black dial, in a stainless steel case.  He said that the only problem was that it was engraved on the back.  We discussed price, and came to a tentative agreement.  This San Diego swap meet was open Fridays on a much smaller scale than the following two days, Saturday and Sunday, so I made arrangements to visit his selling space the following morning.

     The watch was as described, so I purchased it for about 25% below its book value.  The seller again apologized for the engraving and remarked that the stainless steel back looked thick enough that he thought that the engraving could be polished off.

     The engraving on the back of the watch indicated that it had been presented as a first prize to the winner of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier landing contest in the late 1950's.

     Who was that Naval Aviator?  Wally Shirra, who went on to become one of our most famous and accomplished Astronauts!

     With his name and a verifiable event engraved on the back of the watch, this Gallet chronograph moved out of the watch world and into a much more rarefied collectible market.

     If the gentleman who sold me the watch had taken the time to do a little research, he would have been the one to make the exponential profit.  It's also a very good thing that he didn't try to polish the engraving off the back to "improve" his chances of getting a better profit!