Yes — most watches we buy come without them. A full set brings more, so it's worth checking the closet, but the watch itself is what we're buying. Anyone telling you it's worthless without papers is negotiating, not appraising.

No. Rolex does not buy watches back from the public, and neither do Patek, AP or Cartier — an authorized dealer may offer trade-in credit toward a new purchase, but that's credit, not cash. That's exactly why specialist buyers exist.

Some will, but a general jeweler often prices a watch closer to its gold content or passes it to a specialist and takes a cut. The reference, the market and the originality are what set a luxury watch's price — that's what we do all day.

Here — one watch or the whole drawer. Inherited pieces, gifts you never wore, a collection you've moved on from. We'll go through all of it and tell you which ones actually carry value.

It depends entirely on the reference, condition, originality and whether you have the box and card — the range across Rolex models is enormous. Send a photo of the dial and caseback and we'll give you a real number within a business day, not a guess.

Yes. Stopped movements, water damage, scratched crystals, missing links. A non-running Submariner is still a Submariner. It affects the offer; it doesn't end the conversation.

Almost never enough to cover what the service costs. Keep your money — sell it as it is and let us handle the service. The same goes for polishing, which removes metal and can permanently hurt a vintage piece.

Reference and model, condition, originality of every part, whether it runs, box and papers, and what that exact reference is actually trading for right now. Not what it retailed for, and not what an insurance appraisal says.

They're usually engraved between the lugs, underneath the bracelet, and on modern Rolex the serial is repeated on the rehaut — the inner ring between the dial and the crystal. Don't take the bracelet off if you're unsure; just send us photos and we'll identify it.

Outright if you want certainty and speed. Consignment if your watch is sought-after and you'd rather wait for the right buyer and take a stronger return. We'll tell you honestly which one your watch suits.

You can absolutely make more selling privately — if you're willing to handle the photos, the questions, the fees, the chargeback risk and mailing a valuable watch to a stranger. Watches are one of the most targeted categories for fraud. We're the trade-off: less hassle, less risk, a real number now.

On a genuinely exceptional piece, sometimes yes. Expect several months, a seller's commission and no guarantee of a sale. If we think your watch belongs at auction rather than with us, we'll tell you that.

Only when that's genuinely all it's worth — an unbranded or broken gold case with no collector interest. A gold Rolex, Cartier or Patek is worth far more as a watch than as metal, and we would never quote one as scrap.

Yes, and it's a large part of what we see. You don't need to know what it is or what it's worth. Bring it as it is — including the ones that look plain. Vintage dress watches surprise people regularly.

Yes — usually downward, even though the work was expensive. Collectors pay for factory-original parts, so a diamond bezel added later typically reduces the offer rather than raising it. We still buy modified watches; we just price them as modified and explain why.

Every watch is authenticated before we complete a purchase — we check the movement, the case, the engravings and the details that counterfeits get wrong, and we work with LegitApp, an independent authentication service covering watches and over 300 brands. If you'd rather see it happen, bring the watch to our Los Angeles store and watch.