Watch collecting is not just an art but for the most of us, it takes skills to hunt for the exact piece we want when it’s not available in retail. Perhaps, for the rest of us, the retail price is out of our budget.
Where else can we go then? In this article we will recommend a few places for you to fulfill your watch desires, be it to look for that vintage watch or not breaking the bank (at least not the whole bank).
1) Carousell
The first place that comes to our minds will probably be Carousell. However, this could be a tricky one as buying your luxury watches from Carousell requires you to do sufficient research on the authenticity of the watch or even a good price for it.
Personally, this would be my go-to platform to fulfil my hunting and hankering but before that, it would take me a while to read up on the watch and doing my research. You can quickly check the prices on Chrono24 which is a reputable place for a benchmark before looking for those listings.
To be safe, you should only go for those listings that include box & papers, that’s not all, when you meet up with the buyer, make sure the serial number matches with the number on the case back!
2) Chuan Watch
The next place should be of no stranger to all the local watch enthusiasts.
With a colossal amount of reviews, Chuan Watch has been the place for many people to purchase their pre-owned luxury watch. They house numerous brands from your Pateks to even Roger Dubuis, this could be the reason why they are the go-to place for many.
If you are interested in their catalog, you can click here.
3) Chrono24
A specialised marketplace for all your watch needs. Chrono24 offers one of the most reliable online marketplace for watches, they are based around the world and most importantly, there is one in Singapore.
There are approximately 220,000 visitors per day on their website and this is because of their secured buyer protection policies so you can shop with a peace of mind. Their buyer protection consists of a few stages, before any dealer lists their watches on their website, they go through a strict criteria before they are verified.
On top of that, all shipments are insured by Chrono24 and if you have any doubts about the authenticity of a watch, you can contact Chrono24 within 14 days upon receiving your order and the team will assist you and provide you with a solution. If things go south eventually, you will be refunded.
Click here to check them out.
4) Facebook Groups
Another interesting place for you to hunt for your next watch could be something you use everyday!
There are a few Facebook groups such as the one in the image above that specialises in buying and selling of luxury watches. The upside of this is you could make a few friends sharing the same watch collecting hobby with you and they might just have a few lobangs for you!
You don’t know what you don’t know so the 24,575 people in there could be of great help to you in authenticating the watches or even recommending you more places you can go for your hunt.
You can honestly treat the group as a benchmark for you to begin searching for the watch you are looking for and even inquire about the latest prices and what not.
5) Martin Luxury
Another reputable place which I’ve found from the watch sharing group (SWAG) that I am in is Martin Luxury.
Though they do not provide as many brands when compared to Chuan Watch, but there is still a good variety of brands for you to eyeball from. Aside from watches, they also sell pre-owned jewellery and accessories such as wallets and bags.
If you noticed on the top of their website, they have a section for watch parts. It is currently empty but it might just be worth the wait to check what they have in store for us.
You can check out their website here.
6) K.B. Luxury Watch And Jewellery
The next place seems to be a fusion of Martin Luxury and Chuan Watch. However, they seem to have the least selection of pre-owned watches in this list.
They also sell watch parts like Martin Luxury such as diamond bezels and polishing cloths. An added touch of service by them is the option to touch-up and polish your watch with them at an affordable rate of $50 and it only takes them an hour!
Talking about added services for your watch, you can check out our article here for watch repair and polishing services.
Disclaimer
All the places that I have mentioned (except Carousell) are reputable places for you to shop for your pre-owned luxury watches, however, please do your due diligence and research more about the watches you are buying.
Some tips that I recommend is to bring your watch for authentication after buying even if the watch includes box & papers (by that I mean with the warranty card and authentication card).
Some places even allow you to bring the watch for authentication before even buying it, but from my own knowledge, this usually happens with the flexibility of dealing with individuals on Carousell or Facebook groups, expect to pay for the authentication though but I highly recommend it.
Some places you can go for authentication services are Bonfield or Passion Watches.
Read the article on watch repair which I have mentioned above where some of those places in the article offer authentication services. Bonfield and Passion Watches sells pre-owned luxury watches too so you can consider checking them out as well!