Looking to see what dollar value forum members place on box and papers when purchasing a vintage watch.

Is there a percentage premium one would pay if there was the original box, manual and guarantee with date of sale and original owners name?

Thanks for any assistance.

 

Really depends on the watch. Could be as little as the value of the box, $50 or so to many hundreds of dollars.

 

Fair point. Say a speedmaster from the 60's or early 70's?

 

60s $400

70s $200

90s $100

2010 $50

I would say something along these lines for Speedmasters ( @gemini4 @oddboy and @Spacefruit might be able to give you a better price guide than me )

As said a old seamaster with full everything would also depend on the condition of the watch ie; a beat up watch is still a beat up watch even though it has box and papers.

Out of many many vintage watches I own i only have two vintage watches with boxes ( not something I cherish as much as others )

 

Every example of a watch with a full set is different.
What papers? Original stamped dealer warranty card with register recipient .....great, A blank (sort of) period correct card, little to no value. Maybe a detriment as it points to a prepared watch.

Need lots of pics but the watch is still the star of the show.

 

Provenance means different things to different people under different circumstances.
Multiply implied provenance by a 5x factor with documentation.

What is the value of a story verses a report?

 

Many thanks for the replies. It looks like there a few factors to be considered when trying to price in the value of box and papers.

Any comments on the following example (for sake of simplicity I'll leave bracelet out of calculation)

145.022-69/DO90, head only, good condition, Price guide from speedmaster 101....$6800

Price with box and original stamped dealer warranty with name of original owner and date of sale and owners manual?

 

All depends on condition of watch...you cannot wear boxes and papers.

FWIW, the 1680 I recently sold apparently had added value of $9k for the paperwork

 

Just for clarity, does the warranty card have a serial number on it? I'd prefer papers to a box. Provenance provenance provenance!

 

I guess it depends on the individual and what the individual is willing to pay.

Personally, I'm a real sucker for original boxes [and papers] and I was willing to pay several hundred dollars more for the Hamilton 950 with its original box [no papers] pictured below...especially since the box's hand scribed movement number and case number match that of the watch's movement number and case number...and the box is in fairly good condition for its age [imho] which is circa 1927. Gotta have it!

 

I agree.
In my example the warranty card would have the serial number on it. What sort of premium would you pay?

 

Not sure how much extra I'd pay for it. Depends on the condition of the watch and who the seller is (buy the seller). I would definitely pay more if it was from the first owner. I think it's cute when a dealer sells a watch with a box and generic papers with no other information and hopes the piece is then a collector's item. Provenance, provenance, provenance!

 

The original warranty, complete with serial number and high street dealers stamp were deal makers for me on the first two eBay watches I bought. There are fakes out there but the papers reassured me and I was happy to pay a higher price for that reassurance.

 

Just to clarify - this was before I discovered OF and neither watch was an Omega.

 

It completely depends on the watch.
It can add up to 100% of the value for very rare pieces.

 

Definitely allows you to to buy with more confidence. Could you put a percentage on the premium you ended up paying in your case?

 

That is really beautiful and the box is an enormous bonus. What would $105 meant in 1927? It seems like a large amount of cash.

 

It also depends on the box. If we talk generic omega box of the time, not that much. If we talk speedmaster blue crater box in good condition, all bets are off!

I personally paid premiums for full sets. And sold a full set for a premium respectively. It's hard to give a definite % of what should be added on top for the paperwork.

For the boxes, when I sold my full set, I just went on eBay and looked at the sold listings for that exact box style, and added this to the price I had in mind for the watch. A box is comparably easy to source, so it shouldn't command a big premium to the watch in my opinion, except for what is the current going rate for the box.

Cheers,

Max

 

At a guess, I’d estimate somewhere around 10-15%. Both watches were Oris 7543 movements, and faked versions were prevalent (all with ‘private buyer identity protected’ featured in the bidders details). I also contacted the sellers directly.

 

I must be in the minority because I like a box and papers which are period-correct a lot, even without the guarantee-card!
https://omegaforums.net/threads/thoughts-on-a-145-012-67.65807/page-3#post-828170