Hi all, I know this question can be subjective, or maybe some dealers or pros have a 'formula', but would love to hear your opinions please. How much extra would you value a watch if papers or warranty card included or not? What's prompted this is I'm looking to decide between 2 Seamaster 300M from similar year (2002/2004) and very similar good condition. 1) This one has all original links (11 full and 2 half links), and original box, but no papers or warranty card or manual. 2) The other has missing 1 full link and 2 half links (I have 19cm wrist) so will need to buy a couple, but does have both the cards, no other paperwork (no manual). The price difference is 200 Euro more for watch number 2. Thanks in advance.
In my personal view for a watch from 2002/2004 the warranty card and box make no (or very little) difference provided you can authenticate them both. The warranty has expired and it does not constitute a guarantee that the watch is genuine. I know it is always nice to buy a full set particularly if it is vintage or if the package is novel (eg mission patches, crater boxes etc) but I would buy the better watch of the 2 and discount the box and warranty card in my assessment.
Here are several threads over 3 pages on this question https://omegaforums.net/search/13916575/?q=Papers&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=2+23+18
Thanks both, as I thought, it's more personal choice but good to have more if a collector. Now I just decided to check dates via serial numbers on case lugs. 1) this one didn't know, said twas told 2001, but serial on lucg starts with 56840xxxxx so 1998? 2) This one has set or Omega warranty cards, date states 2004, but I just noticed the serial on photo of the lug, starts with 58475xxx so also 1998? See attached So is this card a fake? I used the Bobswatches website to lookup https://www.bobswatches.com/omega/serial-numbers
Thanks for your reply Not suggesting the watch is necessarily fake, but the card date being 6 years from manufature to being sold seems rather too much of a delay don't you think? Surely it's not the norm is it?
Bob's watches isn't necessarily the highest authority when it comes to serial number tables. Their Rolex table is total crap. If it really matters to you, do some real research.
Probably not the norm but when I worked Saudi Arabia in the 80's I had a nice little side business of buying new watches at AD's (Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Cartier and others) that had been in their stock for YEARS, and then on selling them to a vintage dealer in Zurich. Don't get hung up on the date on the cards.
Indeed, never trust one source anyway I was so suprised that I cross-checked with another 4 serial number tables, all had same date range for these serial numbers.
In my opinion I’d always go with the one that has the papers/cards. Yes a modern watch’s value won’t be affected as much as a a vintage one, but they’ll all become vintage at one point and then you’ll wish you had the card. If the cards/papers didn’t matter then I suppose the extract service wouldn’t be very popular. It’s all relative but ask somebody with a fat four Rolex Kermit if having the papers matters. That watch is from 2004. It can make a difference of thousands of dollars.
For an older Seamaster 300, I would not worry that much about papers if I bought it as a wearer. There are just so many of them out there and it is unlikely these will appreciate much over time. If you intend on keeping it for a long time, I would go without the papers. If you intend on wearing it then possibly on selling it, I would go with the one with papers. Links are easy - I think the Omega Boutique quoted about $80 AUD for one link.
A dealer of my acquaintance apportions 15% value to the box and papers (7.5% each) on a regular run watch. On a LE he doubles that to 30% total, the reasoning being that the full set is much more important on an LE and has a bigger effect on value. It’s probably my not as simplistic as that in the real world but it must be said on a recent or recentish piece the full set adds value.
The more I look, the more I find with serial numbers for 2018 regardless what dates the papaers and receipts have on them, so I'm coming to the conclusion that Omega must have made far more of these watch cases in 2018 than they needed, and it took them 8 years to sell them all Just out of interest, would Omega archives be able to give more detail that would help to fill the gap between 2018 case serial and sale to dealer maybe? I think this guy bought a lorry load: https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/GentryGMT?_trksid=p2047675.l2563
