Watch photography with a smart phone - advice?

My advice would be to leave the home, and take pictures outside. The iPhone 7's camera isn't nearly as good as the 10 and onwards, which argues against taking photos indoors. You can use a sheet of paper to prevent glare—hold it over the watch until the glare doesn't show. Now, also be aware that some crystals are notoriously hard to photograph well, particularly domed ones. Glare is more or less inevitable there.

Good luck, hope it works out!

ok thanks and yes most of the watches we like to photograph are vintage and have some sort of dome to the crystals. being in Connecticut it's not always enjoyable to have to go outside to take pics this time of year but perhaps I can try it out in the sun porch. will post a few tries later today for you guys to critique and thanks again for the tips! 😀

You could try one of these or a cheaper clone:

https://lumecube.com/collections/smartphone-vlogging-products