Frequently Asked Questions

Buying a watch

Will I have to pay import taxes?

If you are based outside of the UK & EU, you may also have to pay import/export duties and/or other taxes, fees and charges applied by customs or other authorities. You may also need to make certain declarations and/or pay additional fees if your watch incorporates particular materials (for example, but without limitation, exotic skin straps or precious stones). You must comply with all laws and regulations of your country as well as the country to which you are sending your watch in this regard. Any additional charges for customs clearance must be borne by you; we have no control over these charges and cannot predict what they may be. If you are unsure about whether these charges and/or declarations might apply to your order, you should contact your local tax or customs office for further information prior to sending your watch to us. We shall not be liable to you if you fail to comply with these obligations.

Why are some pre-owned watches cheaper than new, and others more expensive?

There are a multitude of reasons for this, such as availability, demand, rarity etc. For certain brands, in particular Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, Vacheron Constantin and so on, watches are almost always more expensive on the pre-owned market. This is because these brands have a very restricted supply of particular models available for immediate purchase, and customers must have a long-standing purchase history and be willing to wait 20+ years for a watch in some cases. People are often willing to pay more money to get their hands on a watch without these restrictions.

What payment methods do you accept?

In store and online, we accept all major credit and debit cards, including MasterCard, Maestro, Visa and American Express, as well as bank transfer, Apple Pay and Google Pay. In store we can accept cash. Please note that cash payments are subject to anti-money laundering regulations. Our policy on this can be viewed here.
Online, we can also accept payment via PayPal and Shop Pay.

How can I insure my watch?

Home insurance is often the go-to way to insure a watch. It is important that you make your home insurance aware of the value of your watch, so that if anything happens, you will get what you need to repair/replace it. Our prices are continually updated to reflect the market, and your purchase invoice can be presented to your insurance company should you wish to protect your purchase. Our valuation service can also help with this.

How does postage work, and how long does it take?

We ship our watches to clients worldwide. When you make a purchase, we will ship your watch via private courier using the details you have provided us. Delivery times will vary depending on the delivery service you have selected, your distance from us and your payment method if we have to wait for your payment to clear. Our shipping policy can be found here.

I can’t make it to the shop, is there any way I can see a watch I’m interested in?

Yes! We have a number of services available to help with this – you can request a Zoom appointment to speak with a member of the team and view watches. You can book an appointment here. We can also send videos and photos, and discuss your needs via WhatsApp. Our contact details can be found here.

Where do your watches come from?

We work with a select network of trusted partners around the world who provide us with a multitude of watches. We also purchase watches from the public, and we sell watches on behalf of our clients. All our watches are assessed by watchmakers to certify their authenticity and functionality. This allows us to provide a 24-month warranty with all our watches.

Can I secure a watch via deposit?

Yes, on some occasions clients may secure a product via a deposit for purchase at a later date. Our full deposits policy can be found here.

How will my watch be shipped?

We offer free insured and tracked shipping on all luxury watch purchases worldwide. For full details on our shipping policy, please click here.

Do you have any reviews?

Yes! We have over 500 5-star reviews from our valued customers on Trustpilot. These can be viewed here. Pride and Pinions is passionate about excellent customer service and providing the best experience possible for buying or selling your watch.

Selling a watch

Do you buy watches from any brand?

At Pride & Pinion, we specialise in luxury brands, such as Rolex, Tudor and Patek Philippe. Most of these brands originate in Switzerland, however we also purchase luxury watches from other countries such as Japan and Germany, for example Grand Seiko. We do not purchase fashion branded watches such as Fossil or Michael Kors.

How will I send my watch to you?

We will arrange a convenient collection date for your watch via DHL Insured. This service is free.

What happens once you have received my watch?

After we have received your watch our experts will inspect the watch within 48 hours and make you a final offer. If you accept this offer your payment will be made via bank transfer within 5 working days.

Can you pay me in cash or another means?

No, we apologise but we can only make payment for a watch sold via bank transfer.

Consignment Watches

When will my watch be listed?

After we have received your watch our experts will inspect the watch within 48 hours to prepare the listing. Once completed and ready to be listed, the watch will go live with our weekly product launches which happen every Tuesday. As a result the latest we can receive your watch for listing on Tuesday, would be the previous Friday. In some cases we can list a watch received on Monday by Tuesday but cannot guarantee this.

How will you notify me of any sales/offers?

Once listed our in-house specialists will keep you updated on any offers received for the watch. If an offer is accepted or the watch is sold, we will ship the watch to the buyer and after the 14-day return period is up, we will bank transfer your payment to your preferred account.

How long will you hold my watch for?

We offer 3 options for a consignment watch; 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. This will be detailed in full within the consignment contract.

Additional watch queries

How often should I have my watch serviced?

Different manufacturers will have different ranges. The industry standard is 3-5 years, however with new advancements in watchmaking, such as the silicon hairspring, these times can be a lot longer. For example, Rolex now suggest 10 years between services for any modern calibre.

Can you source any watch?

We can source most modern-day watches from major luxury brands – in some cases, we can find very specific watches from particular years, however this may not always be possible for vintage models. Our team can help further advise on this. You can contact us here.

Can you repair any watch?

In short, no. Most watches can be repaired, no matter how damaged they are – in general, the more damage a watch has sustained, the more costly it will be to repair. In some cases, the cost of repair would exceed the cost of replacing the watch, in which case it makes more sense to do this. Furthermore, as watches become older, the availability of compatible parts gets smaller, making them harder to repair. More information on repairs can be found here.

How can I care for my watch?

For our extensive guide on caring for your watch, click here.

Can you authenticate my watch?

When a watch is presented to us for appraisal and valuation, we will examine it to determine its authenticity. We cannot, however, comment on a watch’s authenticity through photos or videos, and must see it in person.

Can you value my watch?

Yes. Details of our Valuation service can be found here. Please note that we cannot value watches from photos and videos alone, and must see it in person.

Whats a chronograph

Put simply, a chronograph is a stopwatch, often found on motor-racing inspired watches. There are many variations of this complication which can measure several fractions of time, such as milliseconds, minutes, hours etc. It is important to make sure the chronograph is turned off when not in use, as it can drain the battery in quartz watches, or sap the power reserve and potentially damage the movement in mechanical watches. More information on caring for your watch can be found here.

Refunds and Returns

What is your returns policy?

We accept returns up to 14 days after the item has been received, our full returns policy can be found here.

How will I receive my refund?

In the event of an approved refund, the refund will be sent back to the original method of payment. Please note in some cases it can take up to a week for this refund to come through.

Can I exchange my watch?

The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and once the return is accepted, make a separate purchase for the new item. As a result, on most occasions we will not accept exchanges, but do make exceptions.