What to Look for When Buying a Second Hand Rolex Watch

Advantages of buying a second hand Rolex

The advantages of buying a second hand Rolex can often outweigh buying a new one. Price is often one of the biggest selling points, as often you can find a Rolex that’s in pristine condition, and at a fraction of the price of buying a new one from a retailer. However, availability and return on investment are also huge factors in enticing watch-lovers to buy pre-owned. 

For example, buying new from a retailer could mean you are put on a waiting list before you can even buy, and then acquire the watch. So, when you buy pre-owned, you get your watch within a few working days, and also have the chance of finding a rare or exclusive model which could give you a great return on your investment should you ever choose to sell your watch in the future.

What should you look for?

There are however, a few things you should be cautious of when buying a pre-owned Rolex due to the many swindlers out there who love to give people a run for their money. 

Documentation

When you’re looking at a second hand Rolex, always ensure the watch has proper and official documentation with it that can confirm its credibility. You should always buy a Rolex that comes with official papers where possible. However, papers are much easier to forge than the watch itself, so never put trust in just the documentation if the seller is not a reputable Rolex dealer. 

Serial number checks 

Every authentic Rolex will have a unique serial number consisting of 4-8 characters. These can be a variation of just numbers, or a letter followed by a series of numbers - it depends on the specific model and year of the watch. 

Forgers will always try and replicate a serial number on fakes, therefore you should check that the serial number on your Rolex matches that of the one in the documentation. 

Pay attention to the watch’s condition 

The watch's condition should be easy to gauge. If you’re buying a watch purely based on sentimentalism or for the sake of collection, then you may not be too concerned by whether or not the watch is in working condition. However, if you’re planning on buying a Rolex to be used everyday, then you’ll require a watch that has no significant damage, and a second-hand and minute-hand that is in working condition, at the minimum. 

You can obviously expect a certain level of wear and tear when buying a second-hand Rolex despite their premium quality, however anything beyond this may be an indicator of poor quality materials that have been used to create a fake.

Is the seller reputable? 

The best way to get what you’re looking for from a second-hand Rolex, is by buying from a reputable retailer. While this can be more challenging when buying online, you should pay close attention to trust signals, such as reviews from previous customers. 

Here at Browns, we specialise in both buying and selling second hand Rolex watches, and our in-house experts take measures to ensure every watch that we receive is 100% authentic.

We also provide official documentation, a full service and a two year guarantee for extra peace of mind.

Browse our complete collection of pre-owned Rolex watches online today, or contact our team for advice or answers to any other questions you may have about our pre-owned watches.