Collector’s library
The parts nobody explains.
Buying watches is well covered. What happens after — servicing, valuation, insurance, travel, provenance and succession — is not, and those are where an otherwise careful collector loses real money, usually without ever finding out. Nine pieces, written plainly, with the source of every figure named.
Written to be useful whether or not you buy anything
None of this requires Watch Register. Where the application happens to solve something described here it is noted plainly and kept out of the way. General information only — not insurance, legal or tax advice.
What watch servicing actually costs
Brand-by-brand service ranges, what the price includes, real intervals, and factory versus independent watchmakers — with the provenance of every figure.
What a full set is worth
What completeness actually means, what each missing item costs at resale, and why every published percentage comes from someone who buys watches.
How to value a watch yourself
The three different values one watch has at once, which data sources reflect real transactions, and when to stop and get an appraisal.
How to insure a watch collection
Why the standard homeowner’s sub-limit leaves most collections exposed, what scheduling buys, and the documentation an underwriter needs per piece.
Watch insurance providers compared
How specialist insurers differ on settlement basis, mysterious disappearance, worldwide cover, deductibles and appraisal requirements.
Travelling with watches
Airport security, CBP Form 4457, carnets, what insurance covers in transit, hotel safes, and how targeted theft actually works.
Documenting provenance
What provenance actually covers, what to keep per piece, why photographing paperwork beats storing it, and where to be careful with serial numbers.
What an executor will need
The three ways collections go wrong after a death — undervalued, dispersed, unfindable — and the record that prevents each.
Glossary of watch collecting terms
Plain definitions of the 27 terms used on invoices, appraisals, insurance schedules and auction listings.
Also worth reading — elsewhere on this site
The recommended setup covers the order of operations for a new collection. How your data is protected is the full account of the encryption, including what it does not protect against. The FAQ answers forty-one specific questions about the application itself.