Ever since I got into luxury watches, I always thought about buying pre-owned luxury watches to keep building up my watch collection. But ever since I considered buying a pre-owned luxury watch, I wanted to consider all of the pros and cons before making the final decision. Because of this, I came up with my own pros and cons list so I can help both of us before we ever make that big purchase.
| Pros Of a Pre-Owned Watch | Cons Of a Pre-Owned Watch |
| – Substantially cheaper price than new watches – More available than new watches – Wider variety to select from – Pre-owned watch models are just as popular and stylish as new watches | – Show obvious signs of wear with scratches or dents – May need more servicing than new watches – Less reliable than new watches – Warranties have usually run out |
In the rest of this post, I am going to dive deeper into all of the pros and cons of pre-owned luxury watches, and I will also share my thoughts and opinions about pre-owned watches at the end.
Pros of Pre-Owned Luxury Watches
Pre-Owned Watches Are More Affordable Than New Watches
Pre-owned luxury watches are generally much cheaper than new watches. Since pre-owned watches show obvious signs of wear and can have scratches throughout the case and band of the watch, they come at a more affordable price than new/unworn watches.
When I was looking on eBay at Omega Speedmasters from top-rated sellers, I compared the prices between brand new watches and pre-owned watches. I found that the pre-owned Omega Speedmasters were substantially cheaper than new ones: some as low as half of the price of the new models.
This goes to show that you can get a popular and stylish watch model for the fraction of the price. And this is just one example of one of the most popular watch models ever, and you can test this with any watch brand that comes to mind.
If you compare any pre-owned watch model to its new watch counterpart for any big brand, I guarantee that the pre-owned watch will be more affordable 99% of the time. As far as I can think of, the only time a pre-owned watch is more expensive is if it’s a special timepiece that’s totally iconic or has intricate complications.
Even though pre-owned watches may have scratches and obvious signs of wear, you can save a good amount of money buying a pre-owned watch than buying a new watch. If you ever wondered what the average price of a new/unworn watch from 15 very popular brands in the world, you can click here to check out the full post.
Pre-Owned Watches Are More Available Than New Watches
There are so many people selling their pre-owned watches. The market for pre-owned luxury watches is much bigger than the market for new luxury watches. New luxury watches are often much rarer than pre-owned luxury watches, which means that a pre-owned watch is more available.
Watches in new condition are much rarer and keeping a watch in new condition is hard to maintain: after someone wears a watch once or twice, signs of wear can appear throughout the case and
For example, when I first got m Panerai watch, it looked brand new and appeared as if it can right out of the shop. It looked so good, but after I wore it just a couple of times, I saw some scratches on the case already and I thought to myself, “Really? How did I already get some scratches on the watch?”
This example shows that it’s difficult to keep watches in new condition. As soon as I wore my watch just a couple of times, it instantly turned into a pre-owned watch and dropped in value, which means that new watches are less common and you can find a pre-owned luxury watch that you love much easier and cheaper than a new one.
Wider Variety Of Watches To Select From
Since pre-owned luxury watches are more available than new watches, it also means that there’s a wider variety of watches to choose from. Because of the massive watch selling websites on the internet, you can find almost any luxury watch you desire in pre-owned condition, while it’s much harder and more expensive to find a watch in new condition.
I just went on the Chrono24 website (which is a large online website where you can buy and sell luxury watches) and I wanted to test if this is true. For the test, I decided to look at Panerai watches in all conditions since I personally own one myself.
When I was scrolling through their collection of Panerai watches, I found more watch models like the Luminor and the Radiomir in pre-owned condition than in new condition, which shows that there’s a wider variety of watches to choose from in pre-owned condition.
Pre-owned Luxury Watch Models Are Just As Popular And Stylish As New Watches
Pre-owned luxury watches are just as popular, stylish, and fashionable as new watches. Just because a watch is in pre-owned condition, it does not make it less popular or stylish than new watches.
I have a pre-owned Breitling “Wings” watch, and I can guarantee you that it has not diminished in popularity or stylishness. Even though my Breitling watch has some minor scratches throughout the case and is even missing a piece on the bezel, I get tons of compliments for my style, and I just feel really confident wearing the watch.
Cons of Pre-Owned Luxury Watches
Pre-owned Watches Show Obvious Signs Of Wear With Scratches Or Dents
The majority of pre-owned luxury watches have scratches or dents, which may seem unappealing. Scratches and dents on pre-owned watches lower their value drastically.
Pre-owned luxury watches with dents or scratches can seem unappealing up close, which may be unattractive for most people. With a brand new watch, there are no scratches, and looks much better than a pre-owned watch.
I was scrolling through subreddits about pre-owned watches and I saw several watch collectors and enthusiasts who do not like scratches on watches and often worry about creating their own watches.
If you’re a person who does not like scratches or dents on their watches, then looking into buying a brand new watch is a better option than buying a pre-owned watch. Brand new watches are guaranteed to have no scratches or dents, while pre-owned watches have a high chance of having plenty of scratches, smudges, and dents.
Personally, I don’t worry about the scratches on my watches because it shows that I’m using the watch for what it’s made for. And while I do care about the condition of my watches, it won’t be the end of the world for me if new scratches appear. However, plenty of people out there do not like scratches on their watches, and I can understand where they’re coming from.
Pre-owned Watches May Need More Servicing Than New Watches
Since pre-owned watches are worn more, the longevity of the watch may be reduced significantly and may need servicing and maintenance often. For a brand new watch, they need less servicing and maintenance because their internal moving parts have not been used as much, while the internal moving parts of a pre-owned watch are used often, which could mean they may need more love and care.
I found this con out the hard way. One year after I got my pre-owned Breitling luxury watch, I noticed that the watch hands would just not move. I tried winding it many times, but it just would not rotate at all. So, I brought it to “Gold Creations”, which is a local store where I usually get my watches serviced, and they told me,
“You probably need to bring in this watch more often since its been worn a lot.”
Ever since I had that conversation with them, I try to get my Breitling watch serviced every 3 years since it has been worn and used plenty of times. If you want to check out my full blog post where I went in-depth on how often you should service a luxury watch, you can click here.
Pre-owned Luxury Watches Are Generally Less Reliable Than New Watches
Since pre-owned luxury watches are worn much more often than new watches, they can be less reliable and incur timekeeping problems over time. The internal moving parts of pre-owned watches are more worn out than a new watch, which can make them less reliable overall.
You can think of a pre-owned luxury watch like a used car. A used car will have more miles and scratches than a new car, which can make it less reliable over time and can have the potential to break down faster than a new car. It’s the same thing with pre-owned luxury watches. The more the watch is used and worn, the less reliable it can be as time goes on.
Even though pre-owned watches may be less reliable than new watches, I am personally completely fine with it: I would rather get a watch at a significantly lower price point and put more care and love into it than buy a brand new watch at a higher price. On the other hand, some people don’t want to waste the time or energy putting more love into a pre-owned watch, which can be a massive con for them.
The Warranties on Pre-owned Watches Have Usually Run Out
The vast majority of brand new watches generally come with a warranty that lasts a couple of years, but if you buy a pre-owned luxury watch that has already been worn for years, then the warranty has probably run out already.
Warranties are important for watches because it protects you against manufacturing defects. If you find something not working with the watch movement or see something flawed in the design, you can get your watch redone through the warranty.
However, pre-owned luxury watches usually do not have a warranty or have run out of their warranty, so you cannot be protected against defects. Spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pre-owned luxury watch and finding factory defects would just be awful. If you’re worried about manufacturing defects, then getting a new watch with a long warranty would be the best option so you can avoid this entirely.
I am not too worried about the warranty on my luxury watches because I always do a deep analysis of any watch that I am looking to buy. I always look through pictures of the watch multiple times and zoom in to really see if there are any defects. Or, I look at the watch closely in person if I’m at a watch store. Doing this helps me avoid the headache of finding a defect when I actually buy a watch.
Pre-Owned Watches: My Thoughts
I think that pre-owned luxury watches are absolutely great, and the pros of pre-owned luxury watches outweigh the cons in my opinion. Buying a pre-owned timepiece can save you a load of money and provide you all of the benefits that come with a luxury watch.
Even though they do show signs of wear, they might not be as reliable as new watches, and they need more love and care, I think it’s a better and easier way to get a luxury watch that you love for a more affordable price. And since they’re more affordable, pre-owned timepieces are also great watches to build and develop a watch collection.
If I were to get a pre-owned watch, I would really want it to be a Grand Seiko. It would be the best watch for me to diversify and build up my watch collection. If you have read any of my other blog posts, you have heard me talk about the Grand Seiko often, and it’s for a good reason. The craftsmanship behind a Grand Seiko is second to none and has a unique spring drive mechanism that helps the second’s hand get a perfect sweep, which I absolutely love.