Buying a luxury watch online, safely

Start with who is actually selling

The first question is the simplest one: who is the seller? A brand's own boutiques and its appointed retailers sell new watches with the manufacturer's warranty. Almost everyone else selling pre-owned luxury watches is an independent dealer, and we are one. We are not affiliated with any watch brand, and we do not provide the brand's own warranty.

That is not a weakness, just a fact you should be told. An independent dealer's terms are the dealer's own, so the terms matter more. Look for a real business address, a phone number that a person answers, and an email address on the seller's own domain. We are in the downtown Los Angeles jewelry district, visits are by appointment Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm Pacific, and you can reach us on (213) 373-4424 or at sales@mywatchdealer.com.

Trade memberships are worth a look, with one caution. We are members of the IWJG, the NAWCC and TAWD, but a membership is a reason to ask more questions, not a reason to stop asking. Ask any seller what they will put in writing.

Photos of the actual watch

Stock images tell you what the model looks like. They do not tell you what is on offer. You want photographs of the very watch you would receive: dial, caseback, clasp, the sides of the case, and the engraved reference between the lugs.

Look closely at what the photos reveal. Check that printing on the dial is crisp, that the hands and markers match, that the bracelet is not badly stretched, and that the case edges are still sharp. If a detail is missing, ask for it. A seller who is happy to send more pictures is usually a seller with nothing to hide.

Make sure the reference number and serial number in the description match the photographs. If they do not, ask why.

Read the return and warranty terms first

Read the terms before you fall in love with the watch. Look for how many days you have, whether the watch must be unworn, who pays for return shipping, and how the refund is made. If the terms are hard to find, treat that as an answer.

You have 7 days from delivery to start a return on unworn, in-stock pieces. Special orders, which are references we source after you ask, are final sale unless the watch is defective or not as described. The details are on our returns page.

Warranty deserves the same attention. Ask who stands behind it, what it covers and how to make a claim. Ours is a store warranty: two years on the movement, from us rather than from the manufacturer. Case, crystal, dial, bezel and bracelet wear are a different matter, so read the warranty page before you buy.

Shipping, insurance and signature

A watch that is lost or damaged on the way is a miserable start. Ask whether the shipment is insured for its full value, whether it is shipped overnight, and whether a signature is required. A parcel left on a porch is a poor way to deliver anything valuable.

We ship insured and overnight, and a signature is required. Shipping is free on orders of $1,000 or more and a flat $55 below that. When your parcel arrives, record yourself opening it, check that the watch matches the listing, and tell the seller straight away if anything is wrong. Keep the packaging until the matter is settled.

How you pay changes what you can undo

Payment methods differ in what you can take back. This is worth thinking about before you pay, because it is not the sort of thing you can fix afterwards.

A credit card gives you the strongest recourse, because your card issuer has a dispute process. A bank wire is quick and final, and recovering a wire is hard once it is sent. Crypto cannot be reversed at all. For that reason you should be most careful about the seller's identity when you pay by wire or crypto.

We accept card, bank wire, crypto and, on eligible orders, Affirm or Klarna. Card payments carry a processing fee, and we show a lower wire price beside the card price on each listing. Crypto is handled desk to buyer, so you speak to a person at our desk. Financing is subject to the lender's approval. For larger orders we may ask for ID and billing checks before shipping, and the payment page explains why.

Authenticity, paperwork and a second opinion

Ask who has inspected the watch and where. A reputable seller should be able to tell you that it has been opened and checked by a watchmaker, and what that watchmaker looked for. On our side, every watch is checked on our own bench in Los Angeles before it ships.

Ask for a written invoice that shows the brand, model, full reference and serial number. Ask what comes with the watch, and whether any box or papers are the original manufacturer's. Every watch we sell ships with a written appraisal certified through MyLuxApp and our own presentation box.

You are also free to get a second opinion. If you have a watchmaker you trust, ask the seller how the return terms apply if that watchmaker disagrees.

The checklist, in one place

Print this, or keep it on your phone. If a seller cannot answer one of these, ask again, politely.

• Do I know who the seller is, and are they clear about being independent or brand-appointed?
• Do I have photographs of the actual watch, front and back?
• Are the full reference and serial in writing?
• Are the return terms and warranty terms written down, and do I understand them?
• Who stands behind the warranty, and what does it cover?
• Is shipping insured for the full value, and is a signature required?
• Which payment method am I using, and what can I undo with it?
• What paperwork comes with the watch, and is it original?
• Has the watch been inspected by a watchmaker, and can I see what it found?

Questions