Storage, care and insurance

Store watches away from strong magnetic fields and physical contact with each other. A watch roll or proper watch box is not optional. Scratched bracelets and chipped crystals are how a collection loses value quietly.

Service mechanical watches when they need it, not on a fixed calendar. A watch running accurately and consistently does not need to be serviced. When accuracy drops, find a qualified watchmaker. Not the cheapest one. The one with specific experience in your brand and calibre.

Insure under a specialist policy, not your home contents cover. Hiscox, Chubb, and Jewellers Mutual are the relevant names. Provide a full schedule with current valuations. The cost is typically under one percent of declared value annually.

CollectorGrade take

Insurance is the most neglected aspect of watch collecting. Most people with a single watch worth ten thousand pounds or more are either uninsured or under-insured. The cost of specialist insurance is typically under one percent of declared value annually. The cost of being uninsured when something goes wrong is the whole watch.