Hello forum users.

I require a valuation of a watch for insurance purposes. Does anybody have a recommendation for such a service in Zurich? The watch is relatively standard (modern, with box and papers, not precious metal etc.).

Thanks is advance for any information you might have!

What is the watch ?

I'm going through the process at the moment and it should be the insurance company that provides the valuation (Unless I'm missing a step)

I have been asked for the receipt (In my case irrelevant) and the reference numbers.

It all depends on the watch. I'm sure authorised dealers can provide a valuation, but if it's anything standard (Tag, Breitling, Omega etc) the replacement value will be the retail value.

AP, Patek, Rolex, Vacheron, FP Journe etc would have a higher value as they increase in value of list

Depends very much on the watch and age. For most current watches- the manufacturers could give you a valuation.

As Nick says, if one of the BIG brands, and older/antique watches- it is a very specialise market and you would have to take it to a specialist to have official value.

Do you mind saying which brand it is and approx date of manufacture?

It's a recent Rolex (not unique, not rare, not special), but on which the market value is significantly higher than the retail price (and amount on the sales receipt from the authorised dealer).

My insurance company (mainstream one) has advised that I get the new valuation so that it can be insured at the current market value.

As they wish to insure it at "current market" value, they will certainly chage you a "current market" premium for this service.


If the watch was lost or stolen, as it is a recent model, it would be valued as per the current Rolex price list.


You can get an idea of actual value via Ricardo or Ebay however watch prices are very fickle and trhe smallest differecne can make the largest changes in value.


Also original papers and full set of boxes affect the price.

That is clear. Naturally I would be paying a higher premium if the insured value is higher. In the event of a loss, the payout would be at the insured value (or a replacement, if available).

Although back to the original question, does anybody have a recommendation for a watch valuation service in Zurich? Thanks!

Any Rolex dealer on Bahnhofstrasse, although highly unlikely they would be ready to give you an inflated price....

Exactly. Which is why I’m asking for a recommendation for a valuation service, and not going back to the dealer.

It doesn't exist, a valuation will be on low side as it is a dealer hoping to buy and turn a jolly profit. Dealer doesn't care, he provides a service, you pay and a valuation for a Rolex on dealer letter head is very difficult to argue with .

If you tell me the model and full details, (condition, box, papers etc) I can probably give you a rough estimate of what you may be able to sell it for privately

take photos of item and paperwork.. register it as named item on your insurance .

If a claim involving it arose they would use there estimate regardless of your valuation.

Take and store safely Photos of item and paperwork !!!

In this thread: lots of people who do not understand how insurance valuations work. The OP doesn't want to know how much the watch is worth on the open market - head to any of the big watch sites and you can find that out in a matter of minutes.

Neither does he want a letter from Rolex stating the current list price. He has a receipt for that.

What he is looking for is an official valuation that will be recognized by his insurance company in the event of a loss.

I suspect that the OP has an in-demand watch like a Rolex Pepsi. List price is CHF9'500, but the current open-market price is closer to CHF22'000. So if he experiences a loss and wants to replace it without going on a years-long waiting list, it needs to be insured at a higher value.

To the OP, I would turn this question on its head. I would go back to your insurer and ask if they could recommend a jeweler or expert who could provide an appraisal -- at least that way, you know that they'll honor the appraisal value as they made the recommendation. You could start somewhere like Chrono24 but I doubt that insurance would accept this as an official valuation.

All of this!

The insurer won't help though. I tried that. They also won't accept Chrono24 screenshots. Bucherer would only give the retail valuation. The bouncer for want of a better word suggested trying an auction house.

This thread has reminded me that I need to chase the insurer again, as they were trying to find a solution with their underwriting department.

I don't really understand why we can't have agreed value contracts.

Insurance company should calculate the risk of the asset, define a % premium, and then let's agree together on the value of it and I'll pay you the premium.

Insurance can always not agree on gigantic values (like 100k for a steel Submariner), but what's the difference to them if it's 10k or 20k? Double the damn premium, request the necessary risk mitigation measures (alarms, safe, PMC mercenaries, whatever it might be) and move on with your life.

I understand 99.9999% retail insurance is just looking for the cheapest product out there, so insurers just squeeze valuations down to keep premiums competitive and protect their margins, but if you have a customer that will gladly pay a premium, I don't understand why they won't just take it...

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Agree with this. I pay 1% of the retail value of the watches. Why can't I pay 1% of a bigger number. It works in other countries e.g. UK for cars.

The voice of reason! At least somebody understands what I'm after.

I have spoken to my insurer. They have recommended a valuation service in Zurich. I can then use that appraisal to increase the insured amount (and yes, pay a higher premium).

To avoid too much fraud probably

Can you share the name of the service provider please?