Watch Appraisal Guide: What a Professional Valuation Covers

When Do You Need an Appraisal?

Four typical situations. Before buying: especially from a private seller or an unfamiliar source, an independent appraisal before payment is essential. Before selling: to set a realistic price expectation. Insurance and formal matters: a policy, inheritance division or legal proceedings may require a documented valuation report. And collection tracking: with volatile models you may simply want to know where your portfolio stands.

As a rule: if the watch is changing hands and the amount matters to you, get it appraised. The cost of an appraisal (free in most places, including ours) is negligible next to the cost of a mistake.

Authenticity Examination: Case, Movement, Dial

The first leg of an appraisal is authenticity. Case and serial/reference numbers: engraving quality and consistency of the numbers with the model and year. The movement: the case back is opened and the calibre verified — right calibre, right finishing, right serial. This is the hardest area for counterfeiters to fake. Dial, hands and bezel: print quality, typography, lume application and period-correctness.

The second leg is parts originality — the watch may be genuine while the dial was swapped or the bezel came from another case. That's a "frankenwatch", and it materially affects value. The third leg is service history: the movement's maintenance state and whether replaced parts are original.

Modern superclones can't always be told apart with the naked eye; that's why an appraisal takes equipment and — at least as importantly — an eye that has seen thousands of watches.

Condition Grading and Market Valuation

Once authenticity is settled, condition is graded: sharpness of the case lines, polishing history, scratches, bracelet stretch, movement performance (amplitude, daily deviation) and water resistance. Grades like "mint", "very good", "good" aren't subjective labels — each maps to a concrete position in the price band.

The final step is market valuation: recent sold prices for the same reference, full-set status, regional demand and exchange rates, weighed together. A good appraisal gives you a band, not a single number: what to expect in a quick sale, and what to aim for in a patient one.

Where you need it in writing: for insurance, inheritance and similar formal matters we issue a written valuation document identifying the watch by reference, serial and condition detail.

Appraisal at Bedesten: From WhatsApp to the Store

Our process has two stages. Preliminary appraisal: send clear photos of the watch (dial, case sides, case back, movement if visible) and its box/papers status via WhatsApp (+90 532 327 88 26); we share our assessment within 24 hours. This stage is free and carries no obligation.

Full appraisal: at our Suadiye store the watch is examined physically — including opening the case, with every step described above. Written reports for insurance or inheritance purposes are issued at this stage.

We've been buying and selling watches daily since 1999; our valuations come from inside the live market, not from theory. We appraise all major Swiss and German brands — Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet above all — in Turkish, English and Russian.