Sell your Rolex in Boca Raton

Answered by Evan, watch specialist at Barry's

A "full set" means everything that originally came with the watch, which, depending on the brand, model and year, can include the inner and outer boxes, warranty card, booklets, hangtags and other accessories.

People come into our store all the time and tell me they have a Rolex with a full set. Then they show me the watch, a box, and a warranty card. That's certainly better than having just the watch, but it's not necessarily what I'd consider a complete set.

For a modern Rolex, one item I pay particular attention to is the white serialized hangtag. It contains the watch's serial number and full reference number, including information about its original factory configuration.

That little white tag can be especially important on watches with valuable or unusual dials. Take the Rolex Oyster Perpetual with the colorful dials, for example. The warranty card identifies the model and serial number, but doesn't necessarily tell you which dial color the watch originally left the factory with. The white hangtag can provide that missing information.

Why does that matter? Because certain dial colors are worth considerably more than others. A watch could have a genuine Rolex dial that was installed later, but that doesn't mean it originally left the factory with that dial. On some collectible models, that distinction can make a substantial difference in value. The white tag is valuable supporting evidence, although it still needs to be authenticated along with the watch.

Omega is another good example of why it's important to know what originally came with a watch. Depending on the model, an Omega may have two or three cards, including the international warranty, pictograms, and Master Chronometer cards.

Something else to remember is that packaging changes over time, and some authorized dealers don't give customers every hangtag. So what constitutes a complete set can vary.

My advice is simple: Keep everything. The outer cardboard box, the booklets, the hangtags, and anything else that came with the watch. Some of those things may seem insignificant, but they can matter when it's time to sell.

Of course, if you don't have a complete set, that's not a problem. At Barry's Pawn & Jewelry, we regularly buy and lend against watches with missing accessories or no box and papers at all.

Answered by Evan, watch specialist at Barry's

Yes, we buy and lend against Rolex watches with aftermarket parts, but those modifications can have a significant effect on the value and how easily the watch can be resold.

A few years ago, it was extremely popular to customize Rolex watches with aftermarket diamond bezels and dials. People spent thousands of dollars on these modifications, and at the time, they were very fashionable. Today, the market has shifted, and most buyers prefer watches with their original factory parts.

I actually have a Rolex in our store right now that's a perfect example. It's a watch worth around $15,000 in the right configuration, and it's in excellent condition. The problem is that someone installed an aftermarket mother-of-pearl diamond dial. There just isn't much demand for that configuration anymore. I'll most likely have to source a genuine Rolex dial to replace it before I can sell the watch.

What makes it a particularly interesting example is that the watch is in excellent shape and the mother-of-pearl is good quality, but the printing is terrible. It's crooked, and "Perpetual" is misspelled "PERPRTUAL."

There's another issue most people don't consider: aftermarket parts can affect how and where a dealer can sell a watch.

I sell expensive watches on eBay, where eligible watches go through their Authenticity Guarantee program. This adds an important layer of protection for both the buyer and me as the seller. But watches with certain aftermarket modifications don't qualify.

I once sold a Panerai that had its original factory strap, along with an extra aftermarket strap I was including for free. I clearly disclosed the extra strap in the listing, but the authenticators still wouldn't pass the complete package through as submitted. After quite a bit of back and forth, I finally arranged for them to send the watch to the buyer, return the extra strap to me, and I shipped the strap to the buyer separately.

All that trouble over a free extra strap!

Now imagine selling a $15,000 Rolex without the protection of that authentication process. That's not a risk I'm comfortable taking, and it's something I have to consider when making an offer.

Of course, not all aftermarket parts are equal. A replacement crystal, for example, is very different from a custom diamond dial or bezel. Crystals are subject to wear and sometimes need replacement, and genuine parts aren't always readily available to independent watchmakers. The age of the watch, the type of replacement, and whether the original parts are still available all matter.

An aftermarket part doesn't necessarily make a Rolex fake. You can have a completely genuine Rolex with a non-original dial, bezel, crystal, or bracelet. But it can affect the value, buyer demand, and the cost of bringing the watch back to a more desirable configuration.

At Barry's Pawn & Jewelry, we consider all of those things when evaluating a watch. Having aftermarket parts isn't an automatic dealbreaker. It just means we need to take a closer look at what we're buying and what it will take to resell it.

No. Walk in Monday to Friday 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM or Sunday 12:00 to 4:30 PM. We're closed Saturday.

No. We make you an offer the same visit, and you decide. If you'd rather keep your Rolex, you can take it home or ask about a pawn loan instead.

For smaller sales, yes: you're paid in cash. Larger sales are paid to you by check or wire transfer.

Yes. Send photos through the quote form, or text them to (561) 786-2431, and we'll get back to you. The final offer is made in the store once we see the piece.

Usually, yes. Selling pays the full value; a pawn loan lets you keep ownership. We'll give you both numbers so you can choose.

Barry's is open Sunday from 12:00 to 4:30 PM and closed on Saturday. Weekday hours are Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.