A Collection That Wants to Be Worn

A collector who has to book a week ahead, drive across town and wait to collect one watch will stop doing it, and the collection ends up in a home safe that an underwriter never agreed to. Storage that is inconvenient is storage that gradually stops being used, and that is a worse outcome than no storage at all.

There is also a practical rhythm to a watch collection that storage has to accommodate. Pieces go out for servicing and come back months later, a strap gets changed, something is worn for a season and returned. A record that is only updated at intake stops matching reality within a year.

• Reference and serial numbers, recorded and photographed.
• Box, papers and accessories, noted separately from the watch.
• Condition on intake, including existing marks.
• Service history where you have it.
• Which pieces move regularly and which never do.

Reference and serial numbers, the box, the papers, the original strap or bracelet if it has been changed, spare links, and any service documentation. On many pieces the complete set is worth substantially more than the watch alone.

Links are the item most often lost, usually because they were removed at sizing and put somewhere sensible at the time. Recording them as part of the holding is how they stay with the watch.

1. 01Inventory item by item with photographs and reference numbers.
2. 02Record box and papers separately — they carry real value.
3. 03Log every removal and return, with who and when.
4. 04Re-check condition on return, against the intake record.
5. 05Provide the schedule to your insurer on your authority.

Store the box and papers with the watch and record them separately. On many pieces the complete set is worth substantially more than the watch alone, and it is the part most often lost in a house move or a family handover.

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