Hi all.. would like some opinions here.. i bought a sports Rolex in 2016 and wore it for a good 2 years before i kept it in a safe till now. Recently i have been thinking of selling it off. While i have no real use for the money, i feel that a watch should be worn and enjoyed which this watch has not seen the light of day for 2 years already.
While looking at it, i notice some scratches on the bracelet including the usual deskdives. Crystal still looks fine but the watch could use a good cleaning. The watch works just fine but it doesnt seem to wind as good as when it was first bought 4 years ago.
Im exploring my options to either sell it off as it is, send to Rolex service centre for servicing before selling off or just keeping the watch and hope its value continues going up. The option of sending it off to RSC for servicing before selling is to ensure i don't get low ballers coming to me because of the condition.
Appreciate all your thoughts..
My thought process, if I were in your shoes:
1) Is the watch keeping good time? Not needed to be within COSC, but it should not be running in a faulty manner (i.e. worse than a Seiko's rated specs). If YES, suggest not to service. If NO, suggest to service.
2) Why #1? Because it is one thing to sell a watch that needs servicing to reach COSC standards, it is another thing to sell a watch that is running in a faulty manner. The first, I think any normal/rational buyer that isn't too picky would not bother. The second, EVERYONE would be mighty pissed if they now have to send in the watch for it to work normally, and there is also no way to check on this prior to the purchase. Alternatively, you could price it lower in recognition of the need for service, but this will turn off many potential buyers because this could mean that their cost could range from a simple servicing to a massive overhaul. They are now taking a lot of risk. The funny thing is that even if it is running OK, the watch could break down the next day and they would face the same risk. But that's just human mentality for you.
3) If you service, you will definitely want to pass on the costs to the buyer. If everything seems OK, and your watch is not that old anyways, why bother? Leave the choice to the buyer. You also reduce your pool of potential buyers by jacking up the price right away.
4) Lowballers will just lowball, nitpicking at servicing (or lack thereof) is just one of their many tools. As a friend once said, all you need is that ONE willing buyer.