What is this watch, and what is it worth?
Guides for the moment a watch lands in your hands — inherited, found in a drawer, bought at a market, or about to be sold. Written by the team behind Loupe, with the limits of photo identification stated plainly.
Identify it
- How to identify a watch from a photoFree web tools, apps and forums compared — and how to take a photo that can be identified.
- How to find your watch’s reference numberCaseback, lugs, rehaut or papers — and reference vs serial.
- What the markings on the back of your watch meanNumbers, water resistance, stainless steel, Swiss made and gold hallmarks.
- Is your watch automatic or quartz?The seconds-hand test, the dial and caseback, and the exceptions.
- How old is my watch?Serial numbers by brand, hallmark date letters, and what a brand archive can tell you.
Is it real, and what’s it worth?
- How to tell if a watch is real or fakeRed flags you can check at home, and why only a watchmaker can confirm it.
- How much is my watch worth?Sold prices, not asking prices — and what moves the number.
- Watch box and papers: how much they matterWhat counts as papers, why a full set sells for more, and what to do if yours are missing.
Owning and selling
- Buying a used watch: a checklist before you payThe numbers to match, what to ask the seller, the condition red flags, and how to pay safely.
- Inherited a watch? What to do firstWhat not to touch, how to identify it, and why the papers matter more than the polish.
- How to sell a used watchDealers, marketplaces, consignment and auction compared, and the scams to avoid.
- How to catalog your watch collectionWhat to record for each watch, the photos to take, and how to keep it private.
- How to measure watch lug widthWhere to put the ruler, the common sizes, and when a matching number still won’t fit.
- How often should an automatic watch be serviced?What Rolex, Omega and Seiko publish, the signs that override any interval, and when a service costs more than the watch.
- What watch water resistance ratings actually meanWhat a 30 m, 50 m or 100 m pressure test proves, what it leaves out, and when to retest.
Loupe: watch identifier
Point your camera at a watch and get the brand, model and reference with a confidence rating, plus an estimated resale range — not an appraisal. Your collection stays on your phone. Free trial, cancel in Google Play.
