Do Box and Papers matter to you?

Even with my casio's  aand seikos.  I feel like it comes complete.

Not really unless I plan on selling it in the future.

Absolutely matters. Won't buy without full kit, if buying used. 

If someone cares enough to retain full kit, chances are they actually care about things like proper care and service. 

It does matter, but not as much as it use to. Still important though if you intend to flip down the road, question is…is it just box and papers or do folks also care about hang tags, dongles and residual stickers?

True. I also care about box and papers most of the time.

But when it comes to vintage watches (30+ years old) it‘s pretty rare to find a watch in good condition with box and papers. So for vintage watches I really do not care that much.

With both vehicles and watches I'm extreme on both decision scales: always buy new and always a piece I intend to keep for as long as it can last. Being firm on the first allows me to be flexible on the second. By this approach my collection will never be as large as others but that's okay with me. The legwork of evaluating a used vehicle or, in the case of a watch, ensuring it's genuine is just more hassle than I care to bother with. Paying a bit more for certainty of never getting burned is worth it.

If I ever bought used, it would only be because something isn't in current production. And it would include box and papers.

You just saved me some typing.

I've only purchased pre-owned watches with full box and papers.  I've a couple of heirloom pieces which don't have box and papers but they are 1940 and before, plus they have family provenance.

I'm just a bit paranoid and getting the full set helps calm those fears a bit.  After all, watches can be a sizeable outlay.

I've learned that while I may not hugely care about how nice the box is that's just gonna sit in my closet...the next buyer (generally speaking) hugely cares.  If I buy a watch without it, it's harder to sell.  Ergo, I now really care about buying a full set.

The box is important in any case. If you buy a new watch it has to be packed nicely. And then if you want to sell it it is always an added value to have the box too. The future buyer can see that you took care of the watch and not only 😀

Fully agree with @biglove here when it comes to #boxandpapers. I'd look at it like when you are buying a car. Having the owner or dealer pulling out the original docs with a transparent history simply adds trust. 

Makes sense 

It really depends on the price.i wouldn't care if it was a 100 euro watch but something really expensive,then it's a must.

Personally i dont give a toss about it and i have never sold any watches in my watch box. 

Yet if i ever, wanting to purchase a pre-owned / vintage watch, it would best be having those coming along with it as it might be easy to make a fake watch, but making a fake paper, fake box, fake hang tags... can be a bit much to invest for a fake. 

so yeah, if you would ever plan flipping any of your watches some day, try keeping it. 

Yes.  Especially with watches that are known to have good replicas.  
I know box and papers can be faked but it’s another layer of protection. 

That‘s crazy 😬

You should post a pic of all watches in one picture 😝

You call me crazy?🤣🤣  i am certain there are way more crazier people here who havent spoken up yet lmao. 

I think mine is rather modest🤟🏻

This for me. It completely depends what I'm buying. If its a vintage piece or maybe an affordable modern piece that doesn't hold any kind of residual value then I'm not concerned about the original box and papers. If I'm spending more then yes please. It's all part of the provenance. 

Crazy when I compare that to the amount of watches I have right now.  I have 5 watches but you are right, there are people who have collections 10 times of what I call a collection 😂

I will get there some day 😁

As long as it pleases yourself and filled the needs and holes of our desire, one watch collection is a collection🙌🏼

Yes, because if I'm purchasing from another owner or used watch website, it's one added indicator that the watch is authentic and not altered. That said, it's not a deal-breaker and I realize those things can be faked as well.

I agree with the comments that it depends on the watch. 

I always prefer a full kit, but the lack of box and papers won't necessarily prevent me from taking advantage of a good deal as long as I have confidence that the watch is authentic, and that the seller is the legitimate owner of the watch.  The higher the value, the more importance that I place on box and papers. The most expensive watch that I've bought without box and papers was an Omega Broad Arrow, which I purchased from my local watchmaker, and which was priced accordingly.

Just my personal take - they mean nothing to me. I wear the watch, not the box and papers. Again, just my take. 

I guess for me is a ”nice to have”, but not a must. 

I buy to keep so resale isnt a thing for me and I just want to get the best watch I can at the best price so usually I search for watches without box and papers because why pay for something that gives me nothing.

PS - Im the same with bracelets - I don't like them and since I don't resell I always go against common wisdom and avoid them when I can.

Taking up too much space in the garage I agree.  That said, when selling an old watch of my dad’s, it mattered big time $$$.  That story in an upcoming post ..

If it is a Rolex... yes 😂

Yes absolutely! I only buy full sets. Not only do I have a nice box on my shelve, but If I resell, it makes the watch simply more desirable. Original papers is a must, If a watch has no papers, there’s most likely a reason for it… don’t want to gamble for this amount of money.

For any watch $1000 or above, the real question is not if you care about box and papers but rather : does the chap you'll sell it to down the line care about box and papers ?

If this chap happens to be a watch dealer, hell yes, they do care !

Not usually, it keeps some things cheap(er), but where I have got them then I keep them. The Rolex and some of the newer models do (Tag, Cartier), my older daily ones don’t.