We buy surplus watches from various defence auctions, disposal sales such as clearances by security organisations, over runs from procurement companies and ends of lines from manufacturers. It's frequently the case that we find there is nothing wrong with many of the watches which arrive, in other cases we find the issue is something simple like a battery failure which is not a fault per se but a routine maintenance issue, regardless it has to be assumed that any of these watches in the surplus sections (other than those that are simply ex photographic, promotion or exhibition samples) could have some kind of fault although in most cases it's often very minor or something specific as described in the descriptive text for that specific watch.

We usually secure the watches in this section at favourable prices hence this is passed on to our clients when the watches are sold to enthusiasts, collectors and resellers. In most cases, our staff will have given the watch a once over and if nothing is immediately apparent we have to assume that there is either no real fault or that maybe something will reveal itself over time in which case it’s frequently a simple case of a service, routine repair or battery exchange depending on the exact model. At the time that the staff at our various locations make a visual inspection they also photograph the watches and prepare the basic information for sale so if you look at the images carefully you can generally see exactly what is described in the text such as hand off, damage to the casing, damaged crystal or whatever is applicable to that particular watch, of course this would not apply if it is a mechanical issue with the movement in which case it would generally be in the descriptive text that the watch is not running or has some other technical issue. Often watches will tend to need regulating because even if the staff wind them up and find out they are running fine they will not have the time to determine if they are running accurately but of course that is usually just a case of regulating the watch.

If a watch needs attention or is described as having a fault and is brand-new we might use library images but for any watch that is not new or not in mint/new condition we will take pictures of the actual watch being offered for sale.

Sometimes we receive watches which are new and ends of lines or production over runs, also there are watches which have been used for promotions or photographic purposes, sometimes in fashion shoots and other times by dealers or manufacturers at trade shows, these watches will be in perfect new condition and sometimes the item being offered will be the actual item in the photographs on the manufacturers website! These watches will not have any issues and will be clearly marked as perfect and frequently will be covered by a full warranty.

With regard to the surplus watches specifically described as “in need of attention” we would not recommend that customers buy them unless they have basic horological skills or access to a friendly watchmaker who will carry out the work needed.

If you need clarification regarding any points please feel free to email us at this link https://miltimepieces.com/pages/contact-us