Repair It or Sell It? What to Do With an Old or Broken Watch

There's a watch in a drawer in most South African homes. It stopped running years ago, or the strap perished, or someone was told it would cost a fortune to fix, so it just sits there. If that's you, the real question isn't "where do I get it repaired." It's "is this worth repairing at all, or should I sell it, or should I just keep it as it is?"

Here's how to decide, honestly, before you spend a cent.

First, find out what it actually is

The decision changes completely depending on the watch. A broken fashion watch worth R800 new is not worth a R2,000 service. A non-running vintage Omega might be worth a great deal even in its current state, and getting it "fixed" wrongly could cost you value.

So before anything: identify the watch. Brand, model, and the reference number engraved on the case between the lugs. Then get a rough sense of its value in working condition (search Chrono24 sold listings, filtered to South Africa). That single number, what it's worth working, drives every other decision.

What a service actually costs

People hear "a watch service costs R8,000 to R15,000" and panic. That range is real for a full service of a luxury mechanical watch by a proper watchmaker, and it's why you don't service a watch on a whim. But not everything needs a full service.

• A battery on a quartz watch is a small job.

• A strap or crystal is a moderate, worthwhile spend on a watch you'll wear.

• A full mechanical service (cleaning, oiling, regulating, seals) is the big one, and it's only worth it on a watch whose value or meaning justifies it.

The mistake is assuming everything needs the expensive option. Get a diagnosis of what's actually wrong before you assume the worst.

The decision, made simple

Repair it if the watch is genuinely valuable or genuinely meaningful, and the repair cost is a sensible fraction of its working value. A R3,000 service on a watch worth R40,000 that you'll wear, or that your father wore, is money well spent. Bringing a good watch back to life is almost always worth it.

Sell it if you won't wear it and the repair cost eats too much of its value, or if it's tying up money you'd rather use. Here's the important part: you do not have to repair a watch before selling it. A reputable buyer will make a fair offer on a non-running watch and factor the service cost into the number honestly. You don't need to spend R10,000 fixing it just to sell it. In fact, on a vintage piece, you often shouldn't touch it at all before selling, because the wrong repair can destroy collector value.

Keep it as-is if it means something to you and you're not ready to decide. There's no rush. A watch in a drawer isn't going anywhere. Just get it identified and valued now, so the decision is yours to make on your terms later, not a stranger's to make for you in a hurry.

A note on "it's impossible to fix"

If a general repair shop told you a watch is beyond saving, get a second opinion before you believe it. "Impossible" often just means "beyond what this particular shop can do." Many watches written off locally are perfectly serviceable by someone who works on that specific movement. Don't bin a good watch on one opinion.

What we do, and what we don't

To be straight with you: we are watch and jewellery buyers, not a general repair counter. We won't pretend otherwise. What we can do is tell you honestly what your watch is, what it's worth working and as-is, and whether repairing it makes financial sense. If selling is the better move, we'll make you a fair offer on it in whatever condition it's in, non-running included, with the service cost factored in transparently. If keeping and repairing is the better move, we'll tell you that instead.

WhatsApp: 078 603 8717 · Find out what yours is worth →