I know there are a fair amount of watch collectors out there, so I figured this would be a good place to ask! I am thinking about thinning out my watch collection, and I am considering selling my Cartier Roadster. It is stainless, automatic, large face, and comes with both the stainless and black bands. I paid $6,300 for it, and have only worn it a few times. It literally looks brand new, like it just came straight from the factory. My question is, if I did decide to part with it, how would I go about finding a buyer for it, and how much could I expect to sell it for? It is only a few months old, and I am the original owner. All paperwork, boxes, etc. are still intact and in the same perfect condition as the watch.


Oh, and just to clarify: this is not a "for sale" thread. I am not trying to sell this watch on this website, nor have I even decided 100% to sell it at all.

Thank you very much!

 

Ebay or go to any big watch store and either sell it or trade it for another watch.
Why are you selling it? don't like it? I think Cartiers are really nice.

 

No, I do like it a lot, but I have other watches that I wear more often. As I said, I have only worn it a few times, and for something that I spent almost $7,000 on after taxes, I feel like it would make more sense to just sell it.

 

I guess I am not very sophisticated. Without reading the post, I had to do an image search, thinking it was some kind of car.

 

timezone.com

Don't expect to recoup anything much over 50-60% the retail price. There's plenty of sources for well under retail on new models, and Cartier is hardly "collectible." Likely, what you think "looks brand new" is "worn, with scratches" to someone looking to spend $4000 on a watch. Too many people never wear expensive watches like yours, then unload them after a few years. The difference between "LNIB" and "only worn a few times" is a significant amount of money in that limited market.

 

I was going to suggest timezone as well. Sadly, buying new is not a wise investment choice. Now, if you had invested in a 1960s vintage Rolex 5513 or 5512 at the time you bought your Cartier, you probably would have doubled your money. Same with the Tudor diver with the snowflake hands. You can't always predict how the prices will go with vintage watches, but chances are that they won't go through the spectacular depreciation that modern watches go through. I collect vintage military watches, and the price of WWII British issue Omegas has more than doubled in the past three years, while Israeli Defence Forces Eterna Kontiki divers have probably tripled in value in that time.

So, learn a lesson from this. There is little investment value in new watches, and since the technology for mechanical watches hasn't changed appreciably in decades, little performance difference between new and old. Get on some collectors' groups (MWR is a good one for military watches) and do your homework before you buy.

Zeiss

 

I second the Timezone.com recommendation.

As stated, you'll be lucky to get even half of retail. Next time you buy, you should buy used or gray market if you don't plan on keeping the watch forever.

 

timezone unless there's another cartier watch forum that's available.
take a lot of pics, document that set complete with box and papers.
i'd try to do a wire transfer for payment.

 

Unfortunately, Cartier's have horrible resale value. I would just keep it unless you need the money.

 

Thank you for the advice so far. Why the poor resale value? Inferior quality? Too much discounting by retailers? Reliability issues? I like the watch and think it looks great. It definitely gets more attention and comments than the times I have worn Rolex, Patek Phillippe, and Jaeger LeCoultre timepieces out. But at the same time, I rarely wear it, and I'll admit that I did not completely familiarize myself with the watch before I bought it.