Frequently asked questions

The service

What exactly does a vintage watch sourcing service do?

It searches for one specific watch on your behalf. You describe the reference, era, variant, condition floor and budget; we search the Japanese market, inspect candidates in hand, report their condition, buy only on your approval, then handle servicing and export. It is the opposite of browsing a shop — the watch is found for a brief rather than picked from stock.

How is this different from a proxy or forwarding service?

A proxy bids on a listing you already found and forwards the parcel; it does not look at the watch. We start before there is a listing, reach dealer stock and auction lots that never appear online, and inspect and document each candidate before you commit. See the full comparison.

How long does a search take?

Two to eight weeks is typical. A common reference can appear within days; a specific dial variant in unpolished condition can take months. You will be told which situation you are in before paying the retainer.

Can I decline the watches you find?

Yes, as many as you like, at no cost. Nothing is bought until you approve one specific watch at one specific total, in writing.

Which watches count as a candidate?

A watch that meets every essential condition in your brief confirmation. When we take on a brief we split your requirements into essential conditions and preferences, and you confirm them — for example, the reference and dial colour as essential, box and papers as optional. Each candidate comes with a check against every essential condition and the source for it. A watch that turns out not to meet one — our oversight, or an inspection showing the dealer's description was wrong — does not count as a candidate.

What happens if you cannot find the watch?

At the end of the agreed window you can extend, relax a requirement, or close the brief. The retainer is not refunded because it paid for the search work — but if we accepted a brief and never presented a single candidate meeting the essential conditions of your brief, we refund it in full.

Can I ask you to keep looking indefinitely for a rare reference?

Yes. A standing brief — "any honest 6105-8110 under ¥600,000, whenever it appears" — runs for six months on a single retainer.

Do you buy watches, or sell on consignment?

Neither. No stock, no consignments. Our only income is the fee the buyer agrees in advance, which removes any incentive to talk up a watch.

Money

How much does it cost?

A JPY 30,000 search retainer per brief and a JPY 60,000 inspection fee, both paid on account of the buying commission. The commission is marginal progressive on the watch price excluding Japanese consumption tax — 18% up to JPY 1,000,000, then 13%, 10% and 8% in higher bands — minimum JPY 99,000 including tax, minimum order value JPY 400,000. Where we negotiate the price down we take 25% of the saving and you keep 75%. Shipping, insurance and optional servicing are at cost; import duty and tax are paid by you on arrival. Worked examples →

Do I pay anything to ask a question?

No. The consultation and market read are free once per brief, including an honest answer if your budget will not meet the market.

Do you mark up the price of the watch?

No. The invoice shows what the seller is actually paid, with our commission on a separate line. Any discount we negotiate belongs to you.

How do I pay, and is it safe?

International bank transfer or Wise, in Japanese yen, in two stages: retainer, then balance after your approval. We do not accept cryptocurrency, cash, or payments from an account in a name other than the client's. For a first-time client on a high-value purchase we are happy to use an escrow service at your cost.

Why is everything priced in yen?

Because yen is what we pay sellers. Invoicing in your currency would mean us taking an exchange-rate position and pricing that risk into your fee. If the rate matters to you, ask us to hold a quote for a fixed window.

The watch itself

How do you verify that a vintage watch is original?

An eight-point inspection in hand: identity and serial dating, dial originality under 10x–20x magnification, hand and lume consistency, case polishing assessment, bezel and crystal correctness, movement inspection with the case opened, timing measurement, and completeness. Non-original parts are listed first. The full method →

Will you tell me if a dial has been redialled?

Always, with the evidence. We distinguish original dials, genuine factory service dials from a later period, and refinished redials — three very different values.

Should I have the watch serviced before it ships?

Service it if you plan to wear it; leave it if you collect for originality, since a service replaces gaskets and sometimes parts. Overhauls are quoted per movement and nothing is replaced without your approval.

Is the watch guaranteed to be waterproof?

No. Assume no water resistance on any vintage watch unless gaskets have just been replaced and the case pressure-tested — the report states which applies.

Do you source Swiss watches, or only Japanese ones?

Both. Japan is one of the largest secondary markets for vintage Swiss watches and examples there are often better preserved. Our deepest expertise is Japanese domestic market watches, 1950s–1990s. Full scope →

Can you find original boxes, papers and bracelets separately?

Yes, and it is often the smarter route: sourcing a correct period bracelet or an inner box as its own brief is usually cheaper than paying the premium on a "full set" listing.

Shipping, customs and risk

Who pays import duty and tax?

You do. Shipments leave Japan DAP, so duty, VAT or GST and brokerage are billed to you by the carrier on arrival. Details by destination →

Are watches over 100 years old treated differently?

Often. Many customs regimes classify goods over a century old as antiques with a reduced or zero duty rate, though import VAT may still apply and proof of age is required. We supply dated documentation; confirm the rule with your own broker.

Will you declare a lower value to reduce my duty?

No. It is customs fraud, and it voids the transit insurance protecting your watch.

How long does shipping take, and is it insured?

Two to six working days to most destinations, double-boxed, tracked and insured for the full price you paid, with photographs of the sealed parcel sent before dispatch.

What if the watch arrives damaged or not as described?

Damage: photograph the packaging, keep everything, tell us within 48 hours, and we file the claim. Not as described: tell us within 7 days of delivery and, if the watch materially differs from the condition report, we refund our commission and success fee in full, pay for return shipping, and take up the discrepancy with the dealer on your behalf. The purchase price sits with the dealer, so we cannot promise to refund it — but the error would be ours and we will act as if it were. Terms →

How do I know you are not going to disappear with my money?

Fair question to ask anyone in this business. Practical answers: payment is split so you never send the full amount before seeing the watch documented; we will use a third-party escrow service on request; and the retainer stage means your first payment is small by design.

Page last reviewed 8 September 2026.