Your Guide to Buying a Designer Watch from a Pawn Shop

To many people, designer and luxury watches make a bold statement. They signify wealth and the ability to enjoy the finer things in life. Until recent years, collecting, wearing, and enjoying designer watches were out of reach for most people. That is until smart shoppers and designer watch fans realize that their local pawn shop can be the perfect partner when it comes to buying a designer watch. At Azusa Pawn, we put investment-grade luxury within reach. Keep reading to find a brief guide to buying a designer watch from your local pawn shop.

Do your homework

Your first step is to gather knowledge that will help you spot a great watch and recognize a fair price. You may be a fan of designer watches, but when it comes time to buy, you should go a little deeper and learn as much as you can about the type of watch you are interested in.

Spotting fake watches

Unfortunately, fake designer watches are everywhere these days. Fake luxury and designer watches are a big, potentially dangerous business. Also, counterfeiters’ skill has increased dramatically, making it more difficult for experts to catch them all. That is why one of the first things you should do when looking to buy a designer watch from your local pawn shop is learn how to spot the tell-tale sign of a fake.

Your local pawnbroker, including Azusa Pawn, does everything they can to ensure that they are only offering genuine articles. However, it is worth the peace of mind you will get to learn some of the basics. Not to mention, you should always make sure you are getting precisely what you are paying for when it comes to luxury and designer items.

Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself when you are looking to buy a designer watch at your local pawn shop:

Who is selling it, and where?

Sadly, not every pawnbroker is as dedicated as the ones you will find at Azusa Pawn. If your local pawnbroker cannot answer even simple questions about the designer watch you are interested in, the chances are good that you may not get exactly what you are looking for. If your local pawn shop displays rare or expensive watches out in the open, that is, not in the usual display cases, where it is safe, that’s another red flag.

Is the price or condition too good to be true?

When you are in the market for a good designer watch, it can be difficult to resist when you see an incredible price. However, be warned: prices that are too good to be true should be a huge warning sign.

What is the inventory like?

A significant part of what makes designer watches so valuable is their scarcity. If the pawn shop you are considering buying from has an unbelievable selection of rare designer watches in excellent condition, you may want to think twice.

Always buy in person

All too often, people depend on online photos to determine the condition and authenticity of a designer watch. However, photos can give a false sense of security. This is why you should always buy in person whenever possible. When you shop at Azusa Pawn, we will help you thoroughly examine the watch from every angle.

When you visit Azusa Pawn for your next designer watch, we will encourage you to examine the following aspects:

Material – when you examine the designer watches in our cases, you will quickly see that our watches are hallmarked and that the precious metals’ colors are genuine and bold.

Weight – one of the most prominent signs of counterfeit watches is unusually lightweight due to the cheaper materials used in their construction. At Azusa Pawn, you will be welcomed to hold them to determine their heft and feel the quality craftsmanship.

Engravings and typefaces – we will welcome you to examine the typefaces and engravings on our designer luxury watches to see that genuine articles do not have errors, shoddy engravings, or odd inconsistencies.

Movement – the most important aspect we will encourage you to examine on our watches is movement. Even the best counterfeiters in the world have difficultly mimicking the smooth movement of genuine designer watches.

Sound – we will encourage you to hold the watch up to your ear so that you can experience the near-silent movement of an authentic luxury designer watch. All too often, watches are sold under the banner of “luxury” or “designer” but still feature an audible ticking, which is a massive sign of a counterfeit.

For smart watches, like Apple Watches, you should pay special attention to the responsiveness of the watch. Fake or poor-quality smart watches have long lag times in waking up and responsiveness.

Why Azusa Pawn should be your #1 resource for designer watches

At every step of the buying process at Azusa Pawn, our professionals have done everything they can to ensure that we only buy and sell genuine items, including insisting on paperwork and original packaging whenever possible. In this way, Azusa Pawn works hard to remove one of the big worries about buying a used designer watch.

Also, we regularly have a healthy stock of designer watch brands such as:

Unlike other methods of buying a used designer watch, like jewelry stores, online retailers, or person-to-person sales apps, at Azusa Pawn, we are willing and able to negotiate with you to reach a price that works for everyone. If you do a little bit of work and have an open mind, you can walk away with the designer watch of your dreams for a fraction of what you could expect to pay elsewhere.

Also, you will find unique watches at Azusa Pawn that you simply will not find anywhere else. This is because we are a trusted and respected member of our community, and as such, we are one of the fastest-growing pawn shops in the San Gabriel Valley. When you are in the market for a luxury watch, the service and selection you will find at Azusa Pawn can’t be beaten. Visit us online or in-person today to see how we can help you find your next, or first, designer watch!