How to buy a watch at online auction in Australia

1. Register and verify your account

Create a free bidder account on the auction site. You will be asked for identity and payment details. Verification protects every bidder, because it means each competing bid comes from a real, accountable buyer.

Register a few days before the auction you are interested in, so verification is complete before the lots you want begin to close.

2. Read the lot description like a specialist

A good lot description tells you exactly what you are buying. Before you consider price, confirm each of the following.

• Brand, model and reference number, and whether the dial, bezel and bracelet are correct for that reference.
• Year or production period, and whether box, papers and receipts are included.
• Condition in plain words: scratches, polishing, replaced parts, bracelet stretch.
• Service history, and whether the watch is running within expected accuracy.
• Photographs of the case back, clasp, lugs and serial, not just the dial.

3. Understand how the watch was authenticated

Ask what inspection took place before listing. At Crown, specialists examine the case, dial, movement and numbers before a watch is catalogued.

Papers support provenance, but they can be separated from watches or forged. The physical inspection is what matters most.

4. Work out your true maximum

The hammer price is not the price you pay. Add the buyer's premium, GST on the premium, and delivery. Then compare the total with recent results for the same reference, not the retail price.

Allow for a service if none is recorded. A full service on a luxury mechanical watch is a significant cost, and it changes what a fair bid is.

5. Bid with discipline

Enter your maximum as a proxy bid. The system bids for you in the smallest increments needed to keep you ahead, and it never goes above your limit.

Most activity happens in the final minutes. A soft close extends the lot when late bids arrive, so there is no advantage in waiting until the last second. Decide your number in advance and let it stand.

6. After you win: payment and delivery

You will receive an invoice for the hammer price plus premium. Pay within the stated terms. Once payment clears, the watch is packed and shipped fully insured, with signature on delivery.

When it arrives, check that it matches the description and photographs, and keep all packaging until you are satisfied.

Worked example: the true price

Illustrative only. Replace the percentage with Crown's confirmed buyer's premium.

Frequently asked questions