Frequently Asked Questions

Many luxury watch brands offered for sale can be bought with Relleb buying protection. Brands that are covered are Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Tudor, Zenith, Hublot, Cartier and many more. Micro brands like Linde Werdelin, F.P. Journe and many others are eligible as well. Please feel free to contact us personally if you want to be sure 

We believe safe online buying should be available for everyone. Our process is build around this concept and follows our vision to be the go-to online platform for watch collectors worldwide. If you want to understand how the process work, please read our detailed How it Works page (link). Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to info@relleb.com or give us a call!

Yes, Relleb can definitely help you in safely purchasing a watch from another platform, where Relleb will perform a thorough authenticity check for you ensure that the watch is fully authentic. For further details for this service please read the following page link.

We have four types of services which you can make use of. First of all, you can purchase watches that we have listed on our website. Second, if you see a watch you like on another platform, we can purchase the watch on your behalf, authenticate it and ship it to you. Thirdly, if you have already purchased a watch somewhere and just want to make use of the Relleb Authentication process to ensure that it is fully authentic, you can make use of the our authentication service. And lastly, we can do a high-level red flag review for a small commission based on information and pictures made available to us digitally. For further details about our services, and commissions, please read the following page link.

It is impossible to assess the condition and authenticity of a watch based on pictures only. Our experienced watchmakers are trained and carry more than 10 years of experience at luxury brand boutiques. 

Our certified watchmakers are trained and carry more than 10 years of experience at luxury brand boutiques. To assess the authenticity and condition of a watch, a specialized brand watchmaker must observe the case, dial, hands, movement and bracelet up close in real life. That's why our protection service is reliant on our watchmakers observing each watch by hand.

The commissions charged by Relleb are a fair compensation for the detailed authentication services you receive, whereby other platforms charge higher fees but provide no guarantee over authenticity. For the different types of services, different fees are charged, for details please read the following page link. 

It is broadly known there are a lot of watches on the market with either fake parts or parts which are taken from a different model (called a “Frankenstein”). Even sometimes dots, hands, dials or inserts are painted to give them a highly desired color (for example a patina look yellow-ish paint to fake “Patina”). Our watchmakers are experienced and specialised in determining whether watches only contain of authentic parts. In many cases vintage watches contain serviced parts. When a watch is serviced, the hands or pushers are sometimes replaced. Our watchmakers will include in our Relleb Authenticity and Condition Report which parts are service parts when it is possible to observe this.

If the watch turns out to be not authentic during the Relleb Authentication Process, then do not worry, we got you covered. Customers will be refunded after our watchmaker concludes the watch is not authentic or not correct. We will make sure to involve the right organizations and will handle the issue with the seller.

You can find all the contact details on the homepage. You can easily drop a message to our team and we will respond as soon as possible. In order to help you, you can also send an email to info@relleb.com or chat with us via the chat icon in the bottom right of your screen.

Of course! Please feel free to contact us anytime of the day via email (info@relleb.com), or give us a call via the contact page. Let us know if you want to meet someone from the Relleb Sales department. We are happy to meet you via a FaceTime, WhatsApp Video Call or in person on our office.

Relleb is a platform for selling luxury watches without any sellers commissions or fees. We support multiple watch brands. Examples are Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Tudor, Cartier and many more. You can sell new watches and pre owned (vintage) watches on the Relleb marketplace. If you doubt about eligibility you can always contact us.

Because we offer a great platform for buying and selling luxury watches. With 0% commission and no listing fees, sellers don't pay any fees for selling a watch. This is the place to get the best price for your watch in the entire watch industry. We can even take care of the shipment, insurance and custom declarations for shipping your watch. In addition, you will not be exposed to risks from scams that can be conducted by buyers, because all watches are checked by our watchmaker. And if we conclude the watch is correct and in accordance with the listing. We take full responsibility of aftersales and contact with the buyer. 

Listing a watch on Relleb is easy and convenient. You only have to create an account with your email address and country of residence. In your own dashboard you can directly list your watch on our marketplace for the price you want. No hassle and no unnecessary questions.

Our experienced watchmakers are trained and carry more than 10 years of experience at luxury brand service centers. We observe multiple points on every watch to make sure it is in accordance with the listing and authentic. This prevents you from having discussions or issues with sellers about the quality or authenticity upon receipt. You don't want you the buyer to argue that you sold a fake or incorrect watch right?

When the watch is sold, you will immediately receive a notification of the sale. After the payment is received from the buyer in our Escrow account, you will be asked to register the shipment. With our pickup service you only have to fill in a time-slot and indicate at what time and location our carrier can come to pickup the watch. After the pickup is registered, you will receive the shipment invoice and commercial invoice. The commercial invoice and shipment invoice should be provided to the carrier upon pickup.

When our watchmaker concludes the watch is in accordance with the listing and authentic, the payout will be issued the same day. Pay-outs in Euro and Pound Stering (GBP) are usually within a couple of hours to one day on your bank account. For payments in other currencies (USD, AUD, CAD, SEK, NOK, JPY, DKK etc.) the transfer is normally within one day and up to maximum of three days.

When you sell a watch on the Relleb marketplace, our carrier will either pick up the watch at a location and time of your choice. You can also choose to arrange the shipment yourself. This option is provided when you list a watch for sale.

The pickup service works very intuitive, and is smoothly managed by Relleb the entire way. No hassle for you as a seller, at all. We take care the shipping is always done by a reputable shipping partner and fully insured. Again, no hassle with claims to customs, a commercial invoice or gathering the correct shipment information. With the track and trace code you can follow your package. You will be informed when the watch is received at the Relleb office. 

When the watch is concluded correct and in accordance with the lisiting, we will issue the payment to your bankaccount on the same day. Pay-outs in Euro and Pound Stering (GBP) are usually within a couple of hours to one day on your bank account. For payments in other currencies (USD, AUD, CAD, SEK, NOK, JPY, DKK etc.) the transfer is normally within one day and up to maximum of three days.

Yes we can! If you use our pickup and insurance service we will make sure to notify the relevant custom departments timely. We will also arrange the customs forms (including the commercial invoice) in case it is relevant. So no hassle with customs.

We provide protection to sellers by use of the Escrow checkout, taking care of the communication with sellers and our verification of the watch by our watchmakers. If we conclude the watch is in accordance with the lisiting (brand, model number, authenticity and quality), we take full responsibility towards the buyer. There is no need anymore to meet a buyer face to face or have arguments with buyers about the watch. We take care of the communication to the buyer and we know exactly what is sold to the buyer as we validate each watch sold on our platform. In addition your private information will never be shared with the buyer. Full seller protection!

Yes you can sell a new watch on the Relleb marketplace. Even when it is unworn and in stickers, you are good to go!

Yes you can sell a pre-owned watch on the Relleb marketplace. Please be sure to indicate in the description any damages and try to photograph damages accordingly and post those in the listing. In addition, be sure to indicate the correct condition of the watch in accordance with the condition guidelines as explained in the FAQ "Condition".

Yes you can! We are currently still operating from the Netherlands, but we facilitate watch trading all over the world. We have agreed with the Dutch customs department that domestic USA sales will not be subject to import duties (not EU import duties nor USA import duties). So buying and selling watches in the USA is fully supported. So feel free to find watch buyers in the USA as well through other sales channels and safely checkout with our escrow checkout service.

Insured shipping should be the standard when shipping a watch. With the pickup and insurance service, your watch will be 100% insured for the value it was sold on Relleb. When you decide to ship your watch yourself (optional when creating a listing), you are responsible for arranging insured shipment. 

We only work with credible carriers like DHL, FedEx, UPS, USPS etc. We have experience with carriers all over the world and decide on the carrier based on delivery date, customer service, claims support and "succes rate" at Relleb.  

Preferably yes! But if you don't know the model number, you are not required to list it. If you don't have the papers or don't know the reference number, you can easily google you watch brand and characteristics to find out what your reference number is.

Interested? Fantastic! Becoming part of the Relleb community and registering as a seller is very easy. Create an account by clicking on the login button at the top right of this page. Easily create an account. You can directly start with listing a watch!

In your personal dashboard, you can see, edit, put on hold, delete and overall manage the listings that you have on the Relleb marketplace

We have the best and most scaleable software. We have a very lean operational team. No fancy office. No fancy functions. Lean and mean, here to serve buying and selling watches online in the best way possible.

We definitely are. Read our reviews or contact us in case you want to speak to us!

Definitely! Relleb is founded by true watch enthusiast who are conviced the watch market deserved a proper place for private sellers to sell a watch. Currently gray market dealers, marketplaces and certified pre-owned take all the margins from private sellers. The watch community is built on the passion by private sellers, that's exactly why we founded Relleb. To better serve private sellers with buying and selling watches online. For the best price. With the best service. With real protection. 

Yes you can. Listing watches is free and you can easily register and track your listings in your dashboard. Creat an account start. If you want our authentication services when buying commercially through other sellers, feel free to contact us.

Yes you can! We are always available through WhatsApp, our Chat and on our telephone number. Try us out on weekends and in the evening, we will do our best to answer your questions as soon as possible! 

Preparing a shipment means packing the watch with suffcient bubble wrap in an extra durable box. When you make use of the pickup and insurance service, we will send the customs invoice and carrier invoice document to your email. Make sure to print those documents and hand them over to the carrier upon pickup. The carrier will make sure the documents are put in a platic binder that is correctly attached to the package.  

Print the commercial invoice and carrier invoice documents and hand them over to the carrier upon pickup. The carrier will make sure the documents are put in a platic binder that is correctly attached to the package so it will go smoothly through customs!

We verify by hand if a watch it's condition is in accordance with the condition indicated in the lisiting. Albeit, this may be a subjective topic for which different watchmakers or parties handle different criteria, we follow a straight forward condition scale that is based on objective criteria that must be honoured with integrity:

New watches (<5yrs old):

- New/unworn: Means not worn and no user scratches, no stretch on the bracelet at all.

- Light wear: Not daily worn and thus minimal scratces and very limited stretch on the bracelet.

- Medium wear: Worn (almost) daily with visual user scratches and limited stretch on the bracelet.

- Heavy wear: Worn daily with clear visual user scratches and possibly stretch on the bracelet.

(Neo-)Vintage watches (>5yrs old<20yrs old):

- New/unworn: Means not worn and no user scratches, no to very limited stretch on the bracelet.

- Light wear: Not daily worn and minimal scratces and limited stretch on the bracelet.

- Medium wear: Worn (almost) daily with visual user scratches and visual stretch on the bracelet.

- Heavy wear: Worn daily with clear visual user scratches, possibly damages and heavy stretch on the bracelet.

Vintage watches (>20yrs old):

- New/unworn: Means very limited scratches from handling the watch, no to very limited stretch on the bracelet.

- Light wear: Not daily worn and some user scratces and limited stretch on the bracelet. Crystal/Acrylic glass has some user scratches. 

- Medium wear: Worn (almost) daily with visual user scratches and visual stretch on the bracelet. Crystal/Acrylic glass has clear user scratches. 

- Heavy wear: Worn daily with clear visual user scratches, possibly damages and heavy stretch on the bracelet

Broken and damaged parts, non-functional movements and missing parts must be mentioned in the listing. If the quality of a watch deviates from the listing in our opinion, the watch will not pass our condition assessment. The customer will always be asked for his consent to send a watch back. We are fully transparant to a customer, but the customer remains in the position to agree on the watch. 

Our guarantee covers the condition of the watch as well. We want to make sure our customers receive exactly what is listed. So when we observe a watch, we validate if it corresponds to the photos on the listing and the condition is in agreement with the textual support. So when a watch is just serviced, we check if this is really the case. In addition, we always include an advise in our report about when a watch should be serviced again and which aspects are key attention areas for the service.

The authenticity of each watch will be assessed by experienced watchmakers with many years of experience and always specialized in the brand and complications of the watch. Our extensive workforce of watchmakers are specialized in specific brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Breitling, Cartier, Tudor, Hublot and many more. Many of our watchmakers have worked for authorized dealers.

Authenticating a watch means gathering relevant information and validating it with the watch. Obtain relevant knowledge and conduct a thorough research. Dismantle the bracelet, and throroughly scrutinize the movement, dial and other parts. Subsequently we observe the dismantled parts with a loupe and make sure it corresponds to the research and information available. Make sure the serial number, brand hallmarks and finishing is correct for the watch brand and model. Key aspects are ageing of materials, materials used, finishing applied and quality of the assembling. If there are other materials delivered with the watch, you can validate the watch with this as well.

Our assessment of the authenticity and condition is a very delicate and precise process. We scrutinize each part of a watch to ensure our customers only receive correct watches and of which the condition is in accordance with the listing. 

In summary, we perform the following steps:

• In case of a full set, we validate if the correct box and papers are present

• Check if the serial number is period correct, authentic and matches with to the papers (in case of a full set)

• Observe if the movement, bracelet, case, dial and crown are correct

• Validate if parts used (dial, lugs, bracelet etc.) are originally produced according to official data made available by the brand archives and in accordance with the watch brand and model

• Scrutinize the condition of the watch. Including lubricants, water tightness, timekeeping and functioning of the complications

• Scrutinize specific aspects. Such as engraving, material used, ageing and patina on the watch, box and booklets

• Observe whether there are service parts used in the watch (and report which parts are service parts if any)

Our assessment will be performed within 1 business day after receipt of the watch in our office. Normally an average it takes about 1-2 hours. Depending on the complications, age and additional material such as box and papers. 

The service costs at €150 + 1% of the value of a watch. This includes a full authenticity and condition assessment of the case, dial, movement, bracelet and box and papers. You will be guaranteed about the authenticity and condition of the watch. Please visit our page about pricing for more detail.

If our report states a watch is not authentic or incorrect, a customer will be refunded. We will take care of returns and involving the correct government bodies. 

To find a watch authentication service nearby there are a couple of options. You can go to an authorized dealer, an experienced (vintage) watchmaker or send your watch to us. Authorized dealers or watchmakers mostly require to service the watch to earn something on the authentication. Many times there authentication service also takes 4-8 weeks to complete. While marketplaces like Chrono24 only allow 14 days return periods. When you buy with Relleb Buying protection or on our own marketplace, we guarantee your watch is authenticated within the eligible timeframes.

We also assess the authenticity of watches already purchased and which are in your possession. We arrange pickup, authentication and shipment back to you. Your watch will be complemented with an authentication report. If you bought a fake watch, or contains unauthentic parts. We can support you in getting your money back.

We are working on more resources to service watches of our customers upon request. When you buy a watch with our authentication service, we also advise our clients about when and what to service. We hope to be able to service our customers even further for watches bought with Relleb as soon as possible.

Upon request we can polish a watch you buy with our buying protection service, but only if you specifically request this (otherwise we will never polish a watch). It is always dependent on the availability of our watchmakers and type of watch. We only do professional polishing whereby shallow scratches are cleared. Deep scratches will still be visible as we always aim to remain the edges on factory brand finishing.

Certified pre-owned watches means nothing more than (i) pre-owned watches and (ii) certified by a watchmaker. All our watches on the Relleb marketplace and watches you can buy with Relleb on other marketplaces are pre-owned. Our experienced watchmakers authenticate each watch by hand to guarantee the authenticity. So basically every watch you buy with Relleb is Certified Pre-Owned.

We don’t have any watches on stock. All watches offered for sale on Relleb are offered by third party sellers. Mostly by private sellers.

Authenticity guarantees are often claimed by pre-owned watch sellers. It’s basically a promise they make and often without any liabilities to the sellers. When you buy a watch with Relleb, we will send an authentication report with the watch. So our customer knows exactly which authentication checks were performed. Even supported with photos and videos. We accept liability on our authenticity guarantee as we stand for our service. 

Our guarantee covers the condition of the watch as well. We want to make sure our customers receive exactly what is listed. So when we observe a watch, we validate if it corresponds to the photos on the listing and the condition is in agreement with the textual support. So when a watch is just serviced, we check if this is really the case. In addition, we always include an advise in our report about when a watch should be serviced again and which aspects are key attention areas for the service.

We have very high standards when it comes to our authenticity and condition assessment. Following our strict guidelines, we do not accept aftermarket diamond setting on watches and thus these watches will never pass our authenticity and condition assessment.

We have very high standards when it comes to our authenticity and condition assessment. Following our strict guidelines, dials which are refinished by a third party are accepted and will not pass our authenticity and condition assessment. When a dial is restored by a brand (like Rolex, Breitling, Blancpain etc.) this is acceptable, but we do need documentation supporting the brand has restored the dial. In order to validate it is brand authentic and correct.

We provide a secured checkout with Revolut in multiple currencies. Revolut is a Payment Service Provider for companies such as Ted Baker and many more. Your money will be stored on a Revolut bank account until the authentication process is finalized. Only if we conclude a watch is authentic, we release the proceeds to the seller.

We offer direct bank transfors in multiple currencies. The reason why we solely work with bank transfer is to avoid unnecessary credit card or debit card transaction fees. So you can spend your money on what matters, watches! 

Your money is a 100% safe at Relleb. Revolut is our escrow bank account holder and funds will not be distributable for our own purposes. This ensures your money is safe with Relleb.

We support the following currencies:

EUR, GBP, USD, SEK, NOK, DKK, JPY, AUD, CAD.

We are working on supporting more currencies.

For EUR and GBP we have local bankaccounts with Revolut. For other currencies we work with international payments. To make an international payment, you need a SWIFT or BIC number.

For local transfers in EUR and GBP it usually takes no more than 1 or 2 hours on business days to be received on our escrow bank account. For other currencies it can take 1-3 days. Buyer (and seller) will be notified when we have received the money.

Refunds are issued mostly within one business day after we conclude a watch is not authentic or incorrect. We even try to do it within one hour. It usually takes 1 business day to receive it on your own bankaccount.

Because we have optimised our processes to make sure watch enthusiasts don't lose money on exchanging currencies. Such a waste of money in our opinion.

Our transaction fees amount to 0.5% on every transaction. This is to cover our administration, currency exchange and supporting bank overdrafts in multiple currencies.  

When you buy on the Relleb marketplace, and a watch is not correct. We will refund you on the same day our report including our conclusions are shared with you. Usually it takes 1 day to be transferred in GBP and EUR. Other currencies tend to take 1-3 days.

When you buy with Relleb buying protection service on Chrono24, eBay or any other platform. We will pay out our customer within one day after we have received our money back form the platform.  

We provide free insured shipping with signature together with our shipping partner. Your watch will be handled with utmost care as we understand how it is to have your watch shipped. The watch will be wrapped in soft material in an extra durable box. You also have the option to choose for Express priority shipping, which ensures overnight shipping in the European Union and a maximum of 2 days in Asia and the US. You will receive a track and trace code and an email every time your package passes a milestone (from being handed over to our shipping partner FedEx to delivery on your doorstep). The watch will only be delivered on your doorstep where you have to show your ID and provide a signature for receipt. Make sure you are home and don’t forget to tag us @rellebdotcom on Facebook and Instagram!

Insurance of the shipment costs 1%, which are the exact costs as charged by our carrier for insurance. The delivery costs itself depends on your location. Please refer to the pricing page to see what the cost for shipment is in your currency.

We solely deliver our watches with our shipping partner FedEx that will provide you and us with the best possible shipping services for your watch. Additionally, each watch shipped to and from Relleb with our delivery partner is fully insured.

Completely! We provide only fully insured shipping with signature together with our shipping partner FedEx. Your watch will be handled with utmost care as we understand how it is to have your watch shipped. The watch will be wrapped in soft material in an extra durable box. You will receive a track and trace code and an email every time your package passes a milestone (from being handed over to our shipping partner to delivery on your doorstep). The watch will only be delivered on your doorstep where you have to show your ID and provide a signature for receipt. Make sure you are home and don’t forget to tag us @rellebdotcom on Facebook and Instagram!

Import duties may apply when buying a watch on Relleb.com or on any other website or platform. In general it comes down to the location of the seller and the buyer. When a seller is in a different regional (tax) jurisdiction than the buyer, import duties (in most of the times apply). For example when a European citizen buys a watch from a seller in the USA, import duties will apply. Also when a buyer in the USA buys a watch from a seller in the European Union, the buyer in the USA will be charged with VAT.

Please note we at Relleb will formally not be the "seller" when buying with Relleb protection. As such, the import duties apply as if the buyer buys the watch directly from the seller. Relleb only imports a watch for a limited time to authenticate the watch and assess the quality.

In this FAQ we will share our experience with import duties and how to be safe when importing a watch. For example, some countries provide fines when you do not register your watch timely at the customs department for import.

We always advise our clients to read and understand the import duties of their local governments as changes or updates to any legislation may not yet be reflected in this Q&A (of course, we will do our utmost to make sure it does).

With regards to import duties that apply when buying from outside the US for US citizens, the following should be brought to your attention:

Import duties code: HS 9102.21.70.

Flat Fee Duty: $1.53 each

+ 4.2% on the case

+ 9.8% on the strap, band or bracelet

These percentages will be applied by the US customs department and generally come down to a 5-8% import duty and are not yet included in the price in the offer which is enclosed.

Unfortunately Chrono24 adds a 7.5% VAT surchage on domestic sales in the USA. When buying on Chrono24 via Relleb.com, this surchage may be applied as well (although when we buy the watch first, this will not be applied). 

We have extracted the following information from usa.watchpro.com:

Chrono24 has introduced a temporary surcharge of 7.5% on all purchases made in the United States.

The surcharge is effective immediately.

In a message to individuals and businesses selling watches on the Chrono24 platform, the company says that there have been unexpected increases in its cost base and the surcharge is needed to “run Chrono24 in a profitable manner that is sustainable in the long term”.

“Unfortunately, we have been confronted with some major changes on very short notice, including increased payment fees, changes to our US tax structure, and an increase in warranty-related refunds,” the statement continues.

The surcharge will be paid by the buyer, and Chrono24 appears to concede this could make prices less competitive unless sellers absorb the cost or use other paid-for services.

“To keep market prices competitive, we will be waiving the sales fee for all Trusted Checkout transactions that already include sales tax and bear the costs on our end. We are working hard to maintain competitive prices for our users and dealers and will continue to do so in the future,” Chrono24 says.

When importing a watch into the European Union, the watch will at least be charged with the VAT and import duties. Many European countries only apply a VAT charge on importing luxury watches, and some have minor import duties (for example for the Netherlands this amounts to less than €1,-).

We have an overview of VAT percentages applied on watches in European Union countries here below for your convenience.

Belgium: 21%

Bulgaria: 20%

Czech Republix: 21%

Denmark: 25%

Germany: 19%

Estonia: 20%

Ireland: 23%

Greece: 24%

Spain: 21%

France: 20%

Croatia: 25%

Italy: 22%

Cyprus: 19%

Latvia: 21%

Lithuania: 21%

Luxembourg: 17%

Hungary: 27%

Malta: 18%

Netherlands: 21%

Austria: 20%

Poland: 23%

Portugal: 23%

Romania: 19%

Slovenia: 22%

Slovakia: 20%

Finland: 24%

Sweden: 25%

United Kingdom: 20%

Updated Jan2021

The Australian government may apply an import duty when importing a watch into Australia. The total duties will be calculated upon arrival and on top of the sales price of the watch and comprises the following:

Goods and Services Tax of 10%

Import fee of AUD 60

So for example a watch bought on Relleb and imported into Australia for AUD 10,000 may be charged with AUD 1,060 (10% GST on AUD 10,000 + AUD 60 administration fee for Australian customs department). This was tested using HS code HS Code 9101.91.0000.

The government of Singapore may apply an import duty when importing a watch into Singapore. The total duties will be calculated upon arrival and on top of the sales price of the watch and comprises of at minimal the 7% VAT and a possibly a charge for administration and handling.