has the watch been serviced recently?

some pre-owned pieces are still relatively new, so this point may not be as important. but for older watches, find out if the watch has been serviced recently and what, if anything was done to the watch.

what is the condition of the watch?

a watches condition is rated using the following terminology:

new old stock - an older watch that has never been worn.

mint - worn but shows very little wear.

near mint - worn but shows some minor wear.

excellent - shows slight normal wear.

very good - shows normal wear.

rolex serti dial n serial good/average - shows heavier than average wear.

fair/below average - some damage or other serious problems.

anything less than excellent condition, unless it is a very rare or collectible piece, is not an ideal purchase choice. if you are interested in purchasing a watch despite some obvious flaws, there is much a good watchmaker can do to help restore a watch to its rolex serti dial n serial original condition. a scratched case can often porsche design watches be restored to near mint condition by having it professionally polished.