Fair Vintage is a Bedfordshire business, but we buy watches the same careful way for everyone: by insured post. Request a free insured label, send your watch when it suits you, and receive a written valuation from a specialist.
Omega, Cartier, Tag Heuer, Rolex, Longines, IWC, vintage and micro-brand pieces — each one valued individually. Free insured postage. Written valuation per watch. Paid in 72 hours.
Fair Vintage is based in Bedfordshire — our landline is a Bedford (01234) number, and you are welcome to call with a question before you send anything. But being local does not mean there is a shop to visit. We buy watches by insured post, and we do that the same way for a seller in Bedford as for one in Cornwall.
That is a deliberate choice. Handling every watch through a documented postal process, with a live opening and documented and a written valuation, keeps things consistent and transparent. There is no showroom, no walk-in valuation counter and no home-visit service — just a clear, insured process you can follow from home.
Omega, Cartier, Tag Heuer, Rolex, Tudor, IWC, Longines, Breitling and similar. Boxed or unboxed, running or not, with or without papers.
Mid-century and earlier wristwatches, gold and silver-cased pieces, and pocket watches. Hallmarks on precious-metal cases are read as part of the assessment.
Seiko and Grand Seiko, Christopher Ward, and independent micro-brands. Single watches and whole collections are equally welcome.
Because the service is postal and UK-wide, distance is never a factor. As well as Bedford, Luton and Dunstable, we regularly help sellers across the neighbouring counties — Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire — with the same insurance, the same written valuation and the same 72-hour payment. Wherever you are, you drop your parcel at a local Royal Mail or DPD point.
A quick note on hallmarks: if your watch has a gold or silver case, it may carry UK marks from one of the four assay offices — London, Birmingham, Sheffield or Edinburgh. A hallmark confirms the metal and roughly when the case was assayed, but does not on its own set the value; movement, model, condition and originality all matter. Photograph any marks and we read them in the written valuation.
Every watch is assessed individually rather than lumped into a single offer. The main things we look at are:
A few clear photographs make a preliminary view much easier before anything is posted:
Please do not open the case yourself, polish the watch, or have it serviced first. Original, unpolished condition is usually preferable, and we assess the watch exactly as it is.
Dial, case back, any numbers and hallmarks, plus box and papers. Call our Bedford line or email first if you would like a preliminary view.
We email a free prepaid, tracked and insured label the same working day. Drop the parcel at any Royal Mail or DPD point locally. Insured to £5,000 from the first scan.
Your parcel is opened and documented with photographs. The watch's condition is documented on camera before any specialist handles it.
Each watch valued individually, in writing. Accept what you want to sell; we return the rest free. Paid in 72 hours or +3%.
Call us on 01234 815116 or email support@fairvintage.co.uk.
Get your free label →Yes. Fair Vintage is a Bedfordshire-based business — our landline is a Bedford (01234) number. That said, we work by insured post rather than from a public shop, so being local does not mean there is a counter to walk into. Sellers in Bedford, Luton, Dunstable and across the county use exactly the same postal process as everyone else.
No. Even though we are a Bedfordshire company, we do not run a public showroom, a walk-in valuation counter or a home-visit service. Everything is handled by insured post, which keeps the process consistent, documented and the same for every seller. You request a free insured label and drop your watch at any local Royal Mail or DPD point.
The service is UK-wide, so as well as Bedfordshire we regularly help sellers across the neighbouring Home Counties — Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire — and beyond. Wherever you are, the postal process, insurance and valuation are identical.
Your parcel is tracked and insured to £5,000 from the moment the courier scans it, both on the way to us and on the way back. You drop it at any Royal Mail or DPD point in Bedfordshire or nearby, or we can discuss a collection for higher-value items. Anything you decide not to sell is returned to you free, insured to the same level.
The same range we buy nationwide: Omega, Cartier, Tag Heuer, Rolex, Longines, IWC, Tudor, Seiko and Grand Seiko, Christopher Ward, pocket watches, vintage and micro-brand pieces, and watches you cannot identify. Single watches and whole collections are welcome. If you are unsure whether a watch is worth sending, email a photograph first.
Make, model, movement, condition and originality all assessed. Written valuation per watch. Opened and documented. Paid within 72 hours. A Bedford number if you would rather talk first.