No pressure to begin with
There is genuinely nothing to commit to up front. A WhatsApp message with a couple of photos of your a Rolex gets you a quick indicative figure and an honest answer to any question. Whether you post anything is your call, made later.
GoldPaid has no high-street branches. It is postal-only and UK-wide, which is what keeps it lean and means you never have to travel.
What happens to a Rolex here, and what does not
GoldPaid is a postal precious-metal buyer. We are not a Rolex dealer and we have no connection to Rolex SA. That distinction matters on this page, because a postal gold buyer will often price a branded watch the same way it prices a broken chain: by the weight of the case. On a Rolex that is usually the wrong answer, and it is an answer nobody can undo once a case has gone into the melt.
So the rule here is simple. We identify the reference and the case metal first. You receive a written valuation that separates what the watch is worth as a complete timepiece from what the case metal alone is worth. Nothing is melted without your written instruction, and where the intact figure is the higher one we say so, including when that means we buy nothing.
- Solid gold Rolex cases in 9ct, 14ct and 18ct, including Day-Date, Datejust and Cellini models
- Steel and two-tone Rolex watches, assessed as complete watches rather than by weight
- Vintage Rolex from the 1950s onward, running or not
- Rolex watches with no box and no papers
- Damaged, water-affected and non-running Rolex watches
- Rolex bracelets on their own, Jubilee, Oyster and President, gold or steel
- Tudor watches, covered in their own section below
How to work out what you actually have
Most people searching for what a Rolex is worth in the UK are really asking two separate questions: is it genuine, and is it solid gold. Both can usually be narrowed down at your kitchen table before anything is posted.
The reference and serial numbers
On almost every Rolex the model reference is engraved between the lugs at the 12 side, hidden under the bracelet, and the serial number is engraved between the lugs at the 6 side. On watches made from roughly 2005 onward the serial is also laser-etched on the rehaut, the inner ring between the dial and the crystal. Those two numbers give us the model, the approximate year and the case metal, which is why we ask for them before anything else. Lifting a bracelet off a spring bar is fiddly, so if you would rather not attempt it, send what you can see and we will work from that.
Solid gold, two-tone or steel
Rolex does not gold-plate. Where a Rolex case is gold it is solid, normally 18ct, and carries a fineness mark such as 750 alongside the maker marks inside the case back or between the lugs. Two-tone models pair a steel case with a gold bezel, crown and bracelet centre links. A gold-coloured Rolex with plating worn through to a base metal underneath is a strong indication that the watch is not genuine. A steel Rolex contains no precious metal at all, which does not make it low in value; it makes it a resale item rather than a metal item.
Signs a watch may not be genuine
- A second hand that ticks once a second on a model that should sweep
- Plating wearing through on a case presented as gold
- A cyclops lens over the date that fails to magnify the date properly
- Uneven or misaligned dial text, or a serial that looks stamped rather than cleanly engraved
- A watch noticeably light in the hand for the size of its case and bracelet
We raise this without any drama. Replica watches are common and are usually inherited or bought in good faith by someone who had no reason to doubt them. If yours turns out to be a replica we tell you plainly and return it free of charge. There is no penalty and no lecture.
What honestly moves the figure
- Reference and model. A Submariner, a GMT-Master or an early Daytona sits in a different market from a plain gold dress model.
- Case metal. An 18ct case gives the watch a measurable metal floor underneath it. Steel gives none, so a steel watch is valued purely on what it is worth intact.
- Originality. Original dial, hands and bezel insert usually count for more than replaced service parts, even when the replacements look tidier.
- Condition and polishing. A case with its factory edges still crisp is generally preferred to one polished thin, which is the opposite of what most sellers expect.
- Box, papers and service records. They help and they can lift a figure, but they are not a requirement.
- The market on the day. Both the gold rate and the second-hand watch market move, and any offer reflects the day it is made.
Four moving parts, all visible
- You ask, we steer. WhatsApp us photos of your a Rolex or Tudor watch; you get an honest indicative figure and no pressure to go further.
- We send the label. A free Royal Mail Special Delivery label arrives, tracked and signed for, with a QR-code option if you cannot print.
- You post when ready. No countdown. Use whatever padded packaging you already have.
- We test, you decide. We weigh and XRF-assay every item, then send you the written offer. Accept it for a Faster Payments transfer, or decline it for a free insured return.
How the offer is worked out
Three things set the offer, and all three are measured rather than assumed: confirmed purity, accurate weight, and the live market rate on assessment day. You read every figure in a written, itemised breakdown before you commit to anything. See how we value gold for the detail.
A watch sold as metal has its solid gold case weighed and XRF-assayed, with the movement, crystal, steel parts and any non-precious fittings excluded from the figure. A watch with standalone value as a timepiece is valued against that instead, and the written offer shows both numbers so you can see the gap for yourself.
When you should sell somewhere else
This is the part most buyers leave out. A postal buyer working from a metal floor and a resale margin will rarely beat a dedicated watch specialist or a good auction house on a mint, recent, in-demand reference with its full set. If you have a five-year-old Submariner in excellent condition with box and papers, a watch specialist or an auction is the better route, and you should expect to wait longer in exchange for a stronger number. We will tell you that on WhatsApp before you post anything, because the alternative is you finding out afterwards.
Where a postal sale genuinely suits: a solid gold dress model whose value is mostly in the metal, a broken or non-running watch, a watch without papers that dealers tend to be cautious about, an executor who needs a written valuation and one traceable transaction for the estate file, or anyone who would rather deal with this from home than sit through meetings and haggling.
Tudor watches
Tudor sits under the same ownership as Rolex, and older Tudor models frequently share Rolex cases, crowns and bracelets. That is why Tudor is handled here rather than on a thin page of its own. A vintage Tudor Oyster Prince or Submariner in a Rolex-signed case is a genuine collector piece and is assessed as a complete watch. Later quartz-era Tudors and gold-capped or gold-plated Tudor dress watches are a different proposition, and the plated ones hold very little recoverable metal. Send the reference and a case-back photo and we will tell you which of the two you have before you post it.
Identification and ownership checks
Watches are the one category where stolen goods are a real risk, so the checks here are firmer than on a gold chain. Before payment we ask for photographic ID and proof of address, and we ask you to confirm in writing that the watch is yours to sell. The serial number of every branded watch we receive is recorded. Where a watch has been inherited we ask how it came to you, and if you are acting for an estate we may ask to see the grant of probate or a letter from the executor.
If ownership cannot be established, we cannot buy the watch, and it goes back to you rather than being held. None of this is aimed at you personally. It is what keeps the category clean for the people selling honestly, which is very nearly everybody.
Posting a watch that is worth more than the cover
Every parcel travels by Royal Mail Special Delivery, with cover available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. A Rolex can be worth well above that figure. Message us before you pack anything rather than afterwards, and we will talk the options through with you instead of assuming a standard label is the right answer for your watch.
Postage and cover
Your parcel is covered by Royal Mail Special Delivery, with cover available up to £2,500 depending on the cover level used. The label we send is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: tracked end to end, signed for on delivery, and arranged with that compensation cover per parcel. If you believe your items are worth more, message us before posting. We will arrange the right approach, either extra cover or splitting the items across more than one parcel. Full detail is on postage and insurance, and is it safe to post gold? walks through posting valuables safely.
Declining, made simple
A quick message is all it takes to decline, and you do not need to give a reason. Your items are then returned free of charge on a tracked, insured service, with no fee and no pressure to reconsider. What happens if I decline the offer covers it fully.
The payment step
Acceptance triggers payment: a direct bank transfer by Faster Payments, to the account you give us. Nothing to bank and nothing to chase.
Built to be trusted, not just believed
- Owner-run, with a named founder accountable for the service
- Every item XRF-assayed, the result shown to you in writing
- Free insured postage both ways, so a valuation is genuinely no-obligation
- Honest about its limits, including when a specialist would suit you better
- No fabricated reviews and no invented numbers, anywhere on the site
Common questions
Can I sell a Rolex without the box and papers?
Yes. Most watches we see arrive without them. A full set helps and can lift the figure, but it is not a requirement and its absence does not make a genuine watch unsellable. We will still need the serial number and confirmation that the watch is yours to sell.
Will you melt my Rolex?
Not without your written instruction. Every branded watch is identified first, and the written offer separates what the watch is worth as a complete timepiece from what the case metal alone is worth. Where the intact figure is higher we tell you, including when the right answer is to sell elsewhere and we buy nothing.
Is a steel Rolex any use to a gold buyer?
A steel Rolex contains no precious metal, so there is no metal floor underneath it. That does not mean it is worth nothing here, because steel sports models are assessed on what they are worth as complete watches. It does mean that for a mint, recent steel model a watch specialist or an auction is usually the stronger route, and we will say so.
What happens if it turns out to be a fake?
We tell you plainly and return it free of charge by tracked post. We cannot buy replicas, and we cannot buy them for metal either, because there is rarely any precious metal in them. Nobody is accused of anything. Replicas are inherited and bought in good faith all the time.
What ID do you need before paying me?
Photographic ID and proof of address, plus written confirmation that the watch is yours to sell. We record the serial number of every branded watch that arrives. For an estate sale we may ask for the grant of probate or a letter from the executor. If ownership cannot be established we return the watch rather than buy it.