No pressure to begin with
There is genuinely nothing to commit to up front. A WhatsApp message with a couple of photos of your vintage and antique watches 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 we buy, and why ask first
We buy vintage and antique watches old and new. A solid gold or silver case is valued for its precious-metal content; a watch with value as a timepiece is assessed individually and we make a no-obligation offer. Vintage watches are the clearest case for asking first, because a desirable maker, model or dial can lift a watch well above its metal value.
So send a clear photo of the watch, the dial and any case-back or movement markings on WhatsApp before posting. We will give you an honest steer and an indication of what we can offer.
- Vintage and antique wristwatches, working or not
- Art-deco, mid-century and dress watches
- Solid gold watch cases, 9ct, 14ct, 18ct
- Solid silver and gold-cased ladies and gents watches
- Broken and non-running vintage watches
- Gold-filled and plated watches, note: little recoverable metal value
We stay honest about this. For a sought-after vintage brand or a rare dial, a watch specialist or auction may pay more than we would, and where that is the case we will tell you rather than buy it as scrap.
Four moving parts, all visible
- You ask, we steer. WhatsApp us photos of your vintage and antique watches; 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. Items are weighed and XRF-assayed, the written offer is sent, and you either accept for a Faster Payments transfer or decline for a free insured return.
What the offer is built on
Three measured things set every offer: confirmed purity from an XRF assay, accurate weight on calibrated scales, and the live precious-metal rate on the day. You read each figure in a written, itemised breakdown before you decide anything. To see the rates that move the figure, check the gold price today and the silver price today.
A vintage watch sold as metal has its solid gold or silver case weighed and XRF-assayed, with the movement, glass and non-precious parts excluded. A watch with standalone value as a timepiece is assessed individually and offered against that. Where a maker, model or dial carries a premium beyond what we would offer, that is flagged honestly rather than absorbed.
Postage and cover
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. 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 and we will arrange the right approach, whether that is additional cover or splitting 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.
If you decide not to sell
There is never any obligation to accept. If the offer is not for you, simply decline, and we return everything free of charge by tracked, insured post, with no fee and no follow-up pressure. The full return process is on what happens if I decline the offer.
Who this helps
This suits people with an inherited vintage wristwatch, an old dress or art-deco watch no longer worn, or a broken vintage watch with a solid precious-metal case. The photo-first check exists so that a genuinely collectable watch is pointed to the right buyer, even when that is not us.
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
Is my vintage watch worth more than its gold?
Sometimes. A plain solid-gold vintage watch is usually valued for its case metal, while a desirable maker, model or original dial can lift the figure above metal value. That is exactly why we ask for a photo first, so the right pieces are recognised before anything is posted.
Do you buy broken vintage watches?
Yes. A non-running vintage watch can still be worth buying, for a solid gold or silver case, for parts, or as a collectable piece. Send a photo and we will tell you what we can offer.
What if I decline the offer?
Your watch is returned to you free of charge by tracked, insured Royal Mail post. There is no fee for declining and no follow-up pressure.