Sell your watch in Basel
Handover in person, offer within 12 hours from more than 25 dealer bids.
Describe your watch, handover in Basel.
Anyone in Basel with a luxury watch to sell receives a binding offer within 12 hours on working days, drawn from the bids of more than 25 partner dealers in Switzerland. The valuation is free and without obligation. The handover takes place in person in Basel-Stadt or in Baselland, with payment in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint.
Basel was for decades the meeting point of the watch world. Until 2019 the exhibition halls hosted Baselworld, for a long time the most important watch fair anywhere. Even after the fair came to an end, the region remained an active market, with jewellers on Freie Strasse, specialist vintage traders and a collector scene reaching well beyond the three-country corner. Someone selling a Rolex, Omega or Patek Philippe will find places to go, but rarely a way to see several offers side by side.
Where does the handover take place in Basel?
The meeting is arranged once the offer has been accepted. Usual choices are a bank branch in the centre, around Marktplatz and Bankverein or near the SBB station, your chambers or your office, or your home. If you work on one of the pharmaceutical campuses, an appointment at the office between meetings is straightforward, and everything can be done in English.
The catchment area covers Basel-Stadt with Riehen and Bettingen, and Baselland with Binningen, Bottmingen, Oberwil, Allschwil, Reinach, Muttenz, Münchenstein and Arlesheim. Via the A2 and A3 and the SBB station, Basel is easy to reach from across north-western Switzerland, and appointments in the Fricktal or the Laufental are possible too. The handover must take place on Swiss soil.
Why there is no shop
Premises in central Basel bring costs for rent, staff and security that have to be covered by the trading margin, which means by your offer. Uhrenkontor operates no sales floor. The partner dealers assess the watch from data and photographs only and never receive your contact details.
The second reason is discretion. Selling a valuable watch in Basel should not mean laying it on a counter in front of passing trade. An agreed appointment at a bank or at your home replaces the shop visit, and the inspection on the day usually takes less than half an hour.
Basel-Stadt or Baselland: what differs when you sell?
The Basel region is spread across several cantons. The Federal Statistical Office counts 111 Swiss communes in the Basel agglomeration: 3 in Basel-Stadt, 76 in Basel-Landschaft, 22 in the canton of Solothurn, such as Dornach, and 10 in Aargau, such as Rheinfelden and Kaiseraugst. The cantonal border makes no difference to the handover. For tax questions, the canton where you live is always the one responsible.
| Basel-Stadt | Basel-Landschaft | |
|---|---|---|
| Communes | 3: Basel, Riehen, Bettingen | 86 |
| Tax authority | Cantonal Tax Administration of Basel-Stadt, Fischmarkt 10, also for Riehen and Bettingen | Tax Administration of Basel-Landschaft |
| Exempt from wealth tax | Household effects and personal items (section 48 of the Tax Act) | Household effects and personal items, expressly including jewellery; valuable collections and objects bought as an investment are not exempt (Tax Manual, 49 no. 1) |
Whether a particular watch counts as a personal item or as an investment is decided case by case by the tax authority. The Baselland Tax Manual names the insured value as an indication of what a collection is worth. After the sale, the proceeds count towards your wealth as cash or bank balance at the end of the tax period, while the gain itself is generally tax-free for private individuals.
Sources (in German unless noted): FSO, agglomerations 2020, communes as at 1 January 2026; Tax Administration of Basel-Stadt; Basel-Stadt Tax Act, sections 2 and 48; Baselland Tax Manual, volume 1, 49 no. 1; Notarial supervision in Basel-Stadt; Swiss Code of Obligations, Art. 11 and Art. 184 (English); Tax Harmonisation Act, Art. 17; Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation, Art. 16(3). As of October 2026.
How selling a watch in Basel works
- Describe the watch. Brand, model, reference number (the model number, usually engraved on the case between the lugs), condition, what is included and at least three photographs, entered in the form at the top of this page. It takes about three minutes.
- Dealers bid. More than 25 partner dealers assess the anonymised enquiry. The highest bid is passed on as a binding offer within 12 hours on working days.
- Check the offer. Valid for several days, free and without obligation, subject to condition, authenticity and completeness matching the description.
- Handover and payment. A personal appointment in Basel or nearby, inspection of the watch, payment in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint.
What determines value and which routes to a sale exist is explained in the guide to selling a watch in Switzerland. Brand pages: sell a Rolex and sell an Omega.
Uhrenkontor is a platform of Solidas GmbH, 8834 Schindellegi, entered in the commercial register of the canton of Schwyz (UID CHE-291.391.209). Verifiable in the public register; details in the imprint.
- Offer within 12 hours
- Over 25 dealers
- Handover in Switzerland
- Free & discreet
Brands
Frequently asked
Selling a watch in Basel.
Do you also come to Riehen, Binningen or Allschwil?
Yes. The handover in person is possible in Basel-Stadt and throughout Baselland, including Riehen, Binningen, Bottmingen, Oberwil, Allschwil, Reinach, Muttenz, Münchenstein and Arlesheim. The appointment is arranged once you accept the offer, travel costs you nothing, and you choose the place.
Can I bring my watch in somewhere in Basel?
No, there is no shop and no address with opening hours in Basel. The sale starts online with photographs and details, and the best bid from more than 25 dealers follows within 12 hours on working days. After you accept, an appointment is arranged at a place of your choosing.
Can everything be handled in English?
Yes. Many sellers in Basel work in pharma or life sciences and use English at work, so the form, the offer and the appointment are all available in English. The handover can take place at your bank in the centre or at your office, and payment is made in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint.
I live in Basel but commute from across the border. Does that work?
Yes, provided the handover itself takes place on Swiss soil. Payment is made in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint, as you prefer. The appointment can be set in the city centre near the SBB station or wherever else suits you in the region. The offer stays valid for several days.
I live in Riehen or Bettingen. Which tax office is responsible?
The Cantonal Tax Administration of Basel-Stadt on Fischmarkt, which serves residents of Basel, Riehen and Bettingen. Riehen and Bettingen also levy their own communal taxes on income and wealth under the cantonal Tax Act. For wealth tax, the same rule applies across the canton: household effects and personal items are exempt (section 48 of the Tax Act).
Does jewellery count as a tax-free personal item in Baselland?
In principle, yes. The Baselland Tax Manual lists jewellery among the personal items that are not taxed. Valuable collections and objects bought as an investment are excluded, and the insured value serves as an indication of what a collection is worth. If you are unsure, the Tax Administration of Basel-Landschaft can tell you how it applies to your watch.
Does the sale have to be notarised in Basel?
No. Swiss law sets no particular form for selling a watch (Art. 11 Code of Obligations) and provides for the watch and the price to be exchanged simultaneously (Art. 184). A notary's office can still serve as the meeting place. In Basel-Stadt, freelance notaries handle public deeds under the supervision of the Department of Justice and Security.