Sell your watch in Zurich
Handover in person, offer within 12 hours from more than 25 dealer bids.
Describe your watch, handover in Zurich.
Living in Zurich and thinking about selling a luxury watch? A binding offer arrives within 12 hours on working days, drawn from the bids of more than 25 partner dealers across Switzerland. The valuation is free and without obligation, and the handover happens in person in the city or along the lake.
Zurich is the country's principal trading place for watches alongside Geneva. Bahnhofstrasse and the streets around Paradeplatz are where the authorised dealers of the large brands sit, together with jewellers, specialist vintage traders in Kreis 1 and Kreis 8, and auction houses holding their own watch sales. Anyone parting with a Rolex, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet therefore has plenty of doors to knock on. What is missing is the overview: each dealer names only its own figure, and new stock, consignment and outright purchase are handled very differently at the same counter.
Where does the handover take place in Zurich?
The meeting point is agreed once you accept the offer. Common choices are a bank branch in Kreis 1, a few minutes on foot from the main station or Paradeplatz, your office in Zurich West or Seefeld, or your home. Many sellers prefer their own bank, because the incoming payment can be checked on the spot. Appointments are held in English if you prefer, and no German is needed to sell a watch here.
The catchment area covers all twelve city districts and the communes along the lake: Küsnacht, Zollikon and Erlenbach through to Meilen on the right bank, Kilchberg, Thalwil and Horgen on the left. By S-Bahn or via the A1, A3 and A51, each of these places is quickly reached, and travel is free for you.
Why there is no shop
Premises on Bahnhofstrasse cost rent, staff and security, and those costs find their way into every purchase offer. Uhrenkontor deliberately does without them. The partner dealers receive only watch data and photographs, never your contact details, and they submit a bid without you setting foot in a showroom.
The second reason is discretion. Selling a valuable watch in Zurich should not mean carrying it through the centre on your wrist and laying it on a counter in front of strangers. An agreed appointment in a quiet place replaces the shop visit, and the inspection itself usually takes less than half an hour.
What applies in Zurich to the sales contract, notaries and tax?
Selling a watch in Zurich needs no notarisation. What matters is a written sales contract as your record and the correct entry in your next tax return. The table shows the rules in the canton of Zurich and where they are set out.
| Topic | What applies in the canton of Zurich |
|---|---|
| Form of the sale | A watch sale requires no particular form (Art. 11(1) Code of Obligations). A written contract stating reference, serial number and price serves as your record. |
| Notaries | Zurich has a public notary system: notaries and their staff are employed by the canton, and each notary's office also acts as land registry and bankruptcy office. The city of Zurich has eleven of them. Selling a watch requires no notarisation. |
| Gain on the sale | Tax-free for private individuals, provided there is no professional trading (Art. 16(3) DBG, Art. 7(4)(b) StHG). |
| Wealth tax and tax office | Your point of contact is the tax office of the municipality you live in, which in the city is the Steueramt der Stadt Zürich. Returns are reviewed and assessed together with the cantonal tax office of Zurich. After a sale, the proceeds rather than the watch form part of your assets. |
This is not tax advice; the tax office can answer questions about your individual case. For Winterthur and the canton of Zug, the local offices and rules are covered under selling a watch in Winterthur and selling a watch in Zug.
Sources: Swiss Code of Obligations, Art. 11; Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation (DBG), Art. 16; Tax Harmonisation Act (StHG), Art. 7; Notariate Kanton Zürich, about the notary offices and list of offices, in German; Kantonales Steueramt Zürich, tasks of the cantonal tax office, in German; City of Zurich, tax return for individuals, in German. As of October 2026.
How selling a watch in Zurich works
- Describe the watch. Brand, model, reference number (the model number, usually engraved 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 to you 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. An appointment in Zurich or the surrounding area, inspection of the watch on the spot, payment in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint.
Value factors, full sets and the routes to a sale are covered 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 Zurich.
Do you also come to Küsnacht, Zollikon or Thalwil?
Yes. The handover in person is possible throughout the Zurich region, on the Gold Coast as well as along the left bank down to Horgen and out into the Limmat valley. The appointment is arranged once you accept the offer and travel costs you nothing. You choose the place: a bank, your office or your home.
Can I simply bring my watch in somewhere in Zurich?
No, Uhrenkontor has no shop in Zurich. The process starts online with photographs and details of the watch, and the offer follows within 12 hours on working days. Only after you accept is a personal appointment arranged, at a place of your choosing in Zurich or the surrounding area.
Does the whole process work in English?
Yes. The form, the offer and the appointment can all be handled in English, which matters to the many people working in finance, pharma or tech here. The handover can take place at your bank in the city centre or at your office, and payment is made in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint.
Do you buy inherited watches and estates in Zurich?
Yes, provided the watch has a market value of roughly CHF 3,000 or more. Vintage pieces, watches needing a service and watches without box or papers are valued too. If an estate contains several watches, submit each one separately with photographs so that each receives its own offer.
Do I need a notary to sell a watch in Zurich?
No. Under Article 11 of the Swiss Code of Obligations a watch sale requires no particular form, so neither a notarised deed nor certified signatures are needed. At the handover you receive a written sales contract stating reference, serial number and price. Notary offices in the canton of Zurich are public offices that also run the land registry.
Which tax office handles wealth tax in Zurich?
Your contact is the tax office of your home municipality, in the city the Steueramt der Stadt Zürich. Returns are reviewed and assessed together with the cantonal tax office of Zurich. Wealth is assessed as at 31 December, so after a sale the proceeds appear as cash or a bank balance. The gain itself is generally tax-free for private sellers.
What is checked at the handover in Zurich?
Authenticity, condition, function and the items included, which usually takes 15 to 20 minutes. If everything matches the description, the offer stands unchanged. If something differs, you receive an adjusted offer on the spot and decide freely, at no cost to you. Payment follows once the inspection is complete.
What should I bring to the handover in Zurich?
The watch with every accessory you listed in the form, such as box, warranty card, receipts and spare links. Bring an official ID such as a passport or identity card, because Uhrenkontor identifies every seller as part of its due diligence when trading used valuables. For payment other than cash, have your IBAN or Twint account ready.