I haven’t bought a watch strap for a while. I used to buy Hirsch but was surprised to see the straps and deployants are a lot more expensive than I remember they used to be. Anyone got any recommendations for decent leather straps and deployants without either being poor quality or breaking the bank?

I’ve been collecting (flipping!) for about 25 years. First half of that period, I tended to prefer full sets but this wasn’t a deal breaker and I bought a few watches without. I’d say over the last decade, I’d avoid watches with something missing and nearly all of my purchases were box/papers. Predominantly I’d moved to buying new from ADs (mostly Tudor, Longines etc)

Recently, I was after an Omega Seamaster 300 (the heritage model) and, RRPs being utterly ridiculous, picked one up pre-owned from an established High Street pre-owned dealer. This came with undated paperwork only – so I have assumed no Omega warranty, but the dealer offers their own warranty. This came with a very decent saving over a full package…enough to take the risk that if it needed a service I could send it to Omega with the money saved.

I’ve now been looking at other watches outside their original warranty period, without box or papers, again from established dealers. It’s a bit of a departure from my previous purchase requirements. I think my only worry is that is it a false economy when I inevitably come to flip the watch with a resulting hit in value.

What’s your thoughts on box/papers…happy to buy without if the seller is obviously genuine, or do you worry about it’s effect on residual value?