Why Insure Your Watch with European Watch Company

Dedicated to protecting the timepieces, jewels, and treasures that matter most, Wrist Assured is your monthly insider’s guide: the place where we break down everything you need to know about insuring, safeguarding, and servicing your collection. Because luxury is more than what you wear. It’s what you protect.

There is a moment in nearly every collector's life when the collection quietly stops being just a few watches and becomes an asset. This moment rarely announces itself. You add a piece, then another, a grail comes along at the right time, the market moves in your favor, and one afternoon you do the arithmetic and realize that what is sitting in the safe is worth more than the car in the driveway. That's usually the moment that someone calls us.

European Watch Company has spent more than thirty years buying, selling, and servicing fine watches, and in that time, we have heard every version of the story that follows. A collection lost to a break-in. A grail that was damaged on a trip abroad. A homeowner's claim that paid out a fraction of what the watch was actually worth, because the policy was written against a receipt from 2014, and the market had long since moved on. Insurance may not set your heart racing in the way that a Reverso does, but it is the only part of collecting that determines whether a bad day is an inconvenience or a loss you never recover from.

Insurance Backed by Real Watch Expertise You Can Trust

We arrange coverage for our clients through Chubb, and we have more than $120 million in client assets insured. That number matters less as a milestone than as a reflection of what we have learned along the way. Insuring a hundred collections teaches you where policies fail, which questions underwriters actually care about, and how to structure a schedule so that you’re protected in a way that makes sense for you. 

What we do differently starts with the fact that we recognize that no two collections are alike, so no two policies should be either. We don't just hand you a form and a quote. We value your collection against the current secondary market, and we build coverage around what you actually own and how you actually live with it. A vintage collection that rarely leaves a UL-rated safe is a different risk than six modern sport watches that see weekly wear and two that travel internationally every month. Your policy should know the difference.

The coverage is itemized for claims against loss, theft, and accidental physical damage worldwide, with no deductible. It includes appreciation protection up to 150% of the insured value, up to the policy limit. This matters in a market that can reprice a reference in a single day. Photographs are generally all we need to get started, and we provide appraisals for existing insurance clients when required. If a collection exceeds $200,000, we will negotiate the best available rate while ensuring your coverage makes sense for your lifestyle.

A Personal Relationship, From Your First Quote to Every Claim

The last piece is the one clients tell me they value most, and it is the simplest: you get a person. A direct line, not a call center. You speak to the same contact from the first quote through a claim. When something happens, you are not explaining to a stranger what a reference number is or why a discontinued model is worth what it's worth. We know your collection because, in many cases, we helped you build it, and we will begin sourcing a replacement while the claim is still being settled. Buy, sell, service, and insure, all in one relationship.

As EWC’s Insurance Specialist, I am happy to review your current policy against what Chubb offers, take a look at how your collection is stored, and tell you honestly whether you are covered the way you think you are. Most people are surprised by the answer.

Speak to a specialist today at insurance@europeanwatch.com.