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How to Collect Silver Bucherer Watches

Collecting contemporary Bucherer luxury watches can be a challenge. The Swiss watchmaker does not sell its watches on the Internet and disavows any connection to online Bucherer sellers. Bucherer sells its watches only in its 41 stores in Germany and Switzerland. Equally challenging is that Bucherer watches are no longer produced with silver cases. They are manufactured in stainless steel, palladium and white and yellow gold, which are usually 18k. Only vintage Bucherers are made of silver, and it's a narrow collector's market. Vintage Bucherer watches are sold online and by brick and mortar dealers, but collectors run the risk of purchasing fakes.

Things You'll Need

Jeweler̵7;s loupe
Watch collector̵7;s guide book

Instructions

- 1
  Research online histories of the Bucherer watchmaking company and purchase a watch collecting book that provides watch models and their valuations. Order the Bucherer catalog from the company̵7;s Swiss headquarters and examine their watch collection on the Bucherer website. Visit online auction and preowned watch seller websites to familiarize yourself with vintage and preowned watches. Decide which type of Bucherer watch you want to collect: prewar vintage silver watches, postwar vintage metal base and stainless steel watches, or preowned and new stainless steel or white gold Bucherer watches.
- 2
  Examine with a jeweler̵7;s loupe peowned or vintage Bucherer watches if visiting an independent, nonauthorized dealer. Examine the dial, crystal, bezel, Bucherer logo and case back. Ask the dealer to remove the case back to examine the movement, which is the electronic or mechanical device that operates the watch. Avoid preowned watches in which the dealer refuses to show you the movement.
- 3
  Determine whether the movement is engraved with the Bucherer name. If it̵7;s missing, the movement is not likely a Bucherer. Avoid watches in which the dial has been painted, commonly called a ̶0;redial.̶1; Painted dials devalue the watch. Many redials come from regions with high humidity. The new exterior of the watch may look good, but the movement may contain rust from moisture.
- 4
  Examine the inside case back to determine what the case is made of. A silver case is marked ̶0;900,̶1; 8k gold is ̶0;333,̶1; 14k gold is ̶0;565̶1; and 18k gold is ̶0;750.̶1; These markings include white and yellow gold cases.

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