Frequently Asked Questions

Buying A Watch

HOW MUCH SHOULD I ACTUALLY SPEND ON A LUXURY WATCH?

There’s no fixed amount, it depends on your budget and goals. Entry-level luxury watches can start around a few thousand dollars, while higher-end pieces go much higher. The best approach is to buy within your comfort range and choose a watch you’ll enjoy long-term.

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING MY FIRST WATCH?

Start with a watch you truly like and will enjoy wearing. Consider the brand, condition, size, and whether it fits your lifestyle. It’s also important to buy from a trusted source to ensure authenticity and value.

HOW DO I FIND A REPUTABLE LUXURY WATCH DEALER NEAR ME?

Look for a dealer with strong reviews, transparent pricing, and clear information about authenticity. A reputable dealer should be able to explain the watch’s condition, history, and value. At Keeping Tyme, we focus on honesty, quality, and helping you find the right piece.

HOW DO I PURCHASE A WATCH FROM KEEPING TYME?

We insist on making it easy to purchase a luxury watch in person or online. Customers can make an appointment to visit our office Monday-Friday at 1222 Washington Ct unit 203, Wilmette, IL 60091, or simply go to KeepingTyme.com to purchase one of the watches listed and have it shipped straight to you.

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN POLICY?

We offer a 7-day return policy for watches not as described. Outside of the 7-day return policy we offer a buyback.

Full refund policy can be found here: Refund Policy

DO YOU ACCEPT OFFERS?

The best price that we offer is our wire/cash price, which is the price listed. We do not offer any further discounts as we already provide the best pricing and product in the market.

WHAT IS YOUR POLICY FOR INTERNATIONAL ORDERS?

For international orders (outside of USA) we accept wire transfer as payment only. International shipping rate varies based on location, our sales represenatative's can quote you on this. Your package will ship once payment is cleared and your order is approved. Delivery time is usually within 3-5 days once wire clears. We do not calculate duty, as that is the responsibility of the buyer.

WHAT BRANDS DO YOU CARRY?

We specialize in Rolex, Citizen, Seiko, Helson, Tudor, and Breitling. The majority of our IN-STOCK inventory consist of Rolex, but we do stock the other brands mentioned here and can order/source any watch from any brand in a about 24-48 hours.

Additional Luxury Watch Brands that we also can BUY/SELL/TRADE at Keeping Tyme LLC

HOW DOES SOURCING A WATCH WORK?

We can source just about any watch from any brand within 24-48 hours.

Let us know which model from which brand watch you are looking for.
Info needed: brand, model, new or preowned, which dial, and time frame.
We will get you a quote within 24 hours.
Place deposit to secure watch and have it ordered.
Once the watch arrives to our store, we will bill for the balance and watch will either be shipped or can be picked up in store.

IS YOUR SITE SECURE?

Keeping Tyme is protected by a 256 bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) so your information is completely secure. Also, we will never sell or distribute your information to anyone.

The Watches

ARE ALL YOUR WATCHES AUTHENTIC?

We guarantee that every watch on this site is 100% authentic unless otherwise noted. Further, all our watches that may have been serviced, are serviced with authentic Rolex parts. Keeping Tyme stands behind this authenticity guarantee and offers a full refund on any watch not found to be completely authentic.

Note: We do occasionally get watches that have aftermarket bezels or customized by professional companies such as BLAKEN. The listing for the watch will clearly state any aftermarket parts such as a bezel that has been added to the watch. This is not common, but occasionally we do offer them for sale due to high demand.

ARE YOUR ROLEX WATCHES SERVICED?

All Rolex watches listed on our site have been tested by a Rolex Service Provider who holds a Rolex parts account. If a Rolex watch is not operating within Rolex specification, we will have it serviced prior to listing for sale, utilizing Rolex replacement parts as needed.

Note: Watches are put on a timegrapher to ensure accuracy and also pressure tested to ensure water resistance.

WHAT IS YOUR WARRANTY?

Watches listed on our site that are complete with "papers" (or warranty card) will carry the remainder of the manufacture warranty for that brand.

Example: Rolex watches come with a 5-year warranty, if you purchase a pre-owned watch that is dated June/2020, that watch still has its manufacture warranty valid through Rolex until June/2025. Rolex Authorized Dealers located anywhere in the world will honor this warranty with the warranty paper or warranty card.

NOTE: The warranty follows the watch. This means that even if you are NOT the original owner, Rolex will still warranty the watch as long as it is in the warranty timeframe. Also, 2020 and later warranty cards from Rolex no longer have an individual's name on it, it will only contain the model #, serial # and date of purchase.

WHAT IS THE SIZE OF THE BRACELET?

Men’s watches go out to fit a 7.25” to 7.5” wrist and ladies 6.25” to 6.5” wrist (unless noted otherwise). If you need extra links, email us once you place your order and we will contact you if there is an additional cost for links. If there is, we will sell the links to you at cost.

We are happy to size your watch for you prior to shipping. Just let us know what circumference you would like the watch to be prior to shipping.

CAN YOU CUSTOMIZE MY WATCH?

Common custom work we can do includes diamond bezels, aftermarket meteorite dials, tiffany blue dials, Arabic dials, custom straps with exotic materials, buss downs and more.

Contact the store at 1(847) 257-5030 with your request.

DO YOUR WATCHES COME WITH ROLEX BOX AND PAPERS?

If a watch has original box and/or papers it will be stated, and the picture of all the contents including the box and paperwork will be shown on the last photo which can be seen when you scroll all the way to the right. Occasionally we get watches that do not have papers, it will be stated in the description without papers or without warranty card, the watch will be discounted accordingly when without papers.

Note: 40% of watches sold are without papers, especially when you get over 10 years old as they may get misplaced during moving, accidently thrown away not realizing they have an effect on watch value. This shouldn't prevent you from purchasing said watch, but it should be discounted when compared to the same with papers.

ARE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ACTUAL WATCH?

Yes, all photos are of the exact watch without editing done to the photo to enhance it or hide blemishes.

Payment Options

WHAT ARE MY PAYMENT OPTIONS?

Our payment options are bank wire (bank transfer), cash, all major US credit/debit cards, and our payment plan offering is via third-party provider Affirm. For international orders, we accept wire payment only. All credit card payments go through a fraud check which can take about 24-48 hours to complete.

For deposits (when sourcing a watch) we also accept Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, and Apple Pay.

Note:

The advertised price is already discounted for paying by cash/wire transfer.
Credit/Debit Card Visa/Master Card/Discover +4%
Amex/PayPal +7%
Affirm / Shop Pay +7%
Crypto +2%
Cash amounts over $10K will require a CTR (banking form) filled out.

DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?

We do not offer a payment plan directly. For payment plans you can choose Affirm at checkout and you will be redirected to their site for payment options. If you are not satisfied with their terms, you can back out of the order at any time. If you have any questions about your Affirm payment, you will need to contact Affirm directly.

Note: Listed prices are advertised for wire transfer and already discounted 6.7% compared to the cost when using Affirm. Affirm orders will need to add 6.7% to the price you see advertised. EX: If a watch is listed at $10,000, when using affirm the total would be $10,670.

HOW DO I KNOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED MY PAYMENT?

We will notify you via email that wire has been received and that your watch is being processed to ship. If payment was made by credit card or 3rd party, we may call you with security questions. To ensure your order is not held up, please be sure to send a copy of your drivers license. Once your watch is ready to ship, you will receive tracking information.

DO YOU ACCEPT CRYPTO CURRENCY?

Yes, we accept Crypto Currency including BTC/BITCOIN, USDT, ETH, DOGE, amongst others. There is a 2% fee to process your Cypto Payment.

Shipping

HOW MUCH IS SHIPPING?

The following shipping rates are for FedEx Standard Overnight unless otherwise noted, all orders are fully insured for the order total. We offer flat rate shipping fee for all orders up to $150,000 shipping within the CONUS, see the below rates.

FedEx Express1 to 2 business days • Orders$0.00 – $999.99Cost $0.00 (Free)
FedEx Express1 to 2 business days • Orders$1,000.00 – $19,999.99Cost $100.00
FedEx Express1 to 2 business days • Orders$20,000.00 – $49,999.99Cost$150.00
FedEx Express1 to 2 business days • Orders$50,000.00 – $79,999.99Cost$200.00
FedEx Express1 to 2 business days • Orders$80,000.00 – $124,999.99Cost$250.00
FedEx Express1 to 2 business days • Orders$125,000.00 – $149,999.99Cost$300.00
Armed Transport Service1 to 2 business days • Orders$150,000.00 - 500,000Cost$1,000.00 to XX, XXXX

Our exclusive shipping carrier is FedEx. Orders are fully insured for the total of the order, if we issue you a shipping label for a trade-in or buy back, the label will be insured for the agreed buyback/trade-in price.

Note: Orders over 150K as all international orders will get an individual shipping quote that is different than the rates listed.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY ORDER?

Orders paid by wire will be shipped on the day we receive confirmation of the funds cleared from our bank. The cut off time to receive incoming wires is 5pm ET (3pm PST). EX: If payment is wired on a Monday, and funds are received on Monday, they go into pending status until they are cleared the following business day. On Tuesday they will be listed as cleared status and the order will be prepared for overnight shipping with an expected delivery date of Wednesday. You will receive a tracking number via email.

Orders paid by credit card go through a fraud check that typically takes 24-48 hours to complete. Once the fraud check is complete the order will be prepared for shipping and your order will go out either that same day or the following business day based on if it met the shipping cutoff time of 2pm ET.

No orders are shipped or delivered on Sundays and holidays. We cannot guarantee any particular delivery date. Items ordered together may ship separately.

Note: All orders will be sent to the FedEx store nearest you. Someone from our shipping department will contact you to let you know which FedEx store the package is sent to, when you go to pick up you simply take your ID into the FedEx store and they will release the package to you. This is so that the package can be fully insured for the purchase price. Although this may seem inconvenient, this process is required by our insurance, greatly reduces any claims made, and is much more secure than sending to a residence. Credit card orders will ship once the fraud check process is completed, this can take up to 7 business days.

WHERE DO YOU SEND MY ORDER?

All orders will be sent to the FedEx store nearest you. Someone from our shipping department will contact you to let you know which FedEx store the package is sent to, when you go to pick up you simply take your ID into the FedEx store and they will release the package to you. This is so that the package can be fully insured for the purchase price. Although this may seem inconvenient, this process is required by our insurance, greatly reduces any claims made, and is much more secure than sending to a residence.

Sell Your Watch