How to Ship a Watch: The Ultimate Guide (2026)
Written by Valentin Scemama, Shipping Insurance & Watch Expert at Secursus.
Shipping watches through a carrier might look scary: there are many risks associated with the shipping process and watches, due to their high value, are a target for theft. Your role in choosing the right carrier, the proper insurance, and taking precautions when shipping a watch is crucial.
More than 1,000 watch sellers trust Secursus to insure their timepieces. Below is a quick comparison of why choosing a specialized provider is vital for your high-value shipments.
Watch Insurance Limits: Carriers vs Secursus
| Criteria | FedEx / UPS | Secursus |
|---|---|---|
| Max Liability (Watches) | FedEx: $1k / UPS: $500 | Up to $100,000+ |
| Vintage Coverage | Often Excluded | Fully Covered |
| Cost (Rate) | ~1.0% - 2.0% + Fees | ~0.60% (Fixed) |
| Claim Speed | 30 - 90 Days | Under 30 Days |
Watch Shipping Insurance - Discretion is key
The most crucial rule is to keep thieves away from your package. To achieve this, ensure that the external packaging contains no markings or labels that could reveal the presence of a watch inside.
Expert Tip: When the carrier asks what's inside the package, you must declare "Precision instrument" or "Mechanical instrument" but you must not write the word "watch" at all.
If you are a watch company, your company name/email address may contain a sensitive word such as "watch", "Rolex", "Omega", "luxury watch", “jewellery” etc. Remove these words or shorten them. For example, change "Vintage Watch Company" to "VW Co". Always check the shipping labels for any sensitive words.
At Secursus, it's mandatory in order to insure your watch. This is a risk mitigation technique that decreases the risk of theft and also decreases the cost of insurance.
How to Pack a Watch for Shipping
- Properly pack your watch (or watch box) with bubble wrap.
- Put this first packaging in a small box.
- Put this smaller box inside a bigger box (also called pizza box).
- Add an extra shipping label on the small box. If the main label falls off, at least the carrier will open it and find another label inside.
- Make sure the main shipping label is stuck on a hard surface.
CAUTION: Never ship your watch in a plastic envelope or a bag. Always use a sturdy cardboard box as the outer packaging.
⌚ Watch Insurance Calculator
Special rate for Horology: 0.6%
Shipping a Watch: Choose The Best Carriers and Delivery Service
Even if you have insurance, you don't want to ship a watch with the wrong carrier. Bad carriers lose packages and if they do, they will not admit it.
As previously mentioned, always consider fast and reliable carriers for domestic delivery or for international shipments such as mail express shipping, priority mail international, or mail express carriers, like DHL, Fedex, UPS to ship your watches.
Do not forget to add the signature option, which is very important, otherwise your package will be delivered to your porch, or possibly to someone else.
Moreover, you can find cheap rates online thanks to Shipstation for example, this way you will get a range of rates based on your parcel destination, weight and size and you will be able to choose the best offers to send your watch.
Always double check that the signature on receipt is mandatory, and that the carrier is not allowed to give the package to someone else, or even worse, to a collection shop such as a grocery store, a supermarket etc.
Selling Watches Online? Double Check Your Buyer
Watches are expensive and that is exactly what scammers are looking for. This is why I would definitely recommend never shipping a watch without receiving a payment first.
Beware of buyers who don't seem interested in the watch itself, but are primarily interested in a quick transaction. Always Google buyers’ names to see if they have a history of scamming. The most common scam comes from private buyers: they will tell you that they never received the package but in fact, they are already wearing your watch on their wrist! They will try to defraud you and the insurance company as well.
Make sure you use your parcel's tracking number to monitor your shipment's progress in case your buyer would want to fraud.
How to Insure a Watch during Shipping?
At Secursus, we specialize in watch shipping insurance with more than 1,000 watch sellers using our insurance product.
If you're shipping watches and need comprehensive shipping protection to cover your watch during shipping, Secursus will provide you with the right coverage for your watches. You can easily sign-up and get immediate coverage for your watch during transit.
If you are buying or selling a watch and need advice on how to ship watches, please don't hesitate to reach out.
