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Watch insurance

If your watch is worth under £1,000, it should be covered by your contents insurance policy. If it’s worth more, you can list it as a high-value item.

Or you could get a separate watch insurance policy, which might provide more comprehensive cover.

We don’t compare specialist watch insurance, but we can help you cover your watch on your contents insurance.

Matthew Harwood, Home & lifestyle insurance expert at Confused.com

Reviewed by Matthew Harwood Home & lifestyle insurance expert 6 min read | Published 23/04/2024

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Does my home insurance cover my watch?

Your watch is usually covered on your home insurance policy if it’s worth under £1,000. If it’s worth more, you’ll need to list it as a high value item.

Most home insurance policies have a single item limit, often set at £1000. This is the maximum your insurer pays for any item not specifically mentioned in your policy. If your watch is under £1,000 you have a couple of options.

Data gathered by the ONS shows that there were over 180,000 residential burglaries the year ending June 2024 so it could be worth making sure you've got the right cover for you.

Use your contents insurance

Using your contents insurance policy is an option, but it's unlikely to be covered away from home. For example if you lose it on holiday.

Buy personal possessions insurance

Personal possession cover covers your watch when you're away from the home. It's usually offered as an add-on to your contents insurance.

How do I value my watch?

The easiest way to get your watch valued is to bring it to a local jeweller or expert. Each person that values the watch might have a different opinion, so make sure you get a few valuations. Depending on your watch you could:

Ask your local jeweller or expert to give you an up-to-date valuation
Look online or in store for the brand new value if it’s a new item
Find sold and for sale adverts online to get a rough idea of its second-hand price

Contents insurance versus specialist policies

Here’s some pros and cons of both types of policy:

Pros and cons of stand alone watch insurance

Pros

Offers more comprehensive cover
Normally includes worldwide cover
Often covers accidental damage or loss
Covers expensive watches that are over the single item limit
Covers theft from your home or from yourself outside the house

Cons

Likely to be more expensive
It’s another policy and a separate bill to keep track of
If the value of your watch isn’t that high, or decreases, you could be paying more than its value to replace over a time period

Pros and cons of adding a watch to contents insurance

Pros

Often much cheaper than a stand alone policy
No extra bill, it’s all paid for in one monthly or annual payment
It's a better option for watches that are collected or stored and not often worn
Covers you for residential burglary

Cons

It’s unlikely to cover theft or damage outside of your home
It won’t cover you abroad
It could make your policy more expensive if it’s a high value watch
Accidental loss or damage might not be covered

How do I claim for a stolen watch?

If you've covered a watch on your contents insurance, contact your insurer as soon as possible.

Get as much information as you can to help settle the claim quicker. If you’ve been burgled and your watch has been stolen, you should speak to the police and get a crime reference number.

Making a claim might mean you lose your no claims discount. Check the terms and conditions of your policy to be sure.

How do I add a watch to my contents insurance?

You don’t need to tell us if it’s worth under £1,000. If the value is more than £1,000 though we'll ask, 'do you want to insure any other items worth over £1,000? each'

If this is the case, then:

Select ‘watch’ from the drop down menu
Add a short description
Give its value to the nearest pound
Specify whether you want cover away from home

Some policies have an upper limit for high value items. If your watch is worth more than this you need to buy a standalone watch insurance policy.

The average watch added to a contents policy is worth £3,900*, and Rolexes on average worth £6,500*. So it's important you make sure you have the right cover in place whatever you choose.

*Based on Confused.com data, January - March 2024

What our home insurance expert says

''According to the Office of National Statistics, there were 187,748 residential burglaries reported in England and Wales year end September 2023.

High value items, like watches, are a target for thieves. So it's a good idea to make sure you have the right insurance so your watch is covered if it's lost, stolen or damaged. Some of our insurers can cover watches over £1,000 away from your home, but always check the details of your quote to see the levels of cover.

Having the right policy in place can help cover the cost of repairing or replacing your watch.''

Matthew Harwood Home & lifestyle insurance expert