Brand new in box

Brand new in box, or BNIB, describes an unworn watch with its full packaging and papers. Like new in box, or LNIB, describes a watch that has been worn very lightly but comes complete.

These are marketplace shorthand rather than defined standards, so buyers read them alongside photos and dates on the papers. A BNIB watch with papers dated some time ago is still, strictly, a pre-owned watch.

Use the terms carefully and accurately. If a watch has been worn at all, LNIB or a precise condition description is the honest label.

What BNIB and LNIB do to the price

A buyer paying for "new in box" is paying for certainty that nobody has worn the watch, so the step from BNIB to LNIB can be a real share of the price, not a rounding error. That makes the label worth checking before you pay for it, not just before you list it.

How to check the label

• Factory stickers. Protective stickers still on the case back and clasp support an unworn claim; their absence doesn't prove wear, but it removes the easiest evidence.
• The bracelet. A bracelet that has never been sized still has all its links. Removed links that come with the watch are a sign it has been fitted to a wrist.
• The clasp. Fine scratches on the clasp are usually the first wear a watch picks up, and they're easy to miss in photos.
• The papers. Check the date and that everything the brand ships in the box is there.

Describe exactly what you have in the listing; the guide to writing a watch listing covers the wording.