New old stock

New old stock, or NOS, means a watch or part that was made some time ago but has never been sold to or used by an end customer, typically inventory that sat with a retailer or distributor.

For watches, NOS usually refers to an older or discontinued reference in unused condition, which collectors may value highly. For parts, it describes original, unused components that can matter when restoring a vintage piece.

Because the label adds value, ask how the item has been stored and what documentation comes with it. Unused but poorly stored is not the same as pristine.

Pricing a new old stock watch

Comparable sales are thin for NOS pieces, because few unused examples of an older reference come up at once. Price from completed sales of the same reference in the closest condition you can find, and expect to adjust; the guide to pricing a watch with no comparable sales walks through it.

Unused doesn't mean ready to wear. A movement's lubricants age whether or not the watch runs, so a long-stored NOS watch may still need a service, and that cost belongs in your buy price. The original warranty may also have run out, which buyers should know before they pay a new-watch premium.