Collection register
A structured record of identity, ownership evidence, photographs, documents, accessories, condition notes, service history, location and review dates.
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Watch collection support for family offices.
Maison Montres gives family offices a clear view of a watch collection and the information needed for the next decision. The work can cover an inventory, missing-record review and briefs for acquisitions, sales or specialist appointments, within the team's existing reporting process.
— The office’s working process
Add a watch specialist to the existing process.
An external watch-specialist brief can help an office that needs focused collection support without creating a permanent internal role. Agree the task, named contact, reporting format and review cycle. The family and its appointed advisers keep their decision rights.
| Situation | Useful output | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| Records held in several places | Consolidated register and gap list | Who supplies each missing record? |
| New acquisition proposed | Candidate brief and open checks | Which conditions must be resolved? |
| Selected watches may be sold | Watch-by-watch route and cost review | Which pieces should be offered, retained or reviewed? |
| Handover approaching | Collection record and adviser question list | Which specialist documents are required? |
— Possible deliverables
What does a family-office watch engagement deliver?
The exact output depends on the mandate. A useful scope can combine the following work without presenting every item as a financial asset.
Action and gap log
A list of missing records, unresolved questions and agreed next actions, with an owner and status for each item.
Decision brief
A concise brief for an acquisition, specialist examination, valuation, insurance review, sale, gift or succession discussion.
For ongoing work, see watch collection management. A known acquisition can use a pre-purchase watch review; a search starts with private sourcing. A proposed disposal of several pieces needs its own collection-sale plan.
— Roles and controls
Watch collections within a wider wealth plan.
Maison Montres supports the watch-specific work. Legal, tax, investment and insurance advice stays with the appointed professionals. A written scope names the approver, reporting recipients and responsible specialist. See the engagement boundaries.
Technical questions
Use a separately defined authentication service when identity, originality or condition requires physical specialist review.
Value questions
Define the purpose, date and basis before commissioning a watch valuation. Market, insurance and estate values are not interchangeable.
Insurance questions
Prepare accurate records, then ask the client's broker or insurer to confirm cover, exclusions and evidence requirements. See the watch insurance guide.
— A simple workflow
How does Maison Montres work with existing advisers?
- Define the objective. State the decision, deadline and people involved.
- Limit the data. Share only the records needed for the agreed work.
- Map the gaps. Identify missing documents and questions that require a specialist.
- Complete the work. Record sources, assumptions, actions and open issues.
- Hand off clearly. Give the family office an agreed file and decision record.
Before a future transfer, use watch collection succession preparation to record the owner's preferences and open questions. After a transfer, inherited collection support establishes the first inventory. Neither service determines ownership, tax treatment or legal authority.
— Plain answers
Family-office questions.
Can the service work with our existing register?
State your current system and reporting requirements in the brief. The scope should identify the master record, approved recipients and how updates will be handed over.
Who is this service for?
This service is for family offices, trustees and professional advisers that need watch-specific support for a private client or family. It may also suit a principal who wants the work coordinated with an existing advisory team.
What can a family-office watch engagement include?
Maison Montres can prepare a collection register, document-gap review, acquisition or sale brief, and records for valuation, insurance or a future handover. The mandate names the output, recipients, review cycle and specialist work. It does not give Maison Montres automatic custody or transaction authority.
How does Maison Montres work with existing advisers?
The engagement should identify one lead contact, the decisions Maison Montres may support and the information each adviser needs. Legal, tax, investment and insurance professionals retain responsibility for advice within their regulated or specialist fields.
What should be agreed before work begins?
The written scope should state the objective, deliverables, data access, decision rights, Maison Montres' commercial role, fees, external costs and exit terms. It should also identify any specialist report or professional advice required.
— Next steps
Connect the collection work to the office’s priorities.
Use collection management for continuing records, a collection-sale plan for proposed disposals, succession planning records for a future handover or the inherited collection guide for an existing transition. A named recipient may require a separate appraisal brief.
Start with one defined question.
Describe the collection, the decision and the advisory team. Maison Montres can then propose a scope, deliverables and boundaries for review.
Discuss support for your team